V8 Supercars!?..Mercedes, Nissan, Ford and GM, No Mazda
 

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/mo...-1226359406734

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1226359420976

https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1337280717

MAZDA is looming as a shock candidate to join Nissan on the V8 grid with a powerbroker from the Japanese company making a trip to Phillip Island this weekend on a reconnaissance mission.

Mazda development officer Shoichi Kamimura will be at Phillip Island to study V8 Supercars before reporting back to his superiors in Japan.

Earlier this year Nissan announced it would join the Holden versus Ford war next year with the manufacturer agreeing to run four cars in the Team Kelly Racing stable.

The Japanese car manufacturer's bold gamble has sparked interest from several other manufacturer's with Mazda the latest to consider racing in the Australian-based motor racing series.

Officially, Mazda's Kamimura is in Australia on a fact-finding mission with the Japan Auto Federation.

Unofficially, he is here to study the V8s with the manufacturer wary of letting close rival Nissan steal a march with its 2013 entry into the series.

Based in Melbourne with the Kelly Racing Team, Nissan is set to launch a huge marketing and advertising campaign ahead of its re-entry to the series next season.

The manufacturer will use V8s to help drive its local sales and has a arsenal of cash to fund the campaign.

Waning globally, Mazda remains a powerhouse in Australia with its popular Mazda3 and the manufacturer is reticent to let Nissan score a free blow.

"They are aware of the popularity of both the V8 Supercars series and the DTM racing series in Europe," an industry insider said. "They don't want to miss the boat.

"While here to also look at ways of strengthening motorsport in Japan, they want to examine the possibility of joining Nissan in the series."

Kamimura arrived in Australia earlier this week and toured Mazda's assembly plant in Melbourne.

Mazda is the latest manufacturer to be linked to the V8 series.

Following Nissan's announcement, Gary Rogers Motorsport courted Chrysler and was tantalisingly close to snaring a deal with the American-based manufacturer. The deal was knocked back at the 11th hour by executives in the US.

**Mazda does not have an 'assembly plant' in Melbourne or Australia?**

With Allan Horsley retiring and no news of any predecessor I was thinking perhaps Mazda Australia were going to hang up their Motorsport boots for a while.

Where would Mazda get a V8 from and what car would they put it in?, the all new Mazda 6 (Takeri)??

https://www.mazda.com.au/vehicles/cx...rsley-bows-out

Some History....

Nissan Australia has made it public knowledge that they want to knock off Mazda Australia as the countries largest full time importer (Nissan no longer manufactures in Australia).
Part of that push is Nissan Australia moving into V8 Supercars with their new Altima.

V8 Supercars boss has clearly stated there would only allow 2 new car makers into the V8 series with Ford and GMH....We have Nissan, so who is the second?..Mazda or Chrysler?

Hmm.

That was my first thought too.

They already said they are not pursuing V6s, and while that doesn't rule out V8s explicitly, it certainly makes them quite a contradiction in direction.

Possibly the "chassis supplier", like the US's Grand-Am cars? (example, "BMW powered Riley")

a race V8 is suitable both for Aussie V8 races, JSGT and DTM.

Make sense....

a "Takeri-6" silouhette is on the way IMHO

V8 engine has to go into a car (well a body skin) Mazda sells to enter the V8 series...so what Mazda car sold in Australia today would take a V8?

Yeah, I don't know about this really....I can't see this fly.

Miata.











:lol2:



Sorry, I had to. :D:

2 miatas have 8 cyl.

:lol:

Imagine MX-5's between these huge tanks...it will be Allan Moffat (Peter Stuyvesant Racing) and his 13B FI Gen 1 RX-7 getting jammed into the concrete wall at the start of Bathurst in the 80's, the 7 went flying into the air!...and the end of his race before it started! :)(that year he would have won Bathurst).

Other drivers can't see them...

i don't know in Australia but in Japanese Super GT and DTM there is NO technical correlation between the cars that are racing and the product in showrooms:

JSGT: Nissan GTR race..NA V8 RWD-----road Car V6TT 4WD
HOnda Racing HSV------------------?

