Photo: newspressusa.com
We suspect Mazda has tasked its engineers with developing secret attention magnet techology and deployed this at the 2016 L.A. Auto Show. Then again, it might be the bewildering RT24-P racecar that makes it impossible to take your eyes off the Japanese carmaker's booth, which also houses the all-new 2017 CX-5.
Sure, its name might be less than romantic, but the RT24-P's appearance can easily make you weak in the knees. This is Mazda's way of approaching the IMSA's all-new Daytone Prototype international series.
The idea behind the series is to allow automakers to shine on the racetrack without having to turn to the kind of frightening budgets required by the FIA World Endurance Championship.
And, as opposed to what the European LMP2 prototypes, the speed devils duking it out in the North American series will get to wear their own bodyworks instead of comissioning one from a limited number of suppliers.
Mazda has tasked Canadian motorsport partner Multimatic (which has joined forces with U.S. develper Riley) to design a body that represents the brand's current KODO design language and the result is accurate right down to the paint - the hue covering the protoype racer is dubbed Soul Red Crystal, so it's easy to link it to the Soul Red-dressed Mazda in your garage.
Underneath the skin, we find the Multimatic-Riley's new standard chassis. And while the fact that the 2.0-liter turbo-four providing the motivation is a carryover from last season doesn't make the 600 hp heart of the beast less awesome.
We'll get to see how the mix between these elements works on January 26, 2017, when the new IMSA season kicks off at Daytona.
“Mazda has good, long-standing relationships with Riley and Multimatic, and is happy to be the first to test their new chassis. We look forward to seeing it make its racing debut at Daytona with Mazda bodywork and the Mazda MZ-2.0T engine. The strategic vision of IMSA to give auto manufacturers this opportunity to integrate our branding —to better engage our passionate fans— is unique and we’re proud to be the first to unveil what is possible,” said John Doonan, director of Mazda Motorsports North America.
Any initiative that brings racecars closer to what you can find in a showroom deserves a round of applause and with Mazda having now kicked off this offensive, we can't wait to see what the competition has prepared.
The idea behind the series is to allow automakers to shine on the racetrack without having to turn to the kind of frightening budgets required by the FIA World Endurance Championship.
And, as opposed to what the European LMP2 prototypes, the speed devils duking it out in the North American series will get to wear their own bodyworks instead of comissioning one from a limited number of suppliers.
Mazda has tasked Canadian motorsport partner Multimatic (which has joined forces with U.S. develper Riley) to design a body that represents the brand's current KODO design language and the result is accurate right down to the paint - the hue covering the protoype racer is dubbed Soul Red Crystal, so it's easy to link it to the Soul Red-dressed Mazda in your garage.
Underneath the skin, we find the Multimatic-Riley's new standard chassis. And while the fact that the 2.0-liter turbo-four providing the motivation is a carryover from last season doesn't make the 600 hp heart of the beast less awesome.
We'll get to see how the mix between these elements works on January 26, 2017, when the new IMSA season kicks off at Daytona.
“Mazda has good, long-standing relationships with Riley and Multimatic, and is happy to be the first to test their new chassis. We look forward to seeing it make its racing debut at Daytona with Mazda bodywork and the Mazda MZ-2.0T engine. The strategic vision of IMSA to give auto manufacturers this opportunity to integrate our branding —to better engage our passionate fans— is unique and we’re proud to be the first to unveil what is possible,” said John Doonan, director of Mazda Motorsports North America.
Any initiative that brings racecars closer to what you can find in a showroom deserves a round of applause and with Mazda having now kicked off this offensive, we can't wait to see what the competition has prepared.
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