Mazda has unveiled its new Le Mans-style prototype racer for the upcoming TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Simply named the 2014 Mazda Prototype, the new endurance race car uses production-sourced SkyActiv technologies, including its diesel engine.
The SkyActiv-D Clean Diesel race engine is carried-over from last year’s Mazda6 Grand-Am GX racer, which then became the first diesel-powered car to win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – one of the car’s nine race wins in 2013.
Its ‘production-based’ claim is no mere claim, as the 2.2 litre turbodiesel race engine is 51% stock by parts count, and 63% stock by weight. In race-tune, it offers as much as 450 hp and 786 Nm of torque, through a race-spec Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox.
The all-carbonfibre prototype weighs just 900 kg, with the engine accounting for just 143 kg. Its top speed is over 300 km/h, depending on its aerodynamic trim. The 2014 Mazda Prototype has completed its first tests and will make its race debut at the Rolex 24 Hour race in Daytona International Speedway later this month.
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Hopefully it doesn’t burn like the Furai did.
Is this Mazda’s bold statement to Formula E racing? Interesting story!
It will be perfect if she has the Furai design and equipped with Skyactive-D engine.
2.2 litre turbodiesel race engine developing 450 hp and 786 Nm of torque?
thats A LOT!
I can’t imagine how that feels, pulling away with 786Nm torque! Must be spectacular.
A missed opportunity.
They should have got the 3 Rotor to run on hydrogen. That’d be something.
So… they really can forget about Wankel, can’t they? But hey, new Euro 6 and above rulings are said to be unfavorable to diesel engines.
Hopefully Mazda would carry extra fire extinguisher when driving this car….