It was still the dead of winter…
… when the MCO Solo II organizing committee convened its first planning meeting for the 2009 season. Having had a great time in the last six events (two podiums) of 2008 in Zhaan, our Mazda 3 Sport GT, I had volunteered to be “general labour” for 2009 so that I could contribute to the series and learn the ropes. Given that I’m comfy with computers and that most don’t like working with timing and registration, I had mentioned to the more experienced guys that I would be willing to help in that area. However, at the meeting, my “general labourer” status morphed into “Head of Timing and Registration”. While I was kinda worried about whether all the gear was going to fit into Ginger, I felt OK about the job as it seemed the more experienced guys would have my back even though I still couldn’t match-up all the names to the right faces. The meeting ended and we all headed home through the cold, snowy February night. Top down driving and autocross seemed and eternity away.

Wired or Wireless?
Having taken on the role of timing guy, the early spring was spent on a blend of learning the timing system with the help of luker and working on Ginger. While work on the car was going well, the timing system was proving pesky. It would behave perfectly during testing at my house, luker’s house, and DEye’s house, but refused to work nicely at Scotia Bank Place.

We discovered this at the MCO Summer Performance Driving School, which pedwar completed from Ginger’s driving seat. I spent the first part of the day as a cone monkey keeping the exercises in good shape as the students flattened cones, but we also took the time to test the timing gear in advance of the next day’s autocross, which would be be Event 1 of 2009. Lo and behold, the wireless system refused to work so we went to the wired system, the standard contingency play. It worked… or so we thought.

The next day arrived, along with a two hour long registration line! I was drowning in registration forms, freezing in the cold, and really feeling pressure as no matter how fast we took forms, handed out bracelets, and entered people in the timing system, the line didn’t get any shorter. Eventually, we got all 97 entrants registered and got the event rolling and as if the delay and the newbie organizing crew weren’t enough, we were then plagued by weird timing issues that really slowed things down as re-run after re-run was necessary. It was an exhausting, humbling day with only five timed runs.

pedwar and I were both driving Ginger and with all of the registration work, I had not been able to do a course walk or coach her on how to do it. The result was that she spent the day getting lost and my largely driving the course from memory (we ran the course in 2008) in a car that I had never really driven in anger. To top it off, the alignment specs I had put on Ginger were horribly wrong, making her an over steering nightmare, but driving aspect of the day was still a hoot and I think the autox bug had landed on pedwar’s arm and was preparing to bite.
2009 Event 1 Results

Inter-Event Hand Wringing
All the timing issues and the line-ups at the first event really had us concerned, but with only a week before Event 2, there wasn’t a lot we could do. Besides no one expected another large turn-out so early in the season, particularly given the challenges of Event 1. Boy were we wrong as we had 96 entrants, many of which were new and again needed to be entered into the computer.

On top of that, the timing glitches were even more plentiful, which cut the run count to four. Yes, only four. We were demoralized and I was feeling pretty shitty as the guy in charge of timing.

On the upside, we had fixed Ginger’s alignment making her much more controllable. pedwar arrived earlier and took more course walks, this time knowing what to look for and what to think about. The result was that she only had one or two DNFs and cut the gap between our times from 20 seconds to 8 seconds — that’s 12 seconds faster after only event! She was also hooked, not only on the driving, but also on the friendly atmosphere and great people.
2009 Event 2 Results

One Hundred and Ten!
Yup, Event 3 saw a field of 110 competitors, which meant long wait between runs, limited paddock space, and frayed nerves, making the on-going timing issues that much more annoying. Despite all this, we still managed four timed runs. No, that’s nothing to be proud of, but at least we held the line despite the larger field size. Discussion raged in the forums regarding how to address the timing issues. pedwar’s shoulder was becoming more an issue at this point and she decided that the violent steering required for autocross, coupled with the need to brace one’s head and body against the cornering loads was only making her pain worse. She watched from the sidelines, making Event 2 her last autocross of 2009. I kept getting more comfortable in Ginger and as my confidence grew, I was getting quicker. Course Map – 2009 – Event 3 – 2009 Event 3 Results

Regular Service Resumed… Almost
Event 4 saw another 90+ field, but with fewer brand-spanking new bodies, registration was becoming easier, allowing us to start on time. While we continued to face timing issues, the earlier start time meant we were still able to get seven timed runs. Everyone rejoiced as it was apparent that the organizing crew, composed largely of newbs (myself included), was starting to gel.
Course Map – 2009 – Event 4 – 2009 Event 4 Results

First Trip to PMG
To virtually every MCO autocrosser I asked, those three letters meant autocross nirvana — huge expanses of smooth, flat, flawless asphalt totally devoid of curbs, light posts, painted lines, or pot holes. A place where coneheads could push with reckless abandon that lay a mere 2 to 2.5 hours outside Ottawa in Blainville, QC.

