Thanks to the kind of pressure only the press can exact on factory racing gurus, John Doonan, motorsports manager for Mazda, let slip the company is going to compete in LMP2 with a closed cockpit car this October. According to Marshal Pruett over at SpeedTV, direct injection is also on the way for the team. The changes are all part of the evolution of Mazda’s race effort from mere lap traffic to serious contender. Due to an aging platform, crappy rubber and a tight budget, the company’s presence at the American Le Mans Series has been dark at best. Hopefully Doonan’s powers of persuasion will coax the team out of the back of the grid and into the winner’s circle soon. Will it happen in a season? Probably not, but us Fiends love an underdog story. [Hugs and kisses to 0-60mag.com]