Volume 16 Issue 5 May 2006 What s Inside Page 2 Upcoming Events. Tour De BoonDocks. Page 3 Post Tax Blues. Tour De BoonDocks. Page 4 Pictures! Page 5 Club sponsors. Skid Marks... The Official Newsletter of the Indy Miata Club by Rick Booe, President Welcome to May troops! Another month has gone by and we are really into the Miata season now. We are experiencing warmth and sunshine on a regular basis. I like warm and sunshine and I think that the optimum temperature is 85 degrees. Personally, I like a little sweat in my hatband as I m zooming through the curves. Also, the tires squeal a little more when the pavement is hot. I enjoy the sound of squealing tires and the smell of burning rubber. Doesn t everyone? Hot weather also seems to help my golf game. Or is it just that the beer tastes better when it s hot on the course? We learned some new golf trivia on the Post Tax Blues Rally. For some of you who missed it, here it is. Golf originated in Scotland. The word golf (G.O.L.F.) was chosen for Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden. I m surprised that someone hasn t pushed to change the name of the game. It might just be because everybody doesn t know about it. Speaking of the Post Tax Blues Rally, I sure had a good time. I think most people did. Susie got a little stressed by the questions, but she did a great job navigating for me. (I missed the first turn, but she noticed it right away. It was my first time eating a Arnies, and it was a good choice, too. Good food at a fair price. And of course, as usual, the company was great. I don t have all the facts for the rally, but I ll tell you what I know. There were approximately 27 cars that left Logansport and all of them made it to Lafayette. Mike Simmerman led about ten or twelve cars in a caravan from Indy to Logansport. Our Rally Masters, Conrad Serwatka and Mike, gave us our instructions and sent us off. It was a perfect day for a drive through the country and it is beautiful back and forth along the Wabash River. Doug Miller and his son Andrew won the event. Sorry I don t have the names for second and third, we will post that information later when we have a more complete report. A lot of people were taking pictures. I hope they will share as Susie s camera battery was dead! Our winner Doug Miller told me an interesting story. He likes to zoom the gravel roads. I know most of us avoid gravel at all costs. But Doug said that when his car is already dirty he likes to get deep into the country on the gravel. He told me there is a lot of things to see that we are missing out on. Not really for me, but to each his own. We need some help, guys and girls. We have too many open dates this summer. We have some good mingles scheduled and they are fun, but we have very few rallies scheduled. As soon as I get Susie and my schedule all firmed up, I promise I ll do one this summer. But we could sure use some more of you to help out. Now, they don t have to be big elaborate question and clue rallies that cover a hundred miles. It can be just a nice drive over some roads that you like to travel yourself. I know that we all have our favorite Sunday or Saturday drives that we take by ourselves. We just need to share them with the rest of the club. If you want, it can be a clue rally, a poker run or just a good cruise. You don t even have to print instructions if that holds you back. We can all meet and follow the leader for fifty miles or so. Then we'll stop and have some good food together. The important part is the camaraderie with other Miata lovers. Remember, one Miata is fun, but a whole bunch of Miatas is a whole bunch of fun!
