The Underground Miata Network

Finance - JP presented us with a summary of the year's activity. We have to get moving on collecting our member's dues.

Membership is going up again. We're at 42, with a big surge expected in the spring. It was suggested that we get local dealerships to include a membership application with the new '99s. Aleksandr Milewski is joining us as an associate member, as well.

Some ideas about how to make the meetings more fun were discussed. We'll set up some rendezvous points on the way to the Marina this summer so we can caravan in. The Esso station out on Hunt Club will be one, as will the island. A spot is still needed out in the west end.

The July meeting will probably be a BBQ. Britannia Bay was suggested as a venue - big parking lot, lots of space, and a covered area in case of inclement weather.

Great enthusiasm was the order of the day for discussion of our Solo II club challenge. The event will be called The Miata World Cup, and we're going to cut registration off at 100 cars. Promotional website, t-shirts, and entertainment were discussed. The lunch will be provided by Loeb BBQ, and Brent McGee was co-opted to find a suitable hotel for the competitors. Pre-tech will take place earlier in the week for local racers, and on Friday night for those who can make it. Cost will be $25 Cdn for visitors and $20 for members. Keith will contact the online vendors for sponsorship possibilities, and Dell is contacting some of the Miata 96 people. Prizes will include a very blue steering wheel and a stock exhaust!

Whew. After we all calmed down, it was decided that maps of the tours should be handed out at the meeting before the event to make sure everyone has a chance to see whazzup.

The next meeting will have a fellow from the DIY repair center speaking, as well as a showing of Line Sketch to Love Affair. Rendezvous may also be shown.

Minutes of the July 8 monthly meeting

After Dell's opening exposition welcoming everyone, Terry Doss from KVR spoke on the subject of brakes. Waving a huge disc and caliper around, we were educated on the benefits of cross-drilled rotors, how to bed in new brakes, types of brake fluid, stainless steel brake lines, and a plethora of other brake-related issues. Some high points -

KVR can be found at 1492 Startop Rd. A bit of trivia - it stands for Kwik-stop Velocity Reduction.

On the financial side, there was little to report. The new account was being opened up the day after the meeting. Colin was back among us, after a rough time with his health. There's approximately $1800 in the bank.

We have 50 members, but there is still a plague of deadbeats who haven't paid their full fees. Ahem - get with it.

A suggestion for Miata Miles magazine is a monthly "Member Profile", showcasing one of the UMN's finest. We are looking for someone to take on the role of reporter and cover this. Trillium liked the idea so much they're doing the same thing.

Upcoming tours - Quebec City is August 16th. Hotel arrangements were discussed. There was a reminder of the Sunday runs, meeting every week at 11 am on Champlain Island.

On the Solo II front, the July UMN event was cancelled due to a lack of participants. That's really sad, foks. There will be a F1200 driver at the next MCO event, though- should be a good show. He'll be in a Miata, of course.

Minutes of the June 26 executive meeting

Dell opened with a few words of welcome. The previous executive were thanked. Dell also laid out his ideas for the direction of the club - it must be fun!

A discussion of the Quebec City tour ensued. Some route suggestions were put forth.
On the UMN Solo II days, the BMW club is welcome to join in the fun. The thought of a captive Z3 seemed to get some juices flowing.
A tour to Shannonville for a Solo I day with some possible lapping was sketched out. It would leave from the Esso at 8 am on Sept 21.
The hotline was discussed. Keith will investigate the various alternatives and present the results at the monthly meeting.
Nametags were also brought up. As he's done this before, Keith will look into the prices and come up with a design.
Ideas for parking on the pier at the Marina were discussed. The consensus seemed to be that we keep doing it until we have to stop.
The format of future monthly meetings was discussed. More content is required. To this end, Dell was to secure a speaker for the July meeting. Terry Gosse from KVR was suggested as a likely cantidate. The August one will be a tech session, hopefully at Al Zarama's house. It will include simple tech items such as an oil change, transmission fluid change, and possibly an exhaust swap. The club will meet at the Hunt Club meeting spot at 7 or 7:30.
The next executive meeting, open to all members, will be held on the 4th tuesday of the month, at 7:30 pm (not 8:30 - right, Keith?). The location will be Alain's, 346 Waverly.

