Mazda SKYACTIV Prototypes Rack Up 2,826 Miles in Daytona Endurance Test
January 26, 2014 (DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.) Mazdas SKYACTIV Technology helped its all-new Clean Diesel-powered sports racing Prototype go wheel-to-wheel with some of the worlds fastest sports cars at Daytona International Speedway, as they tackled the grueling demands of this past weekends 52nd Rolex 24 at Daytona.
The two Mazda SKYACTIV Prototypes started the 2014 running of the endurance classic at 2:10 pm local time on Saturday afternoon. Collectively, over the course of the race, they covered 2,826 miles. The No. 07 car came within an hour of the finish before an oil-pump belt failure caused a loss of oil pressure. The No. 70 car covered over 1,300 miles before it was retired due to overheating caused by a clogged radiator.
Even in retirement, the Mazda Prototypes proved their value by demonstrating both the fuel efficiency and durability of their smart diesel engines on the race track, as both failures were related to racing accessories, not the core engine. As is always the case with its motorsports programs, Mazda will use this weekends race track learnings to further improve the performance and durability of its road cars.
While the racing SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel engine itself was a carry-over from the championship-winning 2013 Grand-Am GX Mazda6 racing program, the greatly increased performance demands of this years TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Prototype Class, the top class in the series, meant that it was an entirely new program in terms of testing and development.
The car is within 10 percent of the leaders on pace and has a 35-percent advantage in range due to the efficiency of the SKYACTIV-D engine. The car also has a high clean factor, using a renewable synthetic diesel fuel supplied by Dynamic Fuels. Mazda Motorsports engineers will now address the radiator and belt issues that sidelined their cars this weekend, and turn their attention to dialing in even more speed as the season progresses.
Racing is difficult, and few races match the grueling pace of the Rolex 24, said John Doonan, Director, Mazda Motorsports. Given the limited time weve had to develop the new Mazda SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel prototype, we are very satisfied with the progress our team has achieved. That said, this is a multi-year development program and we wont be happy until we start winning. Doonan added, The job of motorsports is to push the limits of technology. Every mile completed makes us stronger and smarter. Between our two cars, we completed the equivalent of over a dozen sprint races in the past 24 hours.
#07 Started 17th in class
Finished 13th in class
Suffered cracks in the intercooler resulting in several lengthy pit stops
Threw an oil pump belt. Oil pressure loss caused retirement
Completed 445 laps for a total of 1,584 miles
#70 Started 16th in class
Finished 14th in class
Retired due to overheating. Root cause was a clogged radiator due to track debris
Completed 369 laps for a total of 1,314 miles
About Mazda, Mazda Motorsports, and MAZDASPEED
Mazda is the number-one brand for road-racers across North America among both club racers and professionals. Thousands of Mazda powered grassroots racers compete in various classes with the SCCA and NASA highlighted by Spec Miata, the worlds largest spec class with over 2,500 cars built. Mazda has a race-what-you-build philosophy that has led them to race with production-based SKYACTIV technology at the highest levels of the sport. Key to Mazdas success is strategic partnerships with the Skip Barber Racing School and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Mazda Motorsports is managed by Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). MNAO is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers.Operations in Mexico are managed by MazdaMotor de Mexico in MexicoCity.
Consumer information can be found at
www.mazdausa.com, with press information at www.mazdausamedia.com. Racers and fans can follow the action on Facebook (Mazda Motorsport), Twitter (@mazdaracing), and www.mazdamotorsports.com