Mazda Rx8 Wins The Rolex 24 Hr Endurance Race!!!!

[NOPSTNS]

mazda just took home the top spot in the Gt class at the rolex 24 hour endurance race at daytona just now....

24 hrs and over 650 laps at 10,000 rpm. not one single engine issue the entire race. the announcers were commenting on the rotary engine and they said it can race for 50 hrs non stop before needing a rebuild (thats a lot of time ) and the entire engine costs only 35k to build from scratch (thats not a lot) and it costs only 8k to rebuild the engine for the next 50 hrs of racing and only about 9 parts are replaced (8k is not a lot to rebuild a racing engine to withstand 50 hrs of 10,000 rpm).

they placed 1st, 5th, and 10th. a handful of non factory backed rx8s also competed and placed thru the rest of the field, one of which being sponsered by sobe and co driven by patrick dempsey (dr mcDreamy) dont ask me how he got there, haha. he didnt do too great in the race, placed maybe 24th ish i think. he had much trouble getting used to cold tires of the new pirellis and he ate some grass and wall a few times....

anyway...heres a list of the ppl who lost to the N/A 2.0l rotary...

Ferrari
Porsche
BMW
Pontiac

congrats to mazda! continuing to prove what a fantastic job a rotary can do when applied to motorsport....!

[Silverfc88]

They had some nice shots of the #70 car driving by with the exhaust glowing and shooting flames. I love the new colors on that car. I just wish my speedtv channel wasn't screwed up instead of cutting in and out.




http://www.daytona24hr.com/24hr2008/10ampractice124/image/379j3295.jpg



A couple of other pics of #70
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h86/legokcen/Daytona2008/IMG_2920.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h86/legokcen/Daytona2008/IMG_2921.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h86/legokcen/Daytona2008/IMG_2930.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h86/legokcen/Daytona2008/IMG_2927.jpg

[BradC]

nice!

[YARDMAN]

mazda ftmfw

[__owens__]

amen !!!

[PaleDSM]

Very impressive and very deserved. RX8s are doing well in every motorsports arena that they are campaigned in.

[mkelly2115]

very nice!

[BMS]

Mazda=Greatness, anywho i want one of those

[turbo4g63]

that should help sales a little bit

[jspek]

frank i told you that you missed out haha. $15 tickets for both days for infield and grandstand. and dont forget the corvette and mustangs that lost too. but yea that was my favorite rx8. all of them were fast as hell going around the track. but around 1am the driver made a mistake and hit the tire barrier by me. classic moment, when he was trying to get back on the track, my friend got sprayed with dirt and mud. heres some of my pics. i should be making a thread soon.
http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/2614/dsc7385nr5.jpg

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/3901/dsc7345rz5.jpg

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/7796/dsc7122fd3.jpg

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/728/dsc6804ne3.jpg

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/3697/dsc6638zo6.jpg

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/3070/dsc6732ci8.jpg

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/4176/dsc7193ew4.jpg

[__owens__]

great pictures jspek

[jdmwill]

a rotary winning such a major event brings a lonely happy tear to my eye."prat prat prat prat prat prat"translation for the not rotary inclined "i won BEOUTCHHHH"

[M.V.'s FD]

mazda has won this thing over 20 times already!

Where are all the haters? who wants to question the rotary's reliability? :D

[BradC]

Nice shots Jspek

[piknockout]

Very happy to see Nick Ham and the Speedsource team kicking some @ss, and agree the new look is fantastic! Can't wait until the come up to NJ Motorsports park this summer, gotta go check it out. It's great seeing all the different makes competing and the ability of the RX-8 to compete the way it does.

Poor Patrick Dempsey in the Life Water RX-8. Nailed the wall coming out of the pit on cold tires...lesson learned I guess. :D

[JC Turbo]

rotary was never given credit. Its not bad at all when done right. stock rx8's should have come with a better 3 rotor engine and stronger seals. but o well

[S.Milone]

Agreed, Too bad the RX-8 didn't come with a N/A 3 Rotor from the factory. Would have made way more power and a better car. I think more people would own them then.

[NOPSTNS]

some info i learned today

mazda broke the lap record for a GT class car
1:50.7

the rx8 led over 320 laps of the 660 lap race

mazda has won it 22 times since 1975, first win was an rx3 (another rotary car)

[NOPSTNS]

great pictures jspek


werd, the spank bank has been filled!





....oops double post...:(

[Stillen GLE]

thats Awsome Mazda Rotray FTW.

[Omar_MSP]

Wo0t! mazda ftw!!!

[05GT]

Where's all the people that make fun of Frank's car? I love how none of them are in here saying anything now.

Anyway, nice pics and info in here.

[CHAOS]

2.0l? interesting... think that will filter down into the street car?

[ozthunder]

lol, it's technically not Frank's car :wink:

[CHAOS]

and technically you drive a GM lol.

