The document provides a summary of the Mazda summer 2008 issue of their Zoom-Zoom magazine. It highlights several feature articles on the new Mazda6 vehicle, a family adventure in Costa Rica, BMX racing at the Beijing Olympics, and a father-son automotive design legacy at Mazda. It also previews regular sections on Mazda owner stories and photos, new products, and vehicle reviews.

1. om
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FO R T H E6SOPHISTICA MA ZDA
MAZDA –THE EMOTION OF MOTIONMAZDA – SUMMER 2008
GET RE ADY OF THE NE W
THE EMOTION OF MOTION – ISSUE ONE 2007
WWW.MAZDAUSA.COM
MAZDA.CO.UK
PLUS ART OF GLASS/ALL-AMERICAN DINER DRIVE/CX-7 CROSSES NAMIBIA

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From our ha
PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTOPHER WAHL
Hiroshi Kajiyama
Program Manager
Mazda Motor Corporation
Global Editor Nik Berg Global Art Director Geraldine Lynch Editor Graham Verdon Art Director Sandra Latini Deputy Editor Carlos Weigle Senior Designer Mya McNulty
Project Coordinator Sarah O’Connor Production Manager Mira Kosovac Publisher Tom Hrubes Project Manager Lori Branov Reproduction Clarity Printing St. Joseph Print Group
For Mazda North American Operations David Klan, William Gordon, Jim Taraba. For Mazda Corporation Global Brand Development Manager Silvina Penovi.
Address changes or inquiries: 7755 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, CA. 92618. Tel: 1-800-222-5500 mazdausa.com
Zoom-Zoom is published on behalf of Mazda North American Operations by Redwood Custom Communications, 37 Front Street East, Toronto, Ontario M5E 1B3. Tel: 416-360-7339.
All product specifications were correct at press time. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without prior written per
mission from the publisher. Printed in Canada.

3. C ON SUMMER
2008
TEN TS FEATURES
14 BY DESIGN 44 LEAP YEAR
The all-new MAZDA6 rubs shoulders with BMX’s debut at the Beijing Summer Games
modern classics in American architecture is adding fire to the Olympic flame, and
Team USA is burning to bring home gold
20 PROVING GROUNDS
Long before the new MAZDA6 hits showrooms, 48 PHOTO FINISH
it’s been put to the test all across the globe A look back at some hair-raising Olympic
moments that were just too close to call
.22 HIGH LIFE
A family of adventurers does like monkeys 50 ART OF GLASS
do in the canopy of the Costa Rican jungle The dusty windshield of a MAZDA3 becomes
a canvas for Texan painter Scott Wade
28 BIG SHOT
Brad Rampelberg has big racing dreams 54 THE MAEDA’S TOUCH
and the drive to cross the finish line first The new RX-8 is the latest embodiment of
an extraordinary father-and-son design legacy
.30 SAND BLAST
Feeling the rush of Africa in the Mazda CX-7
responsible for a couple of Mazda icons
and down the face of giant desert dunes
REGULARS
22 38 DINE ’N’ DASH
The best thing about a road trip is pulling
off the pike into an all-American diner
06 EMOTION OF MOTION
Mazda owners just like you show us how to
Zoom-Zoom as stars of their own digital pics
CON TRIBUTORS »MICHAE
L TUREK »MICHAE
L STERN
wife, Jane, M
ichael
t trying the With his a’s
“I th ought abou travels al ong Americ
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Michael h of his to savor and m ries.
years, he spends muc en-path eate
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1 Zoom-Zoom vic. year.
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4. 30
INDOOR BEACH
get
dirty
CX-7’s Africa
n desert
am
adventure; Te
USA’s d usty track to
BMX gold
.10 PLAY TIME
Blowkarts, pocket kites and smart surfboards
are just some of our latest obsessions
60 FAST TRACK
44
The RX-8 wins Daytona and new concept cars
capture the imagination. Plus, the best hidden
beaches in America and great gas-saving tips
64 MY MAZDA
The new MAZDA6 takes its place in the sun and
the MX-5 remains the ultimate summer ride
66 MY GREATEST THRILL
Jason Lee may be best known for his work on
TV, but for him it all starts on a skateboard
SH OTA
»BILL CA nal »MINORU
of internatio Sitting dow
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5. EMOTION
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6 Zoom-Zoom

