Mazda LMP2 Wins ALMS!!
05-22-2005, 01:52 PM
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Mazda LMP2 Wins ALMS!!
WooHoo!! The Sportsbook.com, rotary-engined LMP2 has just won it's class in the ALMS race at Mid-Ohio. Congrats on a great win and a fantastic start to a return to Le Mans (I hope). :D :D
05-23-2005, 06:31 AM
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Originally Posted by Mikelikes2drive
isnt it only its second race? wow... the rotary is making quite a name for itself again!
However, a race doesn't always go to the fastest, and a win is a win. Consistency, drivers talent and smart tactics often overcome pure speed. On to Le Mans!!!??
05-23-2005, 01:17 PM
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Also, once the other two cars were out of the race all Cosmo had to do to win was finish. He ended up in a gravel trap, so none of the 3 cars in P2 actually finished. I believe he won on a technicality because he got stuck within a certain number of minutes of the end of the race.
Hopefully when Porsche enters the class next year there will be some more interesting racing.
Hopefully when Porsche enters the class next year there will be some more interesting racing.
05-23-2005, 01:40 PM
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Originally Posted by jayk
Also, once the other two cars were out of the race all Cosmo had to do to win was finish. He ended up in a gravel trap, so none of the 3 cars in P2 actually finished. I believe he won on a technicality because he got stuck within a certain number of minutes of the end of the race.
Hopefully when Porsche enters the class next year there will be some more interesting racing.
Hopefully when Porsche enters the class next year there will be some more interesting racing.
I wish Mazda would have really gotten serious and engineered the race car for the P1 class to run with the big boys. One step at a time I suppose.
05-23-2005, 03:07 PM
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In his defense it had just started to rain, but yeah, kinda embarassing really for the mazda effort overall. Hopefully they're just testing out the 3rotor at this stage and will step up a class eventually.
05-23-2005, 04:51 PM
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I'd like to see anyone else here drive a very light car with 400 hp with very wide slick tires in the rain on asphalt without going off track or spinning. He just spun it around (and he's a professional race car driver) and only ended a few feet off course but that was just enough to get his rear wheels caught in the dirt. With only a minute and a half left in the race, there wasn't time to get him out. Yes he was lucky that he was the only car left in the race in his class but to win a race you must first finish a race. He would have actually crossed the finish line if there were a few more minutes left. There is far more to racing than just going faster than everyone else. You have to not break anything first of all. Races are won and lost by team errors and strategy flaws all the time. The only thing that counts in a race is who either crosses the finish line first or who gets the farthest. It doesn't matter who was fastest at the beginning or in the middle.
The Courage was running about an average speed of 101-102 mph or so while the others in the class were running about 105-106 average per lap. That's a big difference in a race. the reason is the dumb restrictor plate rules. The cars breathe through a 49.1mm restrictor. That's almost exactly the same size of EACH of the cars 3 intake runners! The size of the plate is actually determined by the engine's displacement and whether or not it is using forced induction. The rotary realy doesn't respond well to a restrictor. A piston engine doesn't like it either but power doesn't fall off as hard on them as it does on a rotary. Because of this the rotary is being handicapped much more. To give you an idea of how small the inlet really is, remember that they have 50% more displacement than the Renesis due to the 3rd rotor and that it runs at a higher efficiency level at high rpms which mean that it ingests more air than even a theoretical 3 rotor Renesis does. It has to take in all this air through a hole that is slightly less than 2" in diameter. The stock RX-8 throttlebody has nearly double the airflow capability as the restricted 3 rotor race engine yet the 3 rotor still produces 400 hp! That's pretty incredible. I feel that the restrictor limits should be changed for the rotary to bring it up to at least a similar power output of the piston counterparts. The engine uses air in a different way which is actually much less efficiently. It's restriction should reflect this.
The Courage was running about an average speed of 101-102 mph or so while the others in the class were running about 105-106 average per lap. That's a big difference in a race. the reason is the dumb restrictor plate rules. The cars breathe through a 49.1mm restrictor. That's almost exactly the same size of EACH of the cars 3 intake runners! The size of the plate is actually determined by the engine's displacement and whether or not it is using forced induction. The rotary realy doesn't respond well to a restrictor. A piston engine doesn't like it either but power doesn't fall off as hard on them as it does on a rotary. Because of this the rotary is being handicapped much more. To give you an idea of how small the inlet really is, remember that they have 50% more displacement than the Renesis due to the 3rd rotor and that it runs at a higher efficiency level at high rpms which mean that it ingests more air than even a theoretical 3 rotor Renesis does. It has to take in all this air through a hole that is slightly less than 2" in diameter. The stock RX-8 throttlebody has nearly double the airflow capability as the restricted 3 rotor race engine yet the 3 rotor still produces 400 hp! That's pretty incredible. I feel that the restrictor limits should be changed for the rotary to bring it up to at least a similar power output of the piston counterparts. The engine uses air in a different way which is actually much less efficiently. It's restriction should reflect this.
Last edited by rotarygod; 05-23-2005 at 05:08 PM.
05-23-2005, 08:20 PM
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Did anyone see the coverage on TV, it was great, tons of time spent watching the 3 rotor on the track. Interview with Guy Cosmo-what a personable guy, hope he keeps on winning. Lucky for him he still won class after his little spinout.
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