Matt's MY08 NC Roadster.

[CoffeeBoss]

The Old Road
With life being a bit hectic lately, the need to go for an aimless drive was getting unbearable.

So last weekend, despite the heat, Reg and I headed out to get reaquainted with The Old Road.



Thankfully, it was a quiet afternoon up there. First off was the obligatory stop at the PITS to 'refuel' - lamb honey & rosemary pie ftw.


Photo by Reggie

Then it was through to the end of 'Stage 3' for a quick 'tunnel run'


Photo by Reggie

I've been driving this road on and off for over a decade now, and I simply never tire of it. Countless times I've found myself on the Newcastle Freeway heading in or out of Sydney, and you can always convince yourself that you've got time up your sleeve to get off the freeway and jump on the Old Pac.

I love the distinct feel of the 3 sections, and the different rythym each part of the road has. It's also a road that doesn't need to be dríven flat out to be enjoyed. Better than average surface quality for a NSW b-road, with great flow and a picturesque backdrop.



It's a perfect Roadster road, really.

On the return leg back to Sydney, we decided to detour via Bobbin Head Road. Near sunset it's usually reasonably devoid of traffic, and is a much nicer alternative to the F3 freeway anyhow. The spot down by the marina is also makes for a nice rest area.



Bobbin Head Road is, of course, quite bumpy. But compared to my old IS200 & it's TRD coilovers, the TEIN's and the tighter NC chassis really make short work of the undulations on Bobbin Head Rd. Which, after nearly 100'000kms of driving, says a lot about the TEIN Super Street's build quality, IMHO. They are well past their prime now, that is for certain! But despite that, they are holding up very well indeed.

[CoffeeBoss]

If you're thinking about doing a similar event, I urge you to consider MDTC as a venue.

The Wilmington's have been copping some serious flack from the local council over their venue recently, something we are hoping we can help him with through some legal contacts of ours. What they have done for the track day community stretches far beyond this facility. A facility which just happens to be of vital importance to enthusiasts like us, and which is a much needed by the grassroots motorsport and driving community. They deserve all the support they can get.

So, just found out on the weekend that it looks like the whole noise issue and attempts at closing MDTC down are being thrown out of court now.

Truly great news for MDTC.

[Regie]

Hooray! Ive got to get down to that track soon!

on another note, Swung by Spinning Wheel the other day for a alignment. Wow the difference was Huge!! Ive gone back to stock suspension (minus sways) and man the car is a absolute baller to drive..... And i thought i was going to go Euro, might jusy go NC

[CoffeeBoss]

Hooray! Ive got to get down to that track soon!

Yes. Yes you do.
Mandatory for Mazda Roadster drivers. Each one sold should come with instructions on how to get there.

on another note, Swung by Spinning Wheel the other day for a alignment. Wow the difference was Huge!! Ive gone back to stock suspension (minus sways) and man the car is a absolute baller to drive.....

It's always satisfying to hear people driving away from Spinning Wheel with that re-aligned smile. It's the type of difference you really need to experience for yourself to appreciate what a good alignment can do for your car.

And i thought i was going to go Euro, might jusy go NC

Euro aye....?
Just do one thing - if you can find one on a dealers floor somewhere, go and have a look at a white NC2.
They look pretty sweet in the metal. And it doesn't take much to make them look even better



Regret #1 - I should have got 17 x 9's.

[CoffeeBoss]

Interior Enhancements
So, there have been two interior 'upgrades' I've been wanting to do almost since I got the car.

One functional, and one purely asthetic.

I've been sitting on the former item for over 6 months now, and I finally got around to installing it
- the IL Motorsport replacement centre console.

The reason for this upgrade is simply told by this picture here:



Below, we have the standard centre console, with it's two cup holders. What you can't see is that the sliding cover for the console also has a latch that hangs halfway down into the console, meaning that if you have any item larger than a lighter in there, you can't slide the lid closed.

German Engineering to the rescue! Now I have a much larger space in the centre console, with a lid that secures via a magnet instead of latch. When closed, it looks identical to factory. With the addition of some non-stick padding, it's FAAAR more useful than the factory item. If you use your NC a lot, it's well worth the ugprade, and installation takes about 30 minutes, if you follow the right instructions (tip: search MX5 Cartalk, there are 2 extra screws holding the factory console down that are not mentioned clearly in the supplied instructions).