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Zoom-Zoom 7

7. EMOTION
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Zoom-Zoom 13

13. RACE ANATOMY
by design A SNEA K PRE VIEW OF THE
SOPHISTIC ATED LINES
OF THE NEW
MAZDA6
H
HY BILL CAS
PHOTOGRAP
AM VERDON
STORY GRAH
1 Zoom-Zoom

14. RACE ANATOMY
Zoom-Zoom 2

15. NEW MAZDA6
AN INSTANT CLASSIC. You just know it when
you see it.
Beautiful form speaks for itself. It doesn’t
scream for attention, but watches confidently
as we approach, knowing the wait won’t be long.
With great car design, as with great
architecture, exciting interplay between man
and form must follow that initial flirtation. If this
isn’t the goal from the inception, then there’s no
point in moving the idea into three dimensions.
The development team behind the new
MAZDA6 understood this.
“Creating a oneness with the car, a powerful
emotional connection, was our focus from the
start,” says Hiroshi Kajiyama, MAZDA6 Program
Manager. “In Japanese, the word for it is kizuna.”
The car has a substantial posture, with
youthful, muscular lines, but this is balanced by an
unprecedented level of sexy sophistication that
will satisfy the grownup tastes of those who
don’t compromise style.
3 Zoom-Zoom
>

16. RACE ANATOMY
RIN ~Japanese for presence,
assertion, dignity, tension, definition

17. RACE ANATOMY
SEICHI ~ delicate workmanship,
attention to detail, fine craftsmanship
5 Zoom-Zoom

18. NEW MAZDA6
“What might be most exciting of all are and thoroughly raised the level of quality
the latest principles of Japanese industrial across the board,” says Kajiyama.
design we have brought to it,” says We’ll know more about the car soon,
Kajiyama. “There’s a premium feel and a including all the details on a powerful
sense of hospitality and comfort that North V6 engine, a welcoming cabin—Mazda’s
Americans haven’t experienced before in quietest to date—and a list of available
this class.” features, from advanced keyless entry to a
And yet, while it’s borne of Eastern cutting-edge blind-spot monitoring system.
aesthetics, the new MAZDA6 has been For now, the new MAZDA6’s irresistible
completely re-engineered for the North beauty is doing all the talking, and people
American driver (for more on this, page 20), are instantly responding. But let’s give
offering the confidence that comes with Kajiyama the last word: “We built this car
Mazda’s highest levels of performance and with a unique attitude,” he says. “We really
dynamic handling. wanted to see how far we could go with
to a screeching halt. Team engineers “We not only made a beautiful work of style and flow and exquisite craftsmanship.
in rotary-emblazoned racing suits swoop but we took the first-generation MAZDA6
art, It’s a dramatic Zoom-Zoom evolution.” I
down to release its exhausted driver. And in
the second before he removes his helmet,
this could be any of the nearly 200 racers
speeding through this dusty race weekend
near Salt Lake City. But he’s not. He’s
E! Channel moves in, and he’s a celebrity
again. He flashes them a distracted grin, but
Dempsey, who’s only been racing seriously
for three years, is determined to squeeze
every bit of knowledge his crew chief,
Dempsey leaps up into the HyperSport
control center overlooking their pit to his
teammates speed around the track. In
headphones and a Mazda cap, Dempsey is
incognito again—just the way he likes it.
“Racing is a great escape from Hollywood,”
he tells me during some rare downtime.
“I really love having an outlet, a departure
from that world.” And what a different world
it is. The trailer he shares with his team is
just big enough for lockers and a compact
kitchen—all utility, no luxury. But Dempsey’s
in his element. The easy banter between
the team members is a testament to their
years of training together, which started
well before Dempsey and his hospital drama
character, Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd,
became household names. “They kind of
keep it grounded for me,” says the actor,
with a laugh.
A huge racing fan since childhood, his
passion was reignited five years ago by
his wife. “She bought me a three-day Skip
Barber course, and that opened up the
door for me,” he explains. Since then he’s
been working to earn his racing stripes
Zoom-Zoom 6

19. INDOOR BEACH
MAZDA6 at
the
Testing the ound,
hi Proving Gr
Mazda Miyos
n
Miyoshi, Japa
proving ds
groun THE ALL-NEW
MAZDA6
ON A GRAND
METTLE
PROVES ITS OF TESTING
TOUR
ICE
BAPTISM BY FIRE AND in the fall, it’ll
be the
rough much showrooms illion miles,
ZDA6 has gone th m When the M
AZDA6 hits ore than a m
The new MA lopment tea of an epic journey of m rformance.
face lift . The deve y culmination rability—ever
y aspect of pe
test tracks an
d road
more than a dset that the
ility, du
testing drivab h its paces on
with the min most
ug
ears of t the car thro d under the
Engineers pu ing routes an
worked for y 0 percent o
riginal work trips along th
e most challe
ng
erica has to
offer.
g a 10 rth American ns North Am , a MAZDA6
were creatin r exceed No extrem e conditio
all throug h the U.S.—
you name it
Kajiyama,
to fa reach of the says Hiroshi
art , designed ons—and the
“We traveled
s probably been there,”
Canada and
Mexico, too.”
ectati e of the car
prototype ha ager. “Trips to
customer exp
t
gram Man high ambien
They ra ised the gam MAZDA6 Pro want to feel
the heat (or
place than
competition. k out of it.
s who er
For engineer ere’s no bett
then te sted the hec tures, as they
might say), th
re the car’ s performan
ce was put to
on all levels,
tempera he is Thompson
,
California, w e spectrum
Death Valley, her end of th r’s
2ºF. At the ot prove the ca
the test at 12 the need to nd
e en gineers felt ugh this unforgiving la
OF
FEATURESA6
Manitoba; th
extreme cold
of ice and sn
mettle by
ow at tempe
burning thro
ratures of –1
3ºF and belo
w.
THE MAZD ITO
QUIETEST C
ABIN
4 TECTION
T
BLIND-SPO *
GOING INCOGN s of three du
ring these
1 es ran in pack
DE
ind noise nsors monito
r prototyp er handlers.
Road and w High-tech se The MAZDA6 nd 10 engine
t have been blind spot s. st driv es, with arou e office to be
in the cock
pi cars in your top-secret te b coats at th
ite substant
ially. s left their white la ith camouflag
e, still
subdued qu MATE The engineer , taped up w
BET TER CLI rs
2 COMF ORTAB
RE
BIGGER, MO LE 5 CONT
Dual compr
R O L*
em
ession syst
inconspicuou
garnered un
s, but the ca
wan ted attentio
de the in
n wherever
strument pa
they went.
nel when we
stopped
, the high-tec
h
gh to seat fi
ve ly intuitive “We had to hi the problem
Large enou creates high ama tells us. To solve pl aced a
s also room
ier
ture contro
l.
for gas,” Kajiy solution: “We
adults easily
, it’ tempera dly low-tech
and Acco rd.
team empl oyed a decide
than Camry er it,” he says
. about the ca
r?
3 AND
NTRY
KE YLESS E N*
IGNITIO
6 IMPROVED
HANDLING
More power
ful perform
ance
ra
bath towel ov
What did yo
u sa
re all Japane
y when peop
se, so we just
le asked you
kind of preten
ith a smile.
de d we didn’t
ck system an
d steering offe “We’ ama says w
A keyless lo and better perience. English,” Kajiy
n ignition mak
e for
superior driv
ing ex understand
push-butto any drive.
art to ure
a smooth st *optional feat

20. TESTING THE MAZDA6
the
outside
pr ototype ional facility
ZDA6 at
A MA nce Intern MI
Auto Allia Ro ck,
in Flat
It looks
but it’s actu like a crash test dum
ally an “aac my,
that collect hen head
s cabin nois ,” equipment
e data
The team of en
camouflaged gineers with
cars on a test
D
ERICA IN MIN
somewhere ne drive
ar Las Vegas,
NV
AM t paper, the en
gineering team
listened care
engineers an
fully to
d designers.
Before pen hi azda dealers, of
ican drivers,
M of the needs
North Amer clear picture
ive interviews, a the new rough
After extens azda owners
in dling of
The han atly improved th g
s emerged. ways than M
Am erican driver iving on high quieter drive. was gre fine tun
in
more dr and a smooth
er, Mazda6 e testing and
We do much and we dem ,” says Greg extensiv
many othe r countries, envelope d in a cocoon
be ams
ivers want to Model Progr
“American dr eral Manager, New e quietest
Alliance Gen ly created th
Brown, Auto e have not on but the
rdination. “W d wind noise,
& Launch Coo road noise an the interior,
th in terms of azing.” As for
cabin yet, bo cockpit is am ments, ance te
st
n in the of the instru perform
driv er interactio gradual illumination a cold weather okkaido, Japa
n.
ds that “with type in ing Ground in H t facilities
Kajiyama ad new day.” avel, we A proto zda Prov
azda te
s
wn of a ers tend to tr a
at the M e of several M
it’s like the da A merican driv er handling.
er distances demand bett It’s on
With the long rrain, so we also d the
ore varied te siveness, an
encounter m -Zoom respon d,” says
has the Zoom icans deman
“The MAZDA6 ty that Amer ction system
,
rity and safe ind-spot dete
sense of secu e available bl
dd to that th
Kajiyama. “A ckage.”
ecedented pa
an d it’s an unpr
A Mazda prototyp
e is tested on a fou
ALL OVER
shaker. The mach r-poster
ine simulates actua
conditions from da l road
ta collected durin
g test drives
THE MAP
WORLD TOUR
e routes
Some of th
took
the MAZDA6 as
s of test MAZDA6 h
on dozen places the
ss North Just some of the e worl d
drives acro n around th
d around already bee ado
America an Denver, Color
kkaido, a
the world. Hiroshima, Hok , Japan Las Vegas, Nevad
& Miyoshi
Mine Thompson &anitoba
Phoenix, Ari
zona Winnipeg, M
.com onio, Texas Bemidji, Min
nesota
MORE ON TH
CHECK
E MAZDA6, EBSITE / mazdausa San Ant
ulco, Mexico o City, Mexic
o
FOR MUCH LL ’08 ISSUE AND OUR
W Acap Mexic
hi gan oi s
OUT OUR FA
Detroit, Mic Chicago, Illin
ida
Naples, Flor
Zoom-Zoom 2

21. WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
IN THE
0 FEET UP OF
OVER 30 ST CANOPY
E
RAINFOR A, ECOTOURISM E
IC IN
COSTA R OT OF ADRENAL
H
H
GETS A S
IG E
ILY)
N (& FAM D
IN GREE R
STORY GAV HY ROB HOWA
GRAP
H
PHOTO

22. Tree-mendous
fun in the
rainforest
canopy
U’RE
HEN YO
OT SO EASY W there’s
JUMP. N feet up a tree and lush
almost 3
00 e forest,
but dens and spid
ers.
nothin g below es, ants,
k
wth, sna of the
undergro is the cacophony irds
d ,b
All aroun onkeys howling . We’re
t: m ing
rainfores big insects chirp
g, walls of
screamin by thick, steamy on
ed it we’ll so
surround jungle. Some of
>
een speed. It’s
dense gr gh, at breakneck lready
spea r throu n d the s weat is a r
humid a nging ou
hot and faces, sti
down our
pouring
Zoom-Zoom 23

23. YOU BRU
DENSE F SH THE
O
NARROW LIAGE,
MISSING LY
TREE TR VAST
UNKS
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been rain
in Costa ing (it do
Rica) an es a lot o
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e harnes mp. So ju
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tight, an ur waists mp we do.
d the tec and gro
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body fro k, ld, is
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ng you to r the pull our
that cris the over ey
s-cross th he
your rig e rainfor ad zip wires
ht hand, est cano
palmed wit py. Keep
glove, cu h its thick leath
are told pping th er-
this is yo e zip wir
down—e ur brakin e. We
sse g ha
platform ntial as you app nd. To slow
—just sq roach th
big glove uee e ne
that acts ze the wire with xt
pad. You like a hu that
r le han m
the pulle d holds th an brake
y to the e cable fr
harness.
balance,
to avoid It helps y om
But just do ou to
a er you ing mid-air piro
platform jump fro ue
,h m your w ttes.
Trekking, swinging and feel your igh up in the for ooden
body sta est, you
your leg rt can
s pointin to rotate, so kee
splashing, the Green boys
did it all in Costa Rica. With g forwar p
Edsart (bottom left) and ere can d.
Sheyka (right) they found exhilarati be few sensatio
ng as y ns quite
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strung b n a 900-
up in th etween p foot
e ca latfor
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t, gravity o
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e wires a hir
nd the b
reeze

24. WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
tugging
at your fa
dense fo ce. You b
liage, na ru
trunks a rrowly m sh the
nd branc issing va
whizzing hes st
past touc of ancient trees,
colorful ans with
be ov
butter ie aks, dozy sloths ersized,
s. Look b an d
and the elow—if
dro you dare
feet deep ps are sometime —
. Way be s
foliage o low is th 300
f the rain e dense,
sees the for moist
sun. e est oor that rar
from up view is d ely
here in th i er
the how e trees, w ent
ler m here
hummin onkeys swing an
gbirds h d the
We sleep over.
the rainfo in a tree
too, deep
about 10 rest. It’s a big san in
to Edsar 0 years o grillo,
t Besier, ld accord
house. E ing
dsart is o who built this tr
conserva ne of Co ee
tio sta R
on-site G nists and founde ica’s leading
re ro
jungle d en Iguana Found f the
welling is ation. O
trees—“n made fro ur
o ms
construc live trees were da alvaged
tion.” maged in
piece of er its
canvas, s oof is simply a g
the folia tretched iant
ge an tent-like
Only the d over the furnit among
ure.
doors. E two bedrooms h
ver ave
glass to is ything else is ope walls and
olate you n. ere
of the wil fr is no
d. Sit bac om nature—you
butter ie k and wa ’re part
s and tch the
ere’s elec , at night, the bats birds and
tricity, a oat by.
solar-po fridge, a
wer gas stove
“But don ed hot water, so and
’t le it’s
warns Ed ave any food ou not so basic.
sart. “ t at nigh
Most of e rac t,”
the tree h coons will take it
on groun o .”
d level. B use is, in fact, bu
the wood ut then y ilt
>
en cable ou walk
footbrid up
ge to the
upper
UNITED
STATES
GULF OF MEXICO COSTA RICA
TRAVEL WHERE IS IT? WHERE TO STAY
CUBA
TIPS Costa Rica is a republic in
Central America bordering
There are hundreds of
places to choose from,
Nicaragua and Panama. for all budgets and tastes.
MEXICO Liberia
Gavin and his family stayed
BELIZE GETTING THERE at the Tree House Lodge
GUATEMALA
San José International flights arrive on the beach at Punta Uva
HONDURAS at Aeropuerto Internacional in the Gandoca-Manzanillo
Punta
EL Uva
SALVADOR Juan Santamaría, just north Wildlife Refuge, where
NICARAGUA of the capital, San José, and iguanas and sloths mingle
the Daniel Oduber airport in with the guests in the safety
COSTA
RICA COSTA Liberia. There are regular of this hurricane-free zone.
PANAMA
RICA flights leaving from most
major U.S. cities.
For more info, go to
costaricatreehouse.com
Zoom-Zoom 25

25. ss
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
level that swings in rhythm with your
steps. Here, you’re face-to-face with the
monkeys and other tree dwellers.
Edsart lives in a tree house right next to
ours, with his two dogs, Ziggy and Tyra,
and a bunch of iguanas. A Dutchman,
he fell in love with Costa Rica while on
holiday in his early 20s. Visit this amazing
country with its astonishing biodiversity,
lush jungles and peace-loving people (it’s
one of the few countries in the world with
no army)—whose motto is pura vida (the
“pure life”)—and you’ll understand why
Edsart fell in love.
is small Central American nation is
a nature lover’s paradise and an ecotourist
nirvana, a country where 27 percent of the
land area is protected. Costa Rica packs in
more species per square mile than anywhere
else on the planet and has amazingly varied
topography and weather. It’s squeezed
between the Paci c and the Caribbean and
neatly split by a series of volcanic mountain
chains that run the length of the country.
Our tree house is a ve-hour drive
southeast of the capital, San José, on the
southern Caribbean coast. ere are
no major hotel chains, no multi-story
buildings, no sign of the countryside being
bulldozed for speed. Instead, the pace is
slow, the road (the only one) is broken
and the architecture is more colorful shack
than concrete-and-glass.
Behind the buildings the rainforest
looms—high, omnipresent, noisy, majestic.
e forest, where we sleep and where we
play. e forest, where you are Tarzan
one moment and a National Geographic
azine.com
reporter the next. e forest, Costa Rica’s UPLOAD YOUR / zoom-zoommag
perennial backdrop. I ADVENTURE
R
WLE
At 5 am every
le
day, the jung
HO
ge
Our lazy voya
AYAK HE NKEYS
would shak e
T O
was main ly ty
with the migh
K spent on our
THEUISE
of the
M
roar
backs, not howler monkey
s.
just to catch
CR Their cr ies
a glimpse of cious as
ucans sounded as vi
sloths and to en I saw
the felled a dogfight. Wh
but to avoid them I coul dn’t believe
trees that blocked fore me
tric- my eyes, as be
our path. Elec were cute, fl
uffy,
butterflies creatures
blue
us like little black
floated around hanging by their tails
flapping ki tes, and I icent tree.
feel the from a magnif
could almost
othing our
atmosphere so e 14
lling By Seb, ag
weary city-dwe
6 Zoom-Zoom souls. 17
By Henry, age