MOTORSPORT SUCCESS
Mazda entered the world of motorsport in May 1964 when nine Mazda Carols raced in the second Japanese Grand Prix. All ran faultlessly throughout the race, with the two leading cars finishing forth in their class.
Enthused by this success, Mazda entered its new Familia in the Singapore Grand Prix in April 1966 and succeeded with a one-two-three class win, and this was followed in November by the same podium-dominating resulting at the Macau Grand Prix.
Mazda’s successful development of the rotary engine for use in its production cars saw it pour all its resources into proving the durability, reliability and performance of this new engine technology on the track. Rotary racing power became a symbol of Mazda’s technological innovation and relentless ambition.
In August 1969 Mazda made its European motorsport debut at the Marathon de la Route. In the gruelling 84-hour endurance at German’s Nürburgring, the Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S battled through the field to finish forth.
It followed this up a year later by entering a works Familia Rotary Coupe in both the Spa-Francorchamps 24-Hour race and the Marathon de la Route, with the rotary-powered racer scoring an excellent fifth place in both events.
Rotary success was also sweeping America, with the superb Savanna RX-7 winning its class and finishing fifth overall on its debut in the Daytona 24-Hours endurance race. The Savanna RX-7 became a regular feature on the podium – during the 1980s and 1990s it secured eight consecutive manufacturers titles for Mazda in the International Motor Sports Association series (IMSA), and an unprecedented 100 individual IMSA wins.
Mazda’s extensive motorsport activities culminated in its historic win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991. This landmark victory was a clear demonstration of Mazda’s belief in the reliability and performance of its acclaimed rotary engine. Mazda’s Le Mans winner – the carbonfibre-bodied 787B racecar – was at the cutting edge of motorsport technology.
It was powered by a new four-rotor rotary engine developing a massive 700PS and was fitted with carbon disc brakes – a Mazda first – to temper its 210mph performance.
Under the seasoned eye of six-time Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx, the factory-backed team entered three cars, with the winning car number 55, in its iconic green and orange livery, driven by the crack team of Johnny Herbert, Volker Weidler and Bertrand Gachot.
Starting nineteenth on the grid, their 787B ran faultlessly – its only mishap being a blown headlight bulb – and 24 hours, 362 laps and 3065 miles later, Herbert took the chequered flag. The two other 787Bs also finished in the top ten, underlining the strength and dependability of their rotary powerplants.
To this day, Mazda remains the only Japanese manufacturer to have won at Le Mans and the only marque ever to do so with a rotary-engined car.
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