Miata drivers from across North America pit stop in Sharbot Lake

Julie Druker | Aug 12, 2015

This past weekend over 300 Miata enthusiasts in 155 of their favorite cars took part in the Underground Miata Network's tour of Quebec and Eastern Ontario on August 7, 8 and 9. The event was organized to help celebrate the Ottawa-based club's 20 year anniversary.

Mazda MX5s are those eye-catching, spiffy and sporty convertible roadsters, also known as Miatas, and they attracted a lot of attention as groups of them took part in a total of 35 different daily tours over the weekend. The tours included destinations like the Rideau Canal, Upper Canada Village, Montebello, Quebec and more.

There were 12 different touring groups that included drivers from clubs as far away as Florida, Texas, Indiana, Ohio, Rhode Island, Michigan, New York and Massachusetts, as well as Canadian drivers from Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and the Maritimes. The tour was the largest event that the 186-member club has hosted since its inception in 1995.

Club president, Rolly Eeaulne, and vice-president Ron Staples said they expected 75 drivers to participate but were forced to cut off the numbers off when they reached over 300. Both gentlemen lunched on Friday at Sharbot Lake's Crossing Pub with their tour group number 10, who were at the half-way point of a 350-kilometre loop that began at Ottawa's Conference Centre, the central hub of the tour, and would take them after lunch to Merrickville along the Rideau Canal.

Sandra White, co-owner of the Sharbot Lake Country Inn, was more than pleased to host the participants and had arranged in advance with Eeaulne to offer the pub as a key lunch destination for the tour.

Eeaulne said that the scenery and roads in this area make for perfect driving conditions. “The roads like those up through Snow Road, Ompah and beyond are just perfect for the kind of driving we love. Lots of curves, (aka twisties) and great scenery.”

First produced in the 1990s, there are currently three generations of Miatas, all two-seater, sports car roadsters and all known for their superior road handling abilities. They also all boast convertible tops, either in soft or hard top models.

Vice president Rob Staples said “Though there are faster cars to drive, there is not a more fun car to drive than a Miata and nothing beats driving on these twisty, curvy roads with the top down, hearing the birds, smelling the country air and watching the gorgeous scenery go by.”

The tour participants covered close to 1000 kilometres over three days and had stellar weather for the tour. Judging by the turn out it will likely not be the last Miata club tour that will pass through these parts.

Anyone interested in joining the Ottawa club can visit www.ottawamiata.net. But be sure that you have the $20,000 -$45,000 that it will take to become a proud Miata owner.