Home Court Advantage: Lapping Laguna Seca in the 2010 Mazdaspeed3

[armthehomeless]

Laguna Seca is Mazda's Nurburgring. It's the automaker's home-away-from-home test track, officially called Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The rolling, 11-turn, 2.2-mile road course nestled in the hills off the foggy Monterey coast is a proving ground for all Mazda vehicles -- yes, even the CX-9. Mazda calls the crucible "Camp Zoom-Zoom," and its latest graduate is the 2010 Mazdaspeed3, which we're here to flog.

On the wide, glassy surface of Mazda Raceway, the Speed3, an amusingly rowdy car on untamed street pavement, gains a new character. It's oddly calm and smooth. On the out-lap, you notice an ease and a satisfying clunk in shifting, well-placed pedals for heel-toe downshifts, and a short clutch engagement. The steering, now running through an electro-hydraulic power assisted system, provides impressive feedback while diving down the Corkscrew and following through Rainey Curve.

Lap one done. Let's push it. Jump on that throttle sooner out of turn one, later on the brakes though the succeeding bends - or try not to use them at all. Push it some more, and a few quirks emerge. One, the engine management limits power based on steering angle and gear selection to reduce torque steer. So when you're exiting turn two -- the Andretti Hairpin -- your inclination to track away from the apex, slowly unwinding the wheel while adding throttle, brings reduced power. In order to access the engine's 263-horse, you have to box off exits and keep the wheel pointed straight.

The Speed3 isn't a revver, either. Just like the last gen, the turbocharged 2.3-liter four runs out of steam around 6000 rpm. There's another 700 rpm to redline though, which can save you from banging off the limiter between corners spaced too close for a shift. The downside is the frustrating fall-on-your-face sensation at wide-open-throttle on the front straight. According to Mazda, upcoming accessory options should fix the falloff. But in stock form, the engine likes to stay low in the powerband, so keep your eye on the tach.

Last, a rapid two-three upshift nets a grind from the transmission -- another unfortunate carryover from the previous model. Fortunately, you only have to do it once a lap at Mazda Raceway. Unfortunately, you have to do it on the straight, in front of Mazda's PR and engineering team and Skip Barber's racing instructors. Best take it easy then.

With these quirks learned, the Speed3 becomes an impressive track toy. Third or fourth gear is all the hatchback needs to get through a fast lap, the newly lengthened ratios dipping deep into the engine's 280 pound-feet well of torque. Sometimes, it doesn't feel like enough -- you run out of engine before grip, or talent. I dare say it could use more power. This is the capability of the new Speed3.

Despite a front-biased weight distribution - 62 percent lies over the front axle -- the hatchback rotates well on turn-in. Oversteer is out of the question, of course. The car presses its front tires hardest at the limit, but you're into the pucker-factor by a good margin when you reach it.

The sensation is that the car is both nimble and planted. Take turn six, before the run up to the Corkscrew. It's a high-speed bend, with a low apex to the left. You're in third at about 80 mph on approach. A quick jab on the brakes under the walkway and point the car straight at the apex marker. Don't hit it though, the red section behind the blue-and-white checker stripe can make for some unwanted wheel and suspension changes, but get close. And get back on the throttle. As the Speed3 dives in the gutter and jumps with the road, the roller-coaster sensation starts up in your stomach. The Corkscrew lies ahead.

The best part about the infamous turn is that you can't see it. On approach, it looks like the road just ends into a concrete barrier. You have to commit blind. Brake hard, downshift, throw the car down the hill, and hope you lined it up right. Everything goes light. Your mind and stomach are sending mixed signals to each other. You could be airborne, your body doesn't quite know.

The Mazdaspeed3 knows. It's home.

[Source: Motortrend]

[holotropik]

hmmm...interested in these 'upcoming accessory options' the article mentions, any ideas??

[tricache]

We need video footage!!! Laguna Seca FTMW