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Mazdas Racing Around the World

Around this time last year I reported on people racing Mazdas around the planet, and wanted revisit the topic and give everyone an update on some of the cool things Mazdas are doing.

Mazda MPS 3

This year from April 5th to April 10th 2011 was the Targa Tasmania rally. If you are not familiar with the event, different classes of cars race on public roads which are closed on the island of Tasmania to see who is fastest. The event spans 5 days of competition so it is an endurance race as well as a test of drivers and navigators. Mazda has been a competitor in the Targa Tasmania for many years, gunning for the top positions. This year Mazda entered several Mazda 3 MPS (Mazdaspeed 3 for North America) in the showroom class and RX-8 SPs in the modern class.

One of the Mazda MPS 3s, driven by Reeves and Smyth finished first in showroom classification and 4th overall. This is an impressive feat considering that there were many cars with more power in the modern classification group (the fastest cars). There were 5 Subaru WRX STIs, several Nissan GTRs of various generations, a Lamborghini Gallardo, Corvette Z06s, and more behind the MPS 3 at the end of the event.
The highest placing RX-8 finished 5th overall in the modern class. They experienced some technical problems and other challenges which kept them from being higher in the standings.

Mazda RX-8 SP

Our good friends at Knightsport in Japan competed in the Macao Grand Prix in the road sport challenge. Knightsport’s team worked hard on the RX-8 to get more power and improve the car in other areas to really be competitive.

Knightsport's RX-8 Gran Prix Racer

In last year’s event their driver Tanigawa placed 2nd in the race. Unfortunately this year an errant Nissan GTR made contact with the Knighsports RX-8 causing enough damage to take the car out of the race. Yes there is an Rx8 in the middle of the GTR and EVO sandwich in the picture below.

Mazda RX-8 gets smashed

Yau (the GTR driver) said Tanigawa should apologize for the incident and the contact between the two cars. Yau was fined by the racing sanctioning body despite his protests about the fault of the collision. The Nissan driver retired 5 cars with his skillful driving.

Want to see the RX-8 in action? Check out the in car footage shot from the Knightsport RX-8 during qualifying here.

The last team I wanted to show is the Van Herck Mazda 3. Van Herck had been racing a Mazda RX-7 for years and decided to build a new car to compete with in the Belgium Touring Car Championship. They started with a Mazda 3, converted it to rear wheel drive, and powered it with a 450whp 20B and a sequential 6 speed gearbox.

Garage Van Herck 20B Mazda 3 Race car

In the first event the Mazda 3 was in position to win when the car stopped on the track for no apparent reason. Back in the pits the problem was chased down to a fuel cooling problem which the team is working to resolve for the next round of racing. After the event all of the other competitors stopped by the pits of Van Herck to check out the car. Most were really surprised at the speed of the Mazda 3.

Garage Van Herck 20B Mazda 3 Race Car

You can see video of the Mazda 3 during some practice sessions here.

I will be re-visiting the progress of the Van Herck Mazda 3 when the season finishes along with some more Mazda racing action again later this year.

– Derrick

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PRESS RELEASE MADNESS: FOUR PRODUCTS; ONE POST!

CorkSport Banjo Bolt 1986-1995 RX-7 & 2004-2011 RX-8

CorkSport Banjo Bolt 1986-1995 RX-7 & 2004-2011 RX-8

The basis behind this part is rather simple. A rotary engine relies on the external oil coolers to keep engine temperatures down. The CorkSport Banjo Bolt is made with an 1/8″ NPT fitting on the end to enable you to install a sensor for either an oil pressure or oil temperature gauge. The idea for this part originated from a customer who didn’t like the look for function of current oil filter adapter plates. Many aftermarket oil gauge adapter plates cause interference with intercooler piping and are an unattractive mess.

Features:
We start with a solid steel 23mm hex bar stock. The ends are turned, tapped, and threaded using a CNC lathe, and the middle is finished with offset oil passages to improve oil flow. Finally, the banjo bolt is run through a deburring process, cleaned in an acid bath, and yellow zinc coated for years of hassle-free use. From us, the end is fitted with an 1/8″ NPT fitting (with plug in case you ever need to remove the gauge sender, or are waiting to buy one) that utilizes a straight-through design to ensure accurate oil readings. The banjo bolt also comes with two (2) copper crush washers to ensure a leakproof seal.

