From the Car Cave. The Official Newsletter of the Indy Miata Club. Volume 27 Issue 7 July What s Inside. By Ken Koehler, President

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1 The Official Newsletter of the Indy Miata Club Volume 27 Issue 7 July 2016 What s Inside Page 2 From the CAR CAVE continued Membership update Classifieds. Page Indy Miata Club Events Other Tentative Club Events Page 4 Hammer Down Rally report Eric & Mike s peformance Page 5 Dave & MaryJo s Travels Page Regional Miata Events Page 7 Kiwanis Kar Show Page 8 From the Car Cave By Ken Koehler, President Did June go by as fast for everyone else as it did for me? It seemed like an eternity ago Sara and I started planning for our Straight Roads and Hammer Down Rally, and now it's come and gone, along with the rest of the month. It almost seemed like June started with the Night Before the 500 Mingle the end of May. Since that night, and Sara finishing up another year at Cathedral, time has just flown by. In reality, June's activities began with the "Hammer Down Rally" (6/11) which I also named "Watch Out For Old Smoky". (I even wrote a verse to the tune of "On Top Of Old Smoky" which we sang before lift off!) I didn't hear of anyone getting stopped, so I'm assuming no one saw an Old Smoky. While Sara and I ran around trying to find picture points, we noticed very heavy traffic, and it seemed like Friday night must have been a good night for "road kill". For that reason I thought of another description -- "Heavy Traffic and Road Kill Rally". I understand some of the road kill was very fresh! It was a "Death by MX-5" groundhog (sounds like a British spy movie), wasn't it, Gary? We started out with about 7 or 8 cars attending our "Pre-Rally Coffee, Donuts and Conversation at our house. I think everyone had a good time. There were plenty of eats and coffee to go around. (It looked like lots left over too. Ed.) Those able to attend saw in person how my passion for cars is not limited to the 1:1 real ones, but many smaller models and diecasts. It's really great to display most of my model cars and diecasts in our new home; something I couldn't do in our original Indianapolis home of 32 years. At the completion of our approximately 2-1/2 hour drive, 24 Miatas ended up at Tom Roush Mazda. Jeff Roush and Jim Skinner had a luncheon feast prepared for us and two 2016 MX-5's (one automatic and one stick) for us to take out for drives. The Angus burgers, dogs, and brats were hot off the grill, with salads, chips, cookies and drinks there too. It was all delicious! Jeff and Jim spent as much time visiting with us as their busy Saturday schedule would allow. All in all it was a great end to a hot drive. I hope many of us took advantage of the opportunity to drive a new Miata. I took the automatic out for a spin and was very pleased with the way it drove and handled. Many thanks to Jeff and Jim! Saturday the 18th, Sara and I were joined by VP John Lyghtel and John Stinson from Terre Haute at the Haggerty Car Show and vintage racing at IMS. The day was filled with multiple activities including watching vintage race cars do what they do best -- race; drive new Jaguars on an autocross route and Range Rovers on an off road route; tour the pits, track and museum, and purchase various track memorabilia and food! Our car show day ended with a multiple lap run around the track at about 60 mph (in line, but still much better than one lap at 30 mph). Our day didn't end there, though. After the laps around the track, we Continued on page 2 Funny Stuff? Page 9-10 Advertisers & July 4th holiday SPECIAL Sale! Want an IMC sticker for your Miata or OTM? We've got them! Only $2 and only available if you attend an event! See Sara J or Steve C!