The second upgrade is a very subtle asthetic choice. The Liberal leather instrument binnacle cover.

Liberal are one of those small JDM manufacturers making items you didn't know you needed for Mazda's Roadster.
In typical JDM fashion, there are a huge selection of colours for the stitching - I had 3 different shades of red to choose from!



The cover comes in this handsome plastic case with colour printed instructions





Removing the instrument cover is a 'pull gently upwards' affair.



Covering it with the leather is a little tricky though, as there is no easy way to mount it as most adhesives will not stick to the leather, or the soft felt on the underside of the cover.

Once on though, it adds a subtle, but I think a tasteful touch to the interior:



Big thanks to Guy for assisting me in sourcing the Liberal cover.
Guy's NC is well on it's way to becoming a Liberal demo car

Ultimately I'd like to pair it with leather gear knob and handbrake boots with the same stitiching.

[Charlie Brown]

Ultimately I'd like to pair it with leather gear knob and handbrake boots with the same stitiching.

Matt, contact Benny

[Regie]

Matt

Where did that replacement centre console come from? My uncle is look for something along the lines of that.

As for the white NC2, ive seen them in the flesh and they are pure sex, i wonder if they come in the soft top, i dont fit comfortabley in the PRHT when the top is up

[CoffeeBoss]

Matt

Where did that replacement centre console come from? My uncle is look for something along the lines of that.

IL Motorsport my good man.

As for the white NC2, ive seen them in the flesh and they are pure sex, i wonder if they come in the soft top, i dont fit comfortabley in the PRHT when the top is up

They do, although they are doing a limited edition at the moment, and it looks like it's only available in PRHT which is strange.

However when I purchased my NC1, the PRHT was available.
Apart from being a bit lighter, and giving you the ability to raise and lower the top while you are moving (and in all of 3 seconds with a little practice), all soft top manual NC's came with an LSD standard. So it was the only choice for me.

[CoffeeBoss]

Circuit Club Eastern Creek Twilight Edition

So I finally did Eastern Creek, with Circuit Club of course.
The last time I drove around Eastern Creek was at a Lexus Drive Day many moons ago.
I did a couple of laps in 4 cars from the range, and it was basically my first ever drive on a race track.
So a return to "The Creek" was well overdue.
Reggie came along too, in The Toaster.



I've always considered Eastern Creek a "big boys" track.
It's wide, it's got that really long straight and that fast, butt clenching turn 1.
It's got Corporate Hill. I mean, that's obviously a serious hill. Suit, tie, the works. Big boys stuff.

So the car was suitably prepped, fresh from it's 100'000 km service.
Which, thanks to the chain drive, is really no more expensive than a normal service.
I had the XP8 pads up front nicely bedded in, and I threw my Advan A048 semi's on also.



First session I made sure Bozzo was riding shot gun to give me some pointers on how to get around most effectively.
After a few laps, I started to push a bit harder.
However it took me a good session and a half before I'd really started to commit the lines to memory.

By this stage, I was comfortable driving all the way to the last braking marker on the straight before hitting the anchors, re-settling and turning in.
It's a great turn, and throttling out of turn one and up to the big braking point at turn two is fun even in the low-powered NC.
But it really comes into it's own around the back to Corporate, and the last few turns before the straight.



I'm really glad I had the semi slicks on.
They allowed me to really use all the braking the XP8's had to offer.
I'm really glad I had those on too. Because they were flipping fantastic.
Fade free lap after lap, REALLY confidence inspiring pads. So good for the high speed braking of EC.

Brett's NB, meanwhile, looks like it's set up specifically for EC!


Dicing with traffic was fun, and driving with traffic in the dark really gives you an appreciation for just how difficult endurance racing must be.
I have much greater admiration for after-dark racing now.

I did have two disappointments though.
I had to cut my last session short due to lack of fuel. Chewed through half a tank of petrol in 86 kilometers!
Note to self - bring my fuel next time.
The only other disappointment was my best time, a paltry 2:04.
Mitch really put me in my place!



