Mazda, satisfied with the results of 2011 Britcar Production GTN Championship – which they refer to a the development year, has prepared a fine version of the MX-5 GT for the 2012 2012 British GT Championship, where it will take on some serious super cars from Lotus, Aston Martin, Ginetta and Nissan. The nimble and agile Mazda counts on its lightness to make up for the lack of power.
The 2012 Mazda MX-5 GT4 is powered by a 315bhp 2.0-litre engine mated to a paddle shift sequential six-speed Hewland gearbox. The racing car makes 60moh in just 3 seconds and flat out can do 160mph, making this the fastest and most powerful MX-5 in the World. If only the road-going MX-5 was this fast.
The car weighs in at 1,000kg, carrying 150kg of ballast. That not only makes it fast, it also gives it awesome handling. The MX-5 GT4 demonstrates high levels of stability under all loads making the car easy and fun to drive, an important feature for the longer endurance races. The fun factor is not something you find in every race car, they are usually so hard to drive, there’s no joy in it.
The British GT Championship is nine rounds over seven weekends. The first race is at Oulton Park in Cheshire on Easter weekend, 7 and 9 April.
“We are looking forward to taking on the supercar brands this year and winning,” commented Jeremy Thomson, Managing Director for Mazda UK. “Last year was a valuable development year when we established the strengths of the car and then developed the power and handling to best exploit those strengths. We are excited and optimistic about our first year in British GT and fully expect the Mazda MX-5 to upset a few established marques.
