Christmas has come early for Mazda6 fans with the brands premium sized family car hitting showrooms ahead of schedule, just in time for Christmas. The All-New Mazda6 was originally scheduled to land in Australia in the first quarter of 2013, but a decision was made to bring the date forward making it available to new car buyers on December 1. A flagship model for a new generation of Mazda products, the Mazda6 incorporates the very best of Mazda’s craftsmanship and technical expertise across all domains, from dynamic performance and design, through to environmental performance and safety. It is the second of Mazda’s new generation of products which incorporate both the full range of SKYACTIV technologies and the new ‘KODO – Soul of Motion’ design theme. Featuring a range of new generation technology, including the ground breaking capacitor-based i-ELOOP brake energy generation system and i-ACTIVSENSE – a series of advanced safety technologies that assist the driver in recognising hazards, avoiding collisions and reducing the severity of accidents – the Mazda6 is more advanced than ever before. Beautifully crafted, the All-New Mazda6 comes with a SKYACTIV-D 2.2 litre diesel engine and the new SKYACTIV-G 2.5 litre petrol engine. All-New Mazda6 comes in four six-speed automatic transmission grades, the Sport, Touring, GT and Atenza with prices starting at $33,460 (MLP).

Mazda Australia has confirmed that the new SKYACTIV-G 2.5 litre petrol engine will be added to its CX-5 SUV range. The 2.5 litre petrol engine will replace the SKYACTIV-G 2.0 litre petrol engine on All-Wheel Drive (AWD) Maxx, Maxx Sport and GT models. Performance is improved with the new SKYACTIV-G 2.5 litre engine delivering 138 kW of power and 250Nm of torque. This represents a 15 per cent increase in power over the superseded 2.5 litre engine that powered the front-drive CX-7 Classic, while torque is up by 22 per cent. CX-5 models equipped with the new SKYACTIV-G 2.5 litre petrol engine will deliver fuel economy figures better than 8.0 litres per 100km – an improvement of at least 15% over the CX-7 Classic – providing customers with a compelling combination of power and economy. Front-Wheel Drive (FWD) models will continue to be specified with the SKYACTIV-G 2.0 litre petrol engine and AWD CX-5 models with the SKYACTIV-D 2.2 litre diesel engine are expected to continue selling strongly. With over 13,000 Mazda CX-5s sold since its launch in March, the CX-5 has quickly become one of the country’s favourite SUVs. With a choice of three engines, two transmissions and front or AWD, these latest changes give SUV buyers more choice than ever before. Mazda Australia national marketing manager, Alastair Doak said, “The Mazda CX-5 has been one of the big success stories of 2012. The opportunity to introduce a more powerful All-Wheel Drive petrol model will cement the CX-5 as a leader in the popular medium SUV segment.” Mazda CX-5 will be available with the new SKYACTIV-G 2.5L petrol engine in the first quarter of 2013.

The lure of competing on the world famous Mount Panorama racing circuit will see a rookie hillclimb racer fighting for fastest ‘tin top’ honours in the Bathurst Real Estate 2012 Australian Hillclimb Championship to be conducted at the iconic circuit from November 2-4 by the Bathurst Light Car Club. A seasoned Sydney race driver, Steve Anslow will be in the Over 3000cc Sports Sedans class in his Quality Racing Mazda RX-7, a car that is a real wolf in sheep’s clothing, as it is powered by a 6 litre V8. The Quality Racing Mazda came about in 2007 when on the advice of his youthful grandson Jack Edward Smith; Anslow purchased a vehicle to build as a race car, an FD RX-7 due to its superb chassis and great handling. “Alas, its (RX-7) quirky rotary engine soon proved to be a weak point when subjected to the rigors of endurance racing, which was our main focus, and eventually we chose to transplant a lightweight Chevrolet LS2 6.0 litre V8, which surprisingly maintained the beautiful balance of the car and made it a rocket,” Anslow said. “It’s a perfect combination of chassis and power-plant and such a buzz to steer. Even though it has been built to be a fast but no fuss endurance car with lots of extra weight in extra roll cage, a large battery, heavy endurance seat, truck air conditioning, diff cooler, transmission cooler, extra-large radiator, 13 litre engine oil capacity and 100 litre fuel cell it should still be awesome fun and should be fairly fast up the hill if I’m brave enough to plant it. I am really looking forward to it, I can tell you. “To be able to participate in the Bathurst Real Estate Australian Hillclimb Championships at Bathurst is beyond a dream. I never thought for one minute that I would ever do such a thing but when the opportunity came along I grabbed it and I heartily thank the organisers. They have given me a dream that I never even dared to dream,” he said. “We only live once; anyone can compete in grass roots motorsports and you just never know where that will take you. It is taking me to Bathurst and I am already buzzing.” Anslow and the RX-7 have a good record in endurance racing, having won the Wakefield 300 in 2011, finished third in 2010, fourth in 2009. In sprint racing, Anslow won the inaugural AASA State Championship at Wakefield Park in July of this year. Another Winton 300 is on the program this year, a week after the Bathurst Real Estate hillclimb, and the Bathurst 12 Hour in February remains a possibility. A comparatively late starter in motor sport, he has however been a long time racing tragic, and attended his first Bathurst in 1970 just after his 18^th birthday. After growing up as a racing cyclist he knew the adrenaline buzz of being right on the edge of grip at speed. That feeling of knowing that one little bit faster and it’s all over. “The next year I was there when Bill Brown rolled the GTHO along the Armco right in front of me at Skyline. Another time someone (Tony Roberts) drove a car straight off Skyline – no fences then – these guys were nuts. “My Dad was car crazy and worked for Brian Byrt Ford. When he brought the actual Bathurst race GTHO to the Corrimal Caravan Park at Christmas it was pretty cool. Imagine your dad turning up at Christmas for a week with Jamie Whincup’s actual V8 Supercar to drive around – in those days it was considered fairly normal. “I think these experiences instilled in me a love of cool cars and my Mazda RX7 V8 is right up there on my list of desirable cars – I love it. There are already in excess of 110 entries for the event, which will be run on the 1.7km Mountain Straight course, ensuring it will be the fastest championship of all time. The Bathurst real Estate 2012 Australian Hillclimb Championship is also supported by the Bathurst RSL Club, Rydges and Repco.  

