Volume 18 Issue 12 December 2008 What s Inside Page 2 Holiday Party Info. Host an Event. Renewal Info. Page 3 Hidden Drive / PTBR Event Review. Page 4 It Was A Fun Run. Classifieds. Page 5 Advertisers. Back Roads... The Official Newsletter of the Indy Miata Club by Roger Burrill, President December is upon us which brings us to the end of another IMC year. It most certainly has been an active and successful year for our club. The calendar was booked with numerous activities and events. We had members that hosted rallies that had never done it before which contributed greatly. Last, but not least, the Midwest Miata Gathering was a huge success, from which we had representation from 14 states and Canada. Any time you can stop traffic for 17 miles on two major interstates with a line of Miatas that stretches 2 1/2 miles, now that s fun, I don t care who you are! Your MMG committee members, directed by our Chairperson s Gary and Kathy Collings, did one heck of a job putting together and running the MMG event. Many thanks, to all of our volunteers for making it a fantastic event. I think we raised the bar a little for the other clubs hosting the MMG. Our club also made it into the first issue of the Forever MX-5 magazine, a national publication, and passed club bylaws which will assist us in conducting clubs business in the future. By any measure, I think it s safe to say we have had a pretty darn good year. Looking forward into next year it s time to turn over the reins of the club to a new President for 2009. Please extend your support to our new President and officers next year. If you would like to be a club officer in 2009, please send me a e-mail on what position you may be interested in. We will be voting on club officer positions at the annual Holiday party on December 7th. Being a club officer takes very little time and I am sure you will find it a very rewarding experience as well as an opportunity to interact with our club membership. One thing I found in being President for 2008, is what a diverse background and the quality of people in our club. Next year is coming up fast and our calendar is clean. Please consider hosting a rally, event or activity. Remember, hosting an event is really easy and can be anything from a mingle, a picnic, a rally or anything you like. It does not need to be anything fancy. It may simply be a place or road that you would like to share with others. If you have any questions on how to throw an event, there are plenty of people in the club to help out. We only have one rule in the club The rally master is always right so there is no way for you to go wrong. OK, that s my last President's participation speech. In closing, I would like the thank everyone for the opportunity to serve as President in 2008. I have been very fortunate as well as the club to have officers and members that have contributed immensely to the wonderful year we have had. I do think we have accomplished quite a bit and have the club on solid footing for years to come. On behalf of Nancy and I, as well as all of the club officers, we would like to wish everyone happy holidays and we look forward to a great 2009. And remember, keep the shiny side up!
2 Open Road December 2008 Indy Miata Club Officers 2008 President Roger Burrill president@indymiata.org Vice-President Jim Quearry vicepresident@indymiata.org Treasurer Steve Crouse treasurer@indymiata.org Membership Director Mike Selvy membership@indymiata.org Events Coordinator Tom Lewis events@indymiata.org Secretary Nancy Burrill secretary@indymiata.org Publications Sara J mcbride 4249 Springwood Ct. Indpls., IN 46228 317-755-3089 editor@indymiata.org The Open Road is published monthly for the members of the Indy Miata Club Inc. 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 for reading this. Last Club Event of 2008! Have you signed up for the IMC Holiday Party? Don't miss the last Indy Miata Club event of the year! The 2008 Holiday Party will be held at the Old Spaghetti Factory, 210 S Meridian Street on December 7th. We encourage you to arrive around 5 p.m so you can enjoy cocktails, just mingle with other IMC friends and chat about what a great year it was for the club. Dinner begins at 6:00 p.m. The menu is Chicken Marsala or Lasagna, Salad, Vegetable and choice of (non-alcoholic) drink. We' have never been disappointed by the meal. Remember, your dinner is paid for by the Indy Miata Club. Not bad for a $20 dues membership for the year! We are asking you to bring one gift per car for the gift exchange. As always, we will be holding IMC officer elections for 2009. If you wish to run for an office next year, please make President Roger Burrill aware so you are on the ballot. Dress is casual, since there is a Colt's game earlier, some folks will probably be wearing their blue to celebrated a Colt's win over the visiting Cincinnati Bengals! Be advised that the Pacers are playing Boston at 6:00pm at Conseco Field House, so allow some time to find a parking spot. Please be sure to sign up on our web site by December 4th so we can give the restaurant a count of how many people to expect. See you on December 7th! Looking For Events in 2009 Did you have fun at the Indy Miata Club rally, mingle, or tour you attended this year? Here's your chance to add to next year's fun, sign up to host an event! If you have a favorite drive, eating spot or thing to do in your Miata, share it with club members. Never hosted an event? It's really not that hard and support from our Events Chairperson or any of the club officers is readily available. Sign up for a date at the Holiday Party or e-mail our Event Coordinator with a date or questions at events@indymiata.org. It's Time For A Renewal Reminder Indy Miata Club memberships run from January 1 to December 31, so it's time to renew and not miss out on anything in 2009. The Indy Miata Club has provided its members with fun for the past 18 years and the coming year promises to be a great one. Though we won't have the excitement of hosting a MMG, events such as rallies with sister Miata clubs, mingles and maybe an overnight tour should be appearing soon on our event calendar. Don't miss out. Renewals will be accepted at the Holiday party or you can download the form from the club web site in the "Join Us" area.
3 Open Road December 2008 Weather Just OK For Hidden Drives/PTBR Rerun There's a saying, "It's always a good day to own a Miata, some days are just better than others". Gray skies and cooler temperatures prevailed on November 8th, but ten hardy IMC members in seven cars showed up for the Hidden Drives / PTBR Rerun, and all agreed it was a good day. Rally Master Sara J mcbride moved her annual Hidden Drives tour north to try a rerun of April's Pre-Tax Blues Rally. The Pre-Tax was scheduled to be run again in June, but due to a little rain and flooding, it was cancelled. Knowing it was a great route and hoping for dry roads, Sara J elected to use the route to give those a chance who didn't participate in April to experience the great route. PTBR Rally Master Dave Besterman was especially excited about using this route because when he was mapping it in April, he'd always driven his OTM (Other Than Miata)! After a driver's meeting (and breakfast for some), the cars headed out from just south of Battle Ground. All tops were up due to the mid- 40 degree temperatures and a brisk, chilly wind, but the roads were dry! At one point, the sun even peeked out! Sara led all the cars at a brisk and sporty pace south into Lafayette then they headed across western Indiana, following the Wabash River, Little Pine Creek, back into rolling farmland, then down along Big Pine Creek. While traveling through Attica, Tom Lewis wanted to take a photo a bank's temperature sign to compare it to the photo he took in April. Unfortunately, the sign was only displaying the time (12:39) so no comparison! After leaving Attica, the tour crossed railroad tracks several times, seeing a Laura Shilts was happy after a fun drive through freight train in the distance and finally getting caught at a crossing in Riverside. three Indiana counties. The group continued to head east across Wea Creek, past the Lilly Tippecanoe Photos by Sara J mcbride Lab and back into Lafayette where the tour ended at the MCL Cafeteria in West Lafayette. Thanks to Dave Besterman for providing the route and a tip of the hat goes to Norm Arbuckle who provided the ending of the route by Lilly and into West Lafayette. Left top: Tom and Dave chatting after lunch. Right top: Steve and his navigator enjoyed their lunch. Left: Members since June, Darlene and Jeff drove the route for the first time. Right: Larry and Sabrena drove up from Mooresville to join in the fun.
