Mazda Made A New Sports Car For The Track, The RT24-P Racing Prototype

Unveiled today at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the new RT24-P race car is Mazda’s racing flagship.

The racing automobile, which will compete under Daytona Prototype international (DPi) rules, follows Mazda’s global KODO design language – building a bridge between it and its mass-production counterparts.

According to Mazda, KODO (which means “heartbeat”) represents the soul of motion, that’s why it was detrimental to include these specific design cues – along with the five-point Mazda grille – in the car’s sleek body contours.

“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. 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,” said Ken Saward, senior manager of Design at Mazda Design Americas.

The RT24-P sits on a Riley Mk. 30 chassis developed by Multimatic in collaboration with Riley Technologies – both companies having won numerous accolades in North American endurance racing since 2004.

Powered by Mazda’s MZ-2.0T 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder turbocharged engine, raced during the 2016 IMSA season, the car has approximately 600-horsepower at its disposal.

But you’re probably curious why it’s called the RT24-P. Well, the name echoes the Mazda Road to 24, a step by step program for talented drivers, as well as the two-liter, four-cylinder engine, while the “P” signifies prototype.

It won’t be long until you see it on the track, as the automobile will debut at the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona, in late January.