New year means a new motorsport season. And a new motorsport season means new racing cars, all very exciting. We've already seen the
Honda Civic BTCC
Ford Daytona
; here's Mazda rival for the latter which, erm, doesn't yet have a name.
A diesel with 200hp per litre? We like
The press release describes them simply as 'factory-backed Skyactiv Technology-powered prototypes', the tweets as an 'LMP2 gamechanger'. It will compete with in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship this year, which is shaping up to be a very interesting series.
Mazda's entrants will be the only diesel powered cars in the series. The 2.2-litre Skyactiv-D Clean Diesel engine (another catchy title) actually uses 51 per cent of the parts used in the roadgoing diesel Mazdas, including the cylinder head and valvetrain components. The justification goes that 'it is the most honest way to demonstrate the performance, quality, durability and reliability of Mazda powerplants'.
Of course though, the 49 per cent that are changed yield some fairly significant gains. A Garrett Motorsports turbo, SpeedSource intake and exhaust manifolds plus Mahle pistons contribute to 457hp and 580lb ft in total. That's more than 208hp per litre from a diesel as well.
A carbon monocoque keeps weight down to 900kg without fuel or a driver, with Mazda claiming a 186mph top speed in 'Daytona aero trim'. Despite quoting a tank capacity (73 litres) and a fuel type (Dynamic Fuels Renewable Diesel), there isn't an official MPG from Mazda yet.
The Daytona races takes place on 25/26 January, with the car already having completed some pre-season "Roar Before the 24" (yes, really) testing. Can it succeed?
[Source: WCF, pic from Mazda USA Twitter]