Goodwood Celebrates Mazda’s Motorsport Heritage

  • Mazda is the subject of the central feature at the 2015 Goodwood
    Festival of Speed
  • Immense sculpture features Le Mans-winning Mazda 787B and LM55 virtual
    racer

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GOODWOOD HOUSE, England and LEVERKUSEN, Germany, June 25, 2015 /CNW/ – Mazda’s racing heritage is the centre of attention at this year’s
Goodwood Festival of Speed. The central feature of the annual motoring
event is a spectacular 40-metre high sculpture in front of Goodwood
House featuring two Mazda racers bursting into the sky on a twisting
track of steel beams.

Inspired by Mazda’s KODO – Soul of Motion design, the creation of artist
Gerry Judah conveys a grace and agility that disguises the complexity
of the installation, which is made from 120 tonnes of steel. Each of
the 418 steel beams is stacked at a different angle, curling the
structure so that the cars at the top actually hang over the spectators
below.

“When we first started talking about the central feature at Goodwood, we
wanted it to exemplify the brand through our KODO design philosophy,”
said Mazda Executive Officer and General Manager Design Division Ikuo
Maeda. “Gerry has faithfully expressed our brand in a striking and
beautiful structure that is clearly KODO. There is a lightness and
strength to the sculpture, yet it gives the cars movement and energy.

Celebrating Mazda’s challenger spirit, the central feature also honours
the carmaker’s motorsport heritage, which began in Europe in the late
1960s as Mazda strove to prove and promote its rotary engines in the
tough environment of competitive racing. Since then, rotary-powered
Mazdas have won 100 IMSA races along with manufacturer and driver
titles, two British Touring Car Championship crowns, and endurance
races at Daytona, Spa and Le Mans. The most famous victory was the 24
Hours of Le Mans in 1991 with the renowned Mazda 787B – one of the two
cars featured on the sculpture. The other is the Mazda LM55 Vision Gran
Turismo car. Created for Gran Turismo 6, a PlayStation racing
simulation game, the LM55 makes the leap at Goodwood from virtual racer
to physical concept.

About Mazda Canada Inc.
Mazda Canada Inc. is responsible for the sales and marketing, customer
service and parts support of Mazda vehicles in Canada. Headquartered in
Richmond Hill, Ontario, Mazda Canada has a nationwide network of 165
dealerships. For additional information visit Mazda Canada’s media
website at www.media.mazda.ca

SOURCE Mazda Canada Inc.

Image with caption: “The central feature of this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed is a 40-metre high sculpture featuring two Mazda racers bursting into the sky on a twisting track of steel beams. (CNW Group/Mazda Canada Inc.)”. Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150625_C9931_PHOTO_EN_43858.jpg