In the UK, endurance racing is big.  All over the world Mazda is big on racing.  So, it is no surprise that Mazda UK is trying their hand at enduro racing with their legendary MX-5.  What was done to the MX-5 to make it ready for British enduro racing?  First off it went on a serious diet.  The MX-5 GT weighs only 1,874lbs! The weight is mostly due to the fact that many of the body panels (including the doors) have been replaced with carbon fiber pieces.  The engine has also been totally reworked to push put 275hp.  The lightweight and significant power allows the MX-5 GT to hit 60mph in just 3 ticks!  Despite all that I have to say my favorite mod is the 6-speed paddle shift transmission! FRESH!

It’s just a shame that the MX-5 GT is exclusive to the UK right now.  I’d love to see Mazda campaign a car like this in time attack or gymkhana.

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Press Release:

Mazda MX-5 GT breaks cover

 

• Mazda MX-5 GT entry into Britcar MSA British Endurance Championship 2011
• Lightweight Mazda MX-5 GT race car to challenge conventional thinking
• Mazda MX-5 GT remains true to its roots but with more power and performance

Mazda is set to challenge Aston Martin, Porsche, Lotus, and BMW on the race track with its lightweight Mazda MX-5 GT entry in the Britcar MSA British Endurance Championship 2011.

Weighing in at just 850kg, the Mazda MX-5 GT race car will accelerate from 0-to-60mph in just three seconds and hit a top speed of 160mph.  The build of the car has been an engineering challenge to get the weight as low as possible using Mazda’s gram strategy as the inspiration. Jota Sport examined every nut and bolt to reduce component weight and then match the power to the weight to give the lightest and most powerful MX-5 ever built.

An important aspect of the build was to ensure the Mazda MX-5 still remains true to its roots: great handling, huge fun-to-drive and the ability to challenge bigger more powerful competition, but at an affordable cost.  The Mazda GT car ticks all those boxes and is now set to demonstrate its challenger spirit on the track.

Jota Sport, the race engineering team that will run the cars in the 2011 series, took 400 hours to build the shell to a specification that ensured it was 17 times stronger than required by the FIA.  During the development they faced a number of engineering challenges such as suspension adjustments, integrating the six speed sequential gearbox, and lowering the engine. Weight saving strategies such as, the removal of interior components, reducing component weight and dipping the shell in acid lost 15kg from the MX-5 race car.

The completed MX-5 GT features a modified Mazda engine to produce 275bhp, a six speed sequential paddle shift gearbox, carbon doors and Polycarbonate windows. On the exterior, the Mazda MX-5 GT boasts a Spirited Green metallic body colour – a first on the MX-5 for Mazda UK – complimented by Jota Sport corporate coloured liveries in orange and grey.

Mazda is renowned for challenging conventions so the motivation to develop a MX-5 GT car comes naturally. It also comes at a time when Mazda has recently celebrated a number of milestones for MX-5 including its 21^st anniversary and producing 900,000 MX-5 units globally since its introduction in 1989, with over 10 percent of global MX-5 sales from Britain.  Meanwhile, the Mazda MX-5 continues to hold the Guinness World Record as the world’s best‑selling roadster – testament to its continued popularity with British open top sports car fans.

The Britcar MSA British Endurance Championship is contested over nine races from March to November including a race at the Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. The first race is a three hour endurance race at Silverstone next weekend, Saturday 26 March 2011, starting at 3.00pm.

This is the fourth time that Mazda has entered Britcar and this year the Mazda MX-5 GT car will be driven by two Mazda works drivers including experienced Mazda racing driver Mark Ticehurst, 39 from Hassocks, West Sussex and Auto Express journalist and racing driver Owen Mildenhall.

“The MX-5 production race car’s modest power output, bullet proof reliability and nimble handling demonstrated last year how the MX-5 can be competitive against some of the purpose-built Lotus, VW and BMW race cars.   With a higher power output combined with the durability, reliability and handling attributes that the MX-5 is renowned for; the MX-5 GT race car will be strong contender against the more powerful race cars in its class,” comments Graeme Fudge, PR Director, Mazda UK.

The Mazda MX-5 GT car, prepared by Tunbridge Wells-based Jota Sport features the mandatory FIA approved safety equipment including a roll cage, race seats and harness, external electric cut-off and fire extinguisher, safety catches on the bonnet and boot lids, competition steering wheel and alloy wheels, while the running gear, rear axle, gearbox and engine have been modified to enhance performance. 

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For the last 5 years Mazda has invited journalists to have lunch and discuss Mazda’s standing in the world of motorsports through their Mazdaspeed brand and activities.  Usually they incorporate a fun event into the luncheon like electric kart racing at K1 or having a special screening of movies like “Driven To Race“.  This year Mazda went all out and roped off a huge area at Hidden Valley park and set up not one but two autocross courses complete with Skip Barber Racing school MX-5 Miata’s, Mazda3′s, and even a full race-spec Mazda2 to thrash!

Also, for the first time since Mazda started the luncheon, drifting was represented at the event with the BMI Racing 4 rotor RX-8, the Bergenholtz Racing/Full Tilt Poker RX-8, and the Kyle Mohan Racing/Nexen Tire RX-8 all on display.  Although, none of the RX-8′s seemed like they were quite ready to rock yet it was nice to see the RX-8′s making an appearance.

Once the first session of autocrossing was over we sat down under the canopy of the Star Mazda racing rig and had a chat with Senior VP of Product Development  Robert Davis on how Mazda is holding up in the uncertain economy and how their progress is still tied to motorsports.  For the most part things seemed to be the status quo for Mazda which is a very good thing in their case.  They haven’t lost market share, the Miata has become the #1 selling roadster in history, they’re still the #1 road raced brand in America, and to date over $75 million worth of Mazdaspeed parts have been sold since 1990.  It’s also worthy to note that this year marks the 20 year anniversary of Mazda’s overall 1991 win at LeMans with the 787 4-rotor race car.  After all this time Mazda is still the only Japanese company to win the event outright!  It was hinted that some special events to celebrate the occasion were in the works but no specifics were revealed.  I’ll try to keep you posted on that!

It was also pointed out that despite the shaky economy Mazda’s motorsports involvement is still going strong.  The Playboy MX-5 Cup is still fiscally one of the most rewarding racing series around with a $250k purse up for grabs (which is more than what you’d get for winning the Ferrari Challenge Series!).  Star Mazda has reached its 21st year of competition which makes it the longest running road-racing series in America and the Mazdaspeed motorsports ladder is going on its 26th year.  That last bit of info led to the news that despite the demise of the Atlantic series throwing things off Mazda maintains their open wheel ladder by being the official partner for the “Road To Indy“.  Which is the path from amateur racing all the way up to Indy Car Series competition.

The next big announcement was Mazdasinvolvement in the new “B-Spec” racing class (sanctioned by NASA) with the Mazda2.  In fact the “race spec” Mazda2 at the autocross course that I mentioned earlier was the very same Mazda2 that ran the B-Spec class at Thunderhill.  Right now they’re current competitionin “B-Spec” class racing is Honda withthe Honda Fit but Mr. Davis said that he would welcome more competition from other manufacturers like GM (likely with the Chevy Aveo).

When the floor was opened up to questions I asked if  B-Spec class racing would be folded into the Mazdaspeed Motorsports ladder. The answer I got from Mr. Davis as well as Alternative Marketing Manager Jim Jordan was that while the B-Spec class wont be an “official” part of the ladder if you win a B-Spec class race in a Mazda2 you will be eligible to compete in the annual Mazdaspeed shoot out which can lead to entrance into one of the Mazdaspeed ladder series.  So in a way B-Spec class racing is something of a foot-stool that can help you get to the ladder.  Looks like I’m going to need to get myself a Mazda2!

Based on what I heard at this year’s lunch, Mazda is going to continue to make a respectable dent in motorsports.  I can’t wait to see how it all turns out!  Thanks to Mazda for the invite and for letting me get behind the wheel of a Skip Barber MX-5!