Well, before the Mazda passes the guard to the MR-2 (another JDM car with a hyphenated name, how ironic), allow me to say a couple of things in something that has been way overdue;
Rotary Wave, then: Mazda RX-8 Concept LM Race Car
Hello, and welcome once again to another delayed edition of Niku’s COTW Reviews; where cars get abused, jokes get overused and rotaries go brap-brap-braaaaaap!
Braaaaaap! Braaaaaaaap!
...
Ah, my apologies, I got caught up in the moment. Surely a professional Gran Turismo car reviewer such as yours truly would have learned how to behave by now, but as it turns out, all it takes is one “brap” and I am right back in childish mode. Such is the power of Japan’s loudest automotive tale; the Wankel rotary engine. Mazda, the master of refurbishing other countries’ engineering into their own brand identity, inherited the ailing brainchild of German engineer Felix Wankel and turned it into one of Japan’s brightest engine layouts. The story should be well-known by now; from sedans to coupes, Mazda tried everything to make the Wankel engine a veritable alternative to conventional petrol engines, but stiff emission laws and the Wankel’s addiction to oil nearly killed it in 2012, when the last RX-8 howled from the brand’s Hiroshima facilities.
But prior to that untimely death, the RX-8 was eagerly awaited by every diehard car fan in Japan. Including, of course, our esteemed friends at Polyphony Digital; the 2001 concept was one of the star attractions of both GT3 and its concept-centric counterpart GT Concept 2002: Tokyo-Geneva, and when the RX-8 finally became a reality, GT4 was right there to pay it due homage. Japan was ecstatic to have one of its prime sports cars back, but there was something amiss at PD; the need for a monster racer based on the RX-8 chassis. And soon, GT4 would bring that idea into life;
Mazda RX-8 Concept LM Race Car. Codename: RENESIS' Genesis
The one and only Mazda RX-8 Concept LM. One look at it and everyone can easily state its business. If the infamously large diffusers do not help describe its purpose, then the classic Renown-inspired livery will. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a racing Rotary Mazda. Its livery may be almost as overplayed as the classic Gulf livery, but it will never get old. PD’s choice to use the number 55 as its number plate is just the tip of a very obvious iceberg, and the bolded blue letters reading “RENESIS” serve as a display of pride. A pride mostly tied to that legendary day in France, when a lone wolf Mazda prototype brought an entire German empire down on its knees in one of the most unexpected Le Mans races in racing history.
But why do this to an RX-8? Perhaps I should get some information on this… And I know who to call
*picks up phone and dials a certain number*
-Hello, is this Translator-san?
-Yes, what is it!? I swear, if it is another question about GT Sport’s London event, I swear I will have Interpol arrest you on sight!
-No, Translator-san, this is Niku speaking! Niku!
-Niku-san…? Oh thank God, a person I can trust… My apologies, it’s just that…
-Yeah yeah, it’s been a rough week for you, I know. I bet that all the secrecy is driving you nuts. But that’s not the reason why I am calling you. Could you get your car encyclopedia out for a second? I’m looking for info on a Mazda…
-Ok, which Mazda are you looking for?
-The RX-8 Concept LM.
-Ok, just a second… Ah, here it is;
Translator-san says:
“(…) But when you consider the RX-8’s flowing design, or its engine, mounted 60 mm further back and 40 mm lower than the RX-7s, the intention is pure sports car. As a result, the RX-8 was used as the base for Gran Turismo’s original racing version, the Concept LM. This version was specifically designed to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, arguably the symbol of Mazda’s motorsports DNA.”
-Well wouldn’t you know it…? It really is a GT special. Thanks Translator-san, you’re a good pal.
-You are welcome, Niku-san. But before you go, can I ask you a question? What is going on with Brad-san? He has not called me for quite a while, and I am worried that something bad happened…
-Oh, McClaren? There’s nothing wrong with the guy, it’s just F1 season. And you know how much he works towards that spectrum, especially now that his favorite team is going through its harshest times yet. Think of him as a member of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, trying to get a close friend through a bad moment…
-Sauber’s issues, correct? It is a shame. Hopefully they can recover from their financial issues. They deserve better, after all Peter Sauber has gone through to keep the team afloat. Be sure to give Brad my regards, alright?
-Sure, I’ll let him know. See you around, Translator-san.
Heh, that Brad… Much like Translator-san, he has to deal with causes that have had better days. I feel sorry for both of them, maybe the stars can shine brighter one day. But back to the task at hand, what makes this RX a racing monster with only Le Mans on its mind?
For the appetizer, the RX-8’s body received a thorough aerodynamic treatment; alongside the big chunk of carbon otherwise known as a front diffuser, the rear gets a large sculptured diffuser of its own, complete with a triangular red badge between the two center-mounted exhausts, symbolizing the classic metal triangle that powers the RX-8’s Renesis engine. The two giant holes that appear on each side of the exhaust centerpiece are another sign of this car’s quest to get as much airflow as possible without sacrificing top speed. And with the wide body kit comes a mild rear spoiler, the final two touches that keep this car glued to the road for the sake of racing pace. It’s a straight-forward approach, but PD’s efforts to make this a veritable choice for Le Mans racing can be seen well. However, grip and aerodynamics alone do not make a great racecar, as you also need one big meaty piece of mechanical engineering powering those aerodynamics to get that grip. So, what powers this beastly Mazda?
