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| This fotie is the the right way up! |
It’s not a big news story in the great scheme of things, but this one tickled my fancy. Mazda handed over a new model Mazda2 to a guy called ‘Dynomite Dave’ who just happens to own a 31 foot diameter, 16 feet high, racetrack called the Demon Drome Wall of Death. Subtle, eh?
Apparently
this WoD was built in America in 1927 and eventually found its way to Skegness
where it was last used some time in the 1980s. Cornwall based Dave Seymour
found it and refurbished it and it is now back in use.
Dynomyte
Dave, his son Duke and daughter Alabama now stage regular shows in the Demon
Drome on their 1920s Indian Scout motorcycles. Apparently, circulating (should
that be revoluting?) the Dome generates forces up to 4g which pools the blood
in their legs and gives them tunnel vision while hurtling around the wall. They
can ride their motorbikes one-handed, standing up, side-saddle and even
blindfolded. But a car is something completely different.
Considering
that a Mazda2 will weigh some 5 or 6 times as much as a motor cycle, the mere thought
of trying to emulate the two wheelers’ feats sounds really quite stupid. Then
again, anyone who rides a Wall of Death as a daily job can hardly be called sensible.
Anyway, the 100
bhp, 1.5 litre motor was treated to a visit to Kent-based Jota Sport who developed the race-winning MX-5 GT that
currently campaigns in the British GT Championship. A bucket seat and full harness
were fitted while a technician from Mazda deactivated the Mazda2’s electronic
stability system and dual front airbag. The front foglamps were also removed to
allow more flexibility in the bumper while the MacPherson strut front and
torsion beam rear suspension were fitted with uprated bump stops. Apart from
that, everything else was completely standard.
And then
they handed the car over to Dave who took it for its memorable spin.
“That was
incredible. Just amazing – I’m so stoked!” said Dynomyte Dave afterwards, “It
was a bit tricky getting the Mazda up onto the vertical, but once it was there
it was rock steady. Great fun. But I don’t think I’ll be doing it again. Not
for a long while…”
And just to
prove it, Mazda have put a wee video up on YouTube:
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