Mazda returns to the functional road car sector with a new sub-brand announced at the 2024 Tokyo Motor Show: Mazda Spirit Racing. The call itself may sound familiar, but that’s only because Mazda Spirit Racing (MSR) has been competing in the Super Taikyu series since 2021. But what’s new is that MSR will now design road-car functionality variants for Mazda, thus resetting Mazda’s Speed. under call. Mazda takes inspiration from Toyota and takes on Gazoo Racing.
Mazdaspeed didn’t take off as a logo until after the release of the Mazdaspeed 3, Mazdaspeed Miata, and Mazdaspeed 6. But now the time has come to entrust the progression of faster machines to a new department, which will go live in February 2024.
Luckily, Mazda Racing Spirit gave us two concepts to study, giving us an idea of what to expect from future models. But before we get to where MSR is going, we need to know where it comes from.
Like any savvy automaker, Mazda has a common heritage in motorsport. Mazdaspeed can trace its roots back to Mazda Sports Corner, a racing team created not through Mazda but through one of its dealers. The team moved to Hiroshima in 1983, where it was officially renamed. Mazda speed.
It’s still an independent company, but Mazda relied on the team enough to expand the features of several of its models, adding the first- and second-generation Mazda Miata and the beloved RX-7. He also continued to race and the Mazda 787B raced in The Colours of Mazdaspeed when he won Le Mans in 1991.
Mazda officially took control of Mazdaspeed in 1999, after which it started producing the famous models mentioned earlier. The Japanese automaker knocked it out of the park. The Mazdaspeed Miata is a sensational car, but the Mazdaspeed 3 was a wild ride thanks to 263 horsepower going out through the front wheels only.
We had a comfortable spot for the Mazdaspeed 6, which became popular with all-wheel drive. This made it easier to control the 274 horsepower produced by the same 2. 3-liter turbocharged engine found under the hood of the Mazdaspeed 3.
Unfortunately, there has been very little interest in those models. The Mazdaspeed Miata remains in high demand, but only because it was based on the already attractive NB Miata, the only turbocharged Miata at the factory for more than 30 years. People looking for a warm sedan bought a Golf GTI, a Ford Focus ST or a Subaru WRX. Mazda ended production Mazdaspeed models when the Mazdaspeed3 ceased production in 2013, stating a few years later that it was moving upmarket and that turbocharged models like the Mazda 3 2. 5 Turbo would compete in the declining sedan segment. .
Today, Mazdaspeed is back, but with a new name, and its CEO is a former racing driver. . .
As a preview of what can be expected from the Mazda Spirit Racing sub-brand, Mazda unveiled two concepts at the 2024 Tokyo Motor Show, stating that both concepts are in development. This strongly suggests that we will see road variants in the near future.
The Mazda Spirit Racing RS concept is based on the ND Mazda Miata, and the press release makes it clear that it’s designed for the street and the track. These may not be exclusive specialties to the track, with jaw-dropping suspension setups. it is transparently targeting Toyota’s subsidiary Gazoo Racing (GR) and follows the same methods.
Mazda didn’t supply power for this bad boy, but said the internals of the 2. 0-liter engine have been changed to meet the expectations of roadster owners who need more power than the original 181 horsepower. In the past, Mazda engineers had ruled out a power struggle with the Toyota GR86, but that was before MSR, and that door appears to have been reopened.
In addition to more power, MSR also refined the suspension and aerodynamics. These updates result from lessons learned in the Super Taikyu Racing Series, Japan’s endurance series for GT3, GT4, TCR, and lightly modified production cars. The body kit now has a new front splitter, side skirts, and rear diffuser, and there’s a Mazda Spirit Racing badge (the stylized R) on the grille. The wheels are lightweight 17-inch RAYS TE37 Saga SLs shod in Bridgestone Potenza RE-71 rubber – an aggressive compound suitable for street and track use.
Mazda has also upgraded the interior with individual racing seats and four-point racing harnesses, as well as generous use of Alcantara. The four-point harnesses may not make it to production, but the rest seem to be in a position to be produced.
