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Mazda Zoom-Zoom Live: You got Skills?
What requires 3,100 cones, devours 1,100 tires and takes 15 trucks to move from city to city? Well, if you were at FedEx field on August 12th or 13th, you know the answer. Mazda, the up and coming Japanese car company, kicked off its second annual “Zoom-Zoom Live” event at the home of the Washington Redskins football team. A huge parking lot at FedEx field was transformed into a mini Le Mans, with four courses set to test the mettle of even the most seasoned drivers.
At “Zoom-Zoom Live,” drivers 18 and over were able to register to drive hot numbers from Mazda’s fleet on specially prepared road courses. Representing were the all-new 244-horsepower CX-7 crossover SUV; the 274-horsepower all-wheel drive MAZDASPEED6 sports sedan; the third-generation of the world’s best-selling roadster, the MX-5 Miata; the rotary-powered RX-8 sports car; and the MAZDA3 sedan and hatchback.
 Before hitting the courses, a “Driver’s School” called the “Zoom-Zoom Theater Experience” was conducted in a special on-site theater. A Mazda promo video was followed by strict safety instruction for the day. After the Driver’s School, it was time to get it on!
The courses were set up as follows:
- Matched Time Gymkhana Test your skills in a MAZDA6 or MAZDASPEED6 against a set time of 43 seconds. Yours truly held it down with a time of 43.468.
- Timed Runs You had to get as close as you could to matching 27 seconds on the course. You could take a couple of turns to get close to that time. I came in on my second run at 27.594 seconds. Several competitors were within .006 seconds of 27 flat!
- Treasure Hunt This was a very interesting course. Special receiver discs were placed on the course, and you were given between 25-40 seconds to complete the run. The objective was to reach within six inches of the special discs, which would record your proximity to them. Winners were those who got closest to the discs in the lowest time. I bombed on this one, though I was coddled in comfort in the CX-7!
 Sports Course There was no timing on this run, which featured an excellent course in the RX-8. It was the first time I had the opportunity to drive the RX-8 on the track. I was quite impressed with the neutral handling and low-end grunt the “8” possessed as I carved up the course. Of all of Mazda’s hot cars, this one is the easiest to drive hard on the track in my opinion. Power on throttle turns have never been so much fun!
There was also slot car racing for the kids, and displays of Mazda technology throughout the site. A Zoom-Zoom Café was at hand to get your eat on.
It was a great event that shows the commitment to performance, comfort and safety from Mazda. Missed it? Don’t fret. Check out the dates for the remaining nine cities on this year’s tour:
| Boston | August 19-20 |
| New York | August 26-27 |
| Miami | September 9-10 |
| Houston | September 16-17 |
| Dallas | September 23-24 |
| Atlanta | September 30-October 1 |
| Chicago | October 7-8 |
| San Francisco | October 21-22 |
| Los Angeles | October 28-29 |
You can log on to www.ZoomZoomLive.com for more details.
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