Record-breaking lap puts Mazda on pole for Daytona 24 Hours

43 comments on “Record-breaking lap puts Mazda on pole for Daytona 24 Hours”

1. 

   Sundar Srinivas Harish (@sundark)
   25th January 2019, 1:41

   I’m bummed out about missing Daytona qualifying! Unfortunately, I slept through my alarm. Its great to see Joest in the front, where they belong. I hope the cars don’t break down while in podium positions, like multiple times last year. Also, the IMSA time sheet has the van der Zande/Taylor/Alonso/Kobayashi Cadillac at 6th place. 2nd belongs to the #7 Acura of Taylor/Castroneves/Rossi.

   This begs the question whether the Cadillacs have finally met their match in DPi, or whether Mazda and Acura will be hit by the BoP hammer for Sebring.
   1. 

      kpcart
      25th January 2019, 13:25

      This is the problem of sportscars… the whole BoP.. Cadillac has the most power, but have to be held back to make it competitive, and now they are held back too much. makes the racing a bit too artificial. I can see why it is done, so they don’t have one car like Mercedes in f1 dominating all the time, but there has to be a better way… ie spec engines.
2. 

   Forrest (@forrest)
   25th January 2019, 2:19

   @Keith

   You got your Taylor brothers mixed up. Ricky Taylor in the Penske Acura qualified second, not his brother Jordan in the Cadillac.

   https://sportscarchampionship.imsa.com/schedule-results/current-results?eventid=117&sessid=875
   1. 

      tonyyeb (@tonyyeb)
      25th January 2019, 9:23

      @forrest Oh the irony, you got the wrong @keithcollantine !
      1. 

         thepostalserviceisbroke (@thepostalserviceisbroke)
         25th January 2019, 13:35

         Hahahahaha
3. 

   Miani (@miani)
   25th January 2019, 2:39

   I don’t know why the mainstream completely ignores the fact that ethanol is a renovable, cleaner and viable fuel source. Many can argue that you need a lot of soil to make ethanol, but today agriculture efficiency/productivity is very high (and if we take all those billions of money that goes to other technologies development, it would be even higher). And comparing with batterys, it’s very debatable what is less offensive to the environment.
   1. 

      NS Biker (@rekibsn)
      25th January 2019, 3:23

      Has long been identified that there isn’t enough water to grow the crops needed for really large scale ethanol production. Pretty easy to identify the best use for ethanol.
      There will always be those promoting fringe “fuel” systems, hydrogen as an eg. Boil it down and it is an energy storage mechanism and an inefficient cycle to boot. Ethanol is slightly better, but it takes a load of water, land and energy to produce it.
      The main stream ignores it because it doesn’t work very well.
      1. 

         Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
         25th January 2019, 8:03

         @rekibsn Hydrogen can be produced using renewable sources, so it’s very clean. Of course once you convert it back to electricity you lose a lot of energy; but I even still it will be a big player in our energy future – because it can be produced in one location and shipped to another (although, would likely need to be converted to ammonia for “easy” transportation, then converted back).

         For cars though, hydrogen may only make sense for super-long range vehicles. For the other 95%, direct EV is a no-brainer.
         1. 

            NS Biker (@rekibsn)
            25th January 2019, 15:51

            Initially I was a big fan of H2. There is an industrial outfit near us that produces large quantities of H2 and either vents it or burns it in a boiler. 93 MW of electrolysis cells to be a bit more precise. Having also worked in the H2 purification and vehicle fuel side of H2, it shows up pretty quickly that it has physical challenges. It costs a load of energy to compress it or to liquify it, the storage density is abysimal (hence only good for short range vehicles) and it brings a load of safety issues which will prevent parking an H2 vehicle in underground of enclosed parking spaces.
            End result is that if you have electricity available, charge batteries, don’t go through the H2 process.
   2. 

      Don
      25th January 2019, 5:04

      IndyCar’s run on ethanol. Have for years.
   3. 

      ColdFly (@)
      25th January 2019, 8:23

      @miani, ALL energy sources (maybe bar nuclear) are natural and renewable! Just a matter of time perspective ;)
      And oil and gas don’t use up any (current) farming land at all ;)
      1. 

         Biskit Boy (@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk)
         25th January 2019, 8:51

         Oil and gas are not renewable in the time it would take to deplete them. Nuclear is natural. The Sun is big fusion reactor. Once fusion is cracked here on earth the we will have loads of cheap electric so EVs are our future.

         I’ve been a petrol head all my life, but I’ve seen the future and now drive an EV saving myself £1500 a year on fuel, tax and servicing. Nico is on the money. All electric F1 by 2025 is a possibility.
         1. 

            Patrick (@anunaki)
            25th January 2019, 9:32

            I saw a video of a guy that is currently doing a POC with factory made fuel without using oil. It seemed to work just fine and just used CO2 from the air to make it.
            1. 

