Under a blistering sun, the car exits the turn at over 100 kph and skids a little so as to find the perfect trajectory. It sprints ferociously and makes the exhaust system sing. Next up is a tight, right-to-left turn that leads directly to a long curve. The tires, reaching their grip limit, produce a tenacious screeching sound.
The only thing left to do is to hammer the throttle and accelerate all the way to the 156 kph top speed. And then, lap number two gets underway. Is this a dream? Almost. That's the kind of thrills I experienced at the Dunnville Autodrome, in Southern Ontario. Mazda Canada had invited a group of journalists to sample its new line of Mazdaspeed performance accessories.
Just like every other automaker, Mazda decided to take on the tuning market by offering a number of components that can help drivers enhance the looks and performance of their cars -- without breaking the bank and with great respect for the vehicle's engineering.
The Mazdaspeed catalogue includes a bodykit complete with decals and spoilers as well as the inevitable forged alloy wheels with the exclusive Mazdaspeed signature. But the real difference comes from the more performance-oriented parts, such as the sport-tuned suspensions, the aggressive exhausts (which deliver a unique sound, especially on the RX-8), the sports shifter and the larger front air intakes.
So, for a full day, a dozen of Canadian journalists had the privilege to try out these components on the Dunnville racetrack.
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The only thing left to do is to hammer the throttle and accelerate all the way to the 156 kph top speed. And then, lap number two gets underway. Is this a dream? Almost. That's the kind of thrills I experienced at the Dunnville Autodrome, in Southern Ontario. Mazda Canada had invited a group of journalists to sample its new line of Mazdaspeed performance accessories.
Just like every other automaker, Mazda decided to take on the tuning market by offering a number of components that can help drivers enhance the looks and performance of their cars -- without breaking the bank and with great respect for the vehicle's engineering.
The Mazdaspeed catalogue includes a bodykit complete with decals and spoilers as well as the inevitable forged alloy wheels with the exclusive Mazdaspeed signature. But the real difference comes from the more performance-oriented parts, such as the sport-tuned suspensions, the aggressive exhausts (which deliver a unique sound, especially on the RX-8), the sports shifter and the larger front air intakes.
So, for a full day, a dozen of Canadian journalists had the privilege to try out these components on the Dunnville racetrack.
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