Mazda to participate in the “Le Mans into the Future” Event

Leverkusen, 31 May 2010.

Mazda Motor Corporation is returning to this year’s 24 Hour of Le Mans, which it won in 1991 in the first and only rotary-engine race car, with another revolutionary vehicle. The Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE sports coupe will be on hand as a demonstration vehicle in the “Le Mans vers le future” (Le Mans into the Future) event.

In a nod to its memorable victory in 1991, the driver of the RX-8 will be Yojiro Terada, a veteran pilot who has participated in 29 endurance races at Le Mans, including 16 with Mazda, and of course as a member of the official team that took the podium 19 years ago.

The “Le Mans into the Future” event is a first for the race, and will present several vehicles using alternative powertrains (electric, hybrid, natural gas or hydrogen fuel). The Mazda coupe RX-8 Hydrogen RE is fitted with a dual-fuel (petrol/hydrogen) rotary engine that is especially efficient at burning zero-emissions hydrogen. It is currently available for lease in Japan and Norway.

The demonstration of the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE is scheduled for Saturday, 12 June, at 12h10. Starting at 12h30 the cars will be exhibited to the public in Paddock H, opposite the Village.

 

I hope that this thing will be a prelude of a serious LM program by Mazda...

the MZR-R program today is at a dead point IMHO...

 

Go Mazda go ! I would be satisfied if they just finish without a failure in this race, a win would definitevly be awesome for Mazda

 

Yes the MZR is a complete failure.

I hope someday will get to see another rotary race car be in the Le Mans series again.

 

The article just said it was a demonstration vehicle--it didn't sound like it was actually going to compete.

 

I read in my county's newspaper that they will actually compete with that, but who know's, even they make mistakes

 

According to MZ-Racing's article, they're going to do 2 laps and then be on display for the race.

 

Let's see what are the options for a future Mazda race car? Have a hydrogen rotary that makes half the horsepower it should and gets it *** handed to it, but is reliable or keep the MZR-R engine which makes great power but can't finish a race. Hmmm. Either way you finish last so I don't see the difference.

If they want to stick to a piston engine, they need to switch to another engine company. Keep in mind they won when they did everything in house and they have had no luck since relying on others. A rotary option would have to be 16X based and turbocharged to stand any chance at all. The old rotary as we have known it has finally been passed technologically by the rest. It is a 30 year old race engine though. In race car years, at only 3 years you are nearly obsolete.