2 Open Road May 2006 Indy Miata Club Officers President Rick Booe president@indymiata.org Vice-President John Schaub vicepresident@indymiata.org Treasurer Shelley Durell treasurer@indymiata.org Membership Director Ben Hermann 1424 Mills Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46227 membership@indymiata.org Web Master Chuck Wills 317-291-2232 webmaster@indymiata.org Open Road Editor Sara J mcbride 4249 Springwood Ct. Indpls., IN 46228 317-291-8993 editor@indymiata.org May Mingle And More Ben Hermann has set up mingles at what must be his favorite place in town, Ritter's Frozen Custard Stands. What is better than cruising top down for a cool treat? And with it being lighter much later thanks to Daylight Savings, it won't seem like you're out that late! We'll be doing a circle around the city starting in Greenwood. The Ritter's stand is at 4949 E. Stop 11 Road (see map). Our next stop will be on the east side in June, then up northeast for July, across county lines to Carmel for the dog days of August, then heading to the northwest side after school starts, and finishing up with a fall run to Plainfield. May 18th 4949 E. Stop 11 Rd. June 22nd 9355 E. Washington St. July 20th 7460 N. Shadeland Ave. August 17th 860 N. Range Line Rd., Carmel September 21st 4840 W. 57th St. "A" marks the spot of Ritters! October 19th - 1850 E. Main St., Plainfield So, mark these dates on your calendars, and we'll see you there! Mazda Announces MX-5 Recall Mazda Motor Corporation has decided that a defect, which relates to motor vehicle safety, exists in certain 2006 MX-5 Miata vehicles produced from December 22, 2005 through February 15, 2006. On certain 2006 MX-5 Miata vehicles, the bolt attaching the horn assembly to the steering wheel hub may fail during a driverside front airbag deployment in extremely low ambient temperature. Should this occur, the horn assembly may come loose and injure the driver. Mazda began notifying U.S. owners by first class mail beginning April 28, 2006. Airbags will not be pre-shipped, your dealer will have to order the parts, so you will be required to provide your vehicle's VIN number prior to the repair. 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 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. Writers and Photographers Needed! Once again, your newsletter editor is hitting the road and will be out of town (and out of the state, and out of the country!) starting May 15th for about eight weeks. Due to the magic of the internets, she will still be able to put together the newsletter, but she is calling out for help with content. Since she can't obviously attend events, if someone could write a short article about happenings, it would make her life easier and the newsletter a heck of a lot more interesting. If you've got a digital camera, make sure the batteries are charged, take some pictures. We don't want a replay of what happened in 2004, do we? Remember the headline "Newsletter Editor Abducted By Aliens!" with a one page newsletter?). Also, any general articles would be appreciated. Write about your favorite drive, your favorite Miata toy, whatever. Send it in a text document or write it up in an email to me at: editor@indymiata.org. We know you've got a story to tell! Remember, this is your newsletter... please help make it better.
May 2006 Set your calendar for Tour De Boon Docks II, a great Miata weekend of June 9th and 10th, presented by your Tour Masters, Norm & Susie Arbuckle and Gary and Kathy Collings. We have discovered several great new scenic and twisty roads with three beautiful vistas on our tour. This will be similar to last year s successful outing but with several new roads. This will be a twisty tour through the back roads of deep southern Indiana with short relief stops. Your Tour Masters have reserved 16 rooms at their favorite romantic bed and breakfast inn, the Leavenworth Inn Bed & Breakfast for the nights of Friday, June 9, and Saturday, June 10. Call the Leavenworth Inn at 888-739-2120 to reserve one of these rooms for both nights. First come. First served. Ask for the Indy Miata Club rate of $97 plus 11% tax for a total of $107.67 per night. Those of you who can only stay one evening or prefer a lower rate can call the Baymont Inn in Corydon, 812-738-1500. The rough itinerary for now is to drive down on Friday night. If you can get there in time, we will all eat together at The Overlook Restaurant. We will have fun and games with wine sampling at the Cottage and room tours afterwards. Saturday morning, we ll eat breakfast at The Overlook Restaurant and then head out for our morning tour. We ll meet up with those who can only join the Saturday tour in Salem, IN, and then continue to our lunch break stop. After lunch, we have an afternoon drive planned, ending back at the Inn in plenty of time to relax and take advantage of the B&B s atmosphere. Saturday evening, we ll drive to Open Road 3 Post Tax Blues Rally A Sunny Success All the ingredients for a great rally were present for the April 22nd Post Tax Blues Rally. Sunshine? Check! Warm temperatures? Check! Miatas? Check! Led by Indy club member Mike Simmerman and Lake Effect s Conrad Serwatka this year s clue rally was deemed a success by all who attended. Indy club members met at 106th and Michigan and prepared for their caravan north by having donuts (whose car served as the donut box holder?) and making sure that tops were dropped for the drive. A Merlot full of groceries cruised by to see what all the Miatas were doing and she was given information on how to join in the fun! After a short talk by President Rick, tops were dropped and 12 cars headed north to Logansport. Arriving at the McDonald s, with the lake Effect contingent, there were 28 Miatas crammed into the lot. Passerby s commented on all the cute cars! Our Rally Masters held the driver s meeting and of course reminded everyone of the Number One rule, the Rally Master is always right! They then gave the details of the rally, this year s event was a clue rally. Cars then headed out on the route, heading towards Lafayette. The rally ended at Arni s Restaurant where participants turned in the rally sheets and sat down to talk and eat. The rally masters checked answers and it was official. Indy members swept the awards! Third place was awarded to Cheryl Sackett and Dave Francik. They won two Mazda coffee mugs, $25.00 cash and a zoom zoom sticker. Second place went to Don and Linda Buchanan and they took home two Mazda coffee mugs, $50.00 cash and a zoom-zoom sticker. First place went to Doug Miller and his son. for their efforts, they were awarded two Mazda coffee mugs, $75.00 cash, a gift certificate from Arnie s and a zoomzoom sticker. Congratulations to all the winners, thanks to all who participated and a big thank you to our Rally Masters Mike and Conrad, who put together a great event! Tour De Boondocks Reminder 2nd place winners Don and Linda Buchanon with Rally Master Conrad Serwatka. Let s see a newer Miata hold the donut box as well as this! Photos by Bob Wiley and Steve Crouse Corydon for our dinner then back to the Inn for some more socializing, fun and games, and wine tasting. Sunday morning a truly great drive back to Nashville is planned where the tour ends. You will travel our five-hump roller coaster road; and if your speed is over 60 mph, you must have a pilot s license to enjoy the sky time. Norm and Susie Arbuckle and Gary and Kathy Collings are your tour masters and have booked the first two rooms for both nights. Sign up (for a head count) further down on this website. Then please notify us by email at normarby@aol.com, or call Norm at 1-765-426-5994 and tell us where you've booked your rooms. Remember to stay at the Leavenworth Inn bed and breakfast, and that both nights must be booked.
