DSC’s Daily Notebook (16/10/2023)
Mazda Heritage Collection revealed
Mazda Motorsports has revealed a new Heritage Collection, which will celebrate the brand’s long history in motorsports with a curated collection of iconic race cars that are owned by the Japanese brand.
The programme is being run in tandem by Mazda Motorsports and Flis Performance, who will manage the cars and ensure they are ready to hit the track at Daytona and Sebring in upcoming HSR events.
Based in Daytona Beach Florida, Flis Performance owners Todd and Troy Flis have a rich motorsports background that dates back more than 30 years. DSC readers will remember Troy Flis from his days running Spirit of Daytona Racing, which claimed two Grand-Am titles and an overall win at the 2002 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.
“We’ve been impressed with Flis Performance since day one of our MX-5 Cup partnership,” Mazda Motorsports senior manager Jonathan Applegate said. “When we were looking at ways to improve our racing heritage programme, there was no question Flis was the group we wanted on the project. Their level of professionalism and attention to detail is second to none. They’ve breathed new life into the program, and I know Mazda fans are going to love the result.”
Cars now under the care of Flis Performance include the 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning 1989 Mazda 767B-002, the 1990 Mazda 787-002, the 1991 Mazda RX-7-001 and the 1992 Mazda RX-792P-001.
“It is an honour to have these legendary cars in our care,” Flis Performance managing partner Todd Flis said. “We’ve enjoyed our partnership with Mazda to date and look forward to building on it with the Mazda Motorsports Heritage Collection. We’ve been doing our best to get all of them running smoothly and look forward to getting them on track soon!”
The new Mazda Motorsports Heritage Collection will make its debut at two HSR events this fall; Daytona International Speedway, November 2 – 5, followed by Sebring International Raceway, December 1 – 3.
The 767B and RX7 GTO are slated to take part in race groups while local dealerships will be on hand with activities planned.
40 cars for Le Mans Cup finale
The seventh and final race of the 2023 Michelin Le Mans Cup season this Sunday is set to run with 40 cars across the LMP3 and GT3 classes.
In LMP3 there are 28 cars listed, with the notable change being Murphy Prototypes finalising its line-up, with Torsten Kratz and Enzo Elias set to share its Duqueine.
The championship will also be settled this weekend, with the #16 Team Virage Ligier of Gillian Henrion and Julien Gerbi close to glory, needing a finish of seventh or better to seal it.
The GT3 title race is a little closer, with four cars and eight drivers all still with a chance of taking the crown.
Arnold Robin and Valentin Hasse Clot have finished on the podium in four of the six races run so far this season and are currently on 79 points. This gives them a 12-point advantage at the top of the standings in the #10 Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin Vantage. The #51 AF Corse Ferrari of Hiroshi Koizumi and Kei Cozzolino is second, with 67 points. The HCR with CaffeineSix Porsche 911 GT3 R of Tim Creswick and Anders Fjordbach now sits third.
The season finale is set to get underway on Sunday, 22nd October at 9:00 local.
Ligier European Series entry released
The Ligier European Series, which like the Le Mans Cup features on the ELMS support package, is also back in action for a final time this season this week in Portugal.
There are 14 cars listed on the entry, with nine JS P4s and five JS2 Rs.
After the JS P4 titles were settled in Belgium last time out, the JS2 R category titles are going down to the wire with the #42 ANS Motorsport and #43 LNR Motorsport examples separated by 37 points heading into the final two races.
In terms of entry changes, Georgios-Periklis Kolovos and Kaitatzis Panagiotis will return for the season finale. After participating in the Barcelona and Aragon rounds, the Greek duo will be back in the #4 HPRacing by Monza Garage Ligier JS P4.
In the JS2 R category, Martin Rich replaces Simon Butler and will team with Maximus Mayer in the #10 of RLR MSport. And Laurent Millara will return to the Ligier European Series aboard the #29 Pegasus Racing Ligier JS2 R.
The two one-hour races are set to take place at 10:20 and 16:00 on Saturday, 21st October.
Le Mans tickets to go on sale in November
The ACO has announced that tickets for the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours will go on general sale on November 14th, after a pre-sale for ACO Members that will begin on November 7th.
The ACO will also give local residents of the Sarthe region priority access to purchase tickets.
In the wake of this year’s sold-out race, which saw 325,000 fans make the trip to the Circuit de la Sarthe, the ACO is working to improve the spectator experience for 2024.
The number of tickets available for purchase at one time will be limited to a maximum of six tickets for the general public, four for ACO Members (including two at a reduced price) and two Green Tickets (non-cumulative with other tickets).
Grandstand access will be more closely monitored to ensure optimal spectator experience.
Additional camping areas are set to open too, for fans looking to enjoy 24 Hours of Le Mans race week on site.
A Race Week admission ticket has been priced at 104 Euros. Prices and further information on car parking and camping will be released soon.
Sepang 12 Hours returns
Top Speed has announced that the Sepang 12 Hours returns on March 14th to 16th next year.
For the event, teams running GT3, GT4, GT Cup and Touring Cars will be eligible to take part, with up to four drivers per car.
“I am very pleased we have been able to not only bring the Sepang 12 Hours back in 2023, but for it to return in 2024. The aim is to have teams once again from the Asia Pacific, but also to welcome even more international teams from outside the region,” said Davide de Gobbi, the general manager of Top Speed.
It will be live-streamed in English and Chinese, for free, worldwide.
The post DSC’s Daily Notebook (16/10/2023) first appeared on dailysportscar.com.