Glenn Long, principal of Mazda’s partner in developing the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Cup car, Long Road Racing, shares some of the technical highlights of the development process. In Part 5, Long talks about the transmission, differential and efforts to keep them cool.

In the previous video, Glenn Long talked about some of the enhancements to the hubs in the 2016 ND MX-5. It’s not the only area of improvement. The gearbox in the ND – of which Mazda and Long Road Racing are rigorously documenting wear – has some differences. For one, the case is a small package; picture six gears inside the old 5-speed transmission. For another, there is no plastic inside the ND gearbox, and it works much more like a regular straight rail transmission with very direct feel. In addition, Long describes the transmission and differential cooling unit Mazda and Long Road Racing designed to keep temperatures under control on the track.

Related Content:
2016 MX-5 Racecar Tech Talk, Part 1
2016 MX-5 Racecar Tech Talk, Part 2
2016 MX-5 Racecar Tech Talk, Part 3
2016 MX-5 Racecar Tech Talk, Part 4