Mazdaspeed’s new Grand Am car has finally taken to the track, during the ‘Roar before the 24’ test session at Daytona.

”The SpeedSource engineering team, working with the Mazda engineers, have been flat out for months on engine development. We’re happy to report that the engine is meeting the performance targets for both power and endurance. That means 400+ hp for over 50 hours, with an engine that includes a very long list of production Mazda parts. This is not a pure race engine; it is a production block Skyactiv-D” explained a Mazda source.

The Mazda is the first GX category car to run at Daytona, it is not clear how many others will join it in the 2013 running or the Rolex 24.

Read more from the September 2012 issue of Racecar Engineering