Mazda REV IT UP...then stop and go away

[stutt944]

Ok so i just returned from my day with Mazda's RevItUp performance driving school. overall, it was worth the 39 bucks i paid. come to think of it, any sort of automotive event where you get to rag out someone else's car and tires on a closed course is worth 39 bucks any day.

the event started in CA (of course. where else to things start in this country) and wound its way across the southern parts of the US until it stopped in ATL for a couple days. Falken Tires was also there, they were a key sponsor. and lemme tell ya...by 2 or 3 pm, some of these tires were nothing but slicks. which makes me wonder how they fund such an operation.

A single-lap timed run (twice) in a Mazda6 is recorded and set up on a point structure. A Pro sets the standard. Matching the pro gets you 1000 points. each cone knocked over adds 2 secs, etc. etc. Top finishers from each city get sent to Mazda's Laguna Seca to compete for a new RX-8. I, unfortunately, was not one of them.

All in all it was a pretty reasonable event. Granted, the main purpose of this whole thing was to get you to buy their car(s). But hey, i got to check out an RX-8 firsthand, something i could not do at the auto show, and i must say i was impressed. i dig it. the styling, the idea behind the whole car. it was well executed. unfortunately they only had 2 "hand-built" RX-8's on site. Hand built my ***...

kudos to mazda for executing a performance driving instruction event and not wringing out every last ounce of enjoyment.

[lessthanjakejohn]

not bad,

[UncleBen]

sweet. sounds like fun, especially for that price. i would love to be able to do that, especially in a mazda6. i love those

[stutt944]

yeah, it was. woulda been about 80 times better in an RX-8, though. and probably 80 times as expensive. it wont take them long, i'm sure...

[UncleBen]

rx8's are bad. i would love to be able to drive one. if i was going to own a mazda though, rx7 is the way i would go. i love them so much.

[lessthanjakejohn]

I would get an RX8 over anything in the market in that price range and vehicle type. What other car will hold its price so well? Has incredible performance? It's engine type is currentyl produced by almost<none> no other manufacturer in the world. Has 4 seats. Hopeflly be reliable and not require a huge ensemble of worn out parts.

[Cold_Zero]

Mazda is doing some pretty kewl things for racers. They are offering discount prices over the normal company's incentives.

http://www.mazdamotorsports.co...Id=-1

I have heard that at some of these "Revitup" competition, there are some pretty hardcore racers. I am sure a joe-sixpack would be severely outgunned.

[LaureltheQueen]

i cant read this anymore. time to get off of message boardsbye.

[Bubba1]

Well, for $39, I hope no one is expecting Skip Barber. Sounded like fun. But if they used the same set of tires throughout the day, entrants at the end of the day had less chance as the tires will have lost a lot of their grip. Of course greasy tires are more fun to slide around but doesn't help lap times.

[MrFox]

Well, for $39, I hope no one is expecting Skip Barber. Sounded like fun. But if they used the same set of tires throughout the day, entrants at the end of the day had less chance as the tires will have lost a lot of their grip. Of course greasy tires are more fun to slide around but doesn't help lap times.

More like disneyland, but with cars. Queues for everything, but they did have ppl there to entertain you with driving pointers while you wait. As the day progresses and the conditions change, they would reset the index par time. Your score is based on a percentage of the current index time, so I think it works out.

[stutt944]

i dont think anybody really even expected to get to see/do the things they did for 39 dollars. ya the lines were a beyotch. and some of the people there were indeed sporting their own helmets/gloves. i didnt see anyone beat the index par time, did u?

[Woodmister]

Yea, they have a BMW driving school here in VA. Have to visit it one day...

[Anand]

I went here in CA and it was a lot of fun... I got a silver in my class. I was like 3.something seconds off the pro driver... it was hard... but learned a lot... all in all it was a good event!!

[Bubba1]

Audi also offers hi perf driving schools at most of the big tracks (http://www.audicarclubna.org)

[stutt944]

i think the first one i will go to will be panoz. they're only about 40 miles away and i've heard its top notch. anybody ever been? or how bout the porsche driving experience or anything, really?

[Bubba1]

I went thru Skip Barber and it was awesome. Great experience, but it's expensive. I don't know anyone who did Panoz, but I read some very good articles about it. Audi's events are maybe $300 for 2 days. And you use your own car, plus an Audi is not required.

[myRed240]

I also went to one in CA. It was definately worth $39. I learned some fun driving skills, such as going through a slalom, braking points, and I also learned a little more about racing lines. My times were decent, considering I have never autocrossed before. My last time was going to be really good, but they failed to move a cone from the previous driver and it just happened to be at a critical braking/turning point....:/ I think what I enjoyed most was pushing THEIR car to it's limit(or my limit). Overall, it was enjoyable! I wouldn't mind going to one of those racing schools, if only is was more affordable...

[stutt944]

Panoz Schedule/Cost

Road Atlanta2003 Schedule

1 Day Road Racing [$875]Jun. 18 WJul. 21 MSept. 9 TUOct. 23 THDec. 2 TU

There are 2- and 3-day packs, but out of my price range. http://www.roadatlanta.com knows.

edit: audi driving experience is also held there.

[AZhitman]

Bondurant's classes are comparable, and the facility is top-notch.

[AZhitman]

By the way, SCREW MAZDA.

Phoenix is the 5th largest metro in the US, and did they have a stop here? Noooooooo.

Basturds. Just for that, I'm gonna go to the Mazda dealer and abuse one of their demo cars.

[myRed240]

By the way, SCREW MAZDA.

Phoenix is the 5th largest metro in the US, and did they have a stop here? Noooooooo.

Basturds. Just for that, I'm gonna go to the Mazda dealer and abuse one of their demo cars.

Yeah that sucked, it would have given me an excuse to go visit my brothers, and do it again:( OH well.....

[Bubba1]

FYI, There's an audi track event coming up at BeaveRun, which is near Pittsburgh. July 19-20th. Very Reasonably priced, you use your own car and it doesn't need to be an Audi. I believe there are still openings, but the spots fill up pretty quickly. I'll be there with my Z.

[nlzmo400r]

just as a note, those mazda rx-8s were hand built, as of then they were only prototypes and not OFFICIALLY the EXACT production model, and were all built by hand, so no one has asked, were the 6s qiuck??!!, i hear they are decently powered, but its the suspension that shines, never driven one myself

[stutt944]

quick? its kinda vague. quick for a mazda sedan? "sure." however4, the handling was indeed good for a car of its size/price/nature.

[Mayhem_J30]

i signed up for the one in st. louis. TonyVQ is going to the one tomorrow in Charlotte.

does anyone know if they use the V6 or 4cyl Mazda 6?

[stutt944]

whichever has 220 hp. i think its the 6cyl.

[krazy skwerel]

I was at the one in georgia i got a big ol' black x for wreckless driving and was told one more and i could no longer participate. I killed some cones on the practice track and they got all ver me about it. WTF. I feel this hindered my second run as i was afraid of being kicked out if i ****ed up to bad. the 6 was lots of fun though but the best part was the test drive track.