2 Page 2 Open Road July 2016 Indy Miata Club Officers 2016 President Ken Koehler president@indymiata.org Vice-President John Lyghtel vicepresident@indymiata.org Treasurer Ben Hecht treasurer@indymiata.org Secretary Sonya Cady secretary@indymiata.org Membership Director Dick Cady membership@indymiata.org Website Editor Sara J McBride webmaster@indymiata.org Newsletter Editor Steve Crouse editor@indymiata.org From the Car Cave, cont. stayed for a 3 Dog Night concert. 3 Dog Night is a group from our younger days (in case you don t remember them. We thoroughly enjoyed the concert. Unfortunately, after a very long and hot day, we were too pooped to stay around for the formal end of the SVRA (Sports Car Vintage Racing Association) fireworks show. What a great day spent at the IMS. Hopefully, more members will be able to make it next year. Looking ahead to July, we have four events on the calendar. On the 9th, Tom and Laura Lewis will take us back to the MMG Rally Rerun. We still need an organizer for the Night Before the Brickyard Mingle on the 23rd. Interested? Let John Lyghtel know so we can get you going in the right direction. Also on the 23rd is a non-imc event -- the Kiwanis Kar Show in Pendleton. This show benefits the Kiwanis Club activities. Sign-up information is on our website (& page 7). Winding up July is the mega-event of Miata events -- a weekend at the Tail of the Dragon! July is the date for the annual gathering of Miatas at the Gap, Deal's Gap, TN. We (Sara & I) have not yet experienced this drive, but understand it is the ultimate Miata Road! In concluding this month's article, I would like to ask everyone a question. How many of you use premium fuel in your Miata? I have always used regular but at Marietta last year I was surprised to see several members that swore by premium for their MX-5's. Well, after about a year of deliberation, I finally filled our Miata with premium fuel. Is it my imagination or does my car now run better? I hate to admit I could have been wrong all these years, but my SE seems to have some extra boost and seems less likely to stall when I start out in the wrong gear. Please shoot me an at president@indymiata.org letting me know what you fuel your Miata with. It's kind of like when I wash my car it runs better. I have to know the truth. Is it my imagination or do Miatas really run better on premium? Thanks Membership Update: 94 members. Welcome New Members! Kary & Anne Goodwin William & Lisa Knopf CLASSIFIEDS See website Classifieds for details 2010 Grand Touring, 5K miles!, $17500, Always garaged. Contact Alex Silver 6-speed, 31k miles, leather interior, canvas top, near new tires, $10k/nego. Contact editor@indymiata.org Sunburst Yellow, low mileage, hardtop, $11,950 Terry King, The Open Road is published monthly for the members of the Indy Miata Club. The Indy Miata Club assumes no liability for any information contained herein, or injury or damage resulting from the use of this information. The ideas, opinions, maintenance or modification tips expressed are to be used at the reader s discretion. Individual contributors and/or the editors express no approval, authentication, or endorsement. Thank you. $300 for set of 14 OEM wheels (185x60-14) with center caps, from 1997 Miata. Rims in excellent condition with new Fuzion Touring tires (less than 100 miles). Contact Clif by , or cknight98@indy.rr.com. Located in Marion IN. AGX adjustable shocks w/ stock springs: If anyone is interested. Dust boots have seen better days. make an offer! tristan.w.liechty@gmail.com

3 Page 3 Open Road July 2016 It s Not Too Late to choose a date for your 16 rally, mingle or weekend trip. Get it on our 2016 calendar ASAP. Please report the date & info. to Event Coordinator, John Lyghtel. Contact him at events@indymiata.org. Indy Miata Club Scheduled 2016 Events July, 3rd Quarter Officers meeting Check our website for date & Place. NEW Sat., July 9, MMG Rerun (Southern Tour) Rally Event information is on website too! Sat., July 23, Night before the Brickyard 400 Mingle (Organizer needed! Just gather & socialize. Or more, if you want.) Sat., Aug. 6, The Casino/International Rally Hitting all those foreign cities NEW Sept , St Louis Fireworks weekend We ll have a bang-up time! Sat., November 5, Hidden Rattlecan Drive If you missed last year, we ll have to train ya. Sat., December 3, Annual Christmas Dinner-Party & Election Other Anticipated 2016 Indy Miata Club Events October, 4th Quarter Officers meeting