I know I was faster, however once I got the line down pat, I didn't get a single clear lap due to traffic.
In the NC, you have to really pick your moment to pass, or hope to get waved through,
as the car in front is invariably more powerful and faster down the straight.
It's a good challenge, although I don't have the inclination to stuff my car down the inside of people at corner entry, as happened to me on one occasion.



But these are minor gripes.
I was mainly keen to really come to grips with driving around Eastern Creek Raceway.
Honestly, with the NC's low power, I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did.
The technicality of the track was a very pleasant and welcome surprise.

It's just a pity it's so damned expensive!
Note to self: work harder!

[CoffeeBoss]

The NC is now back to being a weekend car after carrying the daily drive duties for a few months. Even around old Sydney town, the NC really does make a great daily driver. The great thing about using a lively, 2-seater sports car every day is that it lends a sense of occasion to every trip, and you are far less inclined to climb behind the wheel and have your mind wander about your weekend plans and what's for dinner tonight when you are sitting in peak-hour traffic. In fact, you're more likely to find yourself unnecessarily blipping the throttle and changing down, or you're scheming how you might fit another of these fine sports cars into your garage...

Of course, the downside of all this is the increase in wear and tear. You have less time to clean the car, and it needs cleaning more often the more you use it. So after consigning the NC back to weekend duties, the remorse had become too great by this stage, and a 4 hour detailing session was the order of the day.



Trainspotters will recall that I purchased this boot liner way back in the beginning, from Moss Motors.



A nice simple addition, I liked it. However getting it to stay ahered to the boot through a typical Sydney summer was basically impossible. I tried everything and all I really ended up with was a boot lid covered in adhesive residue.
So once all that was cleaned and removed (big thanks to Melvin for supplying the industry-grade, paint safe goo-remover) it was replaced by some Big Sticker Performance instead.



A nice reminder each time I open the boot why my front wheels are covered in brake dust
(But believe me, the XP8's are worth the dust. Arresting performance!)

Three years of ownership has recently passed by also, how time flies when you are having fun!

While I am happy to say that the overall condition of the car is where I had expected it to be, there are a few blemishes on the bodywork which need attention.
Plans are afoot to sort this out next.

[CoffeeBoss]

The Brass Monkey Run

Recently I attended the Austin Healey Owners Club's third running of the Brass Monkey Run.

This is an annual event, catering to 2 seater convertible sports cars, but basically open to all.
A point-to-point run, the rules are simply that all open top cars must have their roofs down!
Destinations vary from year to year, with 2011's event finishing for breakfast in Mudgee.

For various reasons I've always managed to miss out on the Brass Monkey Run.
However, the stars aligned this year, and I was at the truck stop on the M4 at 530AM.





It looked to be a great turnout - probably 100 cars of varying makes and models, across a myriad of generations.
Heading down the M4 was fantastic, with the burbles and crackles of classic British exhausts all around.

It was also exceptionally clear and exceptionally cold once we cleared the mountains.
I had to put the windows up, but roof remained resolutely down.
Properly attired, it's easy to stay warm in the NC with the roof down anyhow.
However I admire those in their true British Sports cars, the NC is quite sheltered by comparison!



The cavalcade regrouped at the meeting point, the Bowls Club in Mudgee.



Here's a great shot by Reg of some of the MX5's in attendance



Although there was a large turnout of cars, you could say that MX5's dominated the proceedings to an extent



Although the small group of Italian Stallions made probably the biggest impression



We had breakfast at the Butcher Shop Cafe in Mudgee, which is a great spot.
Last place I expected to find Mao, though...



Breakfast was followed by some roadside assistance for one of the MX5's in our troupe - a hose repair in Mudgee's main street.
After all the British car quips, we probably had it coming.



Then we were off to take the long way home, via some great back roads out of Mudgee and across to Bathurst.
On the way through Lye we found this great photo spot:



It was such nice weather, that for the remainder of the day, we spotted many of the Brass Monkey attendees on their own driving adventures, all around the area.
They were everywhere.



Once in Bathurst, we had to of course pay our respects at the mountain before the return home.





A great day spent spent both driving and admiring a cavalcade of European motoring history, all being dríven as their makers had intended.
A social event, for sure, but mostly, it's just a great drive in the good old-fashioned sense.

Will be marking the calender for 2012's event!