Minutes of the February 11 meeting

Business cards and membership cards will soon be printed for 97. Bruce will make the arrangements.

Amalgamation Report
The final details have yet to be finalized but the net result of Del and Bruce going to Toronto is that we will be becoming an affiliate to the Trillium club. To have the club properly insured we have no choice. the breakdown of costs are as follows.

Elections will be held June 1. Bruce has decided to become a past president, just like Jerry Ford. Procedure will follow the Trillium format.

Our Solo II days are being finalized by Bruce. They are May 3, June 7, July 12 and Aug. 9.

Everyone is urged to get their 97 dues paid. As of now their will be no reduction for those paying their dues later in the year. The amount is due from your 1st meeting and every 12 months thereafter.

Driving School ! MCO - Jovitte - June 8 - helmet required - $185/person We may do this in conjunction with a trip to Tremblant (accommodations would be cheap if we listen to a Timeshare talk.)

Annual Vermont Tour on Victoria Day Weekend.
May 17-18-19, cost $95 per person (double occupancy)
includes 2 nights accommodation, 2 breakfasts and one dinner contact Del Smith at 837 1699 or 830 0550 for details.

Minutes of the January 14 meeting

New Members : Amyot Bachand of Gatineau - has yet to drive his car in the summer. We have our first Montego Blue car!

New Venue : Gealdo's Restaurant, 200 Beechwood in Vanier. Everyone seemed to like this spot so we'll come back. They even gave us free munchies (was this related?). Keith brought the only Miata to the meeting - topless in -10 degree weather!

Keith had some great new Miata brochures from around the world. We always like to see those.

Del Smith gave us an update on possible UMN branch status in the Trillium Miata club. For about $22 per member we can have adequate insurance, receipt of the Trillium Newsletter and participation in Trillium tours and events. One of our members would sit on the Trillium executive. As well, we would contribute to the newsletter. Del Smith will attend their Febuary 9th meeting to iron out details.

Bruce invited all to attend the January 19 Ice Races. (sorry I didn't catch the location)

Cub Logos are now completed and J.P. says they can be put on almost anything. The cost is only $6 so for the next couple of meetings bring your hats, jackets and even your underwear and get it done.

We received a letter from Shannon Lee Manion inviting us to an all clubs meeting on January 22. The meeting is to coordinate events among the various car clubs in the city. J.P. and others will attend.

Bruce has taken on the office of treasurer of the Motorsport Club of Ottawa. That should give us a good pipeline ot MCO info. Bruce has recently bought a Fiat X1/9 and plans to race it. Might I suggest a good oil spraying.

The One Lap of America race could have UMN participation. Anyone with ideas for sponsorship or a car that they want raced should get in touch with Bruce.

Minutes of the December 13 meeting

Our December meeting was no meeting at all but a Cristmas party at El Presadente's house. Four short of a score showed up with food for three score(it was pot luck). A great time was had and the food was fabulous. The last of the hangers on were treated to bits of Bruce's former life in "Men without Hats". Why are you reading about it instead of coming along?

Minutes of the November 12th Meeting

Del Smith gave us an update on the continuing search for reasonable cost to insure our club. If we are to go it alone the costs could be prohibitive and could eat up all of our membership fees. An alternative might be to become a chapter of the Trillium Club out of Toronto. Del is still working on this and hopefully will have good news for the November meeting. As a car club we must have coverage for the club and it's executive officers. The club may incur liability above that of individual drivers' coverage.

Bruce has suggested that we enter a car in the "One Lap of America". This is a four day non stop race through Eastern United States. We would require sponsorship to cover the registration cost ($1997.00) and additional costs. Alaine Jensen has agreed to prepare a list of possible sponsors.

It was agreed to try to arrange 4 dates for Solo I events at the Palladium for 1997. The dates we will try to arrange are May 3, June 7, July 12,and August 9. It was agreed that only Miatas should participate in these events.