4 Page 4 Open Road July 2016 Straight Roads & Hammer Down Rally - report By Sara K. Ken and I had been looking forward to our June rally for months, and it did not disappoint. After welcoming several early risers to our home for coffee and donuts, we were joined by several others in a nearby McDonald s parking lot. In fact, cars kept arriving and we realized we had more cars than we had copies of directions for the route! All in all, there were 27 people braving the hot, dry day on central Indiana roads. Ken saw everyone off, then we found a shady spot where we could take pictures as cars went by, waving happily as they passed us. One pleasant surprise was that the potholes we had warned everyone about in one section of our journey had been repaired. An unpleasant surprise was the number of road kill we encountered - which somehow look bigger when you re in a Miata! After our trip, we were all treated to a great picnic at the Tom Roush Dealership. As each hot, bedraggled driver and navigator searched for bathrooms and air conditioning, they were happy to find burgers, brats, dogs, potato salad, chips, and cookies along with some cold, refreshing soft drinks. A few decided to go back out in the heat and test drive one of the two new Miatas that Jeff Roush was kind enough to have available for us. All in all, it was a great day! Charlie was there! Eric & Mike s Blackhawk Winery performance report In last month s newsletter, we were all invited to attend Eric & Mike s inaugural performance at the Blackhawk Winery in the northern outskirts of Indianapolis. Several current and former club members plus family members and total strangers took them up on the invitation. The music and wine filled the bill for an entertaining afternoon. You should ve been there.

5 July 2016 Page 5 Open Road Indy Miata Members, Dave & MaryJo at Myrtle Beach and ZtMoET In case you haven t noticed, there are several large, regional Miata gatherings each summer. We, your editor and wife/navigator have attended several in the past, and can heartily recommend trying them out. They give you a wonderful opportunity to see some new country, meet some friendly Miataphiles AND drive some of the best roads in the U.S. At this point, I only know of two members that have attended some of the early 2016 events. There might be more, but they haven t shared their adventures with us, YET. Here are a few comments and photos from Dave & MaryJo s spring travels. We towed the Miata down to Myrtle Beach. Didn't want to get burned out on driving it before we even got there. We ran a poker run on Thursday and ended up with three cards. Not knowing the area was a hindrance. Took a drive to Conway on Thursday and had lunch at a really neat restaurant on a river. Saturday was busy with a car show in the clouds, free hot dog lunch and raffle drawings. ZTMOET is a must for those who have not been to their rally. Drives were good and the scenery was awesome. I think the biggest highlight was going to Bristol Speedway and getting to drive the Miatas on the track. I will try to send you photos of the events & schedule which will exemplify how busy the Tri-Cities Miata Club kept those who attended. Miatas at Myrtle Beach Zoomin the Mountains of East Tennessee

6 Page 6 Open Road July 2016 Regional Miata Events in 2016 Here are some of the regional Miata events scheduled for this year. These gatherings are a great chance to meet Miata-fanatics from other areas of the U.S. Need help finding information? See links from Non-IMC Events page on our website, contact one of our club officers, or search Miata.Net. July 14-17, Cruisin CT 2016 July 23, Pendleton (Indiana) Kiwanis Kar Show See next page. July 28-31, Miatas at the Gap Deal s Gap, TN September 15-18, Miatas Play Music City, Nashville TN

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9 Page 9 Open Road July 2016 Benefits for Indy Miata Club Members -First year dues to the Indy Miata Club after purchase of any Mazda -S-Plan Pricing to Current Members -15% off All Parts & Accessories -15% off Labor Rates -Maintenance for Life with the purchase of Any Mazda -Saturday Service Hours 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM -Free Cookies!! Contact Lauren Auld for more information. Now celebrating 40 years! Exclusive Discounts for Indy Miata Club Members Tom Roush Mazda, Indiana s first Mazda dealer established in 1972 has not only the most experienced sales and service staff in town, but also is the highest volume dealer in Indiana. We hope to serve you in our next 40 years as Indy s premier Mazda dealer. In support of the Miata Club member s we would like to offer the following benefits: 15% off regular door labor rate 15% off any accessory purchase S-Plan pricing to eligible customer s Extended Saturday service hours 7:30 3:30 US th Street Westfield, IN

10 Page 10 Open Road July 2016 Tom Lewis INSURANCE GROUP Hughes Insurance Group is an Independent Agency representing over 35 insurance companies. Our ultra-competitive rates assure that you receive the most value at the best price for all of your home, auto or business insurance needs. For a limited time, I m giving away a $20 gas card with an insurance review and quote for your home, auto or business with no obligation! If I m competitive, consider allowing Hughes Insurance Group to write your business. If I can t provide you with a better value, you ll have the peace of mind knowing you re properly insured at a fair price. Call or Indy Miata Club member Tom Lewis today! tom@hughesinsurancegroup.com Have a few dollars invested in upgrades? Ask about Agreed Value Coverage for your Miata!