IF you have you ever fancied owning a sporty little two-seater sports car without the usual silly sports car prices, the car you have been waiting for may just be the circa 30K limited edition Mazda MX-5 Kizuna.
I have driven many MX-5s over the years and they are a fabulous little driver’s car. Based on the 1.5-litre 130hp Exclusive-Line Roadster, the Kizuna comes in Deep Crystal Blue or Machine Grey with a blue fabric hood. If you drop the roof the Light Stone Nappa leather complements the exterior colours and the 16-inch bright alloy wheels. The MX-5 has been popular for more than 30 years and has attracted owners from all walks of life and indeed held its own in motorsport.
Across more than three decades, special edition MX-5 models have proved popular with sports car enthusiasts looking for a car that looks unique, is well equipped and has a modicum of exclusivity – and that is precisely what the Kizuna is. It goes on sale next month alongside the existing 10-model Mazda MX-5 line-up that features Prime-Line, Exclusive-Line and Homura trim levels.
Both the Roadster and the Fastback RF models come with a choice of 1.5-litre or 2.0-litre petrol engines and the Roadster is available as a Prime-Line or Exclusive-Line. The 180hp 2.0-litre Roadster has either the Exclusive-Line or the range-topping Homura finish. Exclusive-Line models can be specified with either the 1.5 or 2.0-litre engine but Homura models are sold with the 180hp 2.0-litre engine only, plus the option of an automatic gearbox.
At the launch of the Kizuna, Jeremy Thomson, Managing Director, Mazda Motors, said: “When it comes to driver engagement, the current generation MX-5 has established itself as a benchmark sports car and with the 2023 MX-5 and the Kizuna, we continue to offer one of the most exciting and satisfying cars to drive that money can buy.”
The MX-5 embodies all that is great about small sports cars, its fun-to-drive character has been created over a 30-year bond built between Mazda and its customers and the 2023 model continues this unswerving dedication to delivering an affordable yet classy sports car. The Kizuna continues a long heritage of offering uniquely styled limited edition cars.
So, if you want that seat of the pants driving feel in a little sports car, or you want to drop the roof and get the wind in your hair, then get yourself down to your nearest Mazda dealership for a test drive.
Double triumph for Sergio Pérez as tributes are paid to Craig Breen
THE Baku Azerbaijan round of the Formula 1 season featured two races – the sprint race on Saturday and the main race on Sunday.
Sergio Pérez had the best weekend of his F1 career to date. winning both the sprint – his first sprint win – and the big race on Sunday. Second in the sprint was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, third went to Max Verstappen, who had dropped to fourth at the start after being hit by George Russell, but later passed the Mercedes driver to take third. Fourth went to George Russell and fifth to Carlos Sainz.
In the main race on Sunday, Pérez claimed a dominant win, leading for most of the race after re-joining from the pit lane in first place ahead of teammate Verstappen, a stop during which he gained an unexpected advantage by changing tyres under a safety car. In what was a lacklustre race, Verstappen was second, Leclerc third, Alonso fourth and Sainz fifth. After four rounds Verstappen leads the Championship by 15 points from team-mate Pérez.
RIP: Elfyn Evans took the honours in Croatia, where tributes were paid to Craig Breen
In the World Rally Championship two weekends ago, there was a poignant win with mixed emotions for Elfyn Evans on an emotional weekend in Croatia. The tricolour was flown everywhere you looked in memory of the late Irish superstar Craig Breen. In the rally Welshman Evans stormed to victory, soaring to the top of the FIA World Rally Championship standings.
An error from Thierry Neuville on Saturday morning propelled the Welshman into the lead, and he proceeded to distance himself from M-Sport Ford Puma driver Ott Tänak to win by 27 seconds. The triumph, Elfyn’s first since Finland 2021 and his first on asphalt, elevated him from fifth to equal first in the Championship standings. After the rally Elfyn, a great friend of Craig Breen, said: “After the focus of the weekend, we’re all back to missing our friend, after we crossed the finish line that’s all we could think about. We promised Craig’s family we would enjoy the weekend, and we’ve done that. We’re all thinking of them right now.”
Second was Ott Tanak, third Esapekka Lappi, fourth was defending champion Kalle Rovanpera and fifth multiple world champion Sébastien Ogier.
At Rally Terra d’Aboboreira in Portugal, Northern Irish driver Kris Meeke – who inherited Craig Breen’s drive at Hyundai – won convincingly, dedicating the win to the memory of Craig sayin: “He will always be with us.” In the rally of the lakes in Killarney last weekend, Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan successfully defended their Killarney Rally of the Lakes crown with their second Irish Tarmac Championship win in a row with a victory over Robert Barrable. Devine was on the pace quickly on Sunday morning’s 17.5-kilometre Moll’s Gap opener before going fastest through the next stage, Ballaghbeama. Barrable stayed in touch but only just.
Josh Moffett showed some of his usual pace on Ballaghbeama, but he couldn’t match the pace-setters out front. After some steering issues Devine completed the final two stages without further drama to seal his second Rally of the Lakes victory. Robert Barrable was second with Josh Moffett in third. Enda O’Brien was fourth after a great battle with Declan Boyle, who finished fifth. Gary Kiernan was sixth in a Mk2 Escort, winning the two-wheel drive category, with Eddie Doherty seventh in another Mk2.
James Ford was eighth, Alan Ring ninth with John McCartney rounding out the top ten.
