>>The Porsche RS Spyder LMP2 was caught getting in testing miles at Road Atlanta yesterday.  The RS made its first appearance after the noon break and only put in a few dozen laps, in 2-3 lap stints, throughout the afternoon finally packing it up around 3ish.  Speaking with the team, they indicated that the bulk of their testing work would be done today (9.24) with the primary focus on getting seat time for the drivers in traffic situations, "In a car that can pass" as one team member put it when alluding to the driver's GT2 (getting passed) background.

We weren't able to get any times with the in-and-out nature of the running.  The Porsche's V8 engine note is quite distinctive  if slightly more guttural than the Aston Martin V12 which was circulating at the same time.

>>Mazda is embarking on a new era that recognizes the engineering achievement of the past and uses that as a spring board for the current effort.  To that end they have created the Renesis-20B 3-rotor.

What you are staring at is the developing R-20B 3-rotor.  Make it clear, this engine is not to be confused with the Mazda Cosmo street car 20B engine.  In fact this new power plant shares more with the exotic factory-developed Mazda 13G 3-rotor racing engine.  And that's the point Mazda wants to make clear, Mazda is dipping into their very successful racing past, taking what worked wonders there, and then melding it with the new developments coming out of the Renesis program.  As an example, the R-20B uses the Renesis' rotor  and shares the same eccentricity ratio and swept volume of the production RX-8.  The R-20B also takes advantage of developments in electronics and metallurgy as well as benefiting from packaging lessons learned with the 13G (the side and rotor housings are narrower at the bottom by some 2 " over the RX-8 and 13B engines allowing for easier installation). 

Mazda and B-K Motorsports/Sportsbook.com are confident in going ahead and developing this new engine in full view of the fans, TV, Media and customers.  Dennis Spencer forthrightly adds, "This last week another popular, but elite manufacturer of sportscars with huge budgets delayed their Petit Le Mans debut as they continue development out of the public eye.  What's the fun in that?  I've always told my guys:  The only failure in racing is not showing up."

Dennis ends cheekily with this, "The 3-rotor R-20B is the beginning.  What are we going to call the 4-rotor?"

Can't wait till Petit?  Dennis sent along some video from today at Mosport  (right click and save!  Approx 2.2 MB).