Last update: February 10, 2025
Group C gave constructors a lot of freedom to achieve the best result. Multiple concepts were successful; Porsche with the famous turbo-charged flat-6, many smaller constructors put their trust in the Cosworth V8, Jaguar used V12’s and Mercedes V8-turbo’s. But Mazda did something completely different and mounted a 4-chamber normally aspirated rotary engine. Before that, Mazda ran smaller 2-chamber engines in touring and sports cars. They have one thing in common, they all sound like 2-stroke chain saws 🙂
How it began
1970 Le Mans 24h, Chevron B16. The Chevron B16 was a popular little sportscar that was often used a Ford 16-valve BDA or BMW engine. Belgian Levi’s Racing Team took another approach and mounted a small 1.0 liter Mazda rotary engine in the British chassis. It wasn’t a great success, in qualifying it was 20 seconds behind the fastest Chevron B16 and in the race the engine seized after only 19 laps.
#48 Julien Vernaeve (B) / Yves Deprez (B) – DNF
Chevron B16 – 1.0 liter Mazda 10A 2-rotor, approx. 180 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 660 kg. Aluminum space frame, chassisnr. #JBE-14
1973 Le Mans 24h, Sigma MC73. The next attempt with a rotary engine would be in 1973 when Mazda entered a rotary engined racing car for this year’s Le Mans. It was the first Japanese car that qualified for the 24 hour race. Unfortunately, the little Sigma retired with a broken clutch after only 79 laps.
Tetsu Ikuzawa (J) / Hiroshi Fushida (J) / Patrick Dal Bo (F) – DNF
Sigma MC73 – 1.2 liter Mazda 12A 2-rotor, approx. 250 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 690 kg. Aluminum monocoque, chassisnr. unknown
1974 Le Mans 24h, Sigma MC74. The 74 Sigma managed to finish the race, but too many laps behind, so it was not classified in the end.
#25 Yojiro Terada / Yasuhiro Okamoto / Harukuni Takahashi – DNC
Sigma MC74 – 1.2 liter Mazda 12A 2-rotor, approx. 250 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 690 kg. Aluminum monocoque, chassisnr. unknown
- #48 | JUMAJO 24H121 (diecast)
- #26 | BIZARRE Mazda Rotary Le Mans History 26 (resin)
- #25 | BