The Mazda Prototypes are about to race again in the TUDOR United Sportscars Championship next year. John Doonan, Director of Mazda Motorsports in North America, has answered a few questions for Endurance-Info :  

Have the Mazda Prototypes done some development and testing since the last event?

“Yes, we’ve been pushing hard – it’s non-stop, year-round development. Mazda and SpeedSource had been working on a number of improvements long before the end of the 2014 season. We’re excited to see them all on-track in 2015, but to meet the long-term goals of Mazda and the team, we must have constant development taking place.”

Will you do some testing before the Roar Before the 24? If so, when and where?

“We did some limited testing of the cars in November and then a two-day test at Daytona. The Roar will be our next test.”

What upgrades, if any for the cars (chassis, engine, aerodynamics…)?

“There are a number of incremental improvements. We knew last year would be purely a developmental season with an all-new package, and our biggest issue was overheating. Certain production parts that work beautifully in a 155-hp passenger car find their limits when we’re pushing them well-beyond 400-hp in the extreme environment of sports car racing. So, we made some changes to the cylinder heads to help that issue. So far, we’ve seen some real gains, which allows us to make a number of other changes to the rest of the car.

Because overheating was a concern last season, we had to make major compromises on aerodynamics and cooling systems to help keep the overall package cool. Now that we’ve improved the engine performance, we’re able to also improve the aerodynamics. It’s very typical in racing: one improvement can lead to a number of other small changes that collectively make a big difference.”

What will be the line-up of both cars?

“Just like we have been working on the performance aspects of the car, we’re doing the same with our drivers. We have a good group of guys that work together well, and push each other, which is essential in endurance racing.

We’re thrilled to have Jonathan Bomarito back in the Mazda family with us this year, and he will be teamed with 19-year-old Tristan Nunez in the No. 70 car. Sylvain Tremblay will step back somewhat as a driver to focus more on the management of the team, but he will be behind the wheel with them at the four endurance races in 2015.

In the the No. 07 car, we will have Tom Long paired with Joel Miller for the season, and Ben Devlin will join them for the endurance races.”

Will the cars have the same sponsors and the same colour scheme?

“Yes, the cars will again be in the beautiful “Soul Red” Mazda color. All of our current partners will remain, and we are continually talking with potential new partners. Once again, we will be the only team running a four-cylinder diesel, and we will again power those engines with sustainable clean diesel fuel made with used cooking oils, fats & greases.”

Do you think that 2015 will be a big step forward by comparison to 2014?

“Yes. Right now, we are very optimistic. We are still aware that this is only year two of a long-term development program, so we fully expect to make gains throughout the season like we did last year.”

What are your expectations for the upcoming season?

“We were thrilled with the big jump in performance at the Daytona test, and we will be judging ourselves on the rate of development and improvements within the team. I am confident we will be much closer to the front of the Prototype category this year than in 2014.”