PMG is actually the name of the firm that operates the Transport Canada automotive test facility in Blainville. The facility is huge, with a massive banked oval for high-speed testing and of course the large skid pad that we would be using. There is nothing dramatic about getting there, but going from the front gate to the skid pad is another story: waivers are signed at the front gate and cars are led in by security in groups. Once at the skid pad, parked cars must have their engines over the grass, not over the asphalt. Also, any use of jacks is to involve a plank of wood between the jack and the asphalt. Yes, PMG does consider the asphalt that precious.

While it was a beautiful day and our CADL hosts ran a great event, we were disappointed at the tight technical course. After all, we can do tight and technical at home. Here, we wanted 3rd gear speed and fast flowing corners.  I had a really hard time driving the course without cone penalties and was pretty frustrated all day long, but still had a great time.  After the event, I made 123go, the CADL/MCO double-agent promise me a fast course for the next PMG event, planned for late September.

Some Things Must Be Done, No Matter How Hard
Event 6 (or Event 5 if you only count the local events) was the first where the MCO Solo II imposed a cap on registration and began to require that current participants register on-line. We took some flack and there were concerns voiced by highly respected members of the community, but DEye made the hard call and stuck to his guns. The 75 driver cap worked and we ran with 78 participants. Even with continued timing glitches, we managed a relaxed six runs. The event flowed better, people had space, and everyone’s anxiety began to slip away. Change is hard, but sometimes its necessary.

As we progressed through the next events, we moved the cap upwards as we got better at dealing with timing glitches and could reliably hit our run target. Event 7, for which our CADL brethren joined us saw us hit 6 runs with 96 competitors. Event 8 had 83 competitors, each of whom got 7 timed runs. Event 8 also saw us discover that the wired system was actually the cause of our problems. Out of desperation, having tried everything else, we switched and ran problem free for the rest of the day! How annoying that the very strategy we adopted to avoid problems was causing the problems. Course Map – 2009 – Event 8

Once the switch over happened, we were rolling as we wrapped up the last point-paying, local event of 2009. All that was left was the members only event of October 13th, which saw 61 members swapping and sharing cars as we ran the course clockwise in the morning and then counter-clockwise in the afternoon — yes, that’s 8 runs and we had tons of fun runs, too. A great day, with pizza, beverages, and cookies. Does it get any better?
2009 Event 6 Results – 2009 Event 7 Results – 2009 Event 8 Results – 2009 Special Event Results

I’m singin’ in the rain!
The last MCO event of the year was back at PMG where CADL was hosting the annual Inter-Provincial Cup (IPC), where Ontario and Quebec drivers square-off to determine the fastest province. It’s all in good fun and since the event is run under the rules of the hosting club, the hosting province tends to win. We left for PMG in convoy bright and early under torrential rain that didn’t let up until the event was almost over. What this meant was that PMG’s flat, drainless asphalt was very, very wet, with lots of standing water. Combine that with fun course that 123go promised and it made for a hell of a fun day of driving, even if marshalling was cold and wet. Root_Moose and I traded cars for fun runs and I discovered just how forgiving Ginger is. She wants to please and does all she can to follow the commands I issue through the steering wheel and the pedals. Root_Moose’s AP1 Honda S2000 was a different matter. Unlike Ginger, it heard my requests, considered them, and then not-so-politely told me where to go — I spun three times on my first run, avoided a couple spins on the second run, and put down a respectable time on the third. bigdog and sfong, regular S2K drivers, were laughing at my bug-eyed expressions in the car. Root_Moose? He was off doing his best times with Ginger, who just a week earlier had needed to be towed home.

Needless to say, Quebec won the IPC and the results of the day decided the MCO series champions once I got home and entered the data in our timing computer. My work as timing guy was done for the season and I felt pretty good about how I had handled myself and I later discovered that my peers were pretty happy with me, too.

Discovering friends you didn’t know you had…
… is always a great thing and that’s what I found when I made it out to a few St. LAC events. Not only did I see another approach to running events, but I also made some great friends in the form of Rob and Bill and their respective families. If you’re ever able to make it out to a St. LAC event, even if its one of the two-hour evening sessions at Shannonville, I highly recommend it. Say hi to Rob, Bill, Greg, Rob Sr., and the Brunners for me. Next year, I’ll be a dues-paying St. LAC member.

