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Latest RX-8 News

2006 Mazda RX-8 SE Road Test

Zoom...Zoom...Zoom. I have often felt that the people behind that famous phrase were geniuses. After all, it perfectly sums up Mazda's emphasis on 2006 Mazda RX-8 (Photo: Kevin ''Crash'' Corrigan) sporty fun, which the company seems to build into every vehicle that they make. This is particularly true of their 2006 Mazda RX-8.

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For an estimate of the value of this site, look at http://leapfish.com.

Then, if interested, contact eogn@fastmail.net.

Thank you.

Cisco engineer gets prize for longest commute

Mariposa resident Dave Givens makes a 186-mile drive -- each way -- five days a week to his job in San Jose.

The electrical engineer has been doing that commute since 1989, spending seven hours every day getting to and from work at Cisco Systems Inc.

Secret Racing Plot Exposed!

Don't look now, but there is a new player in American motorsports. This corporate entity has been slowly, quietly wrapping its tentacles around the sport, intent on control. Well, I'm blowing the lid off its clever little plan here and now.

Is it Porsche? Chevy? Panoz? Guess again. Ferrari, BMW, Audi? I'll give you a hint you can't possibly misinterpret: Zoom-Zoom.

Yes, Mazda, maker of some of the most engaging, popularly priced iron in the business, has just about taken over American road racing.

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MAZDASPEED Motorsports Announces USERA Contingency Programs

DANVILLE, VA. (April 14, 2006) - MAZDASPEED Motorsports announced today that USERA Spec Miata Endurance Championship teams will be recognized in the Mazda Team Support Program for 2006. Mazda also announced they will be offering an additional $12,000 to enhance the USERA race and Championship prize awards.

SpeedSource Mazda GT RX-8 Misses Win By Inches at Homestead

Following a promising debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the #70 Mazda GT RX-8 of SpeedSource Race Engineering landed its first podium at the team's home track of Homestead-Miami Speedway. During the weekend shared with the IRL's Toyota Indy 300 race, drivers Sylvain Tremblay and David Haskell showcased one of the most exciting new cars in the Grand American Rolex Series.

Mike Rockenfeller, Patrick Long Win Grand Prix of Miami

While Mike Rockenfeller was caught napping at the start of Saturday evening's Linder Industrial Komatsu Grand Prix of Miami, that was the only mistake made by the Alex Job/Emory Motorsports team all night.

Rockenfeller and Patrick Long teamed in the No. 23 Wild Alaska Salmon Porsche Crawford to win the third Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve event of the season. Rockenfeller passed Scott Pruett with 32 minutes remaining and went on to win by 4.8 seconds over Lucas Luhr.

Mazda, a Laggard Among Japan Carmakers, Leads in Stock Market

Mazda Motor Corp., Japan's fourth- largest automaker, has trailed Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. in sales for decades. It's beating all three in the stock market.

Two planned sport-utility models, the CX-7 and the CX-9, encouraged investors to drive Mazda shares this month to the highest in almost seven years. The Hiroshima-based company, which is a third owned by Ford Motor Co., says it may report a second straight year of record earnings next month.

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Mazda places CX-7 export restrictions on dealers

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The upcoming Mazda CX-7 SUV is hot, so much so that Mazda notified dealers that it is restricting export sales of the vehicle. Word from the automaker came at last week's national dealers council meeting.

According to Automotive News, there are certain overseas operations that try to buy vehicles in bulk, and then turn them around to sell at exorbitant prices, usually before these vehicles are even released in that market. For example, Mazda found a Russian website taking orders for the CX-7 at $57,000. The CX-7, which goes on sale in the U.S. next month, starts at $24,340, including destination.

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Park your car in your balcony

You'd drive the vehicle straight on into the car elevator, push the button, and off you you park outside your penthouse!

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Do-It-Yourself Vehicle Inspections

"opportunist" spotted a car in Portland, Maine with a homemade inspection sticker, and was kind enough to post photos online. He notes that, "If you click on the picture you'll notice the barcode is from a book from the Portland Public Library."

Pictures are available at http://totebagsandfannypacks.blogspot.com/2006/03/parking-in-portland-maine.html

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ProSolo National Series Fontana preview

Mirrored courses, Christmas tree starts and the popular Hawk Super Challenge make their season debut at California Motor Speedway as the Tire Rack® SCCA ProSolo National Series begins its season in Fontana, Calif. this weekend.

Alcohol May Have Contributed to Deadly Crash

Alcohol, an 18-year-old driver and a powerful RX-8 do not mix. Raleigh, North Carolina police say alcohol may have contributed to a fiery wreck that killed four Wake County teenagers.

Authorities say a speeding Mazda RX-8 went airborne as it crossed the U.S. 64 Bypass bridge onto Interstate 440 and crashed to the ground 58 feet below. The car burst into flames and the four people inside were killed.

Mazda launches RX-8 sports car with new engine. Huh?

A report circulating online claims that Mazda Motor Corporation said Thursday that it has begun selling its red RX-8 sports car featuring a new rotary engine called Renesis at its dealerships across Japan. One problem: while not mentioned in the new reports, the OLD engine was called the Renesis.

Is someone sipping too much sake? You figure it out. The "news" story is available here and numerous other places as well.

Mazda Reports Double-Digit Sales Increase in February

IRVINE, Calif., March 1 -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today reported sales of 23,580 vehicles in February -- a 13.0 percent increase versus the same period last year.

Mazda's strong February was led by impressive sales of its popular MAZDA3 and sporty MAZDA6. MAZDA3 reported sales of 7,536 units, accounting for a 7.0 percent increase versus last year, while MAZDA6 jumped 12.0 percent to 6,818 units sold.

First Winners of 2006 Tire Rack SCCA National Tour Crowned at Ft. Myers

More than 200 drivers took to the Buckingham Airfield course in Ft. Myers, Fla. this past weekend, signaling the official start of the 2006 Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour season.

And those who flocked to the Sunshine State for good weather in addition to great competition, got exactly what they wanted as temperatures climbed into the lower 80s with no precipitation.

The good conditions, along with the already high level of excitement coming with the season opener, led to several tight battles.

Mazda to power U.S. Formula Atlantic series

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Mazda North America has announced that it has inked a three-year deal with the Champ Car open-wheel racing series to power the new-generation Swift 016.a cars (shown above) in Champ Car's Formula Atlantic support series.

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Mazda profits up 39 percent in third quarter

Mazda Motor Corporation's third-quarter profit jumped 39 percent from the previous year, and raised its full-year forecast to what would become a record for the Japanese automaker for the second straight year.

Mazda starts leasing hydrogen car to 2 energy companies

Mazda Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will lease two of its RX-8 Hydrogen RE car with a dual hydrogen-gasoline fuel system to two Japanese energy-related companies in late March.

Idemitsu Kosan Co. and Iwatani International Corp. will be the first users of the RX-8 Hydrogen RE, which is based on the rotary engine RX-8 sports car.

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Street-legal gadgets for the car

If you're the kind of gadget junkie who can't go anywhere (including your car) without your full complement of MP3, satellite radio and CD players, cell phone and more, MP3Car.com may have your back.

At the Demo '06 conference here, the company unveiled its Streetdeck automotive enabler box. Essentially, it's a one-stop shop for integrating all those devices while you drive, regardless of the kind of connection they require: USB, Bluetooth or others.

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