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" Mazda has taken the digital wraps off its replacement for the championship-winning (but out-of-production) triple-rotor RX-8 model that competed in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series through 2012. Through a lone rendering dispatched from the 2012 LA Auto Show, the marque revealed the production-based turbodiesel SKYACTIV-D Mazda6 platform that will make its racing debut at January&amp;#039;s Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. Based on the shapely 2014 Mazda6 model, the Florida-based SpeedSource team will spearhead a campaign focused on a pair of 6s in the brand-new GX category. Compared to the more traditional Rolex GT class, GX offers a showcase for experimental-ish cars like the 6 that utilize alternative racing powerplants and concepts. With more than 400 hp on tap, the 2.2-liter, four-cylinder, bi-turbo diesel will also have a home in the prototype ranks with an expected appearance in a P2 car at the 2013 24 hours of Le Mans. &amp;quot;The SpeedSource engineering team, working with the Mazda engineers, have been flat out for months on engine development,&amp;quot; said Mazda North American Operations motorsports director John Doonan. &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;re happy to report that the engine is meeting the performance targets for both power and endurance.That means 400+ hp for over 50 hours, with an engine that includes a very long list of production Mazda parts. This is not a pure race engine; it is a production block SKYACTIV-D. We&amp;#039;re excited about having our newest engine powering our newest car.&amp;quot; As Mazda turns a page with its first diesel racecars, Porsche stalwarts The Racer&amp;#039;s Group announced they&amp;#039;ve partnered with Aston Martin to spearhead a multi-series sports car attack on behalf of the British manufacturer.  TRG-Aston Martin Racing North America, LLC, as the new enterprise will be known, will compete in the American Le Mans Series, GRAND-AM&amp;#039;s Rolex Series and Continental Tire Series, SCCA World Challenge and possibly with a one-make championship for the Aston Martin GT4 Vantage. &amp;quot;Aston Martin Racing, as a factory- supported entity, has truly arrived in North America,&amp;quot; said team founder/owner Kevin Buckler. &amp;quot;This program is massive and far-reaching. What we have crafted with Aston Martin Racing is the ability for TRG-AMR North America to compete in all the majorrace series with multiple teams, and to manage and support all customer programs, marketing, merchandising, transport, maintenance, a new Aston Martin GT4 race series, and even an Aston Martin-specific &amp;#039;Arrive and Drive&amp;#039; program for corporate clients and customers. I am honored to have my Aston Martin friends and co-drivers Kenneth Greenberg and Robert Nimkoff as partners with us on this new endeavor, and we are all excited to get the programs rolling immediately.&amp;quot; Related posts:  What Does It Cost To Go Sports Car Racing? Aston Martin Announces New Customer Race Car Aston Martin Will Return to Le Mans Aston Martin V12 Zagato Gets the Go-Ahead A Farewell To Mazda&amp;#039;s Road Racing Rotaries  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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