The 1991 Le Mans Winning Mazda 787B Returns At Le Mans Classic 2022

The 1991 winning Mazda 787B returns to Le Mans Classic 2022 for demonstration runs for the first time in nearly a decade.

On both the 1st and 2nd July the 787B was making laps around the track and provided the opportunity to see and hear it in action.

Actually, it was the noise that alerted me to the Mazda rotary being on track. Heading down the pit straight the noise echoes and bounces off the grandstands, making it even louder. It moved pretty quickly too, many of these classic Group C sports prototypes don’t run at their full performance as the engines tend to expire. What with some of them being based on Formula 1 engines of the period, the life expectancy can be measured in hours. Let’s face it, some of them didn’t last the full 24 hours when new.

But the Mazda rotary did and became the first non-conventional piston powered car ever to do so. Other engine types have been tried, such as gas turbines, the Howmet was there again this year, but none have ever delivered the same result as the Mazda.

The last time the car was seen in action at Le Mans was at the 90th anniversary of the race in 2013 and the 20th anniversary of the race win in 2011.

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Last year would have marked the 30th anniversary of the win and Mazda had planned to bring the car back to Le Mans, but the already postponed event from 2020 was postponed again. For 2022 the model car company Spark supported the return and were a major part of the car being seen in action again.

Mazda have three decades of racing history at Le Mans and the 787B represents the pinnacle of that and their greatest success to date. The first time was in 1970 with a Chevron B16 with a Mazda engine, before progressing to RX-7 based race cars. Maybe they’ll return and win it again.

The Le Mans Classic was as popular as ever bringing in crowds of people. The Group C cars are a popular category and the two one hour historic races are a big part of the event. Many period rivals to the Mazda were present over the weekend and battled it out in the two races.

What makes the Mazda 787B so incredible was the reliability. The pace was spectacular, the lightweight of only 800 kg and 700 hp four rotor engine made it very rapid. But the fact that it only needed fuel and tyres over the whole 24 hours with just one oil top up in the 28 pit stops along with a change of brake discs and pads. Oh and a nose change. This was essentially a development of the 787 from the year before and that really is impressive.

The three drivers of the winning car were British Formula 1 hero Johnny Herbert and two other Formula 1 drivers, Volker Weider and Bertrandt Gachot. Starting from 23rd on the grid to 3rd place by the half way point. That reliability really coming into play as the race progressed. The final three hours saw them in 2nd until the leading Mercedes retired with engine trouble.

Remember that Mazda are essentially a small car company and don’t have the might of Mercedes or even the Mass of Toyota and Nissan either. They did it with alternative engine power and were the first team to win outright from Japan and with carbon brakes.

They don’t have the multiple interests of other manufacturers or even the volume of other pure car producers. So to have pulled this off was quite something and goes a long way to show how they approach things. They’re still at it now going in a slightly different direction to everyone else, whether this will lead to them dominating endurance motorsport remains to be seen, but if they do develop something in away no-one else has, Le Mans would be a great place to show it off.

The 787B chassis was designed by British Engineer Nigel Stroud and was the last opportunity to win at Le Mans with a rotary. Mazda knew that for the 1992 season that the rotary engine would be banned from the competition, so they must have been confident enough in the car to make the push to return.

Both Nissan and Toyota had failed to win by this point, so to come in first, the sister car coming sixth and finishing in eighth too with the older 787 was a huge achievement.

Number 55, chassis 787B 002, crossed the line first and still wears the same livery from Japanese clothing company Renown. It can be seen in the companies Hiroshima museum where they maintain the car in full working order in case the opportunity arises to demonstrate it around the world.

The chance to see it in Europe is still a rare occurrence and one I was glad not to miss. However getting photographs of it with my fixed 35mm lens camera was always going to be impossible. I really should get a video camera too, but luckily the nice people at Peter Auto, the ones behind the Le Mans Classic event have done that for me.