What were you doing when you turned one—probably stumbling with baby steps or perhaps mumbling your ‘mamas’ and ‘papas’.  But while these were achievements in their own right, they pale in comparison to one particular kid who has managed to do wonders even before he blew the candles on his first birthday cake.  This kid is the ever popular, ever venerable Mazda3.

It’s hard to believe, but it’s true: the 3 has just celebrated its first year.  Yet, during this time, it has become the ‘gotta-have-it’ car, the iPod of the automotive world.  It’s the thorn in the big players’ rosy sales charts.  Above all though, it has brought back the thrill of the everyday commute—something long lost in the sea of mediocrity of C-segment (compact) cars.  During its first year alone, the 3 has garnered a sizable chunk of the market.  In fact, in July of this year, with the help of the Ford Lynx, the 3 pushed Ford Group Philippines into the market lead!

So, exactly how do you celebrate the birthday of such the overachieving new kid on the block?  By hammering it on the Batangas Racing Circuit, of course!  And that’s exactly what happened: a no-frills, yet action-packed, fun-filled activity that proved that there’s simply equal to Mazda’s rocking little baby.

The day started simply with an easy, long drive to the BRC.  Of course, in reality, with around 10 Mazda3s around (three 2.0Rs, six 1.6S and one 5-door), it became sort of a mini-race on who could get their first.  The convoy jousted for position on the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), al while maintaining a safe speed, of course.

Restrained to the legal 100 km/h speed, it felt restraining on the stretch towards the farthest exit.  Beyond that point though, it was time to put the 3’s MZR inline-4 engines to work.  Hitting the STAR Tollway, the group quickly blasted to breakneck pace with speeds simply to insane to put in black and white.  Gerry Alejandro, AVP for Brands (Mazda), did comment that it felt like a squadron of low-flying F-16s on a Baghdad bombing raid.  The boys in the 2.0R simply buried the throttle and let the 142 horses do the work, but even those in the power-challenged 1.6S didn’t feel left out.  Equipped with Active-matic, the 1.6 made the century mark in no time and kept up with the big boys just as well.

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