KBB Races a Mazda Miata – Part 1: Skip Barber Race School

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8ef_R7FCaI

First, Grand-Am announced a third racing class for the Rolex Sports Car Series. Based on production cars, the GX class is intended to feature those using alternative fuels and technologies.

2.2-Liter SKYACTIV-D Four-Cylinder Engine

First, Grand-Am announced a third racing class for the Rolex Sports Car Series. Based on production cars, the GX class is intended to feature those using alternative fuels and technologies.

Second, Mazda jumped right in by saying it is developing a 2.2-liter SKYACTIV-D four-cylinder engine for the GX series.

Details include a 14:1 compression ratio, which is unusually low for a diesel. There will be a two-stage turbocharger and the engine will spin to 5200 rpm. While the race diesel will be able to use the stock production block, head, common rail injectors and other small pieces, the valves, pistons, connecting rods and the oiling systems will be racing grade.

Mazda is not releasing horsepower numbers, though its predicted GX engines will produce around 400 bhp. The automaker also isn’t naming the model in which it will race the diesel engines. Whatever Mazda model that may be, its first race will be the 2013 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

SpeedSource Race Engineering in Coral Springs, Florida, will develop and build the racing diesel engines, and dyno testing is already underway. Mazda’s aim is to fund development of the engine for racing, provide technical support and offer contingency money for GX races and the season championship.

Don’t worry, RX-8 fans. Even though the rotary sports car is out of production, Mazda will continue to offer contingency money for that very successful model.

Dyson Racing Partners with Mazda for 2013

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY March 8, 2013 – Dyson Racing has renewed its long-term partnership with Mazda for the 2013 American Le Mans Series season as it prepares to recapture the P1 crown it won in 2011.

The #16 Thetford/RACER Mazda Lola entry with Chris Dyson and Guy Smith will be Mazda-powered for the fifth year. Mazda won its first P1 victory at Mid -Ohio in 2010 and the manufacturer’s championship the following year.

#16 Dyson Racing Team Lola B12/60 Mazda: Chris Dyson, Guy Smith

Photo by: Kenneth May

Last year, the team book ended the season with first place ALMS P1 points at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda, and won at Road America in the closest ever overall finish in ALMS history.

“As we look forward to the unified world of road racing in 2014, we still have a full-season of great ALMS action in 2013,” said John Doonan, Director Mazda Motorsports.

“We’re happy that the Dyson team will be racing their Mazda MZR-R powered Lola for what we anticipate will be the final chapter for this car and engine.

From Sebring to Petit Le Mans, and our favorite stop at Mazda Raceway, we look forward to adding additional race wins into the Mazda logbook.

I’m sure the Dyson team will be going all out to recapture the magic of their 2011 season when they brought home the drivers, team, and manufacturers championship for Mazda.”

“We are heading into our fifth year with Mazda and any relationship that has that kind of tenure is to be celebrated,” noted Chris Dyson, Vice President and Sporting Director.

“We are fortunate to have their support and it has been a hugely beneficial relationship. AER have been working on some nice engine upgrades over the winter and their work on the Mazda program has been outstanding.

We are looking forward to putting together another championship effort for them.”

Guy Smith returns for his ninth year with Dyson Racing. The 2005 12 Hours of Sebring was his first race with the team. “I’m really excited about driving for Dyson Racing again this year: they are ultra-professional but also a friendly operation.

It should be a good year,” stated Smith. “I tested some developments at the test at Sebring last month which were a step in the right direction and we have some engine tweaks coming later in the season which will help us.

It will be competitive with us and the Muscle Milk team being joined by the Swiss-based Rebellion team, who I raced for at Le Mans in 2010 and ’11.

Sebring is always a huge challenge every year but it is a brilliant race – it epitomizes what sports car racing is all about. The track at almost four miles in length is long, while its bumpy and fast nature, combined by a high ambient temperature, makes it a physically demanding race for the driver and puts the car through a real stern test.”

“The biggest credit I can give to Guy it that he is every bit as motivated and is faster than when we started driving together almost ten years ago,” said Dyson.