[ozthunder]

Yea, if that's his car, this is mine:

http://www.holden.com.au///images/gallery/imagegallery/nationalcup/Monaro2_640x480.jpg


I'm really just busting balls. It's an awesome win, and hopefully it gives the RX8 a bit of a kick, b/c I don't really think the facelift will.

[CHAOS]

lol ... i wonder what kind of power the 2.0 rotary was putting out

[S.Milone]

2.0 L is a 3rotor. They came factory in the cosmo luxury sedan in Japan in turbo form. That Rx-8 had a N/A version. I know RE Amemiya has an FD with a N/A 3 Rotor making around 400. I doubt it will ever make it to production in the Rx-8.

[zerioustt]

Where's all the people that make fun of Frank's car? I love how none of them are in here saying anything now.

Anyway, nice pics and info in here.

because if you call franks car slow he cries and leaves tst for months on end...


and like stated its not franks car.

[ozthunder]

lol..and was the Renesis banned from LM, or was the rotary?

[horhay]

I was also at the race, nice win for the Mazda guys. I enjoyed checking out the cars in the garages. I really wish they didn't have the 2 prep rules though. I would rather the tube frame cars race in their own class. Those GXPR's cracked me up, tube frame full on race car with a stock LS2. Same with that one GTO. Unforunately I didn't get a chance to check out the BMW 6 that was out there.

I'm looking forward to checking out the ALMS at Lime Rock this year.

EDIT
Pic for dylan
http://www.daytona24hr.com/24hr2008/startinggrid126/image/379j4798.jpg

[NOPSTNS]

lets clear some info up....first of all, jason, why u gotta gimme ****, come on man! haha just kiddin.....anyway i think what mark meant was that i get **** on bc rx8s are gay and slow or whatev and all i do is say what a great drivers car they are and they have huge potential and no one cares, and here they are winning one of the toughest endurance races in history...for the 22nd time. of all the **** i get about rotaries not being reliable or whatev, they had no engine issues the entire time....i didnt bother to state how porsche had oil temp issues and how a few DP cars were going thru gearboxes....i could go on but i dont...! so there! poopy jason!jm man dont hate me... :)

the 2.0l three rotor in the Gt class rx8 makes over 450 hp. i have read countless specs and info from mazda about the car and all they say is "450+ hp" when anyone asks all i say is 450. which is a **** ton for a NA 3 rotor imo. they are only allowed to run 6 injectors and they fuel psi is limited to about 42 psi if i remember right...and the flow rate for each injector is limited too....they run peripheral port with three throttle bodies, one for each rotor....

in 1991 mazda raced in Le Mans with a 2.6l NA 4 rotor making 690 hp and after it won, they gave it a 15 year ban for....and i quote..."piston technology to catch up..."

the renesis is a type of rotary, all rotaries were given a 15 yr ban from Le Mans. in 2006 when the ban was lifted, mazda competed in american Le Mans and they were given so many restrictions that it made them difficult to compete....one of the many restrictions was how big the throttle bodies could be....limitng air, limited fuel...thus limited power...they did ok but neevr came home with many W's.

they have since dropped the 3 rotor and went 4 cyl (a very familiar version of the engine found in the mazdaspeed6 and madaspeed3, only with stroke dialed back down to displace 2.0ls and rev higher....and still compete to this day in the LMP2 class....against acura and porsche if im not mistaken....porsche normally wins....

and for the record the GXP.R's really frustrate me bc they arent one bit a factory car. its a GTO race car with a G6 body...only much wider....whats a GXPR>? it isnt anything, its not sold. at least all the other teams use real cars that exist, and then make them silly fast.....! o well, that carbon M6 looked HOT!


imo the porsche gt3 cars do the best, consistently in the top spots each race. mazda or pontiac may have more wins sometimes but in the end of the season i fear porsche will be on top of points standings...

[zerioustt]

i bust your balls because you get so riled up. youre like a lightswitch, on/off on/off....hahaha

[NOPSTNS]

jason, for the record, i still like you....even if im a big toolbox...


*internet hug*

[horhay]

I'm pretty sure (after looking the car over after the race) that the RX8 had pretty much nothing in common with the street car. Its a full tube frame carbon fiber bodied purpose built racecar that isn't even made by Mazda. If I remember correctly, even the engine isn't built by Mazda. The same is true for the GTO and the GXPRs though, which is why I think they should have their own class. The Porsches and Ferraris are real GT cars and the Mazdas and Pontiacs are more like TransAm cars.

[ozthunder]

It's not like Holden's ever raced before..lol

[BMS]

All i can say is if you put a GTO R, GXP R, GT3 cup car, and Speedsource RX8 in front of me I will def drive the RX8 first, then GT3 cup car. Its a toss up between the GTO R GXP R. And for the record you can buy the GXP R, they are 150,000 out of the box and 350,000 for the spares package, which is basically another car. and the RX8 Prices are about the same. idk about the GTOR

[ozthunder]

Dunno, but it is out of production so that doesn't help thing.

