Thought the wild aerodynamic devices fitted to DTM race cars were insane? They’re nothing compared to what you see on some Time Attack cars such as this Mazda RX-7.
Competing in a Japanese Time Attack series, this RX-7 is said to be powered by a naturally-aspirated engine, meaning it has less power than some of its rivals. However, it makes up for that with a bespoke aerodynamic kit delivering monumental amounts of downforce that sticks the sports car to the pavement.
It recently competed in a race at Japan’s Tsukuba circuit chasing a sub-1-minute lap time. This circuit has been featured in games such as iRacing, Forza Motorsport 2, 3, and 4, as well as numerous Gran Turismo iterations and consists of a number of slow-speed corners and many other flowing, high-speed turns where a car like this RX-7 is able to make the most of its downforce.
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We have no idea how much downforce this Mazda has but, through some corners, the front splitter is actually pushed into the ground and spews out dozens of little sparks. At the rear, it looks as though the diffuser often comes very close to the pavement thanks to the cornering forces generated by that gargantuan wing protruding out of the car’s rear.
Its best lap was an impressive 55.599 seconds, and while that’s fast for a naturally-aspirated vehicle, it is about five seconds off the fastest Time Attack lap recorded at the track by a Nissan Silvia S15.