“All you can ever ask from your teammate is that they give 100 percent and with Guy, that is never in doubt. Guy is incredibly supportive as a teammate. He is a team player and when the chips are down, he knows how to get it done.

Everyone knows in pit lane when he comes in from a race stint or a qualifying run, he has given it everything he has. There are never excuses, just performance. And that is why we’ve worked so well together.”

2013 marks the thirtieth year in professional sports car racing for Dyson Racing and the twenty-sixth for the team at Sebring. Butch Leitzinger will be joining Chris Dyson and Guy Smith in the #16 entry for the sixty-first annual 12 Hours of Sebring and the team is working on running the #20 Dyson entry in subsequent races of the 2013 season.

Dyson Racing
http://www.motorsport.com/alms/news/dyson-racing-partners-with-mazda-for-2013/

Mazda just released the performance specifications for its 2014 race car powered by a modified version of the production 2.2-liter SkyActiv-D diesel engine.

Mazda just released the performance specifications for its 2014 race car powered by a modified version of the production 2.2-liter SkyActiv-D diesel engine.

The production version will be available in dealerships later this year, but in competition form the direct-injected turbo diesel motor makes 400 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque. Official power figures on the production version are still unreleased, but are expected to be around 165 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque.

Mazda is aiming for its 24th class win at the Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance race with three of its new race cars. According to the automaker, there are over 250 stock components in the engine. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the move is a big deal for Mazda, a brand known for racing with its rotary engines.

SEE ALSO: 2014 Mazda6 Diesel Racer Revealed in Race-Ready Trim

The cars will compete in the new Grand-Am GX class, which is reserved for new technologies. Racing begins January 26 and runs until 3:30 p.m. eastern time the following day.

Discuss this story at Mazda6Club.com
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2013/01/2014-mazda6-diesel-race-car-makes-400-hp.html

Race fans can help support Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca by purchasing a STRIDER™ No-Pedal Balance Bike for the littlest member of their motorsports loving family.

Race fans can help support Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca by purchasing a STRIDER™ No-Pedal Balance Bike for the littlest member of their motorsports loving family.

STRIDER™ No-Pedal Balance Bikes were developed specifically to help toddlers and young children learn balance and coordination before peddling. The simple, no-pedal design allows even the youngest children to learn to ride on two wheels, avoiding tricycle tip-overs and training wheel wobbles while instilling confidence and bike handling skills. The bikes encourage the development of spatial awareness, balance and basic motor skills so that children can reach their maximum riding potential faster, better and safer. 

“Strider has been a fantastic partner at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix for the past few years,” said Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “They have supported our mission to build race fans for life with their interactive Strider Adventure and Racing experiences and now they are offering to contribute to our ongoing efforts to improve the overall fan experience.”

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca has been operated since its inception by the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP), a not-for-profit 501(c)4 corporation. Because of this status, investment capital cannot be used to improve facilities, SCRAMP must call on those who benefit from and most appreciate the value of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to come forward and ensure that facilities are built and improved upon. The Laguna Seca Raceway Fund is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation that helps finance improvements at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca through private donations.

To assist with this special ongoing donation, with proceeds going to the Laguna Seca Raceway Fund, log on to StriderBikes.com and enter the code KIDSLSR during check out. Strider will contribute $15 from each purchase to the fund for every online purchase and free shipping will be provided.
http://www.mazdaraceway.com/press-release/help-striderr-donate-laguna-seca-raceway-fund

The racing season returns to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

 The racing season returns to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Thursday as the American Le Mans Series gets started in preparation for Saturday’s main event.

The winning teams from all five classes of last year’s race will be back on the track to defend their titles. Muscle Milk Pickett Racing in P1, Level 5 Motorsports in P2, Corvette Racing in GT, CORE Autosport in PC and TRG in GTC. Of those, three have the same driver pairings as a year ago — Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing, Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner for Corvette Racing and CORE Autosport’s Jon Bennett and Colin Braun.

Among the new entries into the race will be DeltaWing Racing Cars. The team is in its first full season in the American Le Mans Series, competing in the top flight P1 prototype class. The open-top DeltaWing premiered in 2012 at two races — the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in October, where it finished in fifth place overall.

