Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

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Clive
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Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by Clive »

Wow this was a strange catalog of events over the last few days.

Lisa and myself went to Florida for Christmas and at the last minute just before we left she changed from going to Cocoa Beach to Daytona and this started a stage series of events.

Next as we were staying across the road from the Stadium Lisa said about going on a tour around the “empty” stadium and I said no, but we still went!

On the tour I heard that the IMSA cars were qualifying for the Daytona 24 hours on the Friday but we were coming home on the Friday so I wasn’t going to go to that either!

Next on the Thursday night we went into a full restaurant that was full so we walked out but then decided to go back and wait and then bizarrely four of the Mazda Motorsports Team members sat in the next booth behind us ! Me being me, I had to have a chat with them and this resulted in them telling us, that we simply had to pay them a visit at the track before going home.

We arrived just half an hour before the cars we due on track and was amazed at the size of the Mazda Motorsports Joest team with four large FI style artic that are so much longer than we see in Europe.

I was supprised that this close to the off that the Team Manager Brad who is an ex-Rotary Racer took time out to show me around the cars in the garage and then inside the trailers to show me how the whole operation comes together on race day, to give you an idea of amount of personnel he showed me the station for the 100+ Walkie talkies that are used during the races.

After this Marc who oversees the team and is a Joest director of Joest who runs the team on behalf of Mazda took us to the command center and chatted about racing for 20 minutes or so.

Huge thanks to the guys who made us so welcome but how bizarre that we ended up at the track with Mazda and we didn’t even know they were going to be there.

Also the nice thing was that the guys who were ex racers themselves were genuinely interested in my exploits with the RX-8

Best of all the cars have just qualified 1st and 2nd for the race at the end of the month.
https://www.facebook.com/mazdamotorsport


Didn’t believe in fate, but I suppose I will have to now ;)

Happy New Year to all and I hope your 2020 also started great.
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by Humane-Hobgoblin »

Oooh nice! I religiously follow IMSA, and being bias I support the Mazda DPi (and the Corvettes because V8).


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Clive (Sun Jan 05, 2020 9:54 pm)
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by Bigblueknight3k »

Wow very nice and happy new year to you also

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Clive (Sun Jan 05, 2020 9:55 pm)
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by Ranjan »

Glad you got to experience that Clive, it is a different world isn’t it; completely spoils you ;) :lol:

Ranjan.
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by ChrisHolmes »

WOW JUST WOW
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Clive (Sun Jan 05, 2020 9:55 pm)
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Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

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Crikey 8)
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by Clive »

Thanks Guys.

Ranjan, Despite the money and level they are racing at, as you will know, It showed me so many similarities and that racing is racing and that a common thread exists among all racers no matter what the type of racing.

Really nice that being just a club racer, the guys treated me at the same level as if I had been a F1 driver who had turned up.

On a more serious note and something I cant put on FaceBook.

On a plus side, they have also qualified 1 & 2 in the day and the night session, on the down side, both of the guys running the team told me they don't expect to finish the 24 hours and are already looking to the 12 hour races as the engine is simply too fragile.

The team manager who told me he used to race a 13B powered Tiga lamented with me in that, if only it could be a Rotary!
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by njkmr »

Amazing....
Moral of the story...
When the wife says your doing something , your doing it...!!
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by Ryan Rotary Performance »

Good stuff Clive and well deserved with the all the input you have had to the racing and more importantly the Rotary Scene over the last decade.

Race car seems to be going well too, a friend of mine happened to show me a You Tube clip of you racing, impressive stuff!

All the best for 2020
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by Ian.Mothersole »

Clive wrote:
Sun Jan 05, 2020 7:30 pm
...if only it could be a Rotary!...
:lol: =D> =D>
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by delta0 »

Amazing! I’ve been there a few times when the 24 hours is on. It is not as big of an event as it is in Europe but still awesome. I was lucky that I had a conference there every year next to the beach at the same time 😎
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by Clive »

For anyone interested I have been watching though https://imsatv.imsa.com/ also https://scoring.imsa.com/ to see exactly what is going on.

9 hours to go and Mazda's 4th and 5th

(Now officially announced that the cars will be eligable to race at LeMans in a new class that combines DP1 with LMP2 cars)
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by delta0 »

Clive wrote:
Sun Jan 26, 2020 9:38 am
For anyone interested I have been watching though https://imsatv.imsa.com/ also https://scoring.imsa.com/ to see exactly what is going on.

9 hours to go and Mazda's 4th and 5th

(Now officially announced that the cars will be eligable to race at LeMans in a new class that combines DP1 with LMP2 cars)
2022 we may see Mazda at Le Mans with IMSA/LMP2 cars. Although they should make an RX9 hyper car!
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by Clive »

They did tell me they were talking to the ACO when I was at the track and there goal was to get to LeMans with the program

They also joked that the ACO have never forgiven Mazda for wining :mrgreen:

The Joest director did tell me that not wining consistantly hurts, after all they have won LeMans some 16 times!
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by warpc0il »

The rotary engines were too reliable for LeMans.

When you dig out the statistics and do the maths the results are surprising and just go to show that your "rotary reliability" isn't just a fluke.
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by casey »

Up to 3rd and 4th as I type this =D>
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by casey »

Got hooked watching this for a few hours now (with footie on another screen).

3hours to go, Mazda 2nd and 4th. Good performance!
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by Clive »

1.20 to go and 2nd and 5th
55 car has a boost issue
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by Clive »

2nd on the same lap and a 6th, for cars they didn't think would finish has to be a result.
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Re: Fated to meet Mazda Motorsports USA

Post by delta0 »

Good race. Definitely not at the levels of Le Mans or Spa but it was good.
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