The Official Newsletter of the Indy Miata Club Volume 28 Issue 5 May 2017 What s Inside Page 2 President s column continued Memberships Classified. Page 3 2017 Club Events Page 4 Marietta Madness Information Page 5 Bluegrass Adventure report Page 6 The new FORUM is open. IMC Motoring Challenge Page 7 PTBR report Indy 500 mingle announcement Page 8 2017 Regional Miata Events Page 9 Normal car colors Page 10 Funny Stuff? Notes from the President By John Lyghtel As I write this month s column we are getting ready for the Bluegrass Adventure Weekend in Kentucky that Steve and Kathy Crouse have put together. We are especially looking forward to the weekend as we were not able to make last year s trip. We have just returned from our annual trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with the Indianapolis Hiking Club. Always a good time getting together with friends to go on nice, and sometimes difficult, hikes (two or more to pick from) we will see blooming wildflowers and trees, and maybe a bear or two (preferably at a distance). We will always get together for dinner too to discuss our day just like the Indy Miata Club. This hiking oriented trip can also be a car-guy/ gal trip as on the second weekend of April there is a very large car show in Pigeon Forge. As we drive in on Wednesday, very slowly due to the traffic volume and fellow gawkers, we take in all of cars that are parked in front of the motels and restaurants its sort of a reverse cruise where we cruise and look at the nice cars. We stay in Gatlinburg but may head back to Pigeon Forge in the evening to park and walk to see as much as we can, although we would need all day to see everything. Some of the car show attendees will cruise through Gatlinburg in the evening each day through the weekend. On the same weekend a vintage Ford Bronco group shows up you will see more old Bronco s in GSMNP in a couple of days than you will see all year otherwise. They range from bone-stock to modified big-tired examples. Continued on page 2 Mazda Motor Corporation announced today that the One-Millionth Mazda MX-5 Miata, a commemorative model celebrating the production of 1 million units of Mazda s iconic two-seater convertible sports car, has returned home after a year-long tour that saw the model exhibited at fan-facing events around the globe. The car arrived back at the company s Hiroshima headquarters on April 7.
May 2017 Page 2 Open Road Indy Miata Club Officers 2017 President John Lyghtel president@indymiata.org Vice-President Dave Phares Notes from the President, cont. There are some great driving roads in and around GSMNP though they can get a little busy on weekends. I have been able to put some miles on our Miata in and around the park, and on the Blue Ridge Parkway in a friend s Miata. Unfortunately when we go on a multi-day hiking trip we need to pack more stuff then normal, plus we try to car-pool to the trailhead with other hikers so our Miata does not get down that way too often. Our club calendar is getting some new items take a look at the Indy Miata Club Events page to see what is coming up. Contact Dave Phares to host a Mingle (the 500 or the 400 - they are easy) or to add an event. For those of you we don t see often, come on out to an event. You ll be glad you did! 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 Our membership count is up to 84 Miatas. Newest members: Ryan Rosenogle & Victoria Brame Looking for clothing with the Indy Miata Club logo on it? We've got two stores to help you out at the Clothing tab on our website. For digitally printed casual wear, head over to our Spreadshirt store. How about an embroidered shirt or jacket? Our Lands' End store can deliver the goods to your door. Polos, jackets, sweatshirts and more with the IMC logo embroidered on the item. CLASSIFIEDS A stock dual-exhaust muffler for a 2007 Miata MX-5, in good condition to give away. Call Rick Rosado at (317) 319-6438. Beautiful poster from Mazda: 2006 MX5, $10, email webmaster@indymiata.org. For Sale: A pair of Cobra PR650WX FRS (walkie-talkie) radios, incls. AC wall charger, rechargeable batteries, owner s manual, $20 for all, Contact Steve at email: editor@indymiata.org 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. 15x7 Chaparral wheels: with 195/55 Kuhmo Ecsta 4XII tires, used only 5000 mi., $500 firm for set. tristan.w.liechty@gmail.com For Sale: A stock radio from a 2014 Miata. Asking $35. Email davephares47@gmail.com if interested. 2004 MazSpd Velocity Red, Many extras, 93K miles, $12000, Details on club Classified webpage. Contact John @ jceaw@sbcglobal.net
