Mazda will return to touring car racing next year in the shape of the Mazda 3 TCR, and the 350 hp bewinged challenger promises to be the one of most fearsome-looking entrants ever, if not the prettiest, given that the base car is such a looker.
The Mazda 3 TCR is powered by a turbocharged, 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine producing 350 hp, mated to a six-speed sequential transmission with shift paddles. Developed and supported by Long Road Racing, the manufacturer of the Mazda MX-5 Cup car, the Mazda3 TCR is homologated to compete in any of the 36 TCR-sanctioned championships around the world.
Engineers and designers spent hours in the wind tunnel to hone the aerodynamics of the Mazda 3 TCR to ensure that the clean lines of the Mazda 3 are retained and that it also complies with existing touring car regulations. We think they’ve done a great job; Mazda fans can now hope and pray that a road-legal version will somehow make it to production.
The Mazda 3 TCR will make its track debut in the four-hour endurance challenge under the Rolex 24 at Daytona weekend in January, 2020.
Mazda 3 TCR image gallery