Open Road 4 December 2008 Impromptu Funs Runs Are Just That, Fun! The MMG 2008 planning committee held their wrap-up meeting on Saturday, November 1 and after lunch, everyone headed for their cars. It was a beautiful, warm and sunny day and several folks decided to take advantage of one of the remaining top down days of 2008 to take a spirited romp. A quick stop to pick up instructions for one of the MMG's self guided tours, the cars headed south. The route was one put together by Bob Wiley and had the great twist road our cars and drivers love. Near the end of the run, the drivers pulled over and decided that since the weather report was good for Sunday, they'd do it again! On Sunday, the cars headed towards Brown county, picking up another Miata in Morgan Monroe State Forest and seeing other Miatas out enjoying the day. Avoiding the town of Nashville that was sure to be clogged with leaf peepers, the cars drove Low Gap Road, Camel Ridge (is this the club's new "most favorite" road?) to Mahalasville Road, Greasy Creek to Bear Hollow, Gatesville Road and more roads the area is know for. As the sun dropped lower into the evening sky, the group finished by driving around Sweetwater Lake and then all headed for home. And for the one member who said he couldn't go because he had to put one of his cars in winter storage, you missed a fun run! Photos by Tom Lewis, Laura Shilts and Sara J mcbride Classifieds For Sale - 2000 Miata Special Edition, six speed. This car has no after market accessories, except new tires about 20K miles ago. Tan leather interior, and Merlot exterior. Bose Sound system, power windows, door locks, and factory ground effects. This car runs nice, drives great, but that is what you would expect from a Miata. $10,000. Contact Craig Langhor at 260 229 1036 For Sale - Harbor Freight Haul-Master Trailer. Sells for 199.99 on web site, will sell mine that is assembled for $180.00. 860 LB capacity. Comes with title, assembly instructions, all lighting in their original box. Professionally assembled (still needs lighting attached) Call Chris at 317-517-1101 during daylight hours. Wanted - Inexpensive storage for a Miata! Sold my home and am without a garage to park the Miata in for the winter. Willing to pay a reasonable rental rate for the storage and will provide my own proof of insurance coverage. On or near the north side of town preferred. Would like to be able to have "in and out" privileges so that I can at least take it out for a spin on those sunny and dry days during the winter. Please contact Bob Lewis at 259-6000 (office) or 317-439-5454 (cell) For Sale - Trailer Hitch. Fits Miata 1990-1997. Receiver frame is not visible when bolted to frame rail extensions. Ball mount slides in easily and extends beyond bumper while being used. Tongue weight 200 lbs. Gross weight 2000 lbs. Never Used. Cost new $197, asking $50. Includes hitch, tow bar, ball, bolts, and instructions. Call Jim 317-255-1874 For Sale - OEM Hardtop Do you drive your Miata during the winter months? If so, you need a hard top! It's warmer, quieter and protects your soft top from harsh winter conditions. This is an OEM hard top with factory liner and defroster. The seals are in good shape and paint is in good condition. Fits 90-97's with no problems. If you have a 99-05, see this link to see how this top can fit your car : http://www.miata.net/garage/hardtop/. I'm including a hard top hoist ($75 value) for summer storage at no charge. Asking $1000 for this hardtop. Call Sara J at 317-513-3453 or e-mail her at editor@indymiata.org.
December 2008 Hubler Mazda South Never stop smiling......and why should you? Top down, wind-in-your-hair, engine-growling exhilaration is what Mazda MX-5 Miata roadsters are known for. Stop in and take a look at the new MX-5 with the Power Retractable Hard Top today! Open Road 5 Official Sponsor of the Indy Miata Club 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! AIM is your one stop resource for Miata parts, service and accessories. From recommended maintenance to adding more power, your Miata is in good hands with our factory trained specialists who care about your car. Contact us today to set an appointment! 298F Gasoline Alley Indianapolis, IN 46222 317-381-0898 Indy Miata Club members receive a 10% discount off labor, maintenance and OEM Mazda parts. You are proud of your car, so 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. And yes, we do black! We invite you to stop by, take a tour of our new shop, and let s just talk about your car. Indy Miata Club members receive a 10% discount. Stop by and say Hi! Jim Schliebner 4265 West 96th Street 317-514-2659 http://www.jimmybuffit.com Don't forget to visit the club web site for up to date information and more! http://indymiata.org
Indy Miata Club 2008 Scheduled Events December 7 - Holiday Party 2009 Events Across the US March 26-29 - Miatas At Myrtle Beach More info at: http://www.triadmiatas.com/mamb_iii.html May 22-25 - Miata World II - Gaylord, TX More info at: www.miataworldii.com/ July 23-26 - Miata's At The Gap XIII September 9 - Midwest Miata Gathering X More info at: http://cincimiata.com/news.asp Who's afraid of a gray, cloudy day? Not this group! Seven cars showed up for the Hidden Drive/PTBR rerun on Nov. 8th. L-R: Sara J mcbride, Steve Myers, Dave Besterman, Tom Lewis, Laura Shilts, Larry and Sabrena Smith, and Jeff and Darlene Evans.