St-LAC hosted my last autox of the year, again at Picton, on our anniversary weekend, which also saw Ginger and I hit the race track at Shannonville for the second time this year. I had so much fun, I went back on November 1 for my last hurrah of 2009.

Car and Driver: A Season-Long Progression
Through the middle of the season Ginger was a different car every couple of weeks as the Flyin’ Miata goodies got installed, but as she was improving, so was I. This graph charts how my times compared to FTD (Fastest Time of the Day) at the MCO events this season (I treated the members-only event as two events to capture my morning time vs. my afternoon times).

As for lapping, with no precise instrument for measuring my times, I’ve had to rely on video footage, which shows that between October 18 and November 1, I managed to trim 5-6 seconds of my laps at Shannonville with no changes to the car. I’m pretty happy with that after about 8 hours on track in my whole life.

Overall, this has been one of the best summers of my life. I’ve done things I didn’t think I would ever do, I’ve gotten to be a better driver than I could have imagined and I know I can improve more. My wife and best friend has also become enamoured with the scene and the activity and I’ve made a raft of new friends in the process. The crazy thing is that I get to do it all over again next year!!!

July 8 was a day discovery. I discovered that air hammers require really big air compressors with immense tanks. I learned that because such compressors aren’t terribly easy to move, they aren’t typical rental units, which means air hammers aren’t either. I then learned that I had no interest in starting the diff bushings and running the risk of having an undrivable car that I can’t fix. The diff bushing and the engine mounts will wait until I can afford to have them done at a shop or until I can get access to the hoist and tools at my brother’s work. Anyway, I completed the downpipe and exhaust that afternoon, and thankfully it went on much more easily than the stock bits came off.

By this point, Pedwar had left in Zhaan for an overnighter at her friend’s cottage, so I seized the moment (a car that can run) to grab some food and take a test drive. The exhaust note is great — deep and bassy at idle, and assertive and smooth, but not too loud, when driving.

condor888000 came over for a bit to continue work on his camber link, finally getting the whole bushing out with my dremel… (too bad this means he will have to remove the passenger side link, too). I decided to start the throttle body inlet pipe and got it done relatively quickly, only to discover that I had gone too far… I had a vac line with nowhere to stick it unless I did the intake, too. Of course, doing the intake would remove the MAF, which would necessitate the Hydra, which has a map for 550cc injectors. Sigh. So I started the intake. It was easier than the TB inlet despite the number of tubes and clamps, and then I decided to call it a night. I figured I’d hit the sack and get started early on the injectors.

Despite it being after midnight, I couldn’t sleep, so I got up around 1AM, looked up the injector instructions and started dismantling the intake manifold to get at the injectors. It was late so it was hand tools only, as I live in a townhouse and I like my neighbours. About 3:00AM, when I could no longer remember where I was putting down my wrenches, I took a shower, socked back a shot of scotch, and hit the sack. I slept through the 5:30AM alarm and woke on my own at 7:04AM…

… which brings us to July 9th. I completed the injector change, which was initally scary then became tedious, and will be remembered as relatively straightforward. I crossed my fingers that nothing got pinched and that I wouldn’t have a fuel leak. I had to call it a day at this stage because condor888000 was picking me up and we were heading for an autocross at Shannonville Motorsports Park, where Pedwar was going to meet us.

Since it was on the way, we swung into Ogdensburg to grab some oil filters. With a car full of stuff and being two guys, US Customs and Border Protection checked the car and let us go. On the way back into Canada, we got interrogated separately by the CBSA officer who was suspicious of our story, particularly given my two camcorders, my DSLR gear, and the helmets, which still look new. We convinced her we were OK, and she let us go, with no tax paid on the filters, which had been declared.

Despite the delays and condor’s angst about being late, we still made it to the track by 5PM and were ready to go well in advance of the 6PM start time. condor is now officially a “drama llama“, but he’s a great guy and I can’t thank him enough for letting me run his car.

condor888000

The event was fun and felt more like a solo I than a solo II, as there were only a few gates and the rest was following the line of the track. As usual, the crowd (especially Pedwar) was great and the apres-autox dinner at the Loyal Oarsman in Kingston (Bath Road, a couple blocks west of Gardiners Road) was nice, too. Got home about 1AM and fell asleep very quickly.

July 10th: My last day of vacation saw me complete the wiring for the hydra’s wide-band and MAP sensor. I followed the directions and got the throttle position sensor calibrated… and then came the moment of truth — the first start. She cranked to life on the first try and settled into a normal idle. Everything was louder because of the intake and exhaust, but the Hydra’s read-outs looked normal. I completed the wide-band calibration and then took a drive around the block at creeping speeds before parking her again. She seemed a little more prone to stalling, but I’m sure that can be tweaked. I was relieved and elated… remember a year ago, the most I had ever done was change spark plugs and change tires. After dinner, when the car had cooled, I put the O2 sensor into the downpipe and called it a day.

Left to do? Calibrate timing (learning by doing, as usual), clean up interior and install passenger seat, drive and data log. I hope to do all that tomorrow. Auto-tuning won’t work until I get an activation code from Flyin’ Miata, and I don’t expect that before Monday.

Will she run in the autox on Sunday? I don’t know… will have to see how she drives tomorrow.

Oil is changed to German Castrol Syntec 0W30. Tranmission is filled with Motorcraft Full Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid and the differential is fully of RedLine 75W90.

I’ve also acquired a used Hard Dog Hard Core M2 Double Diagonal. Getting it used saved me enough coin that I’m able to get powercoated silver to match the car’s rims, which are also being repaired.

So spring will see me change the brake rotors (already acquired), pads (either Hawk HPS or Carbotech), and fluid (ATE SuperBlue or Motul 600), install the rollbar, and change the clutch and power steering fluid.

I’ve also learned a lot more about the the modifications I had planned so I’ve revised my plan a bit:

Mazdaspeed MX-5 Modification Plan

Rev 2 – 2008.12.07

2009:

1. Hard Dog Hard Core M2 Roll Bar with double-diagonal – safety first, right?
2. Flying Miata Frame Rails – increase chassis rigidity to reduce noise, vibration, and harshness while helping the suspension to do its work
3. Rims and Tires for Solo II – still not sure what to get, but 15″ rims are likely. Also thinking of moving up to R-compound tires, but overall width is where I’m stuck as I want to go wide, but have enough clearance that I don’t have rubbing when I upgrade suspension down the road.
4. Flyin’ Miata Intercooler – this one is a maybe and will depend on budget

Date To Be Determined:

1. Flyin’ Miata Big Enchilada Package

As far as routine maintenance, next spring will see Ginger receive:

• new transmission fluid (Motorcraft Full Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid) – done
• new differential fluid (RedLine 75W90) – done
  
• new brake fluid (TBD DOT 5.1)
• new power steering fluid (Dexron VI)
• new clutch fluid (TBD)
• brake service (rotors replace or turned), new pads (brand TBD), lubricated
• interior shampoo

My experience with lowering Zhaan and giving her a sport shifter has convinced me that judicious modding can improve any car by making it better tuned to meet the owner’s preferences and needs.

For Ginger, my biggest irritation is related to the evil that is common to all convertibles — chassis flex resulting from the floor serving as the only link between the front and rear of the unibody. There is only so much one can do for this as it is convertible and adding a ton of weight would be contrary to the Miata’s low-mass design ethos.

The next area isn’t so much an irritation as it is an area for improvement — power. 177 horsepower in a car that tips the scales about about 2500 pounds equals pretty decent acceleration, but turbo lag is an issue and let’s face it, one can always benefit from more power. That said, I don’t really want to open-up the engine or make really major changes (yet), particularly as the car still has two years of powertrain warranty.

With this in mind, here is my current modification plan for Ginger:

Mazdaspeed MX-5 Modification Plan

Initial Draft – 2008.11.01

2009:

1. Hard Dog Hard Core M2 Roll Bar with double-diagonal – safety first, right?
2. Flyin’ Miata Butterfly Brace – increase chassis rigidity to reduce noise, vibration, and harshness while helping the suspension to do its work

2010:

1. Flyin’ Miata Downpipe & Catalytic Converter
2. Flyin’ Miata Complete Intake Kit

2011:

1. Flyin’ Miata Exhaust
2. Flyin’ Miata Intercooler *

2012:

1. Who knows, but this page looks interesting and so does this one.

The intercooler has an asterisk beside it because where it places in the order will depend on how the car performs in the heat of summer — I’ve only driven it in cool fall weather. If the tiny stock intercooler does the job, then it will be last, but if I find it struggling to cope, it might move up the priority list.

As far as routine maintenance, next spring will see Ginger receive:

• new transmission fluid (Motorcraft Full Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid)
• new differential fluid (TBD GL-5/75W90)
• new brake fluid (TBD DOT 5.1)
• new power steering fluid (Dexron VI)
• new clutch fluid (TBD)
• brake service (rotors replace or turned), new pads, lubricated (brand TBD)
• interior shampoo

I’d like to do all of this work myself and with the exception of the welding of the exhaust, there’s nothing to stop me from doing all of it. However, the roll bar needs to be done properly and involves some non-reversible cutting and drilling, so I might look into getting that done professionally, or at least get some experienced hands to help.

It’s going to be very hard putting her for the winter, an activity that is planned for this coming week.

We looked her over carefully and noted some paint scrapes on the passenger side, starting at the rear bumper and extending to the door. Paint was gone, but metal was still under primer and wasn’t dented. She was still wearing the BF Goodrich g-Force Sport tires I had bought her in the spring of 2007. It was really hard to see her there in the parking lot… not mine… someone else’s.

We went into the store hoping to see the owner, the salesman who had sold us Zhaan. We found him and discovered that he had left Carling Motors and was now working at Future Shop in advance of returning to school. He outlined how her engine had expired in a puff of smoke and had since been replaced with JDM power plant putting out closer to 190hp, but that the rest of her was still working beautifully. He said he loved driving her and that she was even more willing to rev to redline since the heart transplant. I love Zhaan and her plentiful torque, but boy did his words make me miss the VTEC switch-over and the buttery smooth rev of that engine.

We left a short while later, with an assurance that he would continue to look after her. We passed by Dax one more time on the way out. I stroked her hood and driver’s door and gazed back as we walked toward Zhaan. I love my 3, but I can’t help but miss my SiR.

I think I might go see the new owner again and ask him to contact me when he decides to sell her.

Our new Mazda, which we’ve name Zhaan because of she’s blue just like the Farscape character that bears the same name, is so far a fitting replacement. Nearly 9 years of evolution has definitely improved the sporty compact breed, which means that while we’ve gained in space, creature comforts, doors (she’s a 5-door), and mass, we haven’t sacrificed very much performance. While Dax in her prime made just over 160hp, she was woefully lacking in low-end grunt. It wasn’t until her engine was well over 6,000rpm, snarling on the VTEC cam, that you felt that power — it was a very narrow playground between 6,000 and the 8,000rpm redline. Peak power was at mind-blowing 7,600rpm and peak torque of 111 lb-ft. was at 7,300rpm. Unlike most cars that sound like they’re going to blow up near their redline, those engine speeds were like an automotive symphony from that little 1.6L 4 and it made you rev even if you weren’t in rush.

Zhaan, on the other hand, builds speed effortlessly with a much broader, flatter torque curve — 150 lb-ft at 4,000rpm — that builds to 158hp at 6,500rpm. She steps off the line much more smartly, with less throttle, and let’s you shift at 3,000rpm. The engine gets the work done, but you don’t feel like you’re driving a car with a technical wonder under its hood. Add the extra mass and I’m sure Dax, during her youth, could have dropped Zhaan, but as a deft-handling cruiser that doesn’t wear its occupants out, Zhaan’s got it covered. She offers a great driving position, fast, precise steering, smooth and precise shifter, heated seats, nice stereo with wheel mounted controls, lots of cargo capacity, four extremely convenient doors, and a beautiful blue colour.

Still, it’s hard to accept that I’ll never drive my Civic SiR again, that I’ve left a loyal friend in the care of someone I don’t know, that I’ll never turn her ignition again. Don’t get me wrong, I like my new car, and I’m sure I’ll learn to love her over the coming months, but I guess this is as much about a change in me as it is about a change in the car I drive. Nothing made that clearer to me than when I got out of a 2007 MazdaSPEED 3, a true rocket-sled with a turbo-charged motor generating 280 lb-ft of torque and 263hp. The power was fantastic, but I got out and said, “No, it’s too loud, and it would drive me nuts day-to-day.” I guess I no longer want to have rev to 8,000rpm, I no longer need that race-car feel. I guess what I want now is effortless speed, quiet, calm, disciplined. I guess I’m saying good-bye to Dax, a phase of my life, and the dream that was the BMW 1-series all at the same time.

At the same time, owning this new Mazda is kind of like coming full circle, back to the 1988 Mercury Tracer GS Wagon (a Mazda 323 clone) that I drove through high school and university. Ironically, we’re about 1 year and 1 month shy of the 20th anniversary since my parents bought that car. The 3 is the spiritual successor to the Tracer/323, a car that I knew like the back of my hand, a car I could slide sideways at speed without even getting nervous. That history is a good foundation from which to start a new relationship, with a new true-blue friend tomorrow when we pick Zhaan up from her window tint. Zoom-Zoom, I guess.

All I can do now is hope that pricing puts them within reach. I’m not holding my breath on the 135i, but the 128i would make me plenty happy and even a stripper would be a step up from our 1999 Civic SiR, which is due for replacement in 2010/11.

BWM.ca shows some images of the new 1, but no other info. I guess I’ll be checking that site weekly, if not daily, until details emerge. Start Saving!