SKYACTIV Diesel Technology Comes Back To Corporate Home Track

Mazda SKYACTIV Prototype Progress – For the second time in four races, the Mazda SKYACTIV Prototype led the race. The No. 70 car of Tristan Nunez and Jonathan Bomarito started eighth and took the lead after the 45-minute mark, heading the field for seven laps. They finished sixth in class and seventh overall, matching the best-ever finishes for the Prototypes. The No. 07 car of Tom Long and Joel Miller started ninth but retired with mechanical problems. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2015)

SKYACTIV Diesel Technology Comes Back To Corporate Home Track

Anticipation was the word going into the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix weekend of races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, May 1-3, 2015.

The Mazda SpeedSource SKYACTIV Prototype diesel-powered team effort seems to be a bit frustrated after just three races into this 12 race Tudor United Sports Car Championship season. After finishing no better than 7th this season, the feeling throughout the Mazda SpeedSource Prototype paddock was this would be the race for a breakthrough since these cars and the type of torque and mileage delivered by the experimental SpeedSource SKYACTIV Diesel engines seems suited to the multiple turns, elevation changes, and shorter straights characterized by the corporate named track near Monterey.

The fuel efficient Mazda SKYACTIV Prototype at the top of the Corkscrew, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2015) 

This excerpted and edited from Planet Le Mans - 

Mazda Prototypes at Mazda Raceway: High Expectations
April 29, 2015

There’s a new kind of pressure on the Mazda SpeedSource Prototypes for this weekend’s Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix powered by Mazda. Race number four for the TUDOR United SportsCar Series will take place Sunday, May 3 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. The two-hour, forty-minute race takes place at a track which plays into the strengths of the chassis and SpeedSource SKYACTIV Diesel engines. The team aims to live up to the pressure of heightened expectations with drivers such as Jonathan Bomarito, who grew up in Monterey, and Tom Long, who will be pulling triple duty through the weekend.

Jonathan Bomarito, driver, No. 70, Mazda Prototype
“Yes, there is pressure. But it’s a good pressure. We’re expected to do well – plus the track is named Mazda Raceway! The opportunity is there for us to capitalize.”

Why do the Mazda Prototypes perform so well at this track? “Mazda Raceway allows us to showcase all of the elements where we excel. The track has 11 corners, and not a lot of long straights. All of the corners that lead into the straights, such as turns four and six, are smooth, medium- to high-speed corners that play to the aerodynamic strength of our chassis and the torque of our diesel engine. Our chassis likes to be run close to the ground for maximum aerodynamic efficiency, and the smooth track allows us to run much lower than at a bumpy course like Long Beach. All of those elements play into what we believe is a performance advantage. It’s our strongest track, so we expect to perform well.”

Bomarito is a native of Monterey and expects a large contingent of supporters for the event. “My best friend, my family and many more. My mom knows everyone in the Monterey Peninsula, so there will be a lot of familiar faces there.”

Tom Long, driver, No. 07, Mazda Prototype
Long has three distinct roles this weekend at Mazda Raceway. In addition to driving the No. 07 Prototype, he will be racing in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race in a Mazda MX-5 with Freedom Autosport. 
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My main focus is certainly with the SpeedSource Mazda Prototype. We have the tools we need to really compete, so that’s the number one priority for me. I have to make the best of it and capitalize on such a great opportunity.”

About Mazda Raceway: “It’s not my home track because I’m from the East Coast, but I really like it. I’ve driven a lot of laps and done a lot of driver coaching for Mazda here. I think the coaching and tutoring really help me. If you understand the track better by teaching it to others, I believe it has the advantage of being an almost subconscious boost when it’s time for me behind the wheel.”

Mazda Driver Lineup / Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Car No. 07 Tom Long / Joel Miller
Car No. 70 Jonathan Bomarito / Tristan Nunez

The pair of sleek Corporate colored and SKYACTIV liveried Soul Red cars are coming off of their best finishes of the year, with the SpeedSource No. 07 finishing seventh and the SpeedSource No. 70 finishing eighth (out of a field of 9 cars in class) at the Tequila Patron Sports Car Showcase at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
[Reference Here]

Tristan Nunez, who has been doing double duty driving in two racing series (Verizon IndyCar Series), pilots the SpeedSource #70 Mazda Prototype through the famed Corkscrew Turn at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2015)

The weekend hopes had a promising beginning because for the second time in four races, a Mazda SpeedSource SKYACTIV Prototype led the race. At about 45 minutes into the 2 hr. and 40 min. trophy dash, after starting eighth in a nine car class field.

This excerpted and edited from Concept Carz - 

MAZDA PROTOTYPE MATCHES BEST-EVER FINISH AT MAZDA RACEWAY
May 3, 2015 - Concept Carz

The No. 70 Mazda Prototype with drivers Tristan Nunez and Jonathan Bomarito recorded a finish of sixth in class and seventh overall in today's Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix powered by Mazda. Both numbers match the best-ever results for the diesel-powered Mazda Prototypes, which began an aggressive development program in 2014. 

Tristan Nunez, who started the race in the No. 70 car, led seven laps, taking advantage of the fuel economy from the diesel engine. It is the second race that Mazda has led this season.

The sister car, the No. 07, started strong with driver Tom Long before dropping out of the running early with engine issues. Long and teammate Joel Miller finished ninth in the Prototype category.
Tristan Nunez, driver, No. 70 Mazda Prototype About starting the race and being in the midst of heavy race traffic: 'As the starting driver, you have to think of the long view of the race. Mostly, I was thinking of putting it in Jonathan's hands. That's what's tough as the starting driver: you have all of the traffic - it's mayhem in front of you - but you've got to keep the car clean. Our plan was to keep up with the leaders so that we could get in a position where we could lead and take advantage of our fuel mileage advantage.'

SpeedSource #70 Mazda Prototype Diesel powers out of Turn 6 on its way up the Rahal Straight. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2015)

About leading overall for the first time in his young Prototype career (Nunez is 19 years old.): 'The team came on the radio and told me that I was leading the race, and then I looked at the No. 70 up on the (scoreboard). It was really surreal. I dreamed of leading and winning with this team since I started racing. It was my dream to wear the Mazda brand. And what better place to do it than Mazda Raceway! This is the race track where I won my first car race… oh gosh, I was such a young boy. It was 2010 in the Skip Barber Series.'

Jonathan Bomarito, driver, No. 70 Mazda Prototype About matching the best-ever finish for the Prototype: 'We're racing at Mazda Raceway in a Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix powered by Mazda - so it's an amazing day really. I feel bad for the guys on the No. 07 car, they had some trouble early, but the No. 70 had a great race. Good strategy, good pit stops. The drivers want so bad to have good results for these crew guys who work so hard year-round, and for Mazda and SpeedSource. I'm happy about the day and the car ran great.'

About repeatedly lowering his personal-best lap times late in the race: 'When the field gets spread out, you're almost racing yourself. Primarily, you're managing traffic and trying to keep improving that lap time. That's what keeps you motivated and pushing, and we were running a really decent pace at the end of the race.
(ht: Mazda Motorsports)
[Reference Here]

SpeedSource celebrated its 20th anniversary on Monday, the day after this weekend’s Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix powered by Mazda. Next race, SpeedSource hopes to have both cars finish and place setting new marks in race five to be held May 30, 2015 at the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic Presented by Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers at Belle Isle near Detroit, Michigan.

... notes from The EDJE


TAGS: Continental Tire, Monterey Grand Prix, Mazda, SpeedSource, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, SKYACTIV, Nunez, Bomarito, Long, Miller, The EDJE

Mazda And SpeedSource Bring Something New To Race At The 51st Rolex 24

The trio of SpeedSource-built, Mazdaspeed Motorsports-manned, twin-turbo, 2014 SKYACTIV Diesel Mazda6 GRAND-AM Road Racing fighters, looking hungry for GX-class competition in this weekend's Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona! Image Credit: Via Facebook - Faulkner Mazda

Mazda And SpeedSource Bring Something New To Race At The 51st Rolex 24

Last year, Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) introduced a new approach to the engineering design of engines and transmissions designed to gain torque and miles per gallon ratings of their automobiles. This approach is marketed under the overall name of SKYACTIV and has two engine types that will be for sale to the public by the end of 2013 - SKYACTIV-G (for gas) and SKYACTIV-D (for diesel).

