Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA
Preview

Mazda6 SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel cars to tackle Thunderhill 25-hour

Mazda factory team to challenge dealers at legendary endurance race.

Mazda presents 25 Hours of Thunderhill entries

Mazda presents 25 Hours of Thunderhill entries

Mazda North American Operations

December 3, 2013 (IRVINE, Calif.) — There have always been rivalries: Yankees versus Red Sox. Beta versus VHS. Coke versus Pepsi. Tom versus Jerry. In the automotive retail world, that rivalry is Factory Guys versus Dealers. To finally put to bed who’s faster, Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) has thrown down the gauntlet, entering three specially modified-for-racing 2014 Mazda6s in the longest endurance race in America, the National Auto Sport Association (NASA)’s US Air Force 25 Hours of Thunderhill.

Taking place on December 7 and 8, 2013, at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, Calif., the twice-around-the-clock-plus-an-hour race pits two teams of Mazda dealers against one team of MNAO employees, along with nearly 80 other teams participating in the event, for massive bragging rights.

“Mazda is a small company, but what has always stood us apart from our competition is that we are a car company full of real car people,” said Robert Davis, MNAO Senior Vice President, US Operations. “Given that we have less than 600 employees and about the same number of dealers around the country, we have a disproportionately large number of employees and dealers who have competition licenses and are real racers. These people spend their weekdays working with cars professionally, just to spend the weekend working with cars as their hobby. To finally put to bed the age-old question of who’s faster, dealers or factory guys, it’s finally time to cut the conversation and put everyone’s talent where their mouth is.”

The three Mazda teams will race brand-new 2014 Mazda6 SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel racecars. These are not the same SpeedSource cars that won the 2013 Grand-Am GX Manufacturers Championship -- these are far-more production-based. Working on nights and weekends over the past three months, an all-volunteer Mazda employee team transformed three brand-new European-specification Mazda6s into racecars ready to contest the event in NASA’s E1 class.

Mechanically, the cars remain nearly stock, but the interiors were removed to accommodate an Anthony Woodford Racing roll-cage, a Sparco Pro-ADV racing seat , Safecraft racing seatbelts and plumbed-in fire systems and AIM MXL Pista dashes and data acquisition. Under the skin, the SKYACTIV-D diesel engine (which is fueled by Dynamic Fuels’ unique diesel blend) and six-speed manual SKYACTIV-MT transmission put their power to the ground through custom-designed ProParts USA suspension utilizing Koni dampers and Hypercoil springs, and custom ProParts rear stabilizer bars. Connecting all this to the track are 17x8” Enkei Kojin wheels wrapped in 245/40R-17 BFGoodrich g-Force R1 tires. And when it comes time to slow down, the experts at StopTech delivered their four-piston STR-40 calipers and AeroRotors, backed by custom braided lines.

On the driving side, representing the Dealers in cars 55 and 56 will be Richard Fisher (The Autobarn Mazda, Evanston, IL), Joel Weinberger (Continental Motors, Naperville, IL), Taz Harvey (Dublin Mazda, Tracy Mazda, Dublin/Tracy, CA), Chris Wilson (CJ Wilson Mazda, Countryside, IL), John Finger (John Finger Mazda, Greenville, SC) and Taylor Hacquard (Wolfe Mazda, Chilliwack/Surrey, BC, Canada).

The Factory Guys will be in car 70, represented by Randy Miller (Mazda R&D), Ken Saward (Mazda Design), Dave Coleman (Mazda R&D), Nathan Edmonds (Mazda Technical Services), Mike Allen (Mazda Motorsports) and Jason Meise (Mazda Gulf Region).

Mazda

The three Mazda6s will line up alongside 70 other cars competing in six different classes, as well as 13 other Mazdas. This race, now in its 11th year, attracts an extremely diverse entry list of teams, cars, and drivers, ranging from professionals to club racers, and from Mazda Miatas to Porsche GT3 Cup cars.

The action will be streamed live for all 25 hours from inside the Mazda6s at be www.MazdaUSA.com\ThunderHillLIVE. Additional live coverage will be posted to the Mazda Motorsports Facebook page, and via the Mazda Racing Twitter account.

About Mazda Motorsports

Mazda is the number-one brand for road-racers across North America among both club racers and professionals. Thousands of Mazda powered grassroots racers compete in various classes with the SCCA and NASA highlighted by Spec Miata, the world’s largest spec class with over 2,500 cars built. In 2006 Mazda Motorsports established the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder to assist racers in moving up through the ranks. In 2010 this was expanded to include the Mazda Road to Indy. Key to Mazda’s success is strategic partnerships with the Skip Barber Racing School and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Consumer information can be found at www.MazdaUSA.com, with press information at www.MazdaUSAmedia.com. Racers and fans can follow the action on Facebook (Mazda Motorsports).

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article 25 Hours of Thunderhill brings out the stars
Next article Rob Huff takes on the 25 Hours of Thunderhill in ‘The Golden State’

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA