2017 LA Auto Show: Updated Mazda RT-24P Racecar will compete at Rolex 24 at Daytona this January

At the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show, Japanese automaker Mazda presented the 2018 Mazda6, which made a lot of people very excited. But that was not the only vehicle that they brought over to the City of Angels. Alongside it was the updated version of the RT-24P racing coupe, and this time, the race car wears a striking red paint that, without a doubt, will catch your attention. The motorsport spec machine will also compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s 2018 season.

If you were not aware, Mazda has taken the updated RT-24P to several places in the past couple of months like Hockenheim and Donington Park. And during the LA Auto Show, it had competition livery on that uses Mazda’s eye-catching Soul Red Crystal paint.

At this moment, we cannot judge how the RT-24P will perform as a race car, but what it promises is that it will be one of the most beautiful cars on the circuit. For instance, the body has gorgeous lines that flow over the vehicle’s body, making the coupe look fast even if it is just parked. It has got an angular air scoop in exposed carbon fiber that creates a visual division with its already smooth shape. Furthermore, it comes with huge diffusers at the front and rear, which is a sign that this Mazda is race-ready.

Under the hood, it comes equipped with a 2.0 liter inline four cylinder turbocharged engine, hence its name. It produces a total of 600 horsepower too. The name also echoes the Mazda ‘road to 24’, which is a driver development program that provides scholarships to help championship-winning drivers get to the upper categories of professional sports car racing.

Next season, the team behind the RT-24P will consist of a crew of aces including Jonathan Bomarito, Tristan Nuñez, Spencer Pigot, René Rast, Oliver Jarvis, and Harry Tincknell. After gaining 16 wins at the Le Mans, plus another 10 victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring, we think that Joest Racing knows what they are doing when it comes to creating award-winning vehicles.

For the 2017 season, Mazda took out the RT-24P from its last three races because of a new partnership with the motorsport experts at Joest Racing. This partnership gave them an opportunity to further engineer the car. Furthermore, the revised model uses the same tub but has a number of improvements instead, like a new rear end. Wait for the Mazda RT-24P as it makes its very first competition debut next month at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.

The LA Auto Show runs until December 10, so you could still check this car out for yourself.