Mazda Motorsports will be using the 51st Rolex 24 at Daytona to preview a new racing platform that uses the revolutionary SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel technology engines with added racing technology to bring them up to producing 400 hp @ 5000 rpm from a 2.2L displacement inline 4 cylinder turbo diesel block.

Mazda will be seeking its 24th class win at the Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance race with three all-new 2014 Mazda6 race cars powered with the SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel engine. This will be the first-ever diesel power plant to compete in GRAND-AM racing. The SKYACTIV-D engines are a majority production-based employment, with more than 60-percent stock components, including the engine block and head.

Cars line up to run first practice session laps for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The historic #00 Mazda6 SKYACTIV-D gets pushed into line at far right. Mazda makes a statement for clean diesel technology and their SKYACTIV approach by placing three cars in the field for the Rolex 24 at Daytona this weekend. Image Credit: Via Twitter @michaellgoodwin

This excerpted and edited from Mazda Motorsports -

WHAT’S NEW WITH MAZDA MOTORSPORTS?  EVERYTHING!
New car, engine, fuel, teams, and drivers join Mazda and SpeedSource at Daytona
By Mazda Motorsports - January 25, 2013 (DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.)

The Car: Model Year 2014 Mazda6 SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel Racecar

The Engine:   A production-based racing version of the same 2.2-liter SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel engine that will be available in the second half of 2013 for retail sale.  The race engine includes over 250 stock components.  The block and head are Mazda production parts, identical to that used in their production cars.

The Teams/Drivers:

#70      SpeedSource: Jonathan Bomarito, Marino Franchitti, James Hinchcliffe, Tom Long and Sylvain Tremblay.  The two-time GT class winning team (2008 and 2010) will be seeking their third set of Rolex watches.


#00      VISIT FLORIDA Racing/SpeedSource/Yellow Dragon (Video Laps): Joel Miller, Tristan Nunez, Spencer Pigot, Yojiro Terada, and Tristan Vautier.  Terada is the veteran Mazda racer who has competed in more than two dozen 24 Hours of Le Mans races, and scored class wins with Mazda at Daytona in 1979, 1982, and 1985 .  The others are all racers who have won recent championships within the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Ladder and the Mazda Road to Indy.

The Freedom Autosport #25 Mazda6 with SKYACTIV-D power takes to the track during opening day practice at the 51st Rolex 24 at Daytona. Image Credit: Via Twitter @michaellgoodwin

In addition to the two SpeedSource cars, there is one customer team:

#25      Freedom Autosport with Andrew Carbonell, Tom Long, Rhett O’Doski, and Derek Whitis.  Freedom Autosport has been a winning team in the Continental Tire Challenge with Mazda.  They are moving up as a complete team.

The Soundbites:

John Doonan, Director, Mazda Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations -- "This is an amazing moment in Mazda Motorsports history because we are once again bringing innovative technology to the race track to demonstrate the performance, quality, durability and reliability of our brand.  While many know us as the ‘rotary engine’ company, and we love that part of our heritage, to race our latest SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel technology in our newest car, in the race where we have scored our largest number of wins, is amazing.  To get to this point, thousands and thousands of hours by engineers within Mazda in both Japan and the U.S., along with the amazing team at SpeedSource, has produced what we see as our prime mover for the next decade, SKYACTIV engines for racing."

Sylvain Tremblay, Owner, SpeedSource Engineering, and two-time Rolex 24 GT class winner – "I feel fortunate to have been a part in adding a few pages in the history of Mazda Motorsports. Now I am humbled to be part of a whole new chapter! New engine, new car, new everything, SKYACTIV is the way forward for us at the racetrack, like it is for the 2014 Mazda6, better performance and better fuel economy, what’s not to love about that. Very excited and proud of all the work by Mazda and our team here at SpeedSource in bringing this fantastic program to fruition."

Streaming Video to Complement TV Coverage:

To complement the SPEED TV coverage, Mazda will be providing a ‘second screen’ of coverage via streaming video from onboard the Mazda cars as well as some behind-the-scenes access to the Mazda teams.  Mazda fans can log on at www.MazdaUSA.com/motorsports at anytime during the race.