Testing:
The CorkSport Banjo Bolt was designed specifically for the Mazda Rotary engine. We have tested this part to work perfectly with the OEM oil cooler lines as well as our CorkSport brand Stainless Steel Braided Oil Cooler Lines. The bolt installs in minutes with simple hand tools (23mm wrench, socket, & torque wrench) in minutes.

Available Now:
The CorkSport Banjo Bolt is available today at a price that pales in comparison to the level of quality and time invested in the design and precision manufacturing of the product. As with all our CorkSport brand products the Banjo Bolt ships with all the hardware you need for installation, and also includes full color instructions and telephone technical support.

CorkSport Power Series Air Box for the 2010+ Mazda 3 with the CorkSport SRI

CorkSport Power Series Air Box for the 2010+ Mazda 3 with the CorkSport SRI

After the release of our popular Mazdaspeed 3 Air Box, there has been an increased demand for a 2010+ Mazda 3 Cold Air Box. As a result, Corksport is proud to announce the release of our thermally isolating air box for use with the CorkSport Short Ram Intake. The air box mounts to factory locations and limits the ingress of hot underhood air into the intake system of your Mazda 3.

Features:
The CorkSport Power Series Air Box is made from high temperature resistant fiber reinforced plastic (FRP)
that has a full gelcoat on the outside as well as an automotive grade finish on the inside. It is ready for paint
to compliment your engine compartment and styling of your vehicle (or may be left unfinished). The air box features a fully sealed lid with 4 socket head cap screws attaching the lid to the box. The box features a small slit for the MAF sensor wiring to keep it hidden from view. It also includes a mounting hole with bolt to keep your vacuum line up and out of the way for a nice, clean look.

Testing:
Our 2010+ Mazda 3 air box has gone through several design iterations to ensure that it will be an effective and cost efficient way to help decrease intake temperatures and also give your engine bay a stock look. We have observed that our CAB design will decrease temps roughly 30 degrees during highway driving and up to 60 degrees in stop-and-go traffic (decreases heat soak).

Power Series Exhaust for the 2011+ Mazda 2

Power Series Exhaust for the 2011+ Mazda 2

This system was specifically designed for the North American version of the 2 (or Demio). The exhaust will improve vehicle throttle response as well as give your 2 a slightly louder, and deeper tone.

The exhaust installs in about an hour and includes all the necessary hardware to complete the installation. It fits with all existing and future CorkSport brand parts and offers a design and sound that will set your 2 apart from the crowd.

Features:
Our CorkSport Power Series Exhaust is made from 58mm diameter fully TIG welded T304 Stainless Steel, that gives a quality and look that will outlast coated or plated mild steel systems. The kit includes a midpipe with resonator and a muffler which features a 90mm double wall tip. The system also includes a racepipe (cat delete, which is for off-road use only), which can be installed or left off the vehicle. The midpipe slip fit design utilizes a two bolt clamp that allows you to switch between the racepipe and factory catalyst pipe (does require one cut in the factory midpipe).

Testing:
Being the first purchased Mazda 2 in the US, our 2 has been through several design changes and versions of our prototype exhaust. The final product is a result of many months of testing, which delivers a non-overbearing low tone. The 58mm exhaust has been paired with one small resonator up front and a larger muffler in the rear to give it it’s unique sound.

CorkSport Front Swaybar for the 2010-2011+ MazdaSpeed3

CorkSport Front Swaybar for the 2010-2011+ MazdaSpeed3

Due to the popularity of our adjustable rear sway bar, CorkSport is proud to announce the release of our Front Sway Bar for the 2010-2011+ MazdaSpeed 3. This part was specifically designed and tested for the Mazdaspeed 3. The Corksport front sway bar improves handling by stiffening the link between the front wheels. This allows the vehicle to maintain ride height and comfort, while minimizing body roll during cornering.

Features:
To start with, we engineered our bar using a 3 peice design, which allows for greater torsional strength, and smoother travel over one peice designs. The 3 peice design also allows a hollow 1 & 1/8” bar design, which helps maximize stiffness, while minimizing weight. The bar ships fully powdercoated to protect it from the elements, enabling it to maintain it’s torsional rigidity. It also includes Energy Suspension brand polyurethane bushings and zinc plated brackets with grease fittings so there is no need to remove the bar for re-greasing like the stock bar.

