All car brands have car clubs of every size—from small clubs for a specific model in a particular town or city to a huge gathering of various models that span a whole nation.
It’s the latter that I witnessed when I joined the pilgrimage put together by Mazda Philippines to Fuji Speedway in Japan late last month. Fuji Speedway is about three to four hours drive from Tokyo and, as its name implies, lies just a few clicks off the foot of majestic Mount Fuji.
I’ve heard of the Mazda Fan Festa for many years now (it’s on its 13th year), but have only been able to go this year. Here now are ten reasons why any car guy or girl—Mazda fan or not—must go.
- Mazda Fan Festa showcases all the rarest and most beautiful Mazdas, from the seminal Cosmo coupe (Hiroshima’s first rotary-engined production car from 1967) to all four generations of Miatas/MX-5s to just about every rotary-engined sedan and coupe in Mazda history. Just seeing every generation of the RX-7 (from stock to full-on racecar) is enough to weaken the knees of any car enthusiast.
2. And they’re not just parked in a paddock or parking area. They also take to the track and let everyone hear that distinctive rotary sound. We got to be standing in one of the pit garages and were privy to the raucous roar of a Mazda rotary engine—even those from the 60s and 70s. It’s glorious!
3. I have to state this separately: You get to hear, see, feel, and smell (the unburned racing gasoline) from the incredible Mazda 787B, the first Japanese car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans (back in 1991).
4. We were in the actual garage and were able to not just touch the racecar, but to chat with and interview Yojiro Terada, “Mr. Le Mans” himself. Terada-san holds the distinction for participating in the most number of Le Mans races and is instrumental in bringing Mazda to where it is now in the pantheon of motorsports and even in inspiring the development of performance-oriented Mazdas all these years. And he took to the track in the 787B, wonderfully thrashing so many eardrums that day.
5. You get to meet and greet many other people involved in Mazda motorsports—even those from AutoExe, Mazda’s high-performance parts manufacturer (that also just recently announced its availability in the Philippines). They’ll be happy to take selfies or even answer a few questions about themselves or their cars. Even the drivers and owners of all the Mazdas taking part in Fan Festa are more than happy to pop open their hoods for a photo or two.
6. Mazda also takes the opportunity to showcase or reveal an upcoming new model. For this year, we were privy to the unveiling of the 35th anniversary edition of the Mazda MX-5 as well as the Spirit Racing RS Concept MX-5, both looking exceptionally gorgeous in their new paint colors and liveries.
7. There is shopping galore for Mazda merch, from apparel to key chains and stickers, to racing shoes and limited edition chronograph watches in collaboration with Seiko. Bring lots of yen (or your credit card).
8. There’s a lot of good Japanese food, mostly in food packs or bento boxes, from food trucks and tents sprinkled around the racetrack, so it can also be a culinary street food kind of experience. And, of course, there are vending machines offering everything from sodas and juices to hot or cold coffee or tea.
9. The event is a stone’s throw away from Mount Fuji, so on a clear day you get a stunning view of Japan’s iconic mountain, whether from your hotel or from the racetrack.
10. Cars, food, and shopping aside, the Mazda Fan Festa is a first-hand experience of how a car brand can engender so much passion. Mazda may be practically a niche brand now, but it’s a niche of some of the most passionate, reverent, and knowledgeable car owners, most of whom seem to know something other car owners don’t (wink, wink).
