Mazda Motor Corporation recently announced that its Le Mans winning Mazda 787B race car will be joining the Centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans weekend at the Circuit de le Sarthe, joining other winning cars on a demo run ahead of this year’s race.
The car won in the 1991 Le Mans which was the 59th race, and Mazda was the first Japanese manufacturer to ever win in the race. Some 70 winning cars from the past races will also be displayed at the Le Mans Museum, located just outside of the first corner of the Circuit de la Sarthe, from June 1 to July 2.
The demonstration run of the Mazda 787B run arranged by Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) is part of the centennial celebration of the race and on the wheel will be Yojiro Terada. He competed in 29 editions of Le Mans, and finished in 8th place in 1991 driving the Mazda 787 sister car.
The Mazda 787B will conduct its demonstration run together with other iconic Japanese Le Mans winning cars from Toyota Motor Corporation/Toyota Gazoo Racing and participate in a themed exhibition called the “Japan Endless Discovery” collaborated by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). Toyota and Mazda. In addition to promoting Japan as a tourist destination, the exhibition will also advocate Japan’s carbon neutrality initiatives and Mazda will also put the MX-30 R-EV on display,
The MX-30 R-EV car represents a new generation application of Mazda’s unique rotary engine technology, using the rotary engine this time to act as a generator for its electric motor. Showcasing this car is an evolution of Mazda’s rotary engine technology which was used to power the 787B’s 1991 Le Mans victory cementing its status as an innovator in the most grueling endurance race.
Covering 362 laps around the famous French circuit with 28 pit stops, the 787B just needed one oil top up, a change of brake discs and pads, and a nose change to win a place in motorsports history. The 700bhp four-rotor R26B powered 787B showed that the reliability, efficiency and performance of Mazda’s unique rotary engine technology can be used in the most punishing races in the sport.
Race fans remember the bold orange and green livery and prominent logo of Japanese clothing sponsor Renown, car race under number 55 and it became apparent that the Mazda 787B was to become one of the most famous Le Mans winners. Right after the race, the Mazda 787B chassis 002 was kept in Mazda’s headquarters in Hiroshima. To this day it is kept in full working order after over three decades of its pioneering victory. The Mazda 787B is also scheduled to demo runs in various events around Japan and overseas this year.
