GOODWOOD FAME FOR MAZDA ROTARY RACE CARS
This weekend two Mazda rotary-powered Le Mans race cars from yesteryear excited the crowds of today at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Bringing back the excitement of racing at Le Mans, the two BF Goodrich Mazda-Lola T616 race cars sped up the famous hill climb giving the crowds a taste of how the cars set the stage for continued Mazda motorsport successes around the world back in 1984.
Watched by motorsport enthusiasts under humid Sussex skies, the two Mazda-Lola T616s joined the 'Legends of Le Mans' class for the three days of the festival where the twin 1,300cc Mazda rotary engines, putting out 300bhp, roared against the growls of their conventionally-powered contemporaries along the famous Goodwood race circuit.
The immaculately restored factory team cars were piloted by the original Le Mans racing drivers Jim Busby and Rick Knoop from California who were kitted out in their period driver suits and all the team apparel from 1984.
Each Mazda race car has a high-revving lightweight motor with 9,000rpm gearshifts and aerodynamics that rival modern jets. With a top speed of over 190mph, the Mazda-Lola race cars boast whip-like handling and excellent power-to-weight ratio.
Unbeatable PackageRick Knoop spoke about the Mazda rotary engine: "The technique of driving a rotary is very different to driving a conventional-engined racecar. You have to keep the power at proper range and be consistent. If you get it right then it is one of the most rewarding motors that you will ever race.
"The rotary engine is consistent and reliable; it is a trade mark of Mazda. The power achieved by the low weight and rotary combination is phenomenal. It is an unbeatable package," Rick explained.
DurabilityAccomplished racer Jim Busby commented: "It's the first time the team have returned to Europe in the 21 years since Le Mans so that created lots of attention. Goodwood for an American is such a great thrill. We saw all the old cars that we dreamt about as kids drive up the hill and now the cars are older and so are we, but we're all still going strong!
"We had a great weekend and the engines ran faultlessly, proving once again the superior performance, reliability and durability of the Mazda rotary engines," Jim enthused.
Rick Knoop concluded: "It's been an honour to be included in such a prestigious event, especially for such significant cars as our Mazda Lolas. As Jim and I own our own cars it takes us back to when we raced in Europe with these same cars and won our class at Le Mans in '84 car with this same team. So to come back to Europe in the same car gives me 'goose bumps'."
Double Rotary Success at Brands HatchAlso this weekend, the 2003-launched RENESIS Mazda rotary engine received acclaim at the Brands Hatch circuit thanks to a class win for two consecutive days from the Mazda RX-8 in the S1 Production Series Britcars.
Drivers Natasha Firman - younger sister to former-F1 driver Ralph Firman - and Mark Ticehurst were behind the wheel of the Mazda RX-8 race car during two three-hour endurance races over the weekend at Brands Hatch, which also saw a second Mazda race car driven by media drivers come in third place on Saturday.
The next chance to catch the Mazda rotary engine in action will be Saturday 6 August at Cadwell Park, followed by a 24-hour endurance race on 10-11 September at the home of British motorsport, Silverstone.
Further races at Donington Park, Brands Hatch and Zolder in Belgium will no doubt continue to speak volumes for the Mazda rotary engine's speed, reliability and endurance capabilities.
In 1984, in addition to two Mazda 727Cs, evolutionary versions of the 717C, two Mazda Lola T616s (powered by Type 13B engines) supported by BF Goodridge participated in that year's endurance classic. One of the T616s was first in class and 10th overall. Its sister car was classified third in class and 12th overall. The Mazda 727Cs were fourth (15th overall) and sixth (20th overall) in Group C Junior. All the rotary-engined contenders completed the 24-hour event, showing again that the rotary unit ensured high-performance and reliability at the same time.
