What's all this about?
Mazda has run three 2.2-litre diesel Mazda6s around an oval test track in Germany and set a slew of FIA speed records - subject to homologation by said governing body.
What's the headline figure?
Well, apparently 20 different speed and/or distance records for diesel-powered production cars in the 2.0- to 2.5-litre category fell during the 24-hour, 3,293-mile marathon, but the key one is that the fastest of the three Skyactiv-D 6s set an average speed of 137.368mph over its attempt. The old benchmark was 130.378mph.
Who was driving the cars?
A mix of professionals, journalists and car enthusiasts, 23 in all from seven EU countries, all of them selected by Mazda following a process that began in May. They congregated at the ATP test oval in Papenburg, Germany, on October 18 and set off. Each driver had a 1.5-hour stint behind the wheel, while no car could travel in the slipstream of a preceding car during the effort. Given that the drivers also had to minimise speed loss in the high-speed banking at either end of the oval, it was a proper test of concentration and skill.
Has Mazda done anything like this before?
Well, in 2013 and running a 2.2 Skyactiv-D racing 6, Mazda's entrant was the first diesel ever to win a race at no less a venue than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the US.
Matt Robinson - 4 Nov 2014