The newly developed Mazda2 R2 rally vehicle made an impressive motorsport debut at the South African National Rally Championship (NRC) which was held in Secunda over the past weekend. Crewed by the experienced team of Driver Chris Coertse, Co-Driver Greg Godrich, Team Manager Jean Els and Senior Technician Kobus Yssel; the vehicle competed in the highly competitive R2 class for 1600 front wheel drive cars. Racing for the first time, the rally Mazda2 took the number one spot in its class and finished second overall.
“We chose the Mazda2 because its standard form meets all the technical requirements for a rally car. It is the right size, lightweight and with a proven reliability, it offers a great performance package.” – Comments Team Electrothread’s Chris Coertse. “Although we remain a self-funded private team, we would like to mention and thank the Mazda East Rand dealership. Particularly, Dealer Principal Brett Nel and Parts Manager Johan Loggenberg for their assistance and technical support in acquiring all the parts required to build the car.”
The car was developed and built in collaboration with the respected race car builders JE Motorsport (JEM) in Johannesburg, and complies fully with the international R2 regulations as well as the local NRC restrictions, which prohibit the use of racing fuel and limits the maximum RPM to 8000. Specs for the rally Mazda2 R2 include a 1600cc normally aspirated engine (105kw, 145Nm at wheels), a Sadev 5 speed sequential gearbox, performance suspension with fully adjustable Reiger Dampers and an Engine management and electronics package by OBR Control Systems.