Bruce proposed that we take advantage of Tremblant's marketing promotions for condos in the mountains. They offer low cost hotel accomadation in exchange for listening to a 1 hour sales pitch. Since this is an area where we love to drive, we have decided to take advantage of this. Interest expressed was high in doing this in the Spring.

We discussed the location of our Winter meetings. The James Street Feed is no longer available. Several people are looking for alternative locations. We hope to have a location solidified by Nov 25.

The December meeting will be a Christmas party to be held at the home of the Pontif a.k.a. Bruce Murphy. It will be BYOB and POT LUCK. It will be held on December 13th.

Bob Smith has agreed to take on the job of Membership. Bob will be responsible for collecting dues in the future.

Minutes of the September 10th Meeting

Del Smith gave us an interesting presentation on CBs and the different types available. Wackid’s is the place to buy them.

Gilles gave us an update on the Vermont tour. It was decided to switch the date to Oct 5-6 due to greater interest that weekend. I agreed to contact a Miata club in that area to see if they would like to drive with us.

John Fry discussed the use of genuine Mazda oil filters to maintain your Miata warranty. They contain a check valve to prevent all the oil from draining from the lifters when you shut off the engine.

John also contacted the Ottawa Citizen so that our functions will be listed in the Wheels section of the Ottawa Citizen every Friday.

Discounts:
John got a 25% discount on Nokia tires at Robson’s with no charge for balancing or installation.

We discussed having a heel&toe driving school in the fall and interest was high. A possible location might be the Air Museum parking lot.

We discussed club insurance and I said I would consult with Trillium Club on their setup.

John mentioned UMN windshield banners available through Bruce and Keith. Two people were interested in those and two asked about running board banners.

It was decided that a quorum for voting purposes would constitute 30 % of the paid membership with greater than 50% to pass any motion.

Significant interest was expressed in starting a Miata Library for the club. Alain is interested in running it with help from John Fortin. A majority voted in favor.

A majority of members present voted to try for three Racing days for next year at the Corel Centre.

Bruce asked us to mention Best Price Big Brake Kits for wheels >15". The cost is about $1600. Call Bruce.

Minutes of the August 13th Meeting

We discussed another Racing Day at the Corel Centre. The initial date of August 25th was no good for MCO so we will try for the 24th. We will send an Email to determine interest among the membership.

We seem to be running out of time this summer and find that we can’t manage the Niagara Falls tour.

Sponsors:
We are trying to compile a list of sponsors who are willing to give members a discount. We will compile a list as these come available. John Fortin will check on Talon Racing. Mondial Racing seem to be giving us 30% but we will have to check.

We discussed our upcoming Appalachia Park tour. It will probably be Sept 28-29. So far it’s still on.

We discussed a membership drive and the possibility of approaching dealers with Club plaques.

Minutes of the July 9th Meeting

Bruce, Gilles, Del, Keith, and Dave gave us a synopsis of Miata 96 which they attended as paid and non-paid participants. It sounds like it was an exciting event with over 350 Miatas and may well planned events. On display were concept cars and the new Miata Coup. Keith and his fellow Miata.Net crew took the prize in the pit stop competition.

We discussed our upcoming Solo II day at the Corel Centre. It's official - July 21 from 8:30 am to 3:30pm. Cost will be about $20. We will be doing a Gym Kana (fun races), driving instruction and some real Solo II. We can go to dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe afterward. Participants are reminded to increase tire pressure to 40 lb. and empty their trunk.

The Solo I event at Shanonville this weekend is open to members. See Bruce or Alain.

Bruce is wondering who might like stripes on their car. It could be done for roughly $5.

Gilles has lined up a fellow who will do leather custom upholstery for your car. The work takes a while and should be planned for the winter. See Gilles if you are interested.

Alain told us about a lapping day which will take place at Shanonville on the Labour Day weekend. The event is put on by Mondial Racing and will cost $120.

