and Web sites \ue001or a wide variety o\ue001 clients, many in the mo- torsports world, including our ownM A ZDA SP EED team. By night, he plays in an alt-country band, \u201877 El Deora. FUEL Magazine sat down with Maurice to talk about his music and his car.

that set the bar, in my humble opinion, \ue001or automotive trashiness. The el Deora was a hideous, Frankenstein o\ue001 a ride based on the Cadillac Eldorado, already an audacious land shark o\ue001 a vehicle. The manu\ue001ac- turer, ASC, \ue001ollowing the classic soda \ue001ountain recipe o\ue001 combining all the \ue000avors into a concoction aptly called \u201cSuicide,\u201d gra\ue001ted on styling cues \ue001rom every other luxury model o\ue001 the era. A Rolls Royce grille. A Continental spare tire hump. Opera windows. Double landeau bars. So much vinyl that it spread o\ue001\ue001 the roo\ue001 onto the doors. The list went on and on. I\ue001 it was on something Daddy Warbucks, Uncle Scrooge McDuck or the Monopoly millionaire might drive, it was on the el Deora. Probably doubled.

needs. No more than required and no less. Lightness and strength are always in opposition in motorsports. It\u2019s something to the e\ue001\ue001ect that a per\ue001ect race car is one that \ue001alls completely apart as soon as it crosses the fnish line in frst place. The idea being that a part made to outlast its assigned task is probably too heavy and is actually slowing the car down.

It is as i\ue001 the RX-7 was designed specifcally \ue001or me, my li\ue001e and my needs. My wi\ue001e and I have no kids. Most o\ue001 the time I\u2019m alone in the car. A two-seater is more than su\ue001fcient.

It is a small car and fts in small places, but is also surprisingly spa- cious inside. The cargo room is well beyond what one would expect \ue001rom a true sports car. I can carry two guitars, an amp, speaker and a small PA system back there and still see out the rear window. Many times I have le\ue001t a home improvement center with the hatch tied down over something that the guys on the pick-up dock expected to load into a small truck.

I\u2019ve been driving RX-7s \ue001or over 20 years. I bought my previous one, a frst-generation model, in the early \u201880s and drove it until it was rear ended on I-80 one Sunday morning in 1997. I immediately bought the \u201891 that I have now. It was everything I loved about the earlier model and more - more cargo room, more \ue001eatures and, oh yes, more power!

MAZDA5 wins WARD\u2019S In\ue004\ue001riors Award
cX-9 Dona\ue004ion Garn\ue001rs Na\ue004ional A\ue004\ue004\ue001n\ue004ion
Mazt\ue001\ue000h World Final 2008
p\ue001r\ue002\ue001\ue000\ue004 D\ue001liv\ue001ry Mad\ue001 easy
John F. p\ue001\ue004rulis

UpS Dis\ue000oun\ue004 pu\ue004s Mazda D\ue001al\ue001rs in \ue004h\ue001 Driv\ue001r\u2019s S\ue001a\ue004
to\ue003 25 D\ue001al\ue001rs: par\ue004s & S\ue001rvi\ue000\ue001
Innova\ue004iv\ue001 H\ue001a\ue004ing Sys\ue004\ue001m Burns R\ue001\ue000y\ue000l\ue001d Mo\ue004or Oil
MAZDA6 and cor\ue001 produ\ue000\ue004 Road Show

Mazda cpO D\ue001al\ue001r Su\ue000\ue000\ue001ss S\ue004ory
Ki\ue003ling\ue001r\u2019s Awards \ue002or Mazda
to\ue003 25 D\ue001al\ue001rs: Sal\ue001s
pr\ue001sid\ue001n\ue004\u2019s club
R\ue001gional D\ue001al\ue001r M\ue001\ue001\ue004ing S\ue000h\ue001dul\ue001

Mazda FUEL\u00ae magazine is published by Mazda North American Operations and is an internal publication intended for employees of Mazda dealerships and Mazda North American Operations.
Feedback is welcome and encouraged. Please address all correspondence to:
FUEL Feedback, c/o Mazda North American Operations,7755 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, CA 92618
or by e-mail to: mazdafuel@mazdausa.com or via fax to (949) 727-6813.
The content of Mazda FUEL magazine is prepared in accordance with the highest standards of journalistic accuracy and was deemed accurate when written.
\u00a9 2008 Mazda North American Operations

esi Mazda hit a number o\ue001 high notes as sponsor o\ue001 one o\ue001 Ann Arbor\u2019s most beloved events, the Top o\ue001 the Park annual outdoor music and movie series produced by the Ann Arbor

Focusing primarily on local and regional artists, Sesi Mazda gained impressive exposure as the main stage sponsor o\ue001 the admission-\ue001ree \ue001estival that attracted thousands o\ue001 potential Mazda buyers, June 20 and 27 in Ann Arbor, Mich.

With the gracious assistance o\ue001 John Crowe, director o\ue001 MNAO Quality Assurance and his team, the midwest region secured a 2009 MAZDA6\ue001or display at the \ue001estival. The District 6 Manager team o\ue001 Mark Moore, District Operations Manager, and Tim Eenigenburg,

District Service Manager, was on hand to sta\ue001\ue001 the display, greet guests and handle customer inquiries. The vehicle received much attention and praise due to its level o\ue001 sophistication and build detail. In \ue001act, many onlookers declared to Mark and Tim, \u201cThe MAZDA6will be my next car.\u201d

Naz Sesi, vice president o\ue001 Sesi Mazda, observed, \u201cWe saw this as a unique opportunity to present Sesi Mazda and Mazda\u2019s great products in a venue which was ideally geared to our target demographic. The response, both in goodwill generated \ue001or Sesi and Mazda, and reception \ue001or the 2009 MAZDA6, was and continues to be invaluable.\u201d

azda North American Operations is excited to announce that the sedan version o\ue001 the all-new MAZDA3, \ue001ully re- designed \ue001or the frst time in fve years, will receive its

Every element o\ue001 the MAZDA3has been developed \ue001or height- ened exhilaration, with a more refned sporty ride, top-class \ue001uel economy and quietness. Environmental and sa\ue001ety \ue001eatures, based on Mazda\u2019s long-term \u201cSustainable Zoom-Zoom\u201d vision, strike a balance with its \ue001un-to-drive characteristics. Add in a new ex- pressive \ue001ace and Mazda\u2019s dynamic design elements, the all-new MAZDA3is everything a driver could ask \ue001or in a sports compact.