DTM: Audi A5 V8 RWD-------------------- road carA5 V8 4WD

in the past few years Opel have raced with a v8 car....no v8 Opels in EU since 30 years....

Basically the same Matt with the V8 Supercars, apart from the outer skin and lights, etc, Nothing is off the showroom floor, but it has to look like a showroom sold car basically.

So again, what Mazda would Mazda use?...the FWD Takeri (Mazda 6) is the only one I can think of.

If it's just the skin, the Takeri would be the only logical conclusion. It represents the image Mazda wants.

yes, that one....a mainstream model who gives visibility around the world (JSGT,AussieSupercar, DTM)

a dealer told me that a coupè or a sort of "4doors coupè" is scheduled for next 6..alongside sedan and wagon

Those cars at least look close to production cars not like Nascar, take the paint and stickers off
them and they all look identical. Nascar sucks

after a small verify, there are some problems..

Aussie Supercar-----5000cc
JSGT------------------3400cc
DTM-------------------4000cc

different engines.....:sad:

RX-8- make it an MX-'8':Eyecrazy:

V8?

SkyActiv-V8 ?

mmm ... I dunno if that's gonna work. but ... most likely it's for CX-9 kind of car ?

There has been rumors of a replacement of the Grand-Am GT. Could it be a V8. The car with that engine wouldn't enjoy the lightness that is afforded the 20b rotary. Didn't Mazda Europe do something with the Mazda 6 to make it a rwd race car? Does that have possibilities?

I think they should change the rules to allow engine swaps and rotaries to compete against the v8's.

The car that holds the fastest lap time around Phillip island is a rotary, even faster than v8supercars.

That was my initial thought. Could they cast a SkyActiv V8 block using the pistons and heads/cams of 2 - 2.0 liter SA engines? that would give them a 4 liter V8 with all the benefits of the SA engines.:dunno:

Won't happen..it is called V8 Supercars for a reason.

Ford no longer has any executives under Mazda's feet in Japan, none, Tom Pixton left last week.

The Ford license/supply for MZR and V6's (CX-9) finishes in about 2 years.

So, the new CX-9 will have a ????...2.2 SA Diesel.

Unless Mazda bites the bullet and develops it's own V8...frankly I just can't see this happening at all.

They are not going to make one just for a Motor Race in Australia.

Really I believe the "journalist" is putting together too many 2 and 2's, or 1+1's.

like Ash said, it will never happen, cuz that will make all those "OMG MEGA HORSEPOWER WOOOOO!" V8 looks really bad and their factories (BMW,Audi, Mercedes,Etc) will be pissed.

Everybody remember what happen at 1991 Lemans? and what happen 1992? it's not really they ban Rotary engine, but part of the reason is other engines made some of the "big sponsor's" engine look bad. so they just say my way or the highway.

Yep...I remember way before that (1980) when Mazda came onto the Touring Car Championship Racing scene in Australia, then a Allan Horsley started as MA's motoring team chief and a Allan Moffat (formerly Ford Driver) came into the camp and raced a (SA22C/FB) RX-7.

First the pissed off guys at Ford and Holden and Toyota and Nissan said what a joke, the RX-7 is a sports car and will never win anyway...OK..the 12A was a little slow, then Mazda Australia (Mazda Motors Melbourne) applied for a 13B, approved, the old 'slow' RX-7 was starting to nudge/pass the bumpers of V8 Commodores and Falcons.

The team principals started a concerted effort to stop Mazda's winning formula.

Then came the 13B Fuel Injected baby, BOY, what a stink that was, the engine was never sold in any production car in Australia, how can this be allowed, WAH-WAH-WAH and CAMS approved it!!..

The rest is history the 13B FI RX-7 was a V8 killer....OH the memories!!..

And then the FD RX-7 Twin Turbo 13B won Bathurst 24 hour, 4 years in a row!!

Just because Mazda will use a V8 doesn't mean the motor has to be Mazda.

All the other parts may be Mazda on the car and the engine could be a Ford.