DriveWire at the UK Mazda MX-5 Owner's Club Spring Rally in Belfast
By Bob Hume, 02nd June 2010
I was delighted to attend the Mazda MX-5 UK Owners' Club 2010 Spring Rally over the May Bank Holiday weekend. I'd been kindly invited as a guest of Mazda UK.
It's well known that the MX-5 is one of my favourite cars, mostly thanks to an original design brief that governed its development and ensured that the look and feel of the roadster was that of a 'driver's car'. 20 years and 3 generations later, this fantastic little 2-seater remains a fun, lightweight and great value sports car.
These values combined with the appeal and personality of the MX-5 are exactly what have elevated it to such legendary status in such a short period of time. The MX-5 has become an icon whilst still in its production run - a feat boasted by very few cars.
The event kicked off on Saturday 29th May at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra. Around 250 owners descended on the concourse event where cars were examined and judged.
Formed in 1994, the UK owners club now has over 5000 members and is divided into 36 regions. It was the turn of the Northern Ireland 'area' of the club to host this year's Spring Rally; the first of two major rallies held every year.
After the concourse, a gala dinner was held in Parliament Buildings, Stormont - usually home to the Northern Ireland Assembly (the legislative authority for Northern Ireland).
This turned out to be an excellent venue, with Brian Wilson MLA introducing proceedings, then club officials and guests speaking in the Grand Hall before we retired to the Long Gallery for dinner.
I had the opportunity to talk to some of the owners over dinner and quickly discovered that they were not the type of car-specific enthusiasts that I was used to; they seem to appreciate the fun aspect of the car, rather than getting hung up on really tedious details.
The MX-5 Owners Club strikes me as a group of people who have come together to celebrate a love of driving and have discovered the perfect car to enjoy it in.
After dinner entertainment was provided in the Grand Hall and included a brief on the 90-year history of Parliament Buildings and an exhibition of Irish and Scottish dancing.
On Sunday, the club had organised two routes for members to follow; the Antrim Coast or Ards Penninsula - the Mazda UK team and I chose the latter.
Mazda UK was represented at the Rally by PR Manager Samantha Williams, Northern Ireland Business Manager Richard Whittam and Brand Analyst Chris Stonebank. The team had supplied a Special Edition 'Miyako' version of the MX-5 Coupe to participate in the rally - Samantha and I shared the driving in a 2.0 Sport Soft-top supplied by Shaw's Mazda in Newtownards.
We drove from the meeting point at Holywood Exchange to Newtownards, taking the coastal route to Portaferry on the tip of the penninsula and crossing on the Strangford Ferry.
A legion of MX-5s on one ferry was an impressive sight but the crew must be fairly accustomed to seeing their loading bay full of enthusiasts' cars - the Strangford crossing is one of the main routes used to access the popular Kirkistown Race Track.
After a four-minute sailing we disemarked at the equally picturesque village of Strangford, where a short drive took us to our lunch stop at the 18th-century Castle Ward House.
Cars were neatly arranged on the green in front of the National Trust-owned historic house; the eccentrically-built focal point of an 820-acre demense.
After lunch, the route continued to the Saint Patrick's Centre in Downpatrick, through Castlewellan and Bryansford at the foot of the Mourne Mountains and on to a way-point Spelga Dam for some ice cream.
It was on the lovely twisty B-roads through the Mournes, that the MX-5 came into its own; the top had been down for the duration and with stone walls on one side and a valley on the other, the accoustics were perfect to enjoy the sweet tune of the fizzy 2-litre flat-four motor, enhanced by a sporty exhaust note.
As for the roads; fast straights, challenging and sometimes eccentrically-cambered bends, switch-backs and sudden crests are what this car was built for. A planted, grippy and predictable attitude combined with swift responses to driver commands ensures that safe and legal speeds feel exhilarating.
The entire package is something I could never get bored with.
The route ended after a drive through Kilkeel and Newcastle, finishing in the Twelve-Arches car park in Dundrum.
Allan Doodes - winner of Best in Show Image Courtesy of Jim McCauley
At every point during the rally; the concourse, dinner and at each waypoint on the drive, I was struck by how approachable the Club members were. Members of the public approached to admire the cars and ask questions and the owners always received them courteously, taking time to explain the Rally.
The Mazda UK team and I were impressed by both this and the professional manner in which the entire event was organised.
Professionally, one of Samantha Williams' main charges is to organise huge, complicated press events for car launches and to ensure that all attendees are looked after, whilst I'm on the receiving end of Mazda and other manufacturers' hospitality. These twin perspectives allowed us to appreciate just how well the Mazda MX-5 Owners' Club had done with the organisation of this event - it was a great achievement.
Image courtesy on Jim McCauley
The Owners Club members were particularly happy with the presence of Mazda UK representatives at the Rally especially in this, the 20th year of the MX-5's production run. All of the local dealerships were also involved in the rally, as well as fellow journalists Richard Young and Jim McCauley.
Image courtesy of Jim McCauley
Comparing notes at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum gathering.
Image courtesy of Jim McCauley
The special Edition 'Miyako' 2.0 Sport Coupe and 2.0 Sport Soft-top at Holywood Exchange.
All of the Mazda dealerships in Northern Ireland were directly involved in the rally, including Lindsay's, Saltmarine, Young's and Central. My car (right) was kindly provided by Shaw's Mazda in Newtownards.
Image - DriveWire
Mazda UK - (left to right) Brand Analyst Chris Stonebank, Samantha Williams - PR Manager, Mazda UK and Richard Whittham - Northern Ireland Business Manager.
The Mazda Team take a break at the end of a long but enjoyable day.
Image courtesy of Samantha Williams
Pictured (left to right) Local motoring journalist Jim McCauley with wife Cathy, Bob Hume - DriveWire, Samantha Williams - PR Manager Mazda UK, Chris Stonebank - Brand Analyst Mazda UK and Richard Whittam - Northern Ireland Business Manager.
