Mazda SKYACTIV-D CLEAN DIESEL Engine for 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans




• Dempsey Racing planning to be first customer for new engine.


Le Mans, France, 16 June 2012.

Mazda Motorsports today announced that it will sell racing versions of its new SKYACTIV-D CLEAN DIESEL engines to teams competing in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class of racing’s greatest endurance challenge – the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Le Mans engine program will make its debut at the 2013 running of the race. Mazda was the first – and to this day, remains the only – Asian manufacturer to score an overall win at the race, in 1991.
“This reopens our love affair with Le Mans,” said Jay Amestoy, Vice President of Mazda Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). “In 1991 we made history, winning with rotary technology. Now we’re looking to return to the winner’s circle with what we believe will be the most advanced and cleanest production-based powerplant the sport has ever seen. We’ll do it in current Mazda style, with engines being available for sale to European and U.S. customers competing in the LMP2 class for both the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).”
The engines are being developed jointly by Mazda Motor Corporation, Mazda North American Operations and SpeedSource Race Engineering. Dyno testing has already begun and on-track testing begins in late 2012.

The engines will be stock-block Mazda SKYACTIV-D 2.2-liter diesel four-cylinder, dual-stage turbocharged powerplants. According to John Doonan, MNAO’s Director of Mazda Motorsports, “will deliver outstanding performance and fuel economy coupled with the kind of quality, durability and reliability needed to produce great street cars and win endurance races.”

Mr. Masahiro Moro, Executive Officer in charge of global sales and marketing of Mazda Motor Corporation, made the following comment: "Mazda has fostered the culture of 'never stop challenging.' And it was this spirit that drove us through 18 consecutive years of racing at Le Mans, until we finally triumphed in 1991. In fact, it is this same spirit that laid the foundation for the portfolio of SKYACTIV Technologies. This was realized thanks to a number of technological breakthroughs. I am pleased that we will be supporting our private customers who are taking up the Le Mans challenge by supplying race engines as a customer-program based on our SKYACTIV-D CLEAN DIESEL."
Dempsey Racing planning to be first SKYACTIV-D customer
Planning and preparations continue for Dempsey Racing to become the first LMP2 customer for the Mazda SKYACTIV-D racing powerplant. Dempsey Racing is co-owned by racer/actor Patrick Dempsey.

Dempsey Racing has been racing Mazda RX-8s in the GRAND-AM GT class since 2007 with their highlight being a podium finish at the 2011 Rolex 24 at Daytona. The team has steadily improved their on-track performance since their arrival in the series, and was a key contributor to Mazda winning the 2010 GRAND-AM GT Manufacturers Championship. With support from several partners such as VISITFLORIDA.com, Dempsey Racing expanded their operation this year to include a team running in the American Le Mans Series, and is competing in both the Prototype Challenge (LMPC) and Prototype 2 (LMP2) classes as they prepare for their Le Mans effort. In fact both team owner Dempsey and co-driver Joe Foster are currently testing their LMP2 car in Virginia as the rest of the sports car world focuses on the 80th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend.

Patrick Dempsey and his business partner/co-driver Joe Foster have both competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as drivers in the GT category, and are eager to return in 2013, this time in the LMP2 class and with Mazda SKYACTIV-D clean diesel-power.

Patrick Dempsey comments “Our long-term partnership with Mazda has been fantastic, and we look forward to mutual success as we prepare for 2013. We are focused on that preparation which is why we are currently testing our LMP2 car here in the US in preparation for the next ALMS event. Our team and partners are excited to be associated with SKYACTIV-D technology and the cutting-edge green technology it represents."

 

And the engine....again.

 

love it. nuff said

 

I don't care if it's not a rotary. That is pure sex!

 

So when are they going to put it in the next sports car? Including turbo.

 

+1

 

Someone here in EU have some doubt about the reliability of a street-derived 2.2 Inline-4 engine if pushed over 400hp (a Zytek-Nissan LMP2 is rated @ 450 hp)

we 'll see...

 

The internet experts are already forming opinions.

 

What are the power numbers of this engine in race form?

 

put this engine in the Furai, then sell it to the public.

 

The Furai burned so that's going to be a bit difficult.

 

SpeedSource said they are targeting 400

 

400hp? Why not?

if someone can push 350 on a K20A, I don't see how hard it will be to go 400 on that sucker.

 

is not so easy...black exhaust smoke is NOT allowed in races...the first problem is not mainly reliability, but exhaust gas treatment...

 

There were bits of smoke here and there from the Audi and Peugeot cars in the past. I don't think we should really be questioning an engine that none of us here has ever seen. At least not until we see it in anything more than pictures. If they are planning to run stock block engines in a long race then they probably designed it to be strong enough to do so. In an endurance series the first issue is always reliability. Ask Toyota how they did this year.

 

this is sure, RG...

my post is only for remark that a 400hp-capable 2.2 diesel derived from a street block is not so easy to obtain..is a quite big challenge.

I've seen Masahiro Moro on press conference in LM...R&D of Japan is necessary involved IMHO...

 

This turbo diesel race project by Mazda has been in the works for years. Ask me how I know but I will not tell . Sometimes sealed lips are the best thing for everyone.

Paul.

 

U better tell us what you know, I mean EVERYTHING ! or ELSE ! ...

...

...

wait for it ...

PLEASE?

 

well, they will not just push the engine out to race without making sure that it "works" out of box ... crate I mean.

and in an endurance race, I think the first think u need to pay attention to is reliability ---- if u can't make it to the finish line, what's the point ?

 

BTW...

Seems that another customer (after Dempsey "engagement" ) is also interested..

citation:
In addition to Dempsey Racing, Status GP, co-owned by former Mazda driver David Kennedy, is also in negotiations to run the new diesel powerplant in 2013.


source:

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...-debrief-lm24/

 

John Doonan from MSM talks....Q & A

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...h-john-doonan/

 

So where's the marketing for the new sports car with this engins.

Several thousand people would wait in place of buying a Toyota Subaru

 

Obviously the engine would be toned down, but this diesel technology needs to get into Mazda's production cars asap...and definitely into a sports car/coupe.

 

because the ft-86 is pretty sick.

if i don't have so many cars I might get one.

its already in production,just not the northamericamarket.