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MRnewsBot
01-07-2014, 09:59 AM
Mazda Reveals Diesel Prototype For 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship


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BY Viknesh Vijayenthiran

Having teased us with an initial photo late last year, Mazda has now released full details on its diesel-powered prototype that’s set to compete in the new TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, which gets underway with the Rolex 24 at Daytona running from January 25 to 26.

Mazda plans to field two of the prototypes, with the driver lineup being made up of the four drivers who helped deliver the 2013 Grand-Am GX Manufacturers Championship for Mazda using the previous 6-based diesel racer. Sylvain Tremblay and Tom Long will share the #70 car while Joel Miller and Tristan Nunez will co-pilot the #07 (additional drivers for the Rolex 24 at Daytona will be announced soon).

Mazda’s objective is to promote its new SkyActiv technology to both hardcore racing fans and the mainstream public. It will be the only team to field a diesel-powered car in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, with the engine found in the two prototypes sharing 51 percent of its parts with the stock SkyActiv-D diesel engine offered overseas and eventually due here.

Like the production engine, the race engine displaces 2.2 liters and features a turbocharger. Peak output registers at a heady--for a diesel--450 horsepower and 580 pound-feet of torque. The turbocharger comes from Garrett Motorsports while the engine's internals come from brands like Mahle, Carillo and Pankl. SpeedSource Race Engineering was responsible for a number of ancillary items.

The transmission is an Xtrac six-speed sequential unit with paddle shifters. Drive goes to the rear wheels only. The chassis is a carbon fiber monocoque and total weight, without the driver or fuel, is 1,984 pounds.

Initial testing has shown that the prototype can hit a top speed of approximately 186 mph. Stopping power comes from AP carbon drilled discs, which reside within Motegi forged aluminum wheels shod with Continental Extreme Contact tires.