Mazda vs the ACO green fuel

[davehenrie]

Imsa has approved the Biobutanol fuel by BP for use with the AER Mazda turbo. We may finally get to see if the MZR-R is a total hand grenade or if it can last and, more importantly, be pushed HARD during a race. The handicap will be an extra 30kg to lug around. That seems a little harsh. Time to find some Hobbits to drive then.

dh

[joeb]

The 30kg penalty is only for Sebring and Long Beach, at Laguna they can take off the 30kg. The theory is other teams will have time to evaluate the fuel and decide if they want it. I don't think any of them will in the proto ranks except maybe the Intersport or maybe Drayson teams. Don't know about any GT teams.

[HORNDAWG]

This could very well let us see the second Dyson coupe also!





L.P.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by HORNDAWG

This could very well let us see the second Dyson coupe also!





L.P.

yah, on MWM this week John alluded to something about Andy Meyrick being a lead driver for Mazda in the ALMS since Mazda released some more funds, and he said he would "get to that later" but I either missed the followup or it didn't happen.

[JAG]

Can 2l turbos be competitive in LMP2, let's not forget this will soon to be the LMP1 engine formula?

In '97/'98 Porsche complained bitterly about the restrictors for their flat six turbo in the 911 GT1, yet Toyota turned up with the GT-ONE V8 turbo in '98/'99 and were the class of the field.

Is the AER a poor engine, under developed or the victim of unfavorable regulations?

Looking to 2011 what options do P1 teams have, there's Judd and AER, but if HPD are on the ball, surely they'll be supplying most of the P1 field, it's basically an Acura/Honda factory engine.

It looks to me as if Cosworth and Aston Martin/Prodrive could muscle in on the customer engine front, if they are prepared to enter this market.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by JAG

Can 2l turbos be competitive in LMP2, let's not forget this will soon to be the LMP1 engine formula?

In '97/'98 Porsche complained bitterly about the restrictors for their flat six turbo in the 911 GT1, yet Toyota turned up with the GT-ONE V8 turbo in '98/'99 and were the class of the field.

Is the AER a poor engine, under developed or the victim of unfavorable regulations.

Looking to 2011 what options do P1 teams have, there's Judd and AER, but if HPD are on the ball, surely they'll be supplying most of the P1 field, it's basically an Acura/Honda factory engine.

I don't know if the AER Mazda is a poor engine, but all the teams in Europe that were running it aren't this season - mostly due to performance reasons. I don't know how competitive it can be in P1 in 2011, or if anybody will want to run it with the other options available to privateers (HPD, Judd, Zytek)

[HORNDAWG]

The performance of the MZR-R was markedly better at the last 2 rounds of the ALMS last year in the Dyson car utilizing the biobutanol! Lets hope that this combination proves itself out over this years season in the ALMS and remains a viable option for P-1 in 2011.




L.P.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by HORNDAWG

The prerfrmance of the MZR-R was markedly better at the last 2 rounds of the ALMS last year in the Dyson car utilizing the biobutanol! Lets hope that this combination proves itself out over this years season in the ALMS and remains a viable option for P-1 in 2011.




L.P.

I'll add that if the reliability improves this year with the butanol that could change some peoples minds.

[broadrun96]

Was the combustion temp of the ethanol the problem with the MKZ-R? Thought I had read somewhere the bio-butanol burns a little cooler and would make the engine more durable. Seems like that would be something Mazda, IMSA and the ACO would want to make work to added a little more to the field.

[davehenrie]

Originally Posted by joeb

I don't know if the AER Mazda is a poor engine, but all the teams in Europe that were running it aren't this season - mostly due to performance reasons. I don't know how competitive it can be in P1 in 2011, or if anybody will want to run it with the other options available to privateers (HPD, Judd, Zytek)

I don't think it was a poor performer, but it had very poor reliability when it was running at full chat. Oak finished many races but they were never really running at a competitive pace, more of a survivor's pace. In 2009 Dyson was down 10 seconds to the Acura in only a couple of laps at Sebring, yet later in the year they could easily outpace the Acura. (bigger air restrictors helped) I would say all the Euro teams that abandoned Mazda did so because they could not rely on that engine with that fuel surviving a 6 hr event. Perhaps Dyson could run a demo race late in the LMS season to see if the BioBute is competitive in LMS-land.

[tkelland]

Originally Posted by davehenrie

Perhaps Dyson could run a demo race late in the LMS season to see if the BioBute is competitive in LMS-land.

I don't see how a 12 Hour race and a 6 Hour race in the U.S. won't prove enough. The problem is that the ACO spec fuel is not sufficient for the AER-Mazda. I feel like any team that has used, thought of using, or is thinking of using this engine in the LMS, Asian LMS or LMIC will pay attention to what Dyson is doing. We can only hope that the ACO will take notice of this, too. Le Mans has always been a proving ground for innovation and new technology. I am hopeful it continues in this vein.