Mazda to race SKYACTIV-D Diesel engines at Le Mans
If you were to browse Mazda’s SUVs at the moment, you would almost certainly be presented by the term ‘SKYACTIV’ – the manufacturer’s current engineering standard. But now Mazda Motorsports has announced that it will supply its new SKYACTIV-D clean diesel race-tuned engine to teams competing in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class of international motorsport. The engine is scheduled to make its Le Mans 24 Hours debut with Dempsey Racing in 2013. Mazda remains the only Asian carmaker to have won the world’s toughest endurance race, in 1991.
As part of Mazda’s expanding global motorsports activity, Mazda Motorsports is developing a version of the race-tuned new 2.2-litre SKYACTIV-D diesel engine for teams contesting the new Advanced Technology GX Class of the 2013 GRAND-AM championship, and in the UK, Mazda’s iconic roadster, the MX-5, is taking on the might of the supercar brands in the British GT Championship this year.
“Today we reopen our love affair with Le Mans and mark the beginning of a whole new chapter in motor racing for Mazda,” said Jay Amestoy, Vice President of Mazda Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). “We’ve won international races with rotary engine technology at Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring.
Now we’re looking to return to the winner’s circle with what we believe will be the most advanced and cleanest production-based powerplant the sport has ever seen.
“We’ll do it in true Mazda style as the SKYACTIV technology will allow Mazda to chart its own path in racing, showcasing the latest developments in fuel-efficient, powerful and clean powertrains. Our new SKYACTIV-D race engines will be available to European and US customers competing in the LMP2 class of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and to teams entering the national GRAND-AM championship,” added Amestoy.
The SKYACTIV-D race engines are being developed jointly by the Mazda Motor Corporation in Japan, Mazda North American Operations and Florida-based SpeedSource Engineering. Dyno testing of prototype engines has already begun and on-track testing is scheduled for late 2012.
Mr Masahiro Moro, Executive Officer in charge of global sales and marketing of Mazda Motor Corporation, commented, “Mazda has always fostered the culture of ‘never stop challenging.’ And it was this spirit that drove us through 18 consecutive years of racing at Le Mans, until we triumphed in 1991. It is this same spirit that laid the foundation for our SKYACTIV Technologies, pushing us forwards to make technical breakthroughs. I am pleased that we will be supporting our customers who are taking up the Le Mans challenge by supplying them with race-tuned SKYACTIV-D clean diesel engines.”
About the Author : Anthony Blascara is writing about browsing Mazda’s SUVs.
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