Sylvain Tremblay from Coral Springs, Florida is currently leading the GT Pack at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Castrol recently partnered with Mazda and Speedsource, bringing a new paint scheme to the car. The new scheme features castrol colors and a flat black reminiscent of the Mazda Furai.

The other Speedsource RX8 (#69) recently switched drivers from Jeff Segal to Emil Assentato and the #40 Hyper Sport Mazda RX8 had a blown tire which may have damaged an oil line. Check back for frequent updates as we cover this LIVE event!

The New 2009 Mazda RX8

Unveiled at the Detroit International Auto Show, the new 2009 RX8 boasts a sportier set of rims and more aggressive physical appearance package. The most notable addition to the RX8’s trim options is the R3 Sport Package. This new version will include luxury features such as keyless entry and start, a Bose sound system and even more leather. Outside you’ll get a sporty accent package, including a new spoiler, side skirts and front bumper.

Sadly, no Mazda 16x beneath the 2009 Mazda RX8’s glimmering hood but they did tweak the gearset from 4.444 to 4.777 - to enhance performance off the line. (So now we can really give those Z guys a run for their money!)

Several Mazda RX8 GT Racecars are set to compete at the 2008 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona on the 26th of this month.

Here’s a closer look at the Mazda RX8 competitors tentatively scheduled:

* This list has now been updated to include drivers.

#08 Mazda RX8 GT Car
Engine: Mazda 20b (3 Rotor Engine)
Team: Goldin Brothers Racing
Sponsor(s): CCM Cellular

Driver(s): Steve Goldin, Homestead, FL
Keith Goldin, Miami, FL

#30 Mazda RX8 GT Car
Engine: Mazda 20b (3 Rotor Engine)
Team: Racers Edge Motorsports
Sponsor(s): Guardian Edge Technologies

Driver(s): Ken Dobson, Sonoma, CA
Bob Michaelian, Seal Beach, CA
Jim Michaelian, Long Beach, CA

#40 Mazda RX8 GT Car
Engine: Mazda 20b (3 Rotor Engine)
Team: Hyper Sport
Sponsor(s): SoBe Beverage Company

Driver(s): Joe Foster, Norcross, GA
Charles Espenlaub, Lutz, FL
Patrick Dempsey, Beverly Hills, CA

#48 Mazda RX8 GT Car
Engine: Mazda 20b (3 Rotor Engine)
Team: Team Spencer Motorsports
Sponsor(s): Trench Shoring Services

(Note: Picture outdated, old #63)

Driver(s): Richard Grupp, Decatur, GA
Gary Drummond, Columbus, NC

#69 Mazda RX8 GT Car
Engine: Mazda 20b (3 Rotor Engine)
Team: Speedsource
Sponsor(s): FXDD

Driver(s): Emil Assentato, Locust Valley, NY
Nick Longhi, Nyack, NY
Jeff Segal, Miami, FL

#70 Mazda RX8 GT Car
Engine: Mazda 20b (3 Rotor Engine)
Team: Speedsource
Sponsor(s): Mazda, Mazdaspeed, Castrol

Driver(s): David Haskell, Plantation, FL
Sylvain Tremblay, Coral Springs, FL
Nick Ham, Evergreen, CO

Tune in to SPEED channel at 1:30 P.M. Saturday, January 26th to watch the event LIVE!

Mazda has everyone guessing with it’s latest concept, the - Mazda Furai. It looks like a race car, it sounds like a race car, heck it was co-designed by Swift Engineering - a company that specializes in (you guessed it) race cars. So why don’t we just call it a race car already? Well, Mazda’s very own Franz von Holzhausen (North American director of design) says,

“[the Mazda] Furai purposely blurs boundaries that have traditionally distinguished street cars from track cars. Historically, there has been a gap between single-purpose racecars and street-legal models — commonly called supercars — that emulate the real racers on the road. Furai bridges that gap like no car has ever done before.”

So while every sign seems to point towards the Mazda Furai remaining on the track - Mazda wants it on the streets.

Engine - The Mazda Furai sports a powerful mid-mounted Mazda 20B 3 Rotor Rotary Engine which produces around 450 horsepower. The engine is fueled by E100 Ethanol. That is, purely ethanol - no gasoline. (For example, E25 Ethanol is 25% Ethanol and 75% gasoline.) This appears to be a part of Mazda’s long-term plan to reduce pollution and dependence on oil for fuel. (See: Mazda RX8 Hydrogen RE)

The 20b is fed clean, fresh air through an “air fang” atop it’s roof, designed and developed by Swift’s engineers. Surprisingly it hasn’t seen their wind tunnel just yet but it appears to have no problem staying on the ground, even through the violent corkscrew of Mazda’s Laguna Seca Raceway.

That sound you hear as the driver runs through the gears is an F1-style spur gear transmission. (Built by Swift no doubt.) Ah, the graceful tone of metal on metal. There’s nothing like it.

The Mazda Furai has been exposed and what a beast she looks to be! With an outrageous 3 Rotor engine beneath it’s magnificent hood the Mazda Furai is pushing 450 horsepower. Mazda plans to officially reveal the Mazda Furai in just a few short weeks at the North American International Auto Show.

How would you like this to be your daily driver? Though the car appears to be a race machine, Mazda has made it clear that the Furai is intended to confuse the line between supercar and street machine. And if you’re concerned about gas mileage, well, you probably should be (to some discernable degree) as the rotary engine is infamous for it’s poor fuel economy - however, Mazda has made marked improvements in the last few years to increase the rotaries efficiency in every day driving situations. You might consider losing the giant sports wing, though, eh?