Top level sports vehicles of Mazda will score new paint schemes for the racing programs this year as the Japanese automaker has closed a multi-year partnership deal with BP and Castrol. For the upcoming Rolex 24 At Daytona in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, the No. 70 Mazda RX-8 will be taking the green flag during this event covered in new Castrol Syntec colors.
The No. 70 Mazda RX-8 is the car driven by a number of professional drivers namely Nick Ham, Raphael Matos, David Haskell, and Sylvain Tremblay. This particular vehicle was a part of a very special integration of race cars from Mazdaspeed Motorsports that will be on display at Mazda’s booth during the North American International Auto Show happening in Detroit this month.
The No. 70 Mazda RX-8’s paint scheme was actually a direct tie-in to the Furai concept of the Japanese automaker which had been unveiled just some months back. The rear fenders and the nose of the vehicle have dashed lines and these are the latest interpretation from the designers of Mazda vehicles. This was actually inspired by the paint scheme used by the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans winning Mazda 787B. And during the full 2008 Rolex GT, the drivers of the No. 70 Mazda RX-8 will be Ham and Tremblay.
Mazda’s Manager of Motorsports Team Development, John Doonan, commented saying, "This new partnership has been in the making for the last couple of years and we could not be prouder to be associated with such a great brand. The target audience of both of our companies is nearly a direct match, with so many enthusiasts recognizing that our brands ‘get-it’ when it comes to products that we bring to market. To be able to carry the Castrol Syntec colors into the 2008 season gives our RX-8 customer car program tremendous momentum and validation!"
Tremblay, the team principal at SpeedSource, also said, “We could not be more thankful to everyone at Mazda for their belief in the vision to develop the RX-8 as we have…and to have six Mazda RX-8s on the entry list…amazing! And then to add a brand name like Castrol to the program makes it even more special. We are very much looking forward to representing such a great company with a rich Motorsports heritage. To have the car in the Mazda display here in Detroit gives everyone a sense of tremendous momentum heading into the new season. Now we just have to deliver."
Other than that, another Mazda vehicle will be in a new “team car” reverse paint scheme during the Rolex 24 At Daytona. This vehicle is the No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8 driven by Emil Assentato, the 2007 Bob Akin Cup Winner. Lonnie Pechnik, Nick Lohngi, and Jeff Segal are the other racers who also drive the No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8.