Mazda 6 Diesel Racer Falls To Fuel Pump Woes At 24 Hours Of Daytona

Utilizing a production-based car and engine, the Mazda 6 diesel is proof that you can have fast, efficient fun thanks to turbodiesel technology. This diesel Mazda race car uses a synthetic blend of smokeless diesel for competition, but a fueling system issue knocked the three racers out of competition just six hours into the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Synthetic fuels have been around for decades, and this latest smokeless diesel is the product of Dynamic Fuels, owned in part behind chicken producers Tyson Farms. The diesel fuel uses non-food feedstock and plant materials to produce a high cetane (octane rating, but for diesels) diesel fuel that also produces less foaming during competition.  The Mazda 6 with its SkyActiv-D turbodiesel engine competes in the Grand-Am series new GX class for alt-fuel vehicles.

Mazda hasn’t said whether or not the synthetic fuel was to blame for the fuel pump failures of all three Mazda 6 racers just six hours into the 24 hour Daytona race. A weakpoint in the fuel rail of the high-pressure turbodiesel system knocked two of the racers out of contention in just a couple of hours, while the third made it just six hours before the rear mail seal failed. This is because the cars’ builders, Speedsource, had just five hours of shakedown time at the track between completing the cars and bringing them to Daytona.

It’s a rough start for the new Mazda 6 diesel race car, but not entirely unexpected. We have faith that Mazda and Speedsource are yearning to bounce back from this setback, and Mazda has a long history as a feisty fighter. There’s always that next race to look forward to, and the hope that Mazda brings a wagon version of the Mazda 6 to the U.S. market as well.

Source: Motor Trend