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Mazda Australia will launch an allegedly track-ready MX-5 this January, but it appears to have shot itself somewhat hilariously in the wedding vegetables in doing so.  

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Mazda Australia was apparently looking for a cheap way to sex-up the ageing MX-5 for 2021.  So they added some front Brembos with, they claim, 26 per cent greater fade-resistance, plus 17-inch forged alloy BBS wheels and a strut brace. Glorified bolt-ons. But just enough to justify calling it the new MX-5 GT RS. There\\u2019s also wireless Apple Car Play and a new blue colour in the range, as well as black caps on the wing mirrors - be still, my beating heart.  \\u201cThe Mazda MX-5 is the embodiment of Mazda\\u2019s Zoom-Zoom philosophy,\\u201d - Vinesh Bhindi.  Big Bhindi is the administrative type who counts the beans at the top of Mazda\\u2019s local import shop. I\\u2019d respectfully suggest to B-Squared that \\u2018Zoom-Zoom\\u2019 is a philosophy in exactly the same way that the menu at the local Cantonese takeaway is literature...  Anyway, here\\u2019s where the fun starts:  \\u201c...the MX-5 GT RS models are a natural fit for club motorsport use...  Hold that thought. It\\u2019s from the official press release, dated yesterday.   \\u201cAugmenting these upgrades are sophisticated Bilstein gas-pressurised dampers that are designed to deliver track-ready grip and feedback\\u2026\\u201d  That\\u2019s also from the press release.   However, on Mazda Shitsville\\u2019s official warranty page, section 8: \\u201cWhat is not covered by this warranty?\\u201d 8.1:  \\u201cRacing\\u201d  Specifically:  \\u201cUse of the Mazda Vehicle in competition racing or related purposes.\\u201d  \\u2018Competition racing.\\u2019 Really? Like, show me the racing that\\u2019s not actually competition. So there\\u2019s that. And what exactly, I wonder, are these \\u2018related purposes\\u2019? Safety car? Display car at a track event?  Is a \\u2018related purpose\\u2019 a driver training day on a racetrack, or a skidpan, or a hill climb, or a personal track session at an open track day?   In any case, here\\u2019s a car about which the manufacturer publicly claims (quote) \\u2018track-ready grip and feedback\\u2019 and which is (quote) a \\u2018natural fit for club motorsport\\u2019 - but it seems if you actually do this with your new MX-5 GT RS you are at risk of voiding the warranty, at least as it is currently written. Oops a daisy.   The delicious irony here is found in the detail of Australian Consumer Law. Specifically the legislated guarantee of \\u2018acceptable quality,\\u2019 which says, in part, that consumer goods, including cars, must match descriptions made about them in promotions or advertising.  And if the business fails to deliver these things, then, according to the ACCC, you have legislated consumer rights for repair, replacement or refund, plus compensation for damages or loss. These rights exist irrespective of the warranty status.  So it seems to me Mazda Shitsville has painted itself deliciously into something of a corner with this allegedly track-ready car that is allegedly a natural fit for club motorsport, despite offering a warranty that is apparently voided by doing exactly these things with it...