Do not worry, it is still that familiar Renesis engine that production RX-8s came with. Needless to say, this particular Renesis engine gained a few steroids to compete in the highest echelons of racing at Le Mans. Said steroids come in form of a single high-revving turbocharger unit, offering 493 horses (without oil change, 525 with oil change) for anyone who dares to tame the RX. With the car’s purpose to race at Le Mans, power comes late in the car’s rev range, as those 490-plus horses reach their maximum at 7,000 rpm, whereas the 425 lb.ft of torque only come in full force at 6,000 rpm. This is not a car for light and tight tracks, this is a car that focuses on top-end power and speed ones. Ones such as Le Mans, one would say… Getting the car past the red line is meaningless; your best bet is to shift as soon as you hit 8,000 rpm. Nothing more, nothing less; more will get you in needle-bouncing territory, while less will keep you away from the car’s strongest power zone.
With sound aerodynamics and a powerful turbocharged Renesis, the RX-8’s spec sheet looks better with each passing sentence. But one last test awaits our valiant hero; the handling test. No Le Mans car is suited for Le Mans if it can’t handle more than the Mulsanne straight, and the RX-8 will be no good as an all-around race car if it is away from that top speed comfort zone. And that is why us COTW exist; to get these cars out of their comfortable couches and into the rough stuff…
The venue: Midfield Raceway. One field of nine very eager drivers, from all across Europe and America. Ten fast-paced laps, all assisted by fast fuel and tire consumption. This was the proper recipe to test cars like these, especially with such competent drivers. And did we ever put this car to the test…
The RX-8’s handling is wonderfully stable; body roll is virtually non-existent, all tires find grip in most situations and said grip is readily available. The brakes are another highlight, as they provide great stopping power even when you think there is not enough space to shift down to a desired gear. It certainly feels like a racing car, as if it were a Touring Car converted to the best possible GT1 spec. And this is no faint praise; the RX-8 is one of the best-handling Gran Turismo LM cars, if not the best. Its stability is noteworthy for how easy it is to maneuver at high speeds. Most LM cars lure the driver into a false sense of security, making him think he has everything under control at the cars’ highest speeds. But then, when the driver adds one more bit of steering input, those cars’ rear ends snap into oversteer so sudden that it gives the driver no chance to correct his inputs. Vehicles such as the Pagani Zonda LM suffer from this, mainly due to their MR layouts, seemingly broken by GT6’s handling system. But regardless of the existence of that issue, the RX-8 strays far from that handling behavior, which makes it beginner-friendly. The RX-8 can make Audi R8 GT3 cars blush if given the chance, especially if one is running the full 525 hp setup. As for the gearbox, it does a commendable effort to keep the car within the best possible rev range, so that the huge turbo has ample chances to spool up and deliver the vicious top end grunt that you wouldn’t expect from a 1.3-litre engine.
So, you may ask; “Is there more to this? You are feeling queasy about something and you are about to mention that, aren’t you?” The answer to that question is twofold, because I do know this car well. Quite well, in fact; rewinding back to happier days, when Gran Turismo’s community was not merely stuck in discussions about PD’s approach to game design and production, I was racing more actively in GT5’s online scene. And there was one specific website that hosted races where I raced often; GTArena.com. One of its championships consisted mostly of under-600PP racing cars, meaning that the RX-8 was eligible to participate in said championship. After testing the car out of sheer curiosity, I was smitten by its stability and driver-friendly character, leading to me choosing the car to drive the full championship. Sadly, the championship itself was short-lived due to lack of participants, but there was time for one fateful race in Madrid before that; taking the pole, I managed to survive a field of more experienced drivers and my own inexperience in such environments to win the race. It was an enlightening experience to say the least, and one that still comes back in my mind as a GT player. To learn how it feels to be chased by a pack of wild wolves, chasing you down and waiting for one single mistake, for then to overtake you… It is adrenaline-inducing, I will tell you that much.
Then GT6 came around, and the Midfield Trophy race hosted by Rallymorten earlier this year… I wanted to use the RX-8 once again as a 600PP category driver, but felt that the car was lacking in power. Therefore, I enlisted the help of fellow GTPer, British Youtuber HammerStudiosGaming, to tune my car in order to make it even more competitive. But sadly, it was not meant to be; not only were cars such as the Honda HSV-010 more competitive around Midfield, the race was cut short due to a PSN malfunction that erased most drivers from the race itself. Not too shortly thereafter, the race was red flagged, never to be restarted.
