(Motorsport-Total.com/Motor1) – This June will be the 100th time this year Pikes Peak Hill Climb takes place, one of the toughest and most extreme motorsport events in the world. Unforgotten remains how Walter Röhrl and Ari Vatanen once did on highly bred horses Audi Quattro respectively Peugeot 405 rushed to the summit.
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Mazda 3 by Michael Whiddett for Pikes Peak 2022
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In recent weeks, the participating manufacturers and teams have begun unveiling the cars that will compete for the land speed record in the mountains of Colorado, USA. One of the stars will be Mazda 3 by “Mad Mike” Whiddett, a behemoth with a rotary engine and over 1,200 hp. You read that right: Wankel.
The racer and drifter revealed some details and renders of the Mazda on his Instagram profile with a million followers. The car sports the Red Bull livery and has retained its four-door configuration, but has been completely revised in terms of technology and equipment.
Whiddett’s supercar is race-ready with a gigantic twin rear wing, lower suspension, larger tires and four tailpipes mounted directly above the engine.
Of course, the most interesting detail concerns the powertrain: the Japanese car is powered by a rotary engine with four rotors and 1,217 hp, all of which are sent to the rear wheels. And they are all used to transport the Mazda 3 (buy Mazda 3 used car now) from the approximately 2,800 meter high starting line to the 4,300 meter high summit.
More about Wankel:
New Mazda patent drawings show model with Wankel engine
Knaus E.Power Drive (2021): Electric motorhome with Wankel
We don’t know what Whiddett and his Mazda 3 are up to, whether he’s actually aiming for victory or even a record time. The current overall record was set by Romain Dumas in the electric Volkswagen in 2018 ID.R with a time of 7:57.148 minutes for the 19.99 km long (and now completely paved) route with 156 curves and an average gradient of 7.2 percent.
Whatever the goals, this is a great return for the Wankel engine. The rotating pistons are also about to make a comeback in civilian life: the electric Mazda is scheduled for 2022 MX-30 get a Wankel as a range extender. The hill climb super sports car, on the other hand, uses this engine as the main drive.
Those: TheDrive
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