4 Open Road March 2006 Post Tax Blues Rally 2006 (Top left) It s tradition to have donuts at the caravan meeting spot and everyone enjoyed them! (Top right) Rally Master Mike Simmerman sets a car off on the rally. (Bottom left) A line of Miatas on their way to Logansport. (Bottom right) Jim Jones drops the top before leaving for the drive north. Why The Empty Dates On Calendar? Perhaps you have noticed a lack of events on the club s calendar. It is with deep regret we announce the loss of one of our main Indy Miata Club supporters. Well, this is because the Someoneelse s have moved, leaving us with a vacancy that will be hard to fill. They have been with us for many years, and for each of those years, they have done more than their fair share of work. Whenever there was a rally or mingle to set up and run, they seemed to do it. These wonderful people have been looked to for ideas, inspiration and results. The Someoneelse s were wonderful people, but they were only human. They did the best they could, everyone appreciated their work, but people expected too much of them. And now they re gone. They left us a wonderful example to follow and we need members to step up and help the club. Your officers are aware that we re all busy, but think of the fun you ve had on rally. The main reason there is a Indy Miata Club is to enjoy our cars with fellow Miata owners. Your club is only as strong and active as its members. Please contact Rick Booe or John Schaub to set a date for an event. Ask for a Rally Master s Guide Book for ideas and help in planning your event. Don t sit home wondering why the club isn t doing anything. Get out and plan an event! Thanks to IndySCCA Clutch Chatter
May 2006 Hubler Mazda South Open Road 5 Official Sponsor of the Indy Miata Club The 2006 Miata is here! Stop by and see the all new roadster! More zoom-zoom than ever... "We have the full line of Mazda Miata accessories!" Looking for MazdaSpeed Parts? They're exclusively at Hubler Mazda South! Hubler Mazda South Hubler is Indy's only MazdaSpeed dealership. 1274 US 31 South, Greenwood, IN 46134 Located 3 miles south of the Greenwood Park Mall (317) 885-7379 Cleaning Indiana, one car at a time! You are proud of your car. Let us help you to keep your Miata looking great. We offer services ranging from a "Wash and Vac" to a "Full Service Detail". Most importantly, we'll also give you guidance on how easy it is to keep your Miata looking great after it leaves our shop. We invite you to stop by, take a tour of our shop, and let s just talk about your car. Indy Miata Club members receive a 10% discount. Jim Schliebner 9830 N. Michigan Road 317-514-2659 http://www.jimmybuffit.com
May 1 - Crouse's Deal's Gap Trip May 4-7 - Mountain Miata Colorfest May 18 - Ritters Mingle May 27 - Indy 500 Mingle 2006 Scheduled Events August 5 - Brickyard Mingle August 17 - Ritters Mingle September 21 - Ritters Mingle June 9-10 - Tour De Boon Docks II June 22 - Ritters Mingle July 1 - USGP Mingle July 20 - Ritters Mingle October 19 - Ritters Mingle November - Hidden Drives IV December - Holiday Party Club members get rady to caravan to Logansport for the start of the 2006 Post Tax Blues Rally.