               Biskit Boy (@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk)
               25th January 2019, 12:22

               great! please link the video
               thanks
            2. 

               Biskit Boy (@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk)
               25th January 2019, 12:37

               er actually don’t bother I’ve read up on this and its not a long-term solution. The scale-ability is suspect also.

               Why capture carbon to make a fuel that puts the carbon back in the atmosphere? It defeats the object. Also what if we get back to the point the amount of carbon in the air is optimal again? We might get global cooling!
   4. 

      Aldoid
      25th January 2019, 17:49

      What I find ironic (but par for the course) is that in the grand scheme of things (and ignoring Formula E for a bit), pursuing fuel economy gains in motorsport… especially F1, is a bit of a pointless exercise, IMO: the trucks, many of the trains, all the ships & airplanes that carry the circus & it’s performers all around the world (not to mention the electricity that powers the cities/areas that host these races) are the real heavy hitters with regards to fuel consumption (and harmful emissions), not the race cars. Currently there is no real viable alternative to replacing diesel & other petro-HFOs: algae is the closest thing to a silver bullet but cost & mass production volume-wise the technology isn’t ready yet. Ethanol in jet fuel is a very recent development (& only 50% blends are allowed), plus we already know that when you consider the arable land & water that would be required to increase ethanol production to the point where it would really make a difference, the math doesn’t quite add up yet either. So any efficiency gains made from F1 specifically (but motorsport in general)… even if they trickle down to road cars eventually, will make precious little difference in reducing global fuel consumption.

      Now, back to Formula E: I think electric powered vehicles are poised to make the biggest difference in that regard if energy density continues to go up while charge times come down. In addition to more electric commuter vehicles, the biggest impact will probably be made in electricity production & grid stability by opening up energy storage options for PV/CSP solar & wind power especially. I don’t find the racing quite to my liking yet but I hope Formula E continues to push development in that area. F1 with the electric side of their powertrain as well.
4. 

   Mike
   25th January 2019, 8:16

   Is that rotary or piston engine?
   1. 

      StefMeister (@stefmeister)
      25th January 2019, 8:57

      It’s a 2Ltr inline four-cylinder turbo Piston engine designed/built by AER that produces around 600bhp.
      1. 

         JimG (@jimg)
         25th January 2019, 12:57

         Mike, @stefmeister: Pity. I like the idea of the Wankel, but I have heard that it was rather controversial due to the problems of comparing it to a reciprocating engine (2l I4 = ?l rotary). Also I believe that emissions and fuel economy were problematic.
         1. 

            GeeMac (@geemac)
            25th January 2019, 15:24

            Fuel economy and oil consumption are the killers if you own a rotary engine car. A mate of mine had a Mazda RX7 and he seemed to constantly be topping up the oil or nearly running out of fuel.
5. 

   tony mansell
   25th January 2019, 9:28

   2nd Chinese GP?!!!!! Hay maybe they can use those Daytona seats to make it look like people are there.

   Meanwhile European GP races are sold out and ticket prices for seats anyway are high.
   1. 

      GT Racer (@gt-racer)
      25th January 2019, 12:43

      Attendance for China is actually usually pretty strong at around 100-150,000 on raceday which is on-par with most european venues.

      It always tends to look like there’s less people than there actually are as it suffers from the same issue the GP at Indianapolis did. That been that the facilities are so large that even when there are a lot of people about it can look quite empty.

      I think the final year at Indy in 2007 had a crowd of 200,000 yet because the place can hold upto 500,000 (For the Indy 500, Some grandstands/spectator areas were closed for the F1) the place looked rather empty. Shanghai can hold upto 300,000 fans I believe which is a target even the most popular F1 venues wouldn’t get near so it was totally unnecessary to build so many grandstand seats & has only ever led to bad optics despite the usually good attendance.
      1. 

         tony mansell
         25th January 2019, 13:11

         Ah right, good point. I hate empty stands, the ones at Hockenheim so full for so long and uptill Max anyway with stretched tarpaulin over them. So happy the Dutch have got behind Max but then he is the GOAT lol !!
   2. 

      David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
      27th January 2019, 22:09

      > European GP

      Well Done Baku :)

      That said yeah, empty stands ain’t pretty
6. 

   Jere (@jerejj)
   25th January 2019, 9:52

   This isn’t the first time that news about a suggestion of a second race in China has come out, though. Sometimes, I don’t really understand when something that has already been reported before all of a sudden comes out on different sites again.

   Yes, someday F1 has to move away from fossil fuel, but the same equally applies to not only all of the automotive industry, but also boats/ships, airplanes/helicopters, and so on, not only motorsport.

   I thoroughly agree with the COTD.
7. 

   kpcart
   25th January 2019, 13:18

   Nuclear power is the way to go in the future. it is the cleanest form of energy, and new powerstations don’t use plutonium or uranium anymore, so they cant release radiation if there is a meltdown. but after fukushima, it put nuclear on the backfoot for probably 100 years. one day the whole world will be nuclear powered, and all cars will be electric – and then we will never have to worry about hurting the environment with burning fossil fuels.
   1. 

      SteveR
      25th January 2019, 14:21

      … new powerstations don’t use plutonium or uranium anymore…

      Really? Besides Thorium what other fissile materials are there and why wouldn’t they produce fission products? Magic?
   2. 

      anon
      25th January 2019, 17:55

      kpcart, I am not sure what data sources you are referring to, but I believe that every single currently available third generation nuclear reactor, such as the APWR or EPR reactors, are designed around uranium or MOX feedstocks (MOX being a combination of uranium and plutonium).

      As SteveR notes, a number of countries are experimenting with liquid salt thorium reactors at the moment, but I am not aware of any of those designs having yet been put into commercial production. Most of the proposed fourth generation nuclear reactors which are under development are, however, still based around using a feedstock containing uranium, so the thorium proposals are still very much in a minority at the moment.
8. 

   thepostalserviceisbroke (@thepostalserviceisbroke)
   25th January 2019, 13:43

   I’m of the complete mindset than Rosberg. Yes, I believe that the world as a whole needs to go renewable ASAP. Once that happens, however, I want to see F1 go completely back to all petrol. F1 is entertainment; it’s supposed to be about experience (for all senses especially if you’re at the track). Nothing beats the sound, sensation, and excitement of the screams and roars of V8, V10, V12…Once we’ve mostly weaned ourselves off petrol, I don’t see why a small exception can be made for entertainment purposes. What’s the stat? A jumbo jet in a transoceanic flight uses more fuel than all F1 cars combined in a season?
9. 

   ColdFly (@)
   25th January 2019, 16:10

   What’s the stat? A jumbo jet in a transoceanic flight uses more fuel than all F1 cars combined in a season?

   Only starting all mopeds in India will use more fuel than all F1 cars combined in a season ;)
   @thepostalserviceisbroke
   1. 

      Jere (@jerejj)
      25th January 2019, 19:38

      @coldfly LOL.
   2. 

      thepostalserviceisbroke (@thepostalserviceisbroke)
      25th January 2019, 20:18

      I’d watch that race anytime!
10. 

    JJ (@jjfrazz)
    25th January 2019, 17:50

    F1 weekend – all cars = 8000 litres
    F1 x 20 race season = 160,000 litres
    Boing 747 on 10 hour flight = 150,000 litres

    Oh, and flying is heavily government subsidised!
11. 

    Jason Blankenship (@jblank)
    25th January 2019, 17:58

    If F1 EVER ceases to have gasoline powered cars, I will abandon the sport. Racing involves gasoline engines.
    1. 

       Jere (@jerejj)
       25th January 2019, 19:40

       @jblank I wouldn’t. Racing can survive entirely without involving gasoline engines in the long-term.
       1. 

          Jason Blankenship (@jblank)
          25th January 2019, 20:17

          Well that’s you. As for me, racing involves gas powered cars. I’ll not be watching if it goes away from that. I’m like Hamilton, bring back V12’s.
          1. 

             anon
             3rd February 2019, 22:19

             @jblank, despite all the mystique, from a pure performance point of view, the V12 engine has generally tended to perform pretty badly in F1. In terms of outright success, V12’s have not performed as well as the V8, V10 or even the I4, let alone compared with the turbo V6 – why be so wedded to a format that’s generally been a failure in the sport?
    2. 

       Leroy (@g-funk)
       26th January 2019, 4:46

       @jblank Really? Both IndyCar and NASCAR use ethanol and have for years. I’ve seen quite a few posts on this site about the quality of racing in IndyCar vs F1, so I’m pretty sure gasoline doesn’t make a series.
       1. 

          Jason Blankenship (@jblank)
          26th January 2019, 13:46

          Let me rephrase as I did a poor job of explaining. As long as the racing uses some type of internal combustion, then I will watch it. I have no desire to watch electric cars.
12. 

    Jesse silver
    26th January 2019, 1:15

    Where can I watch the Daytona 24 from the UK?
    1. 

       Paul Heppler (@paulheppler)
       26th January 2019, 9:45

       IMSA TV on imsa.com
13. 

    Jason Blankenship (@jblank)
    26th January 2019, 13:45

    Let me rephrase as I did a poor job of explaining. As long as the racing uses some type of internal combustion, then I will watch it. I have no desire to watch electric cars.
14. 

    elchinero (@elchinero)
    27th January 2019, 20:00

    Red Flag rain in Daytona (40-days, 40-nights type) = Checkers thrown. “Al” wins …

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