One cool thing about the worldwide Mazda 2 community is most of us take our 2s on track or have aspirations to do so. This is especially applicable to those of us who own the DE/DH-generation 2, which graced dealerships around the world between 2007 and 2014. Unfortunately, it was only sold here in the USA from 2010 to 2014.
- Car: ST5 class Mazda 2
- Location: Japan
- Photog: Unknown (image owned by Mazda Japan, used with permission)
- Camera: Unknown
One form of track driving we all daydream about is Japanese endurance racing. The Sports Car Club of America’s (SCCA) B-Spec racing class is also up there. One particular series over there, the Super Taikyu Series, has seen many Mazda 2s in its ST5 class, comprised of other cars with displacements under 1500cc, like the Honda Fit. The ND Miata has also been a solid contender in this series and class, though with the 1.5-liter engine that we don’t get in North America.
I think this is all rooted in two things: maximum seat time in a Mazda 2 on track, especially on Japan’s most iconic stretches of tarmac, and JDM-spec race car goodness. What I mean by the latter, is a set of lightweight Rays wheels wrapped in slicks, cool liveries like the photo above, and a track-only suspension setup meant for maximum cornering grip. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the DE-gen Mazda 2 is raced much anymore, however its successor the DJ-gen most definitely still is.
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