Alfa to race in Le Mans

[AFC-911]

http://msnauto.motorlegend.com/actualite/breves/index.htm?id=1674


Alfa Romeo VP had announced their racing intentions for 2008. They realize that they need to have a presence in competition to back up their sports car...I can't wait to see what this car looks like with some sort of livery on it.

[legion]

So Alfa can waltz right into LeMans, but the Japanese makers are all but barred?

[AFC-911]

Are Japanese makers barred? FIA did start the Japan Le Mans Challenge this year with future winners eligible for the 24h race.

[Jims5543]

So Mazda, the only Japanese company to Win at Le Mans has to re-qualify?

Mazda won overall in 1991 and was duly banned. I never hear about it being rescinded though.

In 1991, a four-rotor Mazda 787B (2622 cc actual, rated by FIA formula at 4708 cc) won the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race outright, the only non-piston engine ever to win at Le Mans, as well as the only team from outside Western Europe or the United States. This led to a ban on rotary engines in the Le Mans race starting in 1992, which was eventually rescinded. After the race, the winning engine was publicly dismantled for internal examination, which demonstrated that despite 24 hours of extremely hard use it had accumulated very little wear.

This followed a decade of class wins from other Mazda prototypes, including the 757 and 767. The Sigma MC74 powered by a Mazda 12A engine was the first engine and team from outside Western Europe or the United States to finish the entire 24 hours of the Le Mans race, in 1974. Mazda is also the most reliable finisher at LeMans (with the exception of Honda, who have entered only three cars in only one year), with 67% of entries finishing. Mazda will return to prototype racing in 2005 with the introduction of the Courage C65 LMP2 car at the American Le Mans race at Road Atlanta. This prototype racer uses the Renesis Wankel from the RX-8.