Testing:
The bar was designed with the CorkSport rear sway bar in mind. The front sway bar is not position adjustable by design. The increased bar diameter has been engineered to match the middle setting on our rear sway bar. If you prefer more under or over-steer, simply set the rear bar firmer or softer to match your driving style. The front sway bar is 45% stiffer than stock and does not require you to modify your end-links.

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Mazda Makes (Helps) the World Go Round

With Mazda getting ready to end production of the RX-8, it seemed fitting to take a look back in history to see just how the rotary powered Mazda faired in the US nearly 30 years ago. The newspaper article on the right is from the Thursday, March 1st, 1973 edition of the Toledo, Ohio paper; The Blade.

With the introduction of the 1975 EPA air-pollution standards, came required catalytic converters and unleaded gasoline. While some US car manufacturers struggled to meet the strict (for the time) standards, Mazda was decades ahead. Maybe so far as to say that the US auto makers were trying to insinuate that the Japanese based Mazda was somehow cheating the system.

In continuing with the rotary history lesson, the article below is from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (June 29th, 1973). While some auto makers were having trouble with detonation due to the newly introduced unleaded gasoline, the rotary powered Mazda showed no signs of weakness in part to the limited number of moving parts and overall simplicity of the rotary engine design.

After having such a long history with rotary engines, will Mazda finally say goodbye to the rotary engine? Will we see an RX-7 inspired vehicle from Mazda in the near future?

In more recent rotary inspired news, last weekend, three race teams (SpeedSource, Dempsey Racing, and Team Sahlen) raced with special logos on the sides of their vehicles promoting donations to the American Red Cross to help fund the Japan Earthquake Tsunami Relief Fund. The Mazda Foundation also made a #150,000 donation.

If you would like to donate $10 to the Red Cross Japan relief efforts, simply text REDCROSS to 90999.

– Jake

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Jolly Green Mazda

Last October, Mazda put out a press release revealing that they will be introducing a new direction for the company labeled “Skyactiv” technology. The several year transition will start with a new engine and transmission. The new drivetrains are expected to put out 15% more power and improve fuel economy by about the same (20% increase in both for the diesel version). The basic idea behind the technology is to significantly decrease weight and internal friction (two of the main inefficiencies with internal combustion engine driven vehicles).

SkyActiv Engine

The next two components to roll out are strictly weight saving measures and come from a redesign of the body and chassis to save 8% and 14% in weight respectively, all while increasing rigidity. Finally, Mazda is concentrating on aerodynamics to ensure a sleek design that will help improve fuel economy.

Chassis and drivetrain lightening

Now you might be thinking that an increase in fuel economy will take all of the “fun” out of the fun to drive Mazda. This is not the case. In a more recent update, a senior executive at Mazda said that they are committed to green technology, but most importantly, to driver enjoyment.

Want to keep up with all of the latest news and developments from Mazda? Sign up for the digital Zoom Zoom Magazine. It’s completely free and will keep you to date on new technologies, Mazda Motorsports, and even help you find a local club or event to meet up at. Just go to www.zoomzoommag.com and click the button shown below. You can email it to yourself, or a friend and even browse past issues.

SkyActiv Engine

– Jake

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PRESS RELEASE: CorkSport License Plate Relocation Kit (1st Gen MS3/MZ3)

CorkSport’s license plate relocation bracket offers 2004-09 Mazda 3 and 2007-09 MazdaSpeed 3 owners the option of mounting their front license plate offset towards the passenger’s side of the vehicle.

The license plate relocation bracket uses the stock tow hook threads on the front bumper and creates a mounting bracket for your front license plate. There is no drilling or cutting required.

Features:
The license plate relocation bracket comes with a smoked lexan plate frame with our new CS logo milled into the front. The lexan plate offers the strength and impact resistance of our previous generation aluminum plate, with the flexibility of plastic. It also comes with all necessary mounting hardware including 4 tamper resistant cap screws with locking bit to resist theft of your plate and relocation bracket. Also, relocating the front license plate to the side allows for better airflow to your engine, radiator and front mount intercooler (if applicable). The new location does not block the fog lights and requires no drilling or cutting. The kit is also compatible with our CorkSport license plate frame when you inevitably want to install one.

Testing:
As with all of our products at CorkSport, we’d prefer to invest our time into testing and validation of design rather than requiring our customers to do so. Our License plate relocation kit has been installed and thoroughly tested on several of our personal vehicles to ensure correct fitment and functionality.