Motorsports Hype: Mazda6 SKYACTIV-D Race Car Is The First Diesel To Win At Indy Speedway

Before the weekend I told you that Mazda was making history by bringing the first diesel-fueled race car to the Indianapolis Motorspeedway in 62 years.  Well over the weekend Mazda officially made history by becoming the first diesel-fueled car to WIN an event at the Indy speedway!  Yes the Mazda6 SKYACTIV-D race car took on all challengers in the GX class and came out on top!  Congrats to Mazda for making motorsports history, again!

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Press Release:

The win was the fifth in a row for the all-new Mazda6, and moves it ahead of Porsche after eight of 12 races in the GX manufacturers championship race.  As has been the case all year long, it was a three car battle between Mazda and Porsche, with both brands leading at times.  Eventual winner Sylvain Tremblay took the lead with 47 laps remaining in the three hour race, and was never headed.

The Indy race also was the third and final round of the Grand-Am North America Endurance Championship, the first two rounds having been the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Sahlen’s Six Hour at Watkins Glen.  The SpeedSource Mazda won the team championship for the GX class.

This was only the second year that sports cars have been a featured race at the track most noted for the famed Indianapolis 500.  The track has had wide variety of powertrain configurations and technologies compete, but never before had a diesel engine won at Indy.  The most recent diesel to compete was the Cummins Engine Special, which won the pole for the Indy 500 in 1952. 

The SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel engine in the all-new Mazda6 is a true production-based engine.  The engine is 51 percent stock by parts count, and 63 percent stock by weight.  Mazda chose this path as it is the most honest way to demonstrate the quality, durability, and reliability of Mazda cars.

Quotes:

John Doonan, Motorsports Director, Mazda North American Operations: “We made  history today, both for Mazda and for SKYACTIV Clean Diesel Technology.  While this is our fifth win of the season, and fifth in a row, it is by far the biggest win to date.  To win at Indy is every racer’s dream, and that dream came true for Mazda  here today.  So many people at Mazda in the U.S. and Japan, working hand-in-hand with the amazing SpeedSource team, have never stopped making progress in this program.  We also are grateful for our partners at Castrol, ModSpace and VISIT FLORIDA, all of whom have  contributed to our success.”

Sylvain Tremblay, Owner/Driver/Engineer, SpeedSource Engineering: “We were just trying to stay out of the way of the DP cars, and ended up on the marbles and almost kissed the concrete, but ended up kissing the bricks.  It was not an easy day, but the team remained focused and we came through for the win.  To score the first ever win for a diesel at Indy, in our first year with the program, speaks volumes for Mazda and our team.”

Tom Long, Co-Driver #70 Mazda6: “The race with our SKYACTIV-D Mazda6 was certainly exciting, and the SpeedSource team worked so hard to persevere. It’s an incredible experience to share this first victory at Indy with Mazda and the entire team. The tradition of ‘kissing the bricks’ will be a memory I will never forget.”

2013 Grand-Am GX Point Standings after eight of 12 races:

Manufacturers:

1              Porsche                                                     267

2              Mazda                                                       265

Teams:

1      BGB Motorsports (Porsche #38)                    260     

2      SpeedSource (Mazda #00)                            252

3      SpeedSource (Mazda #70)                            250     

Drivers

1              Jim Norman (#38)                                    265     

2              Joel Miller (#00)                                        252

3              Tom Long/Sylvain Tremblay (#70)           250                 

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 world’s largest spec class with over 2,500 cars built.  In 2006 Mazda Motorsports established the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder to assist racers in moving up through the ranks.  In 2010 this was expanded to include the Mazda Road to Indy.  Key to Mazda’s 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 Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

(INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.) Over the past four decades, Mazda has scored hundreds of race wins at tracks across the county, and around the world.  But until today, Mazda did not have a win at what is perhaps the most famous racetrack in the world, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  That box has now been checked.  In the Grand-Am Brickyard Grand Prix, the #70 SpeedSource Castrol Edge Mazda6 SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel scored the GX class win.