This apparent rival to the GR Corolla uses the same technique as the RS Concept mentioned above. Mazda has provided it with suspension and aerodynamic devices evolved through racing. The Mazda 3 competes in the ST-Q elegance of the Super Taikyu Racing Series for uncategorized vehicles. It doesn’t belong in any category because the Mazda 3 race car is powered by a 2. 2-liter turbocharged diesel engine that runs on biofuel.
These upgrades would also work well on any of the local models, but we’re willing to bet Mazda will skip the naturally aspirated 2. 5-litre four-cylinder engine and go straight for the turbocharged 2. 5-litre four-cylinder, which lately produces 250 litres. . Cap. Expect an increase in this for the production hot hatch. The popular Mazda 3 is available in FWD and AWD (Turbo models only have all-wheel drive), so either are possible transmission features for the more popular variant.
Like the previous Spirit Racing RS Concept, a new front splitter, side skirts, MSR badge and RAYS TE37 Saga SL wheels, but here the latter have a diameter of 18 inches and the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71 tires measure 225/45 inches. waist. Unlike that concept, however, this one features a carbon fiber suspension rear spoiler.
We know that at least two cars are in progress and, at this time, we can only provide you with what we think those cars may be.
We expect Mazda to stick to a naturally aspirated engine for the Miata MSR (sounds great?). We know a turbocharged Miata would probably be faster, but you’d lose that quick throttle response. The GR86’s 2. 4-liter four-cylinder engine produces 228 hp but weighs 2,811 pounds in its lightest specification. The current Miata has 181 horsepower and weighs just 2,341 pounds. Increasing the Miata’s strength to two hundred hp will be enough.
On the contrary, we need Mazda to play with the turbocharged 3 engine. The 2. 5-liter-powered engine already produces 250 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque, but the power delivery has been shifted to low-revving torque. -Rev engine that generates a 320 hp Honda Civic Type R.
After the two, here’s a list of cars that could benefit from MSR treatment.
The CX-50 is already a sublime product, available with a 2. 5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 256 horsepower on premium gasoline. It’s popular with all-wheel drive and handling that puts rivals like the Toyota RAV4 to shame. However, there is still room for improvement.
Mazda could start by boosting the power. Along with the power increase, the car will need bigger brakes and possibly an adaptive suspension to cope better with the twisties. The AWD system already does a good job when it comes to handling. When you enter a corner, it will send more power to the rear to avoid understeer.
Like most cars, it has other driving modes. Sport mode keeps gears longer and shifts down much faster. The guide becomes more sensitive and the throttle reaction is tuned to be sharper. Mazda is expected to come with a sport mode that does all of that. and so on. Send 70 percent of the force back and reduce babysitters by about 20 percent, enough lateral action to keep the driver smiling.
We’ve made all the suspension and drive mode adjustments discussed above, but the CX-70 is a step up from the CX-50 in the engine department.
We know it will be available with Mazda’s new twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engine. It produces up to 340 hp in the Turbo S versions of the larger CX-90. Mazda had to leave some features on the table for long-term facelifts. However, you can also rely on hybridization for more potency.
All CX-70 models arriving in the U. S. they’ll be popular with all-wheel drive, so Mazda can also sing it to make the CX-70 more fun on the mountain. The CX-70 will be officially unveiled at the end of this month, so we’ll have a clearer concept of where we want to improve.
Is Mazda working on a new RX-7? (Let’s gloss over the tragic RX-8, shall we?) The Japanese manufacturer is officially developing new rotary engines again, though they’ll be used as a medium for carbon-neutral motoring. We’ve seen this before when Mazda unveiled the Iconic SP concept late last year.
The Wankel motor produces electrical energy that powers the electric motors. In the Iconic SP, that means 365 hp. The car is also remarkably light, weighing 3200 pounds.
A production edition of the Iconic SP, in all likelihood called the RX-Something, may be the ideal vehicle for Mazda to take Mazda Spirit Racing to the same point as Toyota Gazoo Racing.