Mazda has disclosed its RT24-P race car at the Los Angeles Auto Show that Testament race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Title.
It will make its racing debut at the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona in previous January and compete under Daytona First international (Dpi) rules in the Prototype class, the top storey of the championship.
Like its passenger car range, the Mazda RT24-P earmark an iteration of the brand’s KODO design, including the smooth body contours and five-point Mazda grate.
“KODO design is at the heart of any vehicle that carries a Mazda Emblem, and that is very evident in the design of the 2017 First,” said Ken Saward, senior manager of Pattern at Mazda Design Americas, which subside under the Mazda North American Functioning umbrella.
“We considered the two main parameters of conniving a successful race car for this series: streamlined performance and the new-for-2017 technical regulations.
“Working with Multimatic’s aerodynamicist and planner, we discovered that applying the KODO imitation philosophy to the surfaces and the silhouette of the car enabled us to contrive a dynamic, purposeful-looking design and a as well aerodynamically efficient one.”
The Mazda RT24-P is powered by a 2.0-l inline four-cylinder engine producing some 441kW which raced in the 2016 IMSA flavor.
The two-car Mazda Prototype factory race bunch will be managed by Florida-based SpeedSource Competition Engineering. The driver line-up includes Jonathan Bomarito, Tom Drawn out, Joel Miller and Tristan Nunez.
Bomarito has raced in distinct open wheel categories, and is a USF2000 and Mazda Ocean Series race winner. He also won the ROLEX 24 and was the G Am Series Rookie of the Year – driving a Mazda RX-8 – in 2010.
Yearn has raced in the Spec Miata Championship, was the 2005 MX-5 Miata Cup Sensation, and gave valuable feedback in the development of the 2016 Mazda Globular MX-5 Cup car.
Miller has a degree in engineering, has raced USF2000 and is Pro Mazda run winner, while Nunez has driven a Mazda6 in the Thousand Am GX and is a Mazda Prototype Lites Champion.
