Attended the Mazda rev it up! event over the weekend. It was simply awesome! The best part was that I got to just abuse the damn car cuz it wasn't mine... The second best part was that I was able to drive hard without worrying about cops or hitting other cars (they provide a pretty safe environment). There were about 2000 attendees for the day, and I can't even begin to imagine how much effort had gone into organizing this huge event... It was definitely a huge success, and they're telling me that they'll be back next year for sure (Also hinted at the fact that they'll probably be using the next generation protege), and you know who's gonna be there again. ;) They say that even this year some people were scheduled to attend all 4 east coast cities... Dang, those are some hard core groupies indeed...

So I got there at 1PM and started out by just perusing around and checking out the beautiful RX-8... *SIGH* I want that car so bad... Such a nice interior and a sleek exterior... Shredding sound of the rotary at 8000 RPM and an extremely roomy rear seat (You have to sit in it to believe it. You'll be amazed at the spaciousness.). Just an all around great car... Anyway, the "chalk talk" was not very informative, but the clinics were very good. As short as they were and as long as the wait-in-line times were they were all very worth it. If I were to do it again next year, I'd sign up for the earliest possible time slot and enjoy the rest of the day just going back to the clinics to practice, practice and practice (It's a shame they don't allow you to attend the race clinic more than twice, tho...). Oh, for those of you attending the one in NYC, the water bottles were $3 each, so you might want to bring your own. ;) Also, definitely use the auto stick thing.. It shaved off 2 seconds for me.

Dave, who used to autocross his RX7 FC, tells me that if I enjoyed the event I should think about joining either the Pittsburgh SCCA or the North Hills Sports Car Club and do this more often... I'm gonna have to save up for a stiffer suspension and a dedicated tire/wheel for autocrossing first. Looks like I've found myself a long-term summer sports. ;)