The #4 Mazda RX7 of the Apex of Failure team has had a rough weekend. The team had replaced their rotary engine again prior to the race, but it was smoking from the start. Initially they thought it was because they were mixing some oil in the gas to keep the apex seals lubricated, but about an hour into the race the smoke got thicker and thicker until it was clouds down the straightaway.
They had a spare engine, so did an engine swap in about three hours and hit the track again. The driver reported that it was running better than it ever had. He was even passing Miatas on the straight! Coming into turn 8 it got crossed up and rammed a concrete barrier with the left front. The impact was so hard that the floor buckled and the seat tilted a little. The oil filter on the engine smacked the brake master cylinder which normally sits about 8 inches away.
Team member Leo Clark says the driver is OK, but the car is a write off.
To add insult to automotive injury, the crash happened in the same place where Leo crashed another RX7 in February. The driver said he even saw the red paint on the barrier where Leo had crashed just before he hit.
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