“It will be a real treat for fans to see this radically-designed vehicle attack such a technical track,” said Gill Campbell, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca CEO/general manager in a news release. “I think The Corkscrew turn will prove to be a very interesting test for the DeltaWing.”

The action gets started on Thursday with practices and test sessions. The four-hour main event takes place on Saturday, starting at 3:30 p.m.
http://www.montereyherald.com/sports/ci_23204903/american-le-mans-racing-heads-laguna-seca

Dyson Racing Debuts of updated engine at Monterey

Dyson Racing Debuts of updated engine at Monterey

Dyson Racing retired early from the American Le Mans Monterey race here at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca today with fuel pressure problems. The team tried a number of times to fix the problem in the pits and back in the garage, but #16 Thetford/RACER Mazda Lola of Chris Dyson and Guy Smith retired two and a half hours into the four-hour race.

Success in racing only comes from constant advancement but progress is not always linear. The team was running the new AER-developed Mazda P90 engine for the first time in a race. The evolution of the P80 engine features gasoline direct injection. The engine produced strong results in testing prior to the race and Guy Smith qualified second in a competitive session that saw half a second cover the first three cars.

“The P90 delivers more horsepower, more torque, better drivability and better fuel economy. It is a responsive engine with all the inherent benefits that gasoline direct injection gives you,” said Andrew Saunders, Engineering Manager of Advanced Engine Research. “The fueling commands from the ECU are instantaneous and that carries more benefits for a restricted turbo charged engine than it does for any other engine application. In a GDI turbo engine, the fuel cuts you make are as instantaneous as the spark cuts which bring you on a more level playing field with normally aspirated engines. This is very good for traction control and all the drivability events you need on track.”

“The engine and hardware and electronics will go back to England, be put on the dyno test bed, and we will establish the root cause of today’s problem,” said Chris Dyson. “We are known for being independent and not running off the rack race cars. Historially, Dyson Racing has been about pushing the envelope and never standing still. We made a big step forward this weekend in pace and will further that with more testing before Lime Rock.”

“We have always prided ourselves on running equipment that other people do not have,” added team principal Rob Dyson. “There are plusses and minuses to that but we prefer to have control over our racing destiny and develop our own equipment. Our engine and chassis combination is unique in the world. In a racing world that is going more and more down the restrictive path of spec racing, we prefer to give race fans the excitement of the latest technology.”

*From team media release
http://www.sportscarillustrated.com/News_2013/G/news13G_0672.html

Luhr and Graf take second straight ALMS race at Monterey, Calif.

Luhr and Graf take second straight ALMS race at Monterey, Calif.

Published May 11, 2013

Associated Press

MONTEREY, Calif. –  Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf won for the second straight year in the American Le Mans Series at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday.

Luhr became series career leader in victories with 43, and he and Graf are the first drivers to repeat at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca since 2007.

Luhr took advantage of a daring move at the downhill Corkscrew in his No. 6 Honda Performance Development ARX-03a and a late-race puncture for Rebellion Racing’s Neel Jani to win the American Le Mans Monterey.

Luhr won by 6.352 seconds thanks to a late-race caution and a one-lap dash to the finish.

Corvette Racing’s Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia won a close GT race, with the first five cars finishing within 3 seconds.

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2013/05/11/luhr-and-graf-take-second-straight-alms-race-at-monterey-calif/#ixzz2TrzH0Jhg

Pro Mazda driver Jose Gutierrez will turn his first laps with Juncos Racing in the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires

 Pro Mazda driver Jose Gutierrez will turn his first laps with Juncos Racing in the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires on Thursday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, at the series’ official test. Gutierrez will run a limited race schedule this season with Juncos Racing including Mid-Ohio in August and the newly added street course in Houston, Texas this October.

The young Mexican, Gutierrez, 16, recently made his debut in the Pro Mazda Championship at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, finishing in the top 10 in both races. Gutierrez, a third-generation racer, began competing in karts at the age of four. Highlights from his career include winning the Rotax Mini Max Championship, the Mexican Grand National Championship, and winning the 2010 Martiga Driver Development School Shootout in Rotax karts.