SPEED, SPEEDTV.com and the Motor Racing Network will combine to provide 25 hours of flag-to-flag coverage.  SPEED’s Rolex 24 coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 26, with a 30-minute pre-race show preceding the 3:30 p.m. waving of the green flag. When SPEED signs off on its opening day coverage at 11 p.m., SPEED.com will stream feeds throughout the night, including a rooftop camera, in-car cameras and radio calls by the Motor Racing Network.  SPEED returns at 9 a.m. on Sunday, with coverage including a 30-minute post-race show following the checkered flag at 3:30 p.m.  All 25 hours will be streamed live at www.grand-am.com and www.MotorRacingNetwork.com

... notes from The EDJE


** Article first published as Mazda and SpeedSource Bring Something New to Race at The 51st Rolex 24 on Technorati **

Pro Mazda Championship Gaining SpeedSource Focus

 

As the primary constructor for the GRAND-AM Rolex GT RX-8, SpeedSource led a field of Mazda products in capturing the 2010 Manufacturers championship. Since the program's inception, SpeedSource has been the exclusive supplier of rotary engines to Mazda GRAND-AM Rolex GT teams. SpeedSource's latest project has been the development of the Mazda SKYACTIV-D compound turbo diesel motorsports engine for use in GRAND-AM's GX class in 2013. Image Credit: Pro Mazda Championship

Pro Mazda Championship Gaining SpeedSource Focus

The Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires has contracted the services of SpeedSource Race Engineering as the Official Engine Builder and Technical Consultant of the newly formed Mazda Road to Indy series which fills the opening vacated by Star Mazda. The Coral Springs, Fla., company will begin the re-manufacturing of all Mazda Renesis rotary engines currently used in the championship to 2013 specifications and also provide internal modifications to ensure parity between engines and greater longevity of a season or more.

In addition to a long and notable history of racing under the Mazda banner, SpeedSource is the exclusive engine supplier of rotary engines to Mazda-powered GRAND-AM Rolex GT teams and is currently developing the Mazda SKYACTIV-D compound turbo diesel motorsports engine for the 2013 GRAND-AM GX class. Founded and led by accomplished driver and team owner Sylvain Tremblay in 1995 to provide full-service race services and custom components to club level and professional drivers, the company operates out of a 50,000 square foot facility that houses both development and racing applications.

"I am very pleased to add SpeedSource to our list of high-quality partners," said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions, the series promoter. "Although I have not had prior dealings with SpeedSource, it is clear to me that they not only have an impressive resume and reputation but also have put together a great new Pro Mazda engine program. I am very confident that this will result in a better championship for our competing teams."

SpeedSource will begin the remanufacturing process on Pro Mazda engines this month. The program will be fully implemented by May 1. Prior to this date, competitors will have the option of using either SpeedSource engines or prior specification engines built and sealed by the former Star Mazda Series with SpeedSource mapping to ensure parity. All cars entered after May 1 and any one-off entries which have not been through the SpeedSource process will undergo a rev limiter adjustment to offset any disparity.

"We are very proud to have been chosen as the engine supplier for the Pro Mazda Series," said Tremblay. "The series itself has a great standing and we look forward to continuing the fantastic reputation of Mazda's Renesis rotary engine. Andersen Promotions has been great to work with and it is easy to see why they are the primary resource for Mazda's ladder program." 

The Mazda Renesis rotary engine used in Pro Mazda is capable of producing 260 horsepower – providing an additional 90 horsepower over the Mazda MZR powerplant utilized in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, the first step on the Mazda Road to Indy. The internationally award-winning engine also powers the Mazda RX-8 passenger car.

"With years of Mazda racing experience and specifically rotary engine experience on their resume, SpeedSource Race Engineering was the logical choice to serve as the new engine builders for the Pro Mazda Championship," said John Doonan, Director Mazda Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations. "They have put Mazda rotary engines to the ultimate tests in endurance racing and have hundreds of victories to show for it, including two Rolex 24 victories in the last five years. Mazda has every confidence that the work SpeedSource does for the Pro Mazda Championship will provide reliable engines that have a performance window that will continue the great, close racing that this series has been known for throughout its history."

A schedule for the 2013 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires will be announced in the near future. Additional information can be found at www.promazdachampionship.com.
(ht: Pro Mazda Championship)

... notes from The EDJE


** Article first published as Pro Mazda Championship Gaining SpeedSource Focus on Technorati **