I can't believe I almost passed on this car. I had just gotten off the phone with Ridox and quickly realized I had made a big mistake. Luckily, I knew the private telephone number on his Yacht (gotta love satellite phones) and yelled into my receiver "I changed my mind!! Send me one...Immediately!!"
My body is still jet lagged. Whenever I come to Germany I feel groggy for at least an entire day. I drove down to my rented space at the Nurburgring raceway and my lead mechanic smiled. I knew my new car had arrived...and there it was, already up on the lift - my new Mazda Autozam AZ-1 from 1992. Ridox wasn't lying when he said the new coat of paint would blow me away. I don't think I've ever seen such a beautiful pure red before.
My team was fitting new tires to my Autozam. CM grade rubber will be a perfect match for this machine, Ridox assured me. Although, I could swear he's tried to kill me before with tire grade recommendations...but that's a tale for another time. The car was lowered down from the lift and I hopped in. I was being waved over to the Grand Prix starting area, but I had other plans. A car like this needs to be pushed hard - to the limit and beyond! - and I felt the Nordschleife was just the track to inflict that type of grueling test on my Mazda Autozam AZ-1.
Right away I could tell this wasn't going to be like any typical drive around the Green Hell. I had only been on the track 30 seconds and I could already feel my rear-end slipping and sliding, but not necessarily in an out of control way. I need to contact Ridox (is he still on his Yacht? or is he off heli-skiing again?) and have a conversation about the power band in this car. The Current Specs read that she is putting out 123 HP @ 6900 rpm and 100.7 ft-lb @ 5200 rpm. The data sheet Ridox faxed my mechanic said that peak power came at 7100 rpm, a small difference, I know. However, this car red line's at around 9850 rpm and while I don't believe peak power is anywhere near 9850 rpm, I do feel like the car is still strong well past 6900 or 7100 rpm. 8000 rpm is about where power feels like it is dropping off VERY quickly. I was always under the impression that some of the engine modifications performed on these cars moved the peak power higher in the RPM range...
Well, enough of that. Let's talk about handling. This little beauty is a quick lane changer. However, constant care must be taken when driving this Mazda at speed. The rear-end of this car is light. I know what you're thinking... "Yeah...I drive cars like that all the time!" Not like this one you don't. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, however, you just need to get a feel for when the rear will start coming around on you and countersteer. You're going to be countersteering a lot in this Autozam AZ-1 on a track like the Nordschleife! My arms got quite the workout on the three laps I drove, but I honestly can't say that I've ever had more fun in a car that takes over 9 minutes to circle the North Loop. It's edge of the seat fun...
My mechanic told me that he setup the brakes per Ridox's instructions and I suggest you do the same. After 1 lap I knew that setup wasn't for me so I tweaked the brakes to 7/4. I felt it kept the rear under control a little bit more on turn in. Like with most cars that I'm learning to drive, I experiment with different driving techniques. I did find that if you aren't incredibly comfortable with how much the rear likes to play, you can scrub a lot of speed off by braking in a straight line before turn-in and still manage acceptable overall lap times. I find that driving style to actually be more difficult as you're turning a single simultaneous process into two individual processes, but you've gotta do what works for you.
This is one car that I'm more than happy to write Ridox a check for. He knocked it out of the park and now I've got another 400PP racer. I didn't try the 100PS setup, so I can't comment on that one. I'm sure it's very similar, just slower.
Oh, before I forget... I probably wouldn't blame you if you decided to throw in a customizable transmission when racing this Mazda. That 1st to 2nd shift is painfully slow and 2nd thru 4th are spaced a little strangely.
P.S. I've been trying to come up with an ALB123 scoring system for these replica builds at Ridox Replica Garage, but I haven't been able to come up with something that I feel is fair and not so biased. Obviously, I like his cars a lot. I'm sure most of you saw my critic of his Corvette Z06, however, so I CAN be brutally honest when I feel I must be. And look...now that Z06 is much improved and the world is a better place!