The October Miata of the Month is dedicated to the memory of Rob Young.
This
month, we would like to dedicate the Miata of the Month to Rob Young, the friendliest
Miata owner you'd ever know, a wonderful and generous person, loved by anyone
who ever met him.
We were unfortunately informed that Rob Young passed away from us last month.
Rob and Amy Young have been true Miata enthusiasts ever since the introduction of the Miata. Once unveiled, they quickly ordered their beautiful Classic Red Miata in 1989, and that was when the Miata fun really started. Whenever there was a local, regional, national or international event - Rob and Amy would either co-organise the event, or simply sign up for it!
Their first big event was in 1991, the 2nd Annual East Coast Rally in Savannah, Georgia. They liked the Miata company so much that they also attended the various events in Indianapolis, the 5th Anniversary of the Miata at Irvine, the Gold Rush Rallies, the Miata Games in Atlanta and Miata '96 in Toronto (where the Miata.net came together for the first time, and where we met Rob and Amy for the first - and certainly not the last - time), Miatas at the Beach, Miatas at the Ranch, Miata Mountain Madness, Miata World (the 10 year anniversary event), the Surf 'n Safari events, Viva Las Vegas, the Miata event in Asheville, NC, ... name an event and they signed up for it!
Visiting
these events, they became "high profile" and highly appreciated members of
the Miata.net community. This is of course in addition to their own club affiliation,
the Buckeye Miata club in Ohio of which they were very active members.They
helped organise their clubs' 5th, 10th, and 15th anniversary events, and they
rarely missed a club event or meeting, whether it was a rally or country drive.
Amy wrote a story about their '90 Red in 1997, and this story was elected as the second entry for the then brand new initiative: the Miata.net Miata of the Month .
Rob quickly obtained his nickname, Dr. Miata, as he took very special care of his own immaculate Miata, that won many prizes at the various Concours d'Elégances. Not only his Miata won many prizes, but also his other joy and pride, 1960 Tasco Turquoise, fabulous looking and unrestored convertible Corvette, was usually the eyecatcher of any car show they attended. This Corvette was joined in 1997 by a '97 Nassau Blue Coupe Corvette.
When the second generation Miata came out in 1998, Rob and Amy looked for a stable mate for their Classic Red '90 Miata as well, and a '99 Emerald Green Miata was lucky enough to become the Miata of choice. Two magnificent looking Miatas, and two fabulous looking Corvettes, carefully and lovingly maintained using only the best products available.
Being
the social Miateer Dr. Miata was, he also helped and taught many other Miata
enthusiast taking care of their Miatas, help his friends and fellow club members
installing aftermarket accessories and patching up the little scratches and
stone chips. His hands touched many, many Miatas, lovingly and caringly.
As he took such good care of his Miatas, it is no surprise that other Miateers happily loaned their Miatas to Rob and Amy, so whenever and wherever they were in the US or Canada they always could turn a Miata key and hear the familiar sound of a happy Miata getting ready for a nice ride. The Miata would always be returned to the owner in even a better condition than it was before being handed over, usually having all the fluids changed, the body washed and waxed, the paint detailed.
Perhaps the best known Miata that Rob and Amy drove around is Bonnie's '91 Yellow Miata. This precious Miata, the only '91 Yellow, a former press car and now a museum candidate, is rarely driven - but to Rob and Amy, the keys are always available.
Being
so active, so joyful, so helpful, and so present at all these many meetings,
it is hard to accept that Rob is no longer with us. We will always remember
his wonderful nature and the good times that we had with him. Our thoughts
and sympathies are of course also with Amy, who now has to continue with life
without her best friend and husband, Rob Young.
Every year, Rob and Amy led the initial spring outing for their Buckeye Miata Club to a place called Clifton Mill. This annual run has now been named the Rob Young Clifton Mill Run, and the Buckeye Miata Club has dedicated a photo gallery to Rob.
Rob is no longer with us but we will never forget him. We love you, Rob!
Petra van den Berge
(Editor's note:
The loss of Rob will be felt, not only by his wife Amy, by Petra, who lovingly
penned this month's entry, and by me, who thoroughly enjoyed every minute
spent with Rob and Amy at Miata events, but also by the entire community
of Miata enthusiasts who knew him. He was always there. He was always fun.
He was always collecting pins.
And he'll always be with us in our hearts. Goodby, my friend.
-- Gary)
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