RML
AD Group Lola Mazda B08/86 (2009)
RML
AD Group's sports prototype programme entered
a new era in late 2008, with confirmation on 6th
November that the team had signed a deal with
the Japanese car manufacturer Mazda for the supply
of engines.
The
announcement (reported here)
brought to a close a six-year relationship with
the iconic British marque, MG, but heralded a
new phase for what was already one of the longest-lasting
partnerships in motor racing.
The
personnel at the heart of the programme had remained
essentially the same since the red, white and
blue Lola first took to the track in November
2003. These included not only the two drivers;
Mike Newton, CEO of AD Group, and Thomas Erdos,
but also Team Manager Phil Barker and more than
half the engineers and mechanics in the squad.
If
the faces had remained more or less constant,
the cars they'd worked on had not. Evolution and
development had enabled Mike and Tommy to remain
at the forefront of LMP2 competition, and the
2009 steed in the stable was no exception, at
least in terms of pace and performance.
Based
on the latest Lola chassis, the RML Lola Mazda
embodied all the most up-to-date developments
in aerodynamics, composite technology and chassis
design, but with the added benefit of knowledge
gleaned from six highly-successful years in endurance
motorsport. RML has all the technical abilities
and resources to carry out extensive independent
development, as befits a company that has designed
and created cars of its own from the ground up,
such as the Saleen S7, and has engineered major
racing programmes for leading manufacturers such
as Chevrolet, Mercedes, Vauxhall, Honda and Aston
Martin.
The
expertise and understanding that brought two back-to-back
class victories in the Le Mans 24 Hours were applied
to the RML Lola Mazda, and many of the refinements
that gave the MGs their superlative handling were
carried over to the new car. These included specific
components intended to help the car and its drivers
cope with endurance events of six, ten or twenty-four
hour duration, including reserve alternators and
starter motors, mechanical gearchange back-up
to the sophisticated steering-wheel mounted paddle-shift
installation, advanced on-board telemetry, live-feed
video monitoring equipment, and several instances
of dual and tandem electronic and other essential
systems.
The
RML AD Group's Lola B08/80 chassis first saw competition
in September 2008, badged as the last-ever MG
racing car, the EX265C.
Only a few days after its initial roll-out at
Snetterton,
the new car finished fourth in class in the Silverstone
1000 Kilometres. It would be the first and
only time that the EX265C would race in earnest.
Six weeks later the news was confirmed that RML's
new coupé would move into 2009 with a Mazda
engine.
The
unit under the engine cover was a two-litre, turbocharged
four-cylinder unit developed jointly by Mazda
and Advanced Engine Research, AER. The immediate
benefits of this unit to RML were its size - it
had similar proportions to the former MG XP-21
unit, although was even more compact - and the
fact that, unlike the XP-21, the Mazda MZR-R was
in the early stages of development. in theory,
this meant it offered greater scope for refinement
and enhanced performance over the seasons ahead.
Furthermore, the AER support personnel that had
worked with RML since 2006 remained the same,
perpetuating an excellent working relationship.
When
first delivered to RML, the chassis was designated
a B08/80. However, concurrent with the installation
of the new Mazda engine, the car also benefited
from the implementation of the full 2009 specification
aerodynamic package and revised bodywork. This
had been developed by Lola in Huntingdon in response
to changes in the racing regulations between 2008
and 2009, including the reduction in width of
the rear wing. As a result the car could equally
be designated as a Lola Mazda B09/86, the eighty-six
being used by Lola to identify any Mazda-powered
chassis.
Ultimately,
the high expectations were never realised. Although
undeniably quick, and with excellent handling
characteristics, the turbocharged Mazda AER engine
suffered from an underlying incompatibility with
the regulation fuel supplied by the race organisers.
In common with all other turbocharged units employed
during the 2009 season, the RML engine suffered
repeated engine failures, and only once completed
a race. It was a bitterly disappointing season
for the team, and would eventually result in the
decision to return to a naturally aspirated engine.
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