Idemitsu Lubricants America teams up with Mazda Motorsports USA
Idemitsu Lubricants America Corporation (ILAC) has announced a racing partnership with Mazda Motorsports USA. In addition to supporting Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) as the official factory-fill lubricants supplier and the bulk oil program supplier to the Genuine Mazda Premium Oil Program, ILAC will further strengthen this relationship by collaborating in motorsports.
“As a technological leader in automotive lubricants, we are very proud to partner with Mazda to support the race team and to develop some of the highest quality products on the market. We respect Mazda as an aspirational brand and share their passion for ingenuity,” said Noriaki Ito, president, Idemitsu Lubricants America Corporation.
On the track, Idemitsu Lubricants America is sponsoring both the No. 77 and No. 55 Mazda RT24-Ps which compete in the Daytona Prototype international class in the International Motor Sports Association WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Additionally, the No. 77 Mazda RT24-P has debuted a brand-new livery, inspired by Idemitsu’s red-and-white color scheme.
“After scoring three victories in 2019, the team is confident we will see more success in the endurance races this year. Our partnership with Idemitsu will help us achieve this goal,” said Nelson Cosgrove, director, Mazda Motorsports. This is not the first time Idemitsu and Mazda have teamed up in top-level sports car racing. Leading up to the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans, Idemitsu spent several years developing high-tech racing engine oils for the Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd’s Mazda 787B. Their hard work, determination, and expertise paid off when they crossed the finish line as the first rotary engine winner in Le Mans history.
ILAC is a premier lubricants manufacturer, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (IKC). IKC is the second-largest refiner and lubricants supplier in Japan. In order to evolve into a resilient business entity, Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. will continue to operate and expand in the following five business segments, in Japan and overseas: Petroleum Products, Basic Chemicals, Functional Materials, Electricity & Renewable Energy, and Resources. The company’s Functional Materials segment covers the production and sale of fuel oil and lubricants.
Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, U.S.A., and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through approximately 620 dealers.