Page 3 Open Road May 2017 There is room for many more 2017 Rallies! Will you organize a rally, mingle or weekend trip? Get it on our 2017 calendar ASAP. Please report the date & info. to Event Coordinator, Dave Phares. Contact him at events@indymiata.org. Indy Miata Club Motoring Challenge A year-long club scavenger hunt contest. See Entry Form & Rules on our website Events tab. May 19-21, 2017 Marietta Madness weekend See page 4 or website for details. Sat., May 27 Night before the Indy 500 mingle Organizer needed Come on Newbies. Give it a try. Sat., June 10 Not Quite Marietta Rally Meet at McDonald's at I-69 and E. 96th St. Time TBD / See website July Quarterly Board of Officers Meeting Date & Location TBD Sat. July 23 Night before the Brickyard 400 mingle Organizer needed October Quarterly Board of Officers Meeting Date & Location TBD November 4 Hidden Drives Rally Plan Ahead! December 2 Christmas Party & Election of Officers Mark your calendar
Page 4 Open Road May 2017 Marietta Madness May 19-21, 2017 It s always about this time each year when I really start to get the itch. Days are getting longer, we re getting teased with a few spring-like days and we know that convertible weather just can t be too far off in the future. So, that means it s time to start making plans for the Premier Driver s Event of each year, Marietta Madness! Indy Miata will return to Southeast Ohio s incredible assortment of roads for MM17 the weekend of May 19-21, 2017. Don t miss out on this extraordinary opportunity to visit one of the premier Miata Playgrounds east of the Mississippi. The advantage to these roads in Southeast Ohio is the total lack of traffic, and smooth, wide asphalt roads, many of which have been recently repaved. But Marietta isn t just about the roads. The town of Marietta has many fabulous attractions, and some unique shopping and antiquing opportunities. On Friday morning, May 19th, we'll gather on the east side of Indianapolis for a 9:30 AM departure eastbound on I-70. Our route to Marietta will take us east to Columbus where we ll stop for fuel and food before heading southeast towards Hocking Hills and the fabulous roads that will eventually take us into Marietta. Friday evening is on your own to explore the town and try out one the dozens of great restaurants in town for dinner with your favorite navigator, or with new and old Miata friends! Saturday morning, the 20th, we'll begin gathering (9 AM-ish) in the parking lot of the Fairfield Inn for the Big Drive which will depart at 10 AM. Anticipate a full morning and afternoon of absolute driving bliss, with a stop for a BYO (bring your own) picnic lunch along the Ohio River at the Hannibal Locks and Dam. After lunch, continue on with the group for more enthusiastic driving as we find our way back to Marietta, or perhaps head off on your own to do some exploring, or head back to Marietta for the afternoon and do some sightseeing, shopping or just relax. This year we arranged an opportunity to participate in Hidden Marietta Tour Company s Putnam Street Ghost Trek on Saturday evening. The 90-minute walking tour will start at 8 PM from the Courthouse at the corner of Second and Putnam Streets. Hear stories of creepy old buildings that loom over you in shadow, and learn of a dark past filled with murder, suicide and executions. The cost for this OPTIONAL activity is $15 per person, reduced to $12.50 if we have 20+ in our group. Dinner will be on your own, either before or after the tour. Sunday is on your own; explore a bit by yourself, or in a group, as you make your way back west towards Indiana, perhaps taking the curvy way back on the Triple Nickel, or retrace our route back through Hocking Hills. Make your plans NOW to join us for a weekend of exciting roads set in a scenery of beautiful hills, rolling down to the Ohio River. Here are the details: Dates: May 19-21, 2017 (Fri - Sun) Gather: Fri 5/19 @ 9:00AM Where: McDonald's, I-70 exit #96, Mt Comfort Rd Depart: McDonald's @ 9:30 AM SHARP Hotels: Headquarter Hotel - Fairfield Inn & Suites, 200 Cherry Tree Ln, Marietta, OH 45750; $99/night Group Rates are available by contacting the hotel directly at (740) 374-3000 and requesting the Mazda Miata Owners group rate. Additional hotels include the Hampton Inn, Microtel Inn, Comfort Inn, Red Roof Inn and others in close proximity. For more information on Marietta, including hotels, B&B's, dining, shopping, its history, and more, visit www.mariettaohio.org. Feel free to contact me directly via email with any questions. Tom Lewis; TML2340@gmail.com
