Mazda hints at Le Mans return

Mazda has a deep-seated desire to return to, and win, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s barely stated in whispers, but it is there – and currently informs much of what the company does in its motorsport efforts. Even the Global MX-5 Cup.

That’s the conclusion motoring.com.au came to after an exclusive interview with Mazda USA’s motorsport boss, John Doonan.

While the company has a global motorsport department at head office in Japan, it’s Mazda USA and Doonan that are leading the charge in terms of circuit racing. Mazda dominates the entry levels of US open-wheeler racing. The company’s Road to 24 (#mrt24) officially refers to a pathway to US endurance sports-car racing, but there’s more than a twinkle in Mazda execs’ eyes when the French classic is discussed.

Doonan is remarkably quietly spoken for a BIG American, but under the surface, however, there’s clearly passion and a plan; and sports-car racing looms large in that plan.

He’s deft in side-stepping specifics and if there is a formal Le Mans return program he did not spill the beans, but the hints are there.

“[Le Mans is] The tip of the pyramid, as a sports-car company and with our history there... Yes, that race means a great deal to this company,” Doonan told motoring.com.au.

“In the back of everybody’s mind, and certainly in their heart, there’s like ‘We did this’... Boy, it would be neat if we could go back there,” he said.

Doonan says “there’s no definitive timeline” for a return. In spite of this many pundits tip that a return would be centred on Mazda’s release of a new generation of rotary sports car.

But that doesn’t mean the company’s first forays back at Le Mans would be with a rotary, he says.

Rotaries are currently banned by the Le Mans organisers but Mazda insiders have confirmed to motoring.com.au that discussions relating to a change in the ruling are on-going.

“Currently the rules don’t allow for that [a rotary] but we’re hopeful the LMP2 category might be a stepping stone. Like we did many years ago in the C2 category,” Doonan explained.

“In fact, 2009 is the most recent time we were there with four cars [turbo four-cylinder cars] competing in the LMP2 category and we got a podium.”

The cost of a return to the premier LMP1 category, that would also require development of hybrid technologies, is astronomical – likely outside the resources available to Mazda at this stage. But, as stated by Doonan, new rules likely to come into play for LMP2 could suit the Japanese company as it seeks to promote its SKYACTIV suite of engine and chassis technologies.

Mazda campaigned a turbo-diesel Lola-chassis prototype racer in US endurance racing but shelved the project for the 2016 season.

Largely based on stock components, the 2.2-litre turbo-diesel was developing close to 900 ft-lbs of torque (a massive 1220Nm) in its final iteration but was fragile and lacked top speed, Doonan says.

Under US endurance racing rules its lack of outright pace was not offset by potentially fewer fuel stops. Success was hard to come by.

Now, the same basic racer with a developed version of the (essentially) same turbo 2.0-litre Mazda engine used in the Indy Lights open-wheelers, has catapulted to be among the fastest in class.

It’s this engine that could take the brand back to Circuit La Sarthe in the first instance.