Powertrain & Energy - July 25, 2012 - 18

Tech Report
materials support technology, computational engineering,
electrical power and control systems, and
manufacturing technology research.
Alongside is a regional training center, the first
for the company in Asia, where its purpose is to develop
high-value skills and encourage talent for the
future. This initiative, on such a scale, is confirmation
that Asia-Pacific is getting more established,
through Western inward investment, as a long-term
global partner at the cutting edge of new aerospace
programs.
If the sales growth forecasts for international civil
air transport are accurate, then more of such facili-
Mazda to prove 2014 SkyActiv diesel
through U.S. racing
To prepare the 2014 U.S. launch of its all new and
in some ways, radical SkyActiv-D diesel engine,
Mazda is taking a page out of VW-Audi’s diesel
playbook: Use racing to prove the engine’s durability
and performance and to increase customer
awareness of diesel’s benefits.
At a media event prior to the Detroit Grand Prix,
Mazda Motorsports announced that it will supply
racing versions of the 2.2-L SkyActiv-D to customer
teams competing in the Grand-Am racing series’
new GX Class beginning with the 2013 season. The
racing engine will use a stock aluminum, open-deck
cylinder block and modified versions of the production
diesel’s common-rail injection and two-stage
turbocharging systems. Its maximum
crankshaft speed is expected to exceed
the production SkyActiv-D’s 5200 rpm.
The engines are being developed jointly
by Mazda Motor Corp., Mazda North
American Operations, and Florida-based
SpeedSource Engineering which currently
develops Mazda’s RX-8 Grand-Am
race cars. Dyno testing has already begun
and on-track testing begins 4Q12.
The race version of Mazda’s new SkyActiv-D
as it was unveiled prior to the 2012 Detroit
Grand Prix. The diesel is expected to produce
at least 400 hp (298 kW) using the stock
aluminum cylinder block and modified
versions of the stock dual-stage
turbocharger and common-rail injection
systems. A particulate trap will likely be part
of the race engine’s exhaust system.
18 July 25, 2012
SAE Powertrain & Energy
ties are going to be needed to cope. This should not
harm aerospace companies in their traditional
homelands in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, so
long as they maintain their own high levels of innovation
and enterprise, but it should also act as a
warning that markets wait for nobody to catch up.
Staying ahead technically is the only recipe for
long-term survival, and in the aero engine sector
the progress in composite manufacturing now under
way suggests that this message has not been
lost in corporate boardrooms.
Richard Gardner
Powertrain & Energy - July 25, 2012

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