For me, I'd rather a VE HRT Commodore, like the 2007 one that won the V8 Supercars this year.

[i like rice]

no balls, problem solved

http://racinsite.com/rx8.jpg

[Silverfc88]

Awesome vid of the #70 car. Video was taken before the race and they are doing a walk around of the car showing the workings of the ****pit, layout of the motor, brakes, driver changes.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid340430050?bclid=595223643&bctid=1395583303

[amp]

no offense intended to the eight owners on this board..
but as much as it looks like its an eight.. it isnt.. what won the race is a shell of an eight..

[NOPSTNS]

great vid jerry! when i was watchin the rolex24 the announcers would mention that on the speedtv site they had a breakdown of info from the 70 rx8 and i couldnt find it for the life of me, i was loosing sleep. thanks bud!

i didnt kno they ran a rear transaxle, very interesting!

[BMS]

That vid was very cool, i want to know what map 3 is. We have a secret button that on the SRT-4 thats says oh **** on it.

AMP, every race car that runs professional is just a shell of a car. If you want to win, thats what u have to do. we run two race cars one is a viper, but the only thing that is viper or dodge is the shell and engine (well half the engine heehee) and our SRT-4 is all Mopar and and dodge

[horhay]

I agree with amp. What won at daytona was not even a Mazda, much less an RX-8. Riley & Scott tube frame chassis, fully custom carbon fiber body, rear transaxle, 3 rotor motor that isn't even built by Mazda... I wish Mazda would build that though!

[jdm3588]

I agree with amp. What won at daytona was not even a Mazda, much less an RX-8. Riley & Scott tube frame chassis, fully custom carbon fiber body, rear transaxle, 3 rotor motor that isn't even built by Mazda... I wish Mazda would build that though!

wrdd i agree

[Silverfc88]

I agree with amp. What won at daytona was not even a Mazda, much less an RX-8. Riley & Scott tube frame chassis, fully custom carbon fiber body, rear transaxle, 3 rotor motor that isn't even built by Mazda... I wish Mazda would build that though!



The motor might not have been built by Mazda, but its still a Mazda 20b rotary.

[amp]

..AMP, every race car that runs professional is just a shell of a car....
understood and full aware of it.. just stating the obvious for those who dont see it...
id be carryin a different tune if it was outfitted with the renesis motor..
as far as the build.. that doesnt matter in my book.. its still a mazda motor..

[rotarychainsaw]

Anyone know how the other cars in that class are built? Are the porches and ferrarris just shells as well?

[horhay]

no, they're based on road cars.

[NOPSTNS]

the pontiacs are shells as well....in fact the gxpr itself doesnt even exist outside of rolex GT, can this convo end please?

hey amp, next time the rx8s win a koni challenge race ill be sure to email u a thousand times and tell u a factory car with oem engine built by mazda blah blah blah won a race.

then will u be happy?

high end professional race cars arent gonna be much from the showroom, why is this in discussion....? when renault wins in formula one do u think all the renault fans are happy? o its not a REAL renault from the factory so that emans we cant be proud.

sorry for being excited about mazda winning the toughest race in history 22 times over 35 years.....

[ozthunder]

Well F1 is entirely different (although your example of Renault is poignant) b/c usually the technology will trickle down eventually. Especially in the case of Ferrari.

[horhay]

I would offer up the ALMS as an example of both relevant technological developments (LMP) and factory based vehicles fighting for bragging rights. Koni challenge is another great example of street based machines, as is Speed World Challenge, though neither is as "high end" as ALMS.

[amp]

...hey amp, next time the rx8s win a koni challenge race ill be sure to email u a thousand times and tell u a factory car with oem engine built by mazda blah blah blah won a race.
then will u be happy?....
youre readin me wrong.. im delighted they won and won it with a 20b..
just statin that the car that won that event was far from bein an eight.. and describin it is as such is a stretch..
this is the reason why i couldnt be any more elated than the next rotary nut out there.. heres a pic of my project..

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/8417/amp3rotorfi1.jpg

[S.Milone]

Hey look they stayed together well too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YQWbCarAFE

[NOPSTNS]

that was last yr. i remember that. my jaw dropped when i saw that. that dumbass came back into the road course and cut the rx8 off, what a jerk off. we were in the runnings to win the championship too and that single event ruined it. that was the last race of last yr if i recall.....so sad

heres a vid i found right under that one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jqEyAIRR1c&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZxbznuYlZ8&feature=related

[Silverfc88]

LoL... Wow. Well we know the driver was ok.


Where the hell was #31 going?:screwy: