B-K Lola-Mazda Breaks Cover for Shakedown
03-08-2007 | 12:55 PM
#1
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B-K Lola-Mazda Breaks Cover for Shakedown
B-K LOLA-MAZDA BREAKS COVER FOR SHAKEDOWN
The new Mazda-powered Lola for B-K Motorsports is on its way to Sebring following a Sunday shakedown at Snetterton in the eastern UK. The Wisconsin-based LMP2 team completed 26 laps in soggy conditions before the car was packed up and shipped to the U.S. for next week's Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the opening race for the American Le Mans Series.
B-K Motorsports is entering its third season of Series competition, all coming in P2. Following its debut at Road Atlanta in 2005, the team won its first race in LMP2 at Mid-Ohio. Jamie Bach and Ben Devlin will pilot the Lola-Mazda for the full 12-race championship and will be joined by Rafael Matos at Sebring and Petit Le Mans.
The car will be on Kumho tires and utilize the new Mazda MZR-R four cylinder turbo engine.
The new Mazda-powered Lola for B-K Motorsports is on its way to Sebring following a Sunday shakedown at Snetterton in the eastern UK. The Wisconsin-based LMP2 team completed 26 laps in soggy conditions before the car was packed up and shipped to the U.S. for next week's Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the opening race for the American Le Mans Series.
B-K Motorsports is entering its third season of Series competition, all coming in P2. Following its debut at Road Atlanta in 2005, the team won its first race in LMP2 at Mid-Ohio. Jamie Bach and Ben Devlin will pilot the Lola-Mazda for the full 12-race championship and will be joined by Rafael Matos at Sebring and Petit Le Mans.
The car will be on Kumho tires and utilize the new Mazda MZR-R four cylinder turbo engine.
03-08-2007 | 01:11 PM
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Pocket Sand
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From: Ask Rusty Shackleford.
4 cylinder turbo engine? they're ogign to use the DISI mazdaspeed motor eh..i thought they were goign to continue to run a 20B 3-rotor.
thanks for the news gaijin, need to look into this more (i'm a big mazda fan
)
thanks for the news gaijin, need to look into this more (i'm a big mazda fan
)
03-08-2007 | 06:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Bryan Watts
The motor is built from the ground up by AER and only carries the Mazda name.
It is still a Mazda engine and not just stamped with the manufacturer's brand.
LMP2 tech rules for prototype racing does not place restrictions to cylinder heads, camshaft location and valve angles. It gives the engine manufacturer and its R&D arm more possibilities to re-engineer and reconfigure an engine.
There are no regulations requiring engine design disclosures.
Mazda didn't have to use a Mazda-based production engine but they elected to do so. Their engine is closely related to the street Mazda engines and non-rotary engines you'll find in other race applications.
Unlike Acura and Porsche (Acura has HPD) and Porsche (Weissach), Mazda is a much smaller auto manufacturer without an R&D equal to the prowess of the later auto makers. Hence, Mazda elected to use AER for their R&D.
The only limit imposed on the LMP2's are engine size up to 3.4L V8.
03-08-2007 | 09:22 PM
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Drifting
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From: Charlotte, NC
Originally Posted by gaijin
The new Mazda engine was raced-optimized by AER, a specialist in the small displacement turbo engines, under contract from Mazda.
It is still a Mazda engine and not just stamped with the manufacturer's brand.
It is still a Mazda engine and not just stamped with the manufacturer's brand.
MAZDASPEED engineers in the U.S. and Japan, in conjunction with U.K. based Advanced Engine Research Ltd (AER), will debut an all-new MZR-R prototype engine at the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring. The new engine, a clean sheet design, is a turbocharged 2.0 liter in-line four cylinder. The performance goals for the engine are 500hp and 400 lb-ft, with the durability to succeed in such grueling races as the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 10-hour Petit Le Mans. The engineering team is working to incorporate the production-based Mazda Direct Injection Spark Ignition (DISI) system into the race motor. The technical collaboration between Mazda and AER has been non-stop in preparation for the season- opener at Sebring.
The article on Mulsanne's Corner seems to indicate that this motor is a totally new design as well:
http://www.mulsannescorner.com/news.html
But by early fall a second RFQ was sent out, this time the 3-rotor was out of the picture supplanted by a small capacity turbo inline-4. Doonan again, “…we all agreed that we would focus our rotary development in Grand-Am GT and STAR MAZDA....and take a new approach (based on how the current rules looked for ALMS P2) and use new technology for 2007.” By October an engine outfit had been chosen and work commenced on a new, from scratch, 2.0 liter turbo, direct injection, inline 4-cylinder engine. “AER simply presented the complete picture of what we were asking for in the Request for Quotation process.”
According to AER’s Mike Lancaster, the new Mazda MZR-R engine wasn’t something already on AER’s drawing boards that Mazda laid claim to, “The MZR-R is totally new. It uses no parts from the P07 engine at all.” The MZR-R will run a direct injection system sourced from Mazda’s production car line and which can be found in the Mazda6, CX-7, and Mazda3. “When I say production, it will be the exact one used in production vehicles,” says Doonan. Garret by Honeywell is the turbo partner and at this time there are no plans to pursue variable geometry turbos per the allowance in the revised 2007 ACO regulations, “We are simply going to come to the track in LMP 2 with a turbo program which aligns with our (Mazda) philosophy of sharing production based technology.”
According to AER’s Mike Lancaster, the new Mazda MZR-R engine wasn’t something already on AER’s drawing boards that Mazda laid claim to, “The MZR-R is totally new. It uses no parts from the P07 engine at all.” The MZR-R will run a direct injection system sourced from Mazda’s production car line and which can be found in the Mazda6, CX-7, and Mazda3. “When I say production, it will be the exact one used in production vehicles,” says Doonan. Garret by Honeywell is the turbo partner and at this time there are no plans to pursue variable geometry turbos per the allowance in the revised 2007 ACO regulations, “We are simply going to come to the track in LMP 2 with a turbo program which aligns with our (Mazda) philosophy of sharing production based technology.”
03-08-2007 | 09:44 PM
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Drifting
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From: St. Louis
"Unlike Acura and Porsche (Acura has HPD) and Porsche (Weissach), Mazda is a much smaller auto manufacturer without an R&D equal to the prowess of the later auto makers. Hence, Mazda elected to use AER for their R&D."
Smaller than Porsche?
Smaller than Porsche?