It may just be a happy coincidence that Mazda's latest offering to the world of eRacing has been announced at a time when a higher than average number of us are indoors playing video games. The Japanese manufacturer has produced a GT3 racing version of its 2015 concept, the RX-Vision, for Gran Turismo, adding a full motorsport aero kit, new suspension geometry and a weight reduction to the virtual 570hp model. While it's digital only, the FIA officially certifies the game's championships, so it'll be as close as most of us will get to driving an actual GT3 car when it's launched online on May 25th.
Mazda said the car weighs 1,250kg, so it's got a power-to-weight ratio of 456hp per tonne - not far off that of the Ginetta LMP3 car we recently drove. And, like that thoroughbred, Mazda's RX-Vision has a near perfect weight distribution. The firm claims a 48:52 split, while the tracks are widened, and that enormous front splitter, rear wing and diffuser ought to generate some pretty significant downforce at speed.
The car's Wankel engine remains with an 8,000rpm redline, but we're still not given the full specs of the virtual setup. The fairly normal (as far as racing cars go) rev limit suggests it could be turbocharged, otherwise we'd have expected something stratospheric. Although in truth we still don't know for sure.
As for those hoping that the RX-Vision GT3 and its Wankel points to a return for this sort of power in real motorsport, don't get your hopes up. It's been five years since the RX-Vision first arrived and Mazda's line-up still lacks a three-tipped combustion powerplant to succeed the RX-8. The chances of a racing car to bring back the glory days of Mazda's 787B look slim.
Much more likely is that Mazda's continuing to market its rotary tech ahead of Wankel engines making a return in its electric cars. As the company showed last year, its Wankel design is being used as a range extender in a China-only model. The brand has said that strong demand for its range-extender vehicles could help part-finance the cost of development for a full-blown rotary engine. Which is tantalising to say the least, but seems a long way off.
Rotary powered cars may indeed remain restricted to the world of virtual racing from here on, which would be a crying shame. But look at it this way, we're getting another high-revving rotary car to enjoy within the remits of a 2020 self-isolated lifestyle. Every cloud, etc.
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