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PRUETT: Mazda’s March to the Future
Written by: Marshall Pruett   
07/31/2008
Oakland, CA
 
Take a first look at Mazda's new Lola LMP2 challenger set to break cover in October at Petit Le Mans. Will it be seen at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year? Read on... (Rendering: AndyBlackmoreDesign.com) » More Photos


“We’re tired of losing. Write that one down. We might not have the dollars to match the big guys, but we aren’t here just to fill the grid,” an emboldened John Doonan told me last week. Mazda’s Motorsports Manager had been under fire for some time over their American Le Mans LMP2 program—some of those bullets even came from me—asking why they continued to race in the ALMS with an effort that from the outside appeared semi-serious at best.

What did Mazda get from finishing well out of the spotlight race after race? What were they going to do to pick themselves up from the bottom of the P2 grid? Did they have the right team to succeed? The right drivers? The right tires? The right philosophies to build a program capable of challenging Porsche and Acura?

Thankfully, Doonan was happy to cover some uncomfortable ground when we spoke, but it's important to first understanding where’s Mazda’s been in the Series before we get to talking about where they’re going.

Prior to Porsche and Acura turning the competition level up to ‘11’ in the American Le Mans LMP2 class, Mazda’s humble efforts in the category were more than sufficient for the Japanese manufacturer’s goals. Their ear-splitting triple-rotor prototype rarely found victory circle, but in the weak pre-2006 version of LMP2, few were surprised.
Compared to the deafening, over sized, and frumpy looking Courage chassis that Mazda started out with in 2005, their current and future ALMS cars keep moving the company in the right direction. (Photo: Mazda) » More Photos

Against powerhouse Intersport Racing, Mazda’s mating of their wailing wankel power plant to a Courage LC65 chassis during their debut season in 2005 often netted the program runner-up finishes amongst thin competition. A win at Mid-Ohio in 2005 remains the program’s sole victory.

Saddled with performance-sapping Kumho tires, the Courage/Mazda/Kumho was rendered both ancient and irrelevant once Penske appeared at Laguna Seca with Porsche’s new RS Spyder for the 2005 season finale. Despite the Spyder’s arrival harkening Mazda's need to seek a faster P2 solution, they stayed with the same package for 2006, claiming a 2nd place at Houston in an otherwise fruitless season.

With Porsche moving to a revised Spyder and Acura joining the class for 2007, Mazda finally made the switch to a Lola platform and ditched the hot and heavy rotary engine for a newly commissioned 2.0L turbo from AER in England. Kumho’s held the car back again in ’07, but the MZR-R motor showed great potential in the proven B07/46 chassis.

Hopes were high heading into Sebring this year with Yokohama having come onboard with stickier tires and sponsorship dollars. Mazda also added petroleum giant BP to their effort with a stunning new livery, high profile advertising campaigns, and a solid boost to their wallets. If 2005 and 2006 were years of dipping their toes in P2 and 2007 was the first season working with a potentially competitive package, Mazda was intent on crashing the Acura and Porsche party in 2008.
A move to the proven Lola chassis was Mazda's first big step towards competitiveness in 2007. Still, their tires kept them from anything like the results they'd desired. (Photo: Marshall Pruett) » More Photos

But at the half-way point of the ‘08 season and a best finish of 6th in class at St. Pete, Mazda hit the reset button--not just on their underwhelming performances this year, but for the program as a whole. As one of only three serious P2 entrants in their debut season, a change in the P2 landscape from ’05 to ’08 would find Mazda going from assured top-3’s to struggling to crack to top-10.

After watching their other motorsports programs vie for wins and championships, their tolerance for being pinned to the bottom of the LMP2 time sheets reached critical mass at Utah this May.

“Well,
like we have shown throughout our history, and not to sound cliché, we went to Le Mans for 17 years without winning, and just like then and now, we still have to live within our means. We don’t have Acura’s money or Porsche’s money to play with, so we’re depending on sponsors and partners to help us go racing. Are we ready to wait 17 years to win in the ALMS? Nope. I’m sure it’ll sound like a plug, but thank goodness we have partners like BP and Castrol that are able to come with us and help us live within our means and develop the package to be competitive.

“Like we spoke about before, I called all the team partners together at Utah, and as a group, called everyone out, including ourselves. I think the program as a whole settled into a groove of getting used to being beaten by the big teams, and it took a lot of frank discussions to get everyone to pull in a more positive direction. We’ve always been small, even going back to Mazda’s first racing teams, but we’ve always prided ourselves in being giant-killers. Utah was the kick in the pants we needed to get everybody thinking like giant-killers again.”

With Doonan’s boot firmly lodged in everyone’s derrière, all of their partners took a step forward when called upon, barring one—Yokohama. Mazda’s needs for an immediate upswing in performance were outside the time frame the tire manufacturer could work from, and the two parties agreed to go in different directions after Lime Rock. With Michelin unable to commit the resources to add Mazda to their ALMS family, Mazda contacted Michelin's closest rival, Dunlop, and secured a supply of tires for the remainder of the 2008 season.

While being in a position to have to pay for their tires was new to Mazda, it turned out the be money well spent. The English rubber transformed the car from an afterthought to a legitimate contender at Mid-Ohio.

“Yeah, there's no question, it was a definite boost. The challenge, obviously, is that we want to continue to work with Yokohama to develop their tires, but all of us want results right now, not tomorrow. Until the time comes where we can be as competitive with Yokohama, we’ll keep sporting for Dunlop’s. (Their tires) proved that we can run with the lead pack on the lead lap with the package that we have. So it was a huge, huge boost.
With Dunlop rubber on the car at Mid-Ohio two weeks ago, Mazda's entire program and immediate future was transformed. Now they have to perfect the tires to the optimize the Lola B07/46. (Photo: Marshall Pruett) » More Photos

And I think, legitimately, had we not had the fuel valve--the vent spring break--and that's what slowed us up at that pit stop -- we probably, legitimately, had a fifth-place car. For us, it would've been a small victory. Maybe it's a reach, but we believe we can finish on the podium this year. We believe in the right circumstances we can compete for a race win at some point down the road here and soon. We've not done much more than bolt on our new tires so far. There's still more there."

Making the most of their newfound grip with the current car has Mazda and Doonan excited to get the rest of the season underway. “I think we're now going to some circuits, the next three out of four races--Road America, Mosport, and Atlanta, where a little package like ours can perform like it should. So, maybe ‘gaining momentum at the right time’ is probably the best way to sum up where we’re at.

“We're going to have to keep working at it within our means and hopefully, for us to beat a Porsche or an Acura on those weekends we think it would be huge for our marketing department and our sales department.”

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