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Matt Brogan23 Jan 2017
FEATURE

Mazda MX-5 Fan Fest smashes records

motoring.com.au again team with the MX-5 Club for the largest gathering in the southern hemisphere, and get the inside word on the model’s future

Australia’s love affair with the MX-5 climaxed at Sandown Raceway on the weekend with a record.

And as the fug from the roadster love-in cleared, the count was in – a record 477 MX-5s hit the Victorian circuit all at once for a parade lap that claims to be the largest gathering of the type in the Southern Hemisphere.

Last year motoring.com.au teamed with the MX-5 Club of Victoria and Tasmania to take part in their National Meeting in Tasmania. This year we were invited back as participants in the Sandown-based Mazda MX-5 Fan Fest, a social event incorporating a show and shine, and track day, as well as a look at the recently released MX-5 RF .

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The family-centric day also allowed punters the chance to meet Mazda execs and VIPs from here and overseas – including ‘father’ of the MX-5 chassis, Professor Takao Kijima, and NZ drift legend, ‘Mad’ Mike Whiddett.

The millionth MX-5 made an appearance too, taking stage alongside an example of each of the four generations of now 28-year-old MX-5 line-up.

Owners of the 477 MX-5s that hit the track travelled from all over Australia to participate in the record-setting display. In all, well over 1500 enthusiasts took part in the 2017 MX-5 Fan Fest.

Speaking to motoring.com.au at MX-5 Fan Fest, author and retired MX-5 program manager, Professor Takao Kijima, said he believed the roadster’s popularity was due largely to its capacity to become an extension of the driver’s body.

“I feel the reason the MX-5 is so well-loved is because it moves in the very same way the driver intends,” he suggested.

“When designing the car we were careful to ensure weight distribution was as neutral as possible, pivoting around the driver’s hips.”

We asked Kijima-san what he felt drew enthusiasts together at events such as Fan Fest, the now-retired MX-5 chassis engineer succinctly sharing his many years of interactions with the car’s fans.

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“Although most people have a natural preference for cars created in their own country, it makes me incredibly proud that no matter where in the world I travel, the love for the MX-5 is always the same,” he enthused.

It was a sentiment echoed by Mazda-sponsored drift racer, Mad Mike. The NZ-born speed demon grew up with Mazdas in his blood, the choice to favour the Japanese brand based on much the same rationale Kijima-san hoped his design would impart.

“I heard my first rotary engine when was seven-years-old, and right away I knew it was different, something I had to be a part of. It’s what drew me to the Mazda brand,” he explained.

“And it’s what got me into drifting, and when you drift, the car really has to be an extension of your body, it needs to communicate clearly, it needs to have grip in the chassis. I’d just love them to build an MX-5 with a rotary engine,” he laughed.

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Mad Mike took several lucky punters to the track in Mazda’s MX-5 Global Cup Car throughout the day – the same raced by motoring.com.au Editor in Chief, Mike Sinclair, in the USA last year – also taking part in a speed demonstration, showing the difference in lap times between standard MX-5 variants, and the Cup Car, in a high-speed lap of the Sandown circuit.

“Plainly, the MX-5 is a fun car to drive, everyone here has a smile on their face,” said Mazda Australia marketing director, Alastair Doak.

“Anybody who’s even remotely interested in driving understands the purity of the MX-5, the sensation that it gives you. It’s not the world’s fastest car, but it’s probably the world’s most fun car to drive. No car at any price point does it better, and we think that’s why people fall in love with it.”

“I think if everybody had the chance to drive the MX-5, then we’d have a lot more car enthusiasts around the world – maybe that should be our legacy,” he grinned.

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We asked Doak and Kijima-san if the MX-5 recipe was sustainable in a future filled with ever-stricter regulations, the pair offering unanimous furtherance for the much-loved car.

“The fact that ND came out, that we were able to look to the future in terms of crash regulations, more advanced safety features, it can certainly live in that environment,” explained Doak.

“And as for the internal combustion engine, well, that engine will still exist in another 20 years’ time, so yes, another million MX-5s is certainly achievable.”

Kijima-san shared Doak’s views, insisting the front-engine/rear-drive formula was key to the model’s sustenance.

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“It will remain true to the concept we know today,” added Kijima.

“I don’t think anyone can be really happy when driving an autonomous car, at least not in the same way as an MX-5. We want enjoyment in driving, independence; it’s human nature. It’s the same reason we will continue to offer the front-engine, rear-wheel drive combination – you’ll never see a front-wheel drive MX-5,” he smiled.

Doak again added his wish for the model’s successful continuance.

“Who knows what it will evolve into, as long as it’s true to the feelings it give the driver, then it remains an MX-5 – even if in 50 years’ time it’s powered by something we can’t even imagine yet,” proffered Doak.

“As long as it’s balanced, lightweight and fun to drive, that’s the real essence of the MX-5.”

Related reading:
>> Mazda MX-5 1.5 Roadster Review
>> Mazda MX-5 2.0 Roadster Review
>> Mazda MX-5 1.5 v 2.0 Roadster Comparison
>> Mazda MX-5 v Abarth 124 Spider Comparison
>> Mazda MX-5 v Toyota 86 Comparison
>> Mazda MX-5 Generations

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Written byMatt Brogan
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