The brand-new version o\ue001 Mazda\u2019s best-selling sports compact carries \ue001orward the heritage o\ue001 Mazda and the pedigree o\ue001 the cur- rent MAZDA3. Since its launch in 2003, approximately 1.8 million MAZDA3s have been sold in more than 100 countries and won 90-plus worldwide motoring awards, to date. The model accounts \ue001or nearly one in three Mazdas sold every year.

Following the introduction o\ue001 the North American specifcation- sedan, with 2.0- and 2.5-liter engines, the fve-door hatchback edi- tion will be revealed in line with Mazda\u2019s global sales schedule.\u25a0

ne look at the MAZDA5 tells customers that this is one unique and innovative vehicle. And it is. From the dramatic styling to the Zoom-Zoom driving spirit to the amazing range

But one particular area o\ue001 the popular multi-activity sports vehicle recently caught the eye o\ue001 the editors at Ward\u2019s AutoWorld \u2013 the interior. A\ue001ter \ue001our weeks o\ue001 comparing 36 competitors \ue001rom 13 di\ue001\ue001erent manu\ue001acturers, the magazine awarded the 2008 MAZDA5 the prestigious \u201cInterior o\ue001 the Year\u201d award in the \u201cPopular Priced Truck\u201d category, besting an impressive group o\ue001 rivals including the Dodge Journey, Nissan Murano, Saturn VUE, Subaru Forester and Toyota Highlander.

Accepting the award \ue001or Mazda in Detroit, Mich., was Teresa Spa\ue001\ue001ord, color and trim lead designer \ue001or the six-passenger MAZDA5. \u201cWard\u2019s gave the award to the MAZDA5based on the clever packaging o\ue001 the interior,\u201d Teresa explains. \u201cThe third row is mind-boggling - frst that it can even ft in a vehicle that size, and second that it is so com\ue001ort- able. Other vehicles may have di\ue001\ue001erent \ue001eatures that are attractive, but the quality o\ue001 the interior is what won it \ue001or the MAZDA5.\u201d

Among MAZDA5\u2019s most innovative interior \ue001eatures are a stepped \ue000oor that enhances second and third-row passenger legroom; indi- vidual second-row seats that slide, recline and \ue001old; and an enormous

44.4 cu. \ue001t. o\ue001 maximum storage capacity when the third-row seats are \ue001olded \ue000at. Other creative solutions include a \ue000ip-down tray built into the \ue001ront passenger\u2019s seatback, under-seat storage \ue001or the sec- ond-row seats and covered storage behind the third-row seats.\u25a0

hen The Today Show producers were soliciting donations and sponsors \ue001or their annual \u201cLend a Hand\u201d series, they knew they could count on Mazda to make a signifcant impact.

For the seventh year in a row, Al Roker and The Today Show trav- eled the country with a large truck flled with goods destined \ue001or fve deserving charities. The Idaho Youth Ranch (IYR) near Rupert, Idaho, was the frst charity Roker \ue001eatured, resulting in clothing, \ue001urniture and \ue001ood donations. But the topper was a bright shiny Mazda CX-9 that \ue000oored the appreciative IYR sta\ue001\ue001 and volunteers as it drove in.

Mazda believes the IYR will beneft \ue001rom the CX-9 because o\ue001 its work with youth and their \ue001amilies. \u201cThe Idaho Youth Ranch is a \ue001antastic organization that works with at-risk youth to help them build a \ue001oundation \ue001or success. We\u2019re thrilled to donate the Mazda CX-9; it is our hope that the CX-9 will be a tool that can be used by the Idaho Youth Ranch in this li\ue001e-changing process,\u201d said Jeremy Barnes, director o\ue001 communications and national events \ue001or MNAO.

The IYR is especially grate\ue001ul \ue001or Mazda\u2019s generosity. \u201cWhile all do- nations we received were signifcant, the value o\ue001 the Mazda CX-9, at $31,295, was among the largest donations. A vehicle is an expensive item \ue001or a non-proft to purchase on its own. We receive used ve- hicles, but rarely do we receive new vehicles as a donation,\u201d explained Roberta Rene, development and marketing director \ue001or the IYR.

The CX-9 has since been put to good use. It is used to transport children to their \ue001amilies\u2019 home, school-related activities, medical and dental appointments and recreational outings. Because the IYR is 20 miles \ue001rom the nearest town, the vehicle is also used to purchase gro- ceries and other basic necessities \ue001or the boys and girls.

The Idaho Youth Ranch is a non-proft, non-denominational, multi- service organization with programs and services throughout the state. The Ranch \ue001acility is a unique residential treatment setting with 24-hour supervision \ue001or at-risk youth typically a\ue001\ue001ected by neglect or abuse, \ue001am- ily con\ue000ict, mental health issues, substance abuse and/or juvenile delin- quency. The ranch allows youth to participate in activities that support and impact emotional and social needs through counseling, education, 4-H livestock programs and an equine therapy component.