Minutes of the June 11th Meeting

We have arranged or are in the process of arranging discounts for members at several Ottawa car-related businesses. Members are encouraged to show their membership cards when patronizing these establishments. In some cases the amount of the discount has not yet been formalized but should be soon.

Business	Location	Goods or Service	Discount
Nostalgia Road	?	model cars, jackets	10%
Mondial Racing	416 McArthur	parts, service	18-20%, not yet formalized
Robson Racing	1165 Bank	parts, service	10%, not yet formalized
Talon Tire	Solo II races		TBA
Best-Price Auto Parts	1492 Startop	Brakes, parts	TBA
Metro	1580 Laperriere	waxes, refinishing stuff	20-25%

In other news, the June 22 Grey Rocks,-St. Jovitte tour was finalized. It was agreed that Keith would lead the group and Clayton would cover the rear. Rain date was set as June 23.

Our UMN Solo II date is still tentatively set for July 21 (8AM-3PM). It is important that we have a good turnout from the membership to keep the costs down. Please contact Bruce Murphy to confirm if you haven't yet done so.

Minutes of the May 14th Meeting

Keith delivered Miata key chains to several members who had ordered them last week. Wow - that was fast! He is now putting together an order for Air Horns from the Crazy Red Italian. If you're interested (the cost is $40-45 US) contact Keith. A larger order might bring down the cost.

Gilles gave us a report on the Club's first ever tour. A great time was had by all. It was suggested that we provide the route that we followed on our Internet page so that visitors to Ottawa could try it out.
Note- this will go up as soon as I get a copy of the route!

Keith reported that we have requests for associate memberships to our club through the Internet. Requests have come from as far away as the Netherlands. How much should we charge?
It was decided to charge $10 US for the associate memberships, which would include an invitation to all tours, a membership card and the sought after logo sticker.

The Tulip Tour is a go. The weather forecast looks good for Monday, May 20. We will be meeting at 11:00 am on the island on the Champlain bridge(We are creatures of habit). Hopefully it will be open. We plan to have lunch at Mexcalli Rosa's at the Dow's Lake Pavilion.

Solo II racing takes place every 2nd Sunday(including May 19) at the Corel Centre lot. This is run by MCO and start time is 8:00 am. Cost is $20 and a helmet is necessary. You can borrow one there. If you want your own the DfL says that it must be a SA 85 or better( not "M").

Solo I :Congrats to the DfL who has now been appointed race director at Shanonville Racetrack. See him if you're interested in Solo I.

Our Solo II day now has a probable date of July 14. The greater the participation the lower the cost per car. Please try to attend. The is will be a wild day(but safe) with blindfolded races, backup races as well as the normal fun races and driving instruction. We're also planning to bar-b-que.

Minutes of the April 9th Meeting

Miatas are coming off the blocks as we prepare for the pleasure of another driving season. Our monthly meeting took place at Gasoline Alley, our new gathering spot.

Bruce announced that Keith Tanner now has the new club decals prepared. See Keith about getting yours. These provide a good way to advertise the club to prospective members.

Members are reminded that annual membership dues should be paid to Colin. If you haven't paid yet please do so. Don't make Colin chase you.

A Solo I Driving school will be put on by Solo Ontario. It will consist of class and in-car instruction. It will run for two days on May 11/12 at Shanonville. Participants must have a helmet of some sort. The cost of the school is $275 with optional Lapping Day on Sunday for an additional $100. If you wish to participate contact Ross Eirhart at 1-800-263-5043 Extension 7009 weekdays 9am-5pm. Further information may be obtained from Bruce Murphy at 230-6368.

At this meeting we noticed an extra Miata in the parking lot. Of course we could not rest until we had found the owner. That turned out to be Lois Thomson. We look forward to seeing Lois at future meetings and events

President	Dell Smith
Vice President	John Fry
Secretary	Keith Tanner
Treasurer	J P Sylvestre
Directors....
Past President	Bruce "No Miata" Murphy
Membership	Lois Thompson
Tours	Bob Smith
Solo I	Alain Raymond
Solo II	John Fortin

Minutes of the January 27 executive meeting