Page 5 Open Road May 2017 Bluegrass Adventure, 2017 report And, a real adventure it turned out to be, in many forms! The weather challenges are at the top of that list. The weather people had been warning us all week that there would be lots of storms during the weekend. Friday s drive to Carrollton KY, where we spent the weekend, was gloomy with a threat of rain at any moment, but that was for those of us that drove down early. Those that came later in the day didn t have threats; they had rain, and lots of it. One couple was even incarcerated in a McDonalds restroom (with a dozen or so friends ) because of a chance of tornados in their area. Luckily, they were safe. Friday night/saturday early morning was a never ending thunderstorm! I know many of us didn t sleep well because of the continuous lightning and thunder. As we approached our scheduled start-time for the Saturday morning drive, the rain was off & on, enough to delay our start for over an hour. It s no fun driving Miatas in the rain. We finally decided the weather had eased up enough, with an improving forecast, for us to start the fun part of the day. Off we went under total overcast, about 2 hours late. (I almost forgot to mention one of our group getting to see two locals try to duke it out at the Shell station the previous evening.) (Plus, many of us received a tornado/flash flood text alert while we were watching the ominous clouds flyover during breakfast Saturday.) I knew there was going to be one kink in our drive route Saturday morning. To use one of the better roads in the area, I had a short link across a dry creek. With all the rain the previous day, we knew there wouldn t be any dry areas, much less dry creeks, so a plan was made to adjust the day s route, once we could establish affected distances. By this time, with the rain having stopped, the roads were drying, so we only had to negotiate the areas where wood debris and some gravel washed onto the roads. And, that happened a lot! Now for the best part! The weather continued to improve so that as our lunch break approached, the sun came out, the temperature rose and tops came down! Were we blessed, or what? Let me interject briefly that our lunch stop was unusual. With the attendees broken up in 3 drive-groups, and several interesting places to eat at our break in LaGrange KY, each group got to choose where they wanted to dine. LaGrange is an interesting town. They have a railroad line going down Main Street with rail traffic passing through town almost hourly. Some of us were able to sit in a restaurant on Main St. and observe trains as they passed; four while we had lunch. The afternoon route took the groups further east to follow much of the Kentucky River back northward to Carrollton. We had used several of these roads on previous stays in the area, BUT, this time we were going in the opposite direction; an effective way to make it look and feel new. Late on the way back to the lodge, groups 1 & 2 encountered the last obstacle of the day. A tree had fallen across the road at one point; no way to get around it. So, our creative group leaders (1-Smith & 2-Koehler), with help from their followers, found detours around the blockage and back onto route further along. Are these guys good, or are they good? By the way, someone had cleared the tree from the road by the time group 3 reached the spot. How fortunate. By late afternoon, everyone made it back to their lodgings, safe & sound, with some time to rest and clean up before our group dinner at the General Butler State Park lodge. I should add that a few of our bunch were very thankful that the broken boiler in one section of the lodge was repaired. It would not have been a good ending to the day if a cold shower was your only choice! Dinner at the lodge Saturday evening was fun, lots of stories to tell, laughs to share. Although the restaurant was short a couple of waitresses, our waitress did an adequate job taking care of our needs; and eating from the buffet helped. Sunday morning dawned bright & sunny, with an expected temperature up to 80 degrees. Tops came down even before the gentlemen started their engines. This year, I decided to find some new roads further eastward to get us to our lunch spot and end point at Batesville. Other than the first 10-15 curvy miles that I wouldn t give up, we used many new roads along the way. Another repeat road section was IN-262; a great curvy section, however, I found that if you start on it further east, you double your fun! We ll be there again when we re in the area! Well, you can t get to Batesville without some long and straight sections of highway. I hope by that time everyone had their fill of twists & turns, was ready for lunch and relaxation. The weekend turned out much better than the weathermen expected. I really do think we re blessed when we re on the road. Many thanks to everyone who joined us for the weekend; more thanks to those members who took on responsibilities (leaders, sweepers, etc.), helping the weekend run smoothly. You guys are the best! Let s do this again! Look for photos in next month s newsletter, or on our website.
