Some 29 Mazda MX-5s and a total of 250 media, journalists, TV crews and photographers gathered at Adria International Raceway from February 9-11. The circuit, situated by the Adriatic Sea in northern Italy, had its first great freeze in 30 years. Despite the frigid temperatures, the atmosphere on track was feverish as the Four-hour MX-5 Endurance Race, hosted by the European media to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Mazda MX-5, got underway.
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Adria International Raceway is located on the edge of the town of Adria, 100 kilometres from the heartland city of Bologna. It is a 2.7-kilometre, flat road-racing track that contains a succession of sharp turns, and is thus also well known as a technical circuit. This international raceway is used for FIA GT, Italian Formula 3, DTCC and other series' events. Mazda Europe has long held a unique idea that media from all 29 countries in Europe gather and compete in an endurance race with the MX-5. Showing local pride with each individual country's colours flying in originally-liveried MX-5s is an idea with particularly strong resonance in Europe, a continent made up of many smaller countries, each with their own unique culture and ways of life that border other equally unique regions. Each MX-5 was designed and coloured to represent the national flags and colours of each country, and was penned by the Mazda Europe Design department. This colour-specific idea also played a role in livening up the event.
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The MX-5 used in the race has a standard engine, gearbox and differential gearing. The car is almost identical to the showroom model except for a hardened race-spec suspension, roll cage and transmission oil cooler. Its twin-centre exhaust pipes and racing slick tyres give it a convincing appearance. Adria Raceway, which consists of many sharp turns like its hairpin curve, is considered a stop-and-go type race track, with a lower maximum speed and higher degree of safety. On the other hand, the drivers cannot drive fast and attain faster lap times without possessing basic racing driving skills such as tracing the racing line and accurately hitting the appropriate acceleration and braking points. In addition, a fuel limit was applied for the race so that keeping the car at full throttle would ultimately lose one the event.
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Members of the media usually see each other at press events such as motor shows, test drive events and so on. Some of them have good relationships with each other and occasionally exchange information. However, almost all are confident in their driving skills in a racing environment. They have a fighting spirit that's hidden in their friendly faces. Among the crowd of editors and writers, we found a few editorial test drivers. Also, ex-F1 pilot Jacques Laffite's daughter joined the team representing France. Unusual to be seen among the drivers was famous German chef Malzer Tim, who also participated in the race. Naturally, executives and PR staff from Mazda Europe also campaigned cars in the event. From Japan, Mazda R&D engineers Takao Kijima and Nobuhiro Yamamoto, who developed the MX-5, also participated in the race.
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After practice and qualifying had taken place, each team asked the mechanical support team to set up their racing MX-5's geometry and tyre air pressure to their individual liking. They chose their preferred settings and enjoyed themselves just as if they were competing in a professional race. Then at last, the main race came on the final day of the event. Unfortunately, it rained in the morning. As the start time approached, it was a chilly 5 degrees Celsius outside. Running with the top down was one of the race's requirements, and those who didn't keep moving soon got utterly soaked!Every MX-5 in the four-hour Endurance Race got away cleanly at the start. Their practising up until the day before the big race had been sufficient so that there were no major incidents in a race that saw little contact throughout.
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Every team needed to make four pit stops for fuel, and thus the crews who watched their cars on track could see the lap monitor and count the timing of the stops. Their faces wore an expression of complete seriousness. Refuelling was carried out at the fuel station in a slow and safety-conscious manner, under the watchful eyes of the marshalls as any hurried activity that resulted in leaked fuel would surely cause accidents. The race was designed to provide perfectly equal conditions with professional-level support. Preparation of the racing MX-5s was done by a single racing service company from Germany, with the race's rules and regulations drawn up with the cooperation of Adria Raceway's course director. The race was created so that every driver could enjoy and compete fairly, just as in real competition.
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The Belgian team won, second place went to Portugal and third was taken by the Hungarian team. The ensuing champagne fight outshone even those performed by professionals, and the victorious team members shouted and cheered enthusiastically. Many prizes were prepared; not only for the fastest lap and the results standings, but also some ingenious awards such as one for the car with the least damage, the one with the most damage, the best fuel mileage, the worst fuel mileage, etc. There was a genuine attempt for everyone to enjoy not only the race, but also the presentation of prizes. For example, humourous comments were added when each prize was handed out, such as; "Please eat more McDonald's hamburgers for increased energy" to the team awarded the best fuel mileage, and "All of you need more exercise" to the team who recorded the worst fuel mileage and so on. In addition, Mazda Europe's flair and ability to put together the event so well, plus the superb hospitality were all given high praise by each of the participants.
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2009 marked the 20th anniversary of the release of the original Mazda MX-5. The concept that an affordable, light weight sports car which was safe and enjoyable to drive was readily accpeted throughout the world. This concept has since been taken over to the next generation. It could be really enjoyable if such a racing event took place not only in Europe but also in other regions. It's likely that many viewers will have already concluded this from looking at the photos. At the media event, the drivers and crews all wore the same green and orange-coloured racing suits and jackets. This orange and green colourscheme is well known as a symbolic color showing Mazda's Racing Heritage in the modern era.
Next year, 2011, will be the 20th anniversary of the same orange and green-coloured racing car that won the Le Mans 24 Hours.