The first weekend in September brought with it the penultimate round of the Queensland Improved Production Championship at Morgan Park Raceway in Warwick. With the recently repaired new section of track open again for racing, the only thing hotter than the track temperature was the action on it. The first race saw 26 drivers take to the grid in what was to be a race where the top three would finish just over five seconds apart. David Skillender was out to show his dominance again at a track that seems to suit the V8 Commodore; however it was not a Sunday drive as in race one David Waldon, Mazda RX-3, and Troy Marinelli, Nissan Silvia, stuck with him for the seven lap dash to the chequed flag. Justin Wade in his BMW M3 was in a battle for fourth with the hard charging James Peck, Mazda RX-7, and fellow Mazda driver Adam Uebergang, RX-3, on his tail. The battle lasted the race and they finished in respected positions. A mid-morning start for race two saw a few drivers not take to the grid for various reasons. Most notably missing was second place finisher in the first race Waldon who would not race again for the weekend. The eight lap sprint was owned by one driver who left the field in his wake as he put a 20 second gap between himself and second place. Skillender destroyed the field with Ubergang pushing his RX-3 to the limit to try and catch him and to stay ahead of Wade who finished in third only 0.126 seconds behind. Marinelli was off the pace in the second race and fell to fifth behind Peck but was able to fight off Tony Isarasena, Mazda RX-7. A good battle which lasted the race was further back in the pack with Dean Rice, Paul Redman, Ford Focus, and Gavin McAlpin, Mini Cooper S, all fighting for 16^th place. Rice was able to put almost a two second gap on Redman by the end of the race as McAlpin was fighting to pass the focus driver which cost Redman time with defending. The last race of the weekend for the Improved Production drivers once again saw Skillender drive away from the field. He finished the race just over 11 seconds ahead of the field. The third race also brought the third different second place finisher with Peck edging out Ubergang. Wade drove a solid race to finish forth ahead of Isarasena. It was a weekend to forget for the normally consistent Marinelli who finished just inside the top ten, only 0.149 seconds in front of 11^th place getter Trent Spencer in his Mini Cooper S. By the end of the weekend only 20 cars started and 19 cars finished race three. The racing was hard fought and hard on cars and drivers but well and truly entertaining for spectators and officials. The last round of the championship will be at Lakeside Raceway just north of Brisbane this weekend, September 22-23. For more information and a full list of results and championship points visit http://www.ipraqld.com Photos by Phil Melvin

Mazda Australia has claimed a world-first with confirmation that its capacitor-based i-ELOOP brake energy regeneration system will be standard across the entire All-New Mazda6 range. i-ELOOP is the world’s first example of a capacitor being used to power the vehicle’s electrical systems in a passenger car and works by storing kinetic energy as soon as the driver’s foot is lifted off the accelerator. Energy is stored in the capacitor and used to power the climate control, audio system and numerous other electrical components throughout the car, saving fuel in the process. With both sedan and wagon models of the All-New Mazda6 set to make their Australian debut at the upcoming Australian International Motor Show, Mazda has also announced the availability of new powertrain options. Alongside the highly-regarded SKYACTIV-D 2.2 litre diesel engine that features on the Mazda CX-5, the All-New Mazda6 range will also offer the new SKYACTIV-G 2.5 litre petrol engine for the first time. Maximum outputs for the new SKYACTIV-G 2.5 litre petrol engine, using regular unleaded fuel, are 138kW and 250Nm. This represents a 10 per cent increase in power and an 11 per cent increase in torque over the current petrol-powered Mazda6. Following on from the Mazda CX-5, the All-New Mazda6 is the second of a new generation of Mazda vehicles to adopt the full range of SKYACTIV Technology and the ‘KODO – Soul of Motion’ design language. Drawing on the full potential of both SKYACTIV Technology and KODO design, the Mazda6 aims to take the joy of driving’ to a new level. Driving dynamics have been enhanced to a level that provides an exhilarating driving experience as the driver and car become one. The Australian International Motor Show in Sydney is open to the public on 19 October. The All-New Mazda6 range will be available at Mazda dealerships across Australia in the first quarter of 2013.