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Car Club USA: Miatas at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

The Mazda MX-5 Miata is a very popular car for weekend warriors looking for the thrill of automotive racing in an affordable package. These iconic, rear-wheel-drive roadsters are lauded by enthusiasts for their driving dynamics, reasonable price, and plethora of available parts. That's why the annual Miatas at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca track event draws such a diverse cross section of drivers from allover the country. But, still, some types of drivers are more well-represented than others. "I usually am the only female signed up for the high-performance driving," said Carolyn Kulaja of Gila Monster Racing. "The car doesn't care the gender of the person driving." For Carolyn, racing Miatas is a passion that developed later in life, but she's not slowing down anytime soon. "My first racecar was car number 57, which was my age when I started racing," said Carolyn. "The 88 I decided was going to be my age when I quit racing." Young competitor Kyle Koh of Infotech Motorsports has his own reasons for racing. "Driving has changed my life in a major way," said Kyle. "It took me out of a depression." Kyle's first competitive fire was directed toward football, but after breaking his back during his sophomore year of high school, he had to find another outlet. "Kyle came to me one day and he decided that he wanted a project car," explained Kyle's father and racing partner Larry Koh. "Because the Miata community is so friendly to begin with, it becomes a big family." How will Carolyn and Kyle fare through Laguna Seca's infamous corkscrew? Find out on this episode of Car Club USA. Each Car Club USA episode features a different car club or event from across the US, where passionate owner communities gather to share automotive experiences and embark on incredible adventures. From Main Street cruises to off-road trails, catch all the latest car club activity on Autoblog.

Mazda Furai concept designer talks about his car's passing

Last week, there was mourning at the Autoblog offices as word trickled in that the Mazda Furai concept - one of the coolest, best-looking showcars to grace an auto show stage since the wild and crazy 1960s -had been killed. It was killed on the track with the folks from Top Gear in attendance. We're sure the gods of driving would have wanted it to die on a circuit, but that doesn't make its fiery passing any easier to deal with.
The Furai is the rare concept car that had a lasting appeal with enthusiasts, partly because it was a real, functioning racecar, complete with a wacky three-rotor Wankel engine and cutting-edge Nagare design. Now that it's gone, though, Road & Track's Mallory McMorrow, who was an intern at Mazda Design when the Furai was being styled in 2007, has published an interview with one of the men who penned the Mazda showcar's striking exterior, Carlos Salaff. It's a great piece on the emotional connection between a designer and his creation, and one you should take the time to read. Click on over to R&T for the full story.

2017 Tokyo Motor Show | Mega Gallery

The 2017 Tokyo Motor Show has been a big and busy one. It's also had machinery ranging from beautiful to bizarre. But there's been something for everyone. Companies such as Honda and Subaru brought performance oriented vehicles, Toyota showcased a wide array of funky and practical concepts, and Yamaha even broke away from motorcycles to do another car concept. You can check all of these vehicles out, and more in the galleries below. 2018 Honda Gold Wing: View 5 Photos Honda Neo Sports Cafe Concept: View 5 Photos Honda Riding Assist-e Concept: View 7 Photos Honda Sports EV Concept: View 5 Photos Honda Super Cub: View 3 Photos Isuzu FD-SI and Elf EV: View 9 Photos Lexus LS+ Concept: View 18 Photos Mazda Kai Concept: View 18 Photos Mazda Vision Coupe Concept: View 15 Photos Mitsubishi e-Evolution Concept: View 8 Photos Nissan IMx Concept: View 29 Photos Nissan Leaf Nismo Concept: View 8 Photos Subaru Viziv Performance Concept: View 12 Photos Toyota Century and Crown: View 7 Photos Toyota Concept-i Series: View 16 Photos Toyota GR HV SPORTS Concept: View 6 Photos Toyota Tj Cruiser: View 12 Photos Yamaha Concepts (Cross Hub, MOTOROiD, MWC-4, Motobot): View 5 Photos Related Video: Tokyo Motor Show Honda Isuzu Lexus Mazda Mitsubishi Nissan Subaru Toyota