It was during practice for that Midfield race when I discovered the RX-8’s biggest fault, one that prevents this car from being a full sleeper in stock guise; low-speed corner handling. In races prior to this Midfield of the Week 10-lap race, I experienced this issue first-hand, and it did not feel good to see said issue arise. No matter how carefully you use your accelerator pedal, the car’s rear end will step out slightly on low-speed corner exits. From second gear to third gear, the turbo kicks in and sends just a little bit too much power to make the car truly stable in these situations, something which in return can catch drivers unaware. With the RX8’s otherwise stellar stability, this issue only gets more amplified, and the gap between both sides of the car’s personality is widened. Looking back at the car’s story, it is understandable that PD focused on making the Mazda capable of maintaining its composure when speeds are higher, but their quest for Le Mans success impaired the LM’s abilities as a more all-round-type racing car. And then there’s the other issue, the competition. You see, despite all these pictures at Midfield showing a RX-8 (or more in the case where there are multiple cars). those with keen memory will remember what yours truly was driving in this race;
Nissan 350Z LM Concept. Codename: Dats-LM
The Nissan 350Z LM Concept. It may look chunkier, it may be heavier, but this car’s performance impressed me beyond my wildest expectations. The spec sheet did not look promising when I first saw it; with 499 hp and 1120 kg, the 350 conceded both power and lightness to the Mazda and in my mind, those disadvantages would eventually lead to my demise.
But as it turned out, I was selling the Nissan short. It is strange that many are willing to sing the praises about Mazda’s RX-7 TC and the RX-7 LM models, when the Nissan did a surprisingly good job of its own in my wayward hands. When you consider that the 350Z costs the same as the RX-8 but does not surpass it in any special way in terms of power and weight, and has a worse weight distribution than the Mazda, it is awe-inducing that this piece of Portuguese meat managed to drive it all the way into a second place. Why did I manage to do this? Well, to put it bluntly, because the 350Z is better-behaved; even in low gears, the rear tires never stepped out of line, in any of Midfield’s corners. Despite the 53:47 weight distribution ratio, the car felt more balanced than the Mazda, which features a dead-on perfect 50:50 weight ratio. Once I grasped the Nissan’s limits, and discovered that it was far more lenient on low-speed corners than the RX, I managed to have a properly competitive race against the rest of the field. In the end, as usual, I was not able to beat the ever capable Vic Reigns, but since my COTW policy dictates that 2nd place finishes in races involving Vic count as a victory, I can say I am pretty happy with the way that race turned out. Can you blame me for treating a comeback such as this like a victory?
In the end, the RX-8 has not lost my respect. Yes, I dislike its tendency to lose composure in corners where I have to take things slowly, but it is still one of Gran Turismo’s best fictional LM racing cars. It has the grunt on the go, and when you are not driving through 2nd gear corners it is more planted than a vase of roses on a professional garden. But the steep price tag of 1,000,000 credits, the poorly detailed body and competition from modern Japanese and American racing cars prevent it from being the best car on its own category. Against vehicles such as the HSV-010, the Mazda lacks sheer acceleration and better aerodynamics, but the final nail in the coffin comes from the fact that cars like the 350Z can keep up and beat the Mazda at its own game. Not to mention the greatest LM race car of all; the Ford GT LM, both the brutal Spec II and its newer Test Car sibling. They may cost a whole lot more than the RX-8 and the 350Z (1,600,000 for the Spec II and 1,800,000 for the Test Car version), they also bring a whole lot more to the table, mainly Premium status (for the Test Car) and sheer top speed as well as better honed track setups (both cars). Do they oversteer a bit more than the RX-8? Indeed, but they also go faster once you get past said oversteer. It is inevitable, much like this car’s chances of, one day, being evicted from future Gran Turismo games due to its aging Standard status. So, for now, let us bid farewell to a true warrior, who pays due homage to a way of life that refuses to die. With the RX-Vision promising a long-awaited return to roots, could we see Polyphony Digital repeat history? Nobody knows, but the RX-8 can fill its shoes for the time being…
Best:
- Nostalgic livery true to its origins;
- Easy-to-understand driving behavior;
- Enough power for high-speed tracks.
Worst:
- Nostalgic livery is also neglected, having to resort to old GT4 graphical assets;
- Twitchy rear end in low-speed corners;
- Costly to afford.
Final veredict: Grey Zone (my definition for neutral cars); the Mazda is one of the best under-600PP racing cars I have driven, and this is no faint praise. Grippy enough to withstand high speeds and stable enough to get past most corners, it's an unsung hero due to its Standard status. But the twitchy behavior in corners where speeds are lower prevent it from being a true sleeper, especially when the heavier 350Z LM was capable of matching the Mazda's pace at Midfield. It's not quite legendary, but the RX-8 commands respect...
👍
While this alone might be a reason to qualify the 86 Toyota MR2 as a beater of the odorous kind, a closer examination is in order ( 
eeewwe!) given the fishtail, snap oversteer, and close quarters racing we all experienced on Tuesday!
. While the high speed cornering dynamics of the MR2 take some getting used to, once you achieve balance at mid corner it becomes possible to control the attitude of the car with the throttle: you're going to miss the apex? reduce throttle (dont let go of the throttle unless you crave disaster!). You overshot to the inside of the apex? increase throttle, maybe a little steering input to sling shot yourself out of the corner at max speed (low as that might be...)
