Mazda has stopped development of its 3 TCR race car.
The automaker said last October that it was working on a race car based on its latest 3 hatchback, designed to meet the regulations of the budget Touringcar Racer International Series.
The plan was to enter the 3 TCR in the 2020 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, but the car never showed up at any of the rounds. Grassroots Motorsports reported last week that Mazda looked at pushing back the 3 TCR's launch to 2021, but has now canceled that plan as well.
2020 Mazda 3 TCR race car
Don't look for the 3 TCR in any subsequent seasons as the project has been put on ice due to the ongoing Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, the automaker has confirmed.
"Given the recent conditions brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, Mazda North American Operations has elected to cancel the development program for the Mazda 3 TCR car,” Mazda spokeswoman Emily Taylor said in a statement.
While we won't see the 3 TCR on the racetrack, a hot Mazda 3 is racing into showrooms later this year. The car is the 2021 Mazda 3 2.5 Turbo, which as the name suggests packs a 2.5-liter turbocharged engine. The engine is an inline-4 already found in several other Mazda products. It makes 250 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque on premium fuel, or 227 hp and 310 lb-ft on regular The 3 2.5 Turbo also comes standard with all-wheel drive and a 6-speed automatic, and is priced to start at $30,485.