[PaulF]

Love the shot of the Mini, looking like it's about to be swallowed whole by a Prado.

[CoffeeBoss]

Thanks Paul!
They are a car that seems to become more diminutive with age, but greater in stature too, for me at least.
Really have to get behind the wheel of one, one of these days.
It was a Mini actually that first gave me a lesson in power:to:weight ratio, and the true dynamic ability of a small, well sorted car on a twisty road.


So with the car now doing weekend duties again, I've been compelled to find the time for some weekend outings.
(and even the occasional EOMM)



Have been so busy of late that the frequency with which I can indulge in driving for the sake of driving is much less than I would like.



However, when your plying through the week in a 6L boat, despite having twice the cylinders and 3 times the capacity of the NC, the weekend drives really highlight all those aspects of the Roadster that I love so much.



It feels tighter and more responsive then ever!



Nothing like a new point of reference to rekindle that enjoyment.
(and a German motoring icon to share the road with!)



Have gone and got some Roadster SWAG too. A scarf, for if/when the Roadster is dríven in Melbourne...
and a zippo, for if/when I need to light a cigarette whilst standing near the aforementioned Roadster... *shakes head*
No, not a smoker. Partial to scarves though, if I'm honest. The zippo is really nice anyway, and I've always wanted one.
This one is a limited engraved piece for the release of the 10th Anniversary 1999 NB.



Have also picked up a Scosche converter, which enables you to charge later model Apple devices (eg) iPhone on the older style Apple connector that Mazda supplied with the car. Previously, I could listen to music with the factory connector from an iPhone, but it wouldn't charge.
Just connect the Scosche adaptor onto the end of the factory supplied cable and you are good to go.

[CoffeeBoss]

Driving Intent

The MX5 is primarily about the enjoyment of driving.

So it's no wonder that, in the MX5 Club, you will find a large contingent of car owners who have a tendency to get up at silly hours of the morning to drive what would amount to most people's entire weekly commute. Before breakfast.

Within the MX5 Club of NSW there exists a 'breakfast club' of sorts, whose mission it is to dream up drives such as this.
So it was that I found myself heading out the door at a very rude time this particular morning. Things were quite hazy...



The rendezvous was at Dural Maccas, where a large... "coffee"... was promptly purchased.
No sooner had I done this then Rob (of Forsyth Coffee fame) appeared with a flask of his latest coffee find from India.
A deliciously sweet short black... Two of them.
Make no mistake, Rob really is the Boss of Coffee and a huge thank you goes out to him once again for providing some bleary eyed drivers with the high octane they needed!



Then we were off toward the Putty Rd, before cutting back across and up into the mountains to meet the Bells Line of Road.
This was a great little stretch which offers a great 'long-cut' alternative to heading up the mountains.
One of those little lines on the map I might never have bothered to explore.



A quick regroup at the top then another little known detour that brought us back up to Blackheath.



Then we the descended a fantastically sinewy and slick piece of black top down to the Megalong Valley Tea Rooms for one of their delicious 'big breakfasts'.



It is the cherry on top when you can get great food at the summit of a great drive like this one.
BigDog had by this point decided to fire up the SP and join us for breakfast also.



The usual gasbagging followed. I fielded a lot more questions and (thankfully) favorable comments than usual.
A big thank you to all for the kind words.
I suspect it was mostly due to the fact that superior cars like Reggie's NA were not present (someone slept in)

We also had a BIG turnout of NC's on the run, I counted 14.
They outnumbered the earlier models for a change!



It was great to share the road with some more NC's.
Guy's black NC1 looking particularly mean as always.



And Jimmy's NC on CE28's. Such an excellent wheel choice.
I've always loved CE28's, so it was great to finally see them on an NC.
The car, wheels and matching lug nuts all work really well together.
Car looks ace, and with fatter tires and some more mods planned, this will be one to watch.



All in all, a great run which also served as a reminder for how rewarding car club life can be
- meeting new people, finding some new places to visit, and discovering new roads.
In other words - Roadster Life

[re99ie]

I suspect it was mostly due to the fact that superior cars like Reggie's NA were not present (someone slept in)

I had every intention of going to this meet and so was catching up on sleep....the latter got the most of my intention