Page 6 Open Road May 2017 Indy Miata Club FORUM Our website FORUM is updated, open and operating. Come join us on the Forum for lots of information and poignant conversation. Post up your news scoops and valuable advice! Join the fun! Sign onto our website, and register on the Forum today. INDY MIATA CLUB MOTORING CHALLENGE Driving season is here! How about some friendly competition with fellow club members? If you haven t already done so, now is a great time to sign up for our first-ever Motoring Challenge. This is an 11-month long event which is similar to a scavenger hunt. As a participant, you ll receive a list of destinations to visit and items to find. At each location, you ll take a photo of your Miata along with the 2017 Challenge poster. Some locations will also require a visible, permanent sign. Points will be awarded for each destination visited. The entry fee is $10, and cash prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers. The prize amounts will depend upon the number of entries. Gary and Linda Weidman are the rally masters. If you have questions, please contact Gary at popsw@me.com. Enrollment forms and detailed instructions are on the club website. When you register, please be sure to also sign up on the events page.
May 2017 Page 7 Open Road Night before the Indy 500 Mingle A club officer is working at organizing the 500 Mingle for Saturday, May 27. Information is not available at this point, but an email blast will be sent to members when we have it. Keep on open eye on your email box for an announcement soon. Post Tax Blues Rally report Many thanks to Alan Schwab for taking on the responsibility for organizing this year s PTBR. Even though the weather was overcast and cool at the start, as the day progressed the clouds diminished and the temperature rose until it was a pleasant day for a top-down ride. It was fun to get back to the Wabash River Valley after a couple of years since our last tour of the area. Having the rally up north brought out several members that we don t see as often as we d like. And surprisingly, there were a few Miata owners attending who are not even members, yet. We re glad to see so many new faces! Alan went out of his way to challenge the group with several taxrelated questions. Smart-phones helped a lot in answering these queries. The 90+ mile event ended at Eddie Joe s Icehouse in West Point, IN. Great food! Relaxed atmosphere. But where is West Point, IN? Thanks, again, Alan. We look forward to your next club event! When will that be? Upcoming Dates for Eric & Mike Just a short note to let everyone know Eric & Mike have a couple upcoming dates. We will be performing at Hopwood Cellars Winery, 12 E. Cedar St., Zionsville. wwwhopwoodcellars.com Friday May 19, 7:00 to 9:00 PM Friday July 7, 7:00 to 9:00 PM We hope some of our Miata Club friends can stop by and enjoy the wine and music in beautiful downtown Zionsville. Thanks for your support.
Page 8 Open Road May 2017 Regional Miata Events in 2017 Do you want to do something different this year? How about attending a Miata event outside our area? 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. May 31 June 4, 2017 11th Annual Zoomin the Mountains of East Tenn. (includes a run up to Moss Motorfest) Johnson City TN May 16-21, 2017 Mecum Auto Auction Indianapolis @ Indiana State Fairgrounds More information under Non-IMC on our website June 14-18, 2017 World-class vintage racing returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for SVRA s Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational. (includes the Mazda MX-5 Cup Series) August 3-6, 2017 Miatas at the Gap, XXI Deal s Gap/Robbinsville NC (Our V-P & his navigator are attending. Do you want to go along?)
Page 9 Open Road May 2017 This doesn t apply to Miatas.
Page 10 Open Road May 2017 Funny Stuff? New Miata cat-back systems available at Looneytunes.gov.
May 2017 Page 11 Open Road 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 31 North @ 169th Street Westfield, IN 46074 800-891-3056 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. Tom Lewis Call or e-mail Indy Miata Club member Tom Lewis today! 317-984-9228 tom@hughesinsurancegroup.com Have a few dollars invested in upgrades? Ask about Agreed Value Coverage for your Miata! INSURANCE GROUP
Page 12 Open Road May 2017 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. May 14