“I’m very happy to join Juncos Racing as I begin my Pro Mazda career,” said Gutierrez. “The team has proven their success in working with young drivers as myself, and I know that with them I will have the best opportunity to come into the series and fight with the leaders. This year we are only doing a limited schedule and focusing mostly on getting up to speed and learning as much as possible, so we can come back next year and be fast straight out of the box. I can’t wait until I get behind the wheel of the Juncos Racing car and do my first laps around Mid-Ohio!”

“I’m excited to test Jose this week and see his potential as a young driver,” said team owner Ricardo Juncos. “We will get the chance to run him at Mid-Ohio and Houston this season in the Pro Mazda Championship. As with all of my drivers, I look forward to building Jose’s race skills on and off the track to take him through the Mazda Road to Indy ladder. I want to thank Jose and family for joining Juncos Racing!”

The Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires races next on its first oval of the season May 25 at Lucas Oil Raceway (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park).
http://www.i4u.com/2013/05/mid-ohio-sports-car-course/juncos-gutierrez-program-pro-mazda-expands

DeltaWing Racing Cars has put two successful tests under its belt since its last race at Sebring, and heads to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

DeltaWing Racing Cars has put two successful tests under its belt since its last race at Sebring, and heads to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend with renewed confidence and a different driver lineup.

For the four-hour American Le Mans Series Monterey, Katherine Legge makes her race debut both with the team and in the ALMS, joining Andy Meyrick aboard the No. 0 DeltaWing powered by Élan, with Bridgestone tires.

The team completed more than 100 laps at Roebling Road Raceway in Savannah, Ga. on April 30, with additional testing done at Buttonwillow Raceway in California on Monday.

“I’m delighted that in such a short period of time after Sebring, that we were able to improve the new engine that we developed,” said Don Panoz, managing partner, DeltaWing Racing Cars. “I can see we’ve fixed some of the gremlins, and the car ran for more than 100 laps at Roebling Road. We were also able to test a new cooling system and packaging for the engine.”

Although this marks the first start for the DeltaWing in Monterey, both Meyrick and Legge have experience at the 2.238-mile road course in Northern California. The goal for the drivers and team this week is to continue development of the revolutionary project and finish the race, after acquiring a substantial amount of data from the tests.

“The last time I was at Laguna Seca was in 2010 with Dyson Racing when we finished on the podium,” said Meyrick. “Obviously, our aspirations for this race are more modest than that. We head to Monterey with the aim of finishing the race, gathering lots of data and showing the potential that the car has to offer.”

Legge has performed the bulk of the testing work heading into Monterey. Her test day at Roebling Road was a major confidence boost.

“It was my first full day of testing I’ve had in years!” said Legge. “But the DeltaWing ran really well all day. We’ve made a lot of progress. It was so great for me to work and interact with the guys, for them to see what I’m like as a driver for me to see how they are like. It’s really a positive environment and when it came to driving the car, we’re going in a good direction.”

Coming from open-wheel racing, where Legge last raced in IndyCar in 2012, she found the transition to the DeltaWing to be fairly smooth. She explained that the high-downforce nature of Mazda Raceway, where handling and cornering take precedence on setup over straight-line speed, the DeltaWing should react well.

“I think this car will handle very favorably at Mazda Raceway,” said Legge. “It is such a high downforce circuit. Plus elevation changes are a big deal, and we did have the chance to test at Road Atlanta, which is similar.”

Legge has sports car experience in Europe, in the DTM series, but last performed driver changes in the 2007 24 Hours of Daytona. She and Meyrick will work together to perfect those changes this week.

The American Le Mans Series Monterey airs Sunday, May 12, at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Qualifying and the race will both be live streamed on ESPN3. Qualifying is live, Friday, May 10, at 7:45 p.m. ET (P1 qualifying gets going at 8:40 p.m. ET), and the race is live Saturday, May 11, at 6:15 p.m. ET.
http://www.endurance-info.com/version2/news-focus-17916.html