LA 2016: Mazda unveils RT24-P Prototype Racer

Staging the Los Angeles Auto Show as the venue for its debut, Mazda takes the covers off their RT24-P prototype for next year’s IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship (IMSA).

Seeing Mazda’s signature KODO design language on a prototype racer is an interesting departure from the norm, considering manufacturers only have select motors and chassis to choose from when building a car for IMSA’s LMP2 class.

Thanks to new regulations next year, this vehicle will participate in the new Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class which allows manufacturers to create a car from scratch. With newfound freedom to design a vehicle from the ground up, Mazda worked with Riley Technologies and Multimatic Motorsports to create the RT24-P prototype racer.

“KODO design is at the heart of any vehicle that carries a Mazda badge, and that is very evident in the design of the 2017 Prototype,” said Ken Saward, senior manager of Design at Mazda Design Americas. “We considered the two main parameters of designing a successful race car for this series: aerodynamic performance and the new-for-2017 technical regulations. Working with Multimatic’s aerodynamicist and engineers, we discovered that applying the KODO design philosophy to the surfaces and the silhouette of the car enabled us to create a dynamic, purposeful-looking design and a very aerodynamically efficient one.”

Beneath the KODO design’s flowing lines and the five-point grille, the RT24-P runs a Riley Mk. 30 chassis and the MZ-2.0T inline four turbo from this season’s IMSA racer. The 2.0-liter turbo motor co-developed with engine specialists Advanced Engine Research Ltd. (AER) will produce 608PS in Mazda’s new racer.

The RT24-P is named after Mazda’s Road To 24 development program that provides scholarships for talented drivers to transition from grassroots to professional motorsports.