Dear Car Guy: Our Beginnings and Our Why

CorkSport HQ featuring the old CorkSport logo.
That old CorkSport logo is a blast from the past!

Dear Car Guy,

It’s been a bit. I hope you’re well and having a great time getting your baby ready for the summer weather!

Recently, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about why CorkSport sticks with the Mazda market. Some of these are more like comments, but really it seems like a continuous surprise to some that we find ourselves still innovating and providing for this market that we work in daily. The answer to this question was simpler than I expected to be once I gave it a good thinking over.

Mazda is in our blood. It’s who we are.

Where it all began

From the beginning, the founders of CorkSport were Mazda guys. They worked on their own cars with big dreams of racing and of building the biggest, baddest, most amazing Mazda parts around!

Yes, you’re welcome to giggle. I know I did when I went through some of these pics of our history.

When you’re a company in the early going, you take pride in some of the simplest things — like our first time in the Yellow Pages or CorkSport’s first blog. Or in something like our new website back in 2009. Or even when we finally got a banner in our window with the new logo.

CorkSport Yellow Pages ad.
CorkSport’s Yellow Pages premiere.

You should check out this blog about how we came up with our name and logo designs for some excellent throwback CorkSport information.

We love the Mazda community

CorkSport tent with old CorkSport logo.
We always love getting out and meeting more members of the Mazda community.

We’ve continuously stuck with the Mazda community due to their passion, support, and — of course — the NATOR Club! We’ve written about this in the past, and you can find a ton of blogs that reference this club, but here are a few of my favorites to check out if you’re interested.

Mazda community members working together.
What unites this group? The Mazda platform we all love.
  1. While we love you, Car Guys, we love our lady drivers, too. Find out what it means to be a Car Girl.

    A 2014 Nator event for the Mazda community.
    The community that plays together stays together.
  2. See what that NATOR life is all about with this recap of a great event a few years back in 2014.

We love our customers, we love our community, we love Mazdas. So why do we do what we do? What’s our reason why? It all comes down to you, Car Guy!

CorkSport’s reason why

We stay in the Mazda market, we continue to innovate, and we push ourselves — sometimes to the breaking point (yes, sometimes breaking cars, hearts, minds, and wills in our offices!) — in order to supply this amazing platform with great parts, awesome community, and realized dreams!

CorkSport's Mazda family.
Community is key. You’re our family. You’re our reason why.

It’s short, it’s sweet, and it’s our reason why: It’s all for you.

I almost wish it were more complicated than that.

Thanks for the support, Car Guy! Until next time …

Stay safe, stay fast, and stay happy, my friends!

-Kim

Dear Car Guy: Absolute Beginners

You may be new, but the one thing I do know about you is that you take pride in your vehicle and you’re looking to learn more!

Dear Car Guy,

Or should I say, Dear New Car Guy,

You know who you are, so I won’t call you out. You’re new to the scene and looking to connect, learn, and invest in yourself and your ride. You’ve probably got some of the more basic mods already in place: intake, LED lights, wheels. You’re off to a good start!

However, you might be looking to connect with the Mazda community to get new ideas and grow your understanding of the potential your car actually possesses.

You may be new, but the one thing I do know about you is that you take pride in your vehicle and you’re looking to learn more! So, if you’re willing, I’d like to help.

First step: Read the guide.

The manual gives you a sound knowledge base and guidelines for key terms to boost your Mazda understanding. Whether you’ve got a Mazda 3, Mazda 6, CX-3, CX-5, or Miata, this book can help you grow your understanding of what’s out there and why it’s applicable to you!

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not saying it’s the know all, be all, end all of where your Mazda can go, but our “Ultimate Mazda Performance Guide” is a great start. The manual gives you a sound knowledge base and guidelines for key terms to boost your Mazda understanding. While the guide is catered to the Mazdaspeed 3, it doesn’t matter which Mazda you own. Whether you’ve got a Mazda 3, Mazda 6, CX-3, CX-5, or Miata, this book can help you grow your understanding of what’s out there and why it’s applicable to you!

Next step: Connect with knowledgeable members of the car community.

The groups are meant for the Mazdaspeed community and these passionate folks are some of the greatest people in this market.

You can find Nator groups across the country in most every state in the U.S. They are a great resource for information, so get connected for support and advice throughout the build stages of your Mazda. The groups are meant for the Mazdaspeed community and these passionate folks are some of the greatest people in this market.

Mazda3Club.com is a great forum to connect and get information on Mazda 3s. They provide reviews and support to Car Guys building out the Mazda 3 platform.

Mazda6Club.com is another great forum to connect with passionate Mazda owners. Populated buy Mazda 6 owners, you can get information from a large, experienced group as well as guidance while building out your car.

In any of these groups, you’ll be able to find like-minded people who are ready to lend help and give their opinions. Approach them with respect and you’ll receive it in turn — which is just great life advice, so you’re welcome in advance.

Not sure about a community? Check out our blog!

We’ve recently updated our blog to help our mobile users get quick access to our knowledge and information!

We’ve recently updated our blog to help our mobile users get quick access to our knowledge and information! If you haven’t already, check it out on your phone.

The CorkSport blog has a wealth of information dating all the way back to 2009. Imagine all the hours of reading you can log as you delve into our excellent Mazda subject matter.

If you’re ready to get started, I recommend beginning with these posts:

Or if you’re just in the mood for some fun reads, I have a series that I write just for you, Car Guy! The posts are intermittent, and sometimes borderline ridiculous, but I do my best to stay in touch.

CorkSport is here to help.

Lastly, we’re always available to help, so don’t hesitate to reach out to CorkSport directly. We have some great individuals who are knowledgeable and ready to help! It’s literally their job — and they love it. So, if you want to talk cars, builds, or parts, you should definitely give us a call and we’ll point you in the right direction. We look forward to hearing from you!

Until next time: Stay safe, stay fast, and stay happy, my friends.

Cheers,

Kim @ CS

Lastly, we’re always available to help, so don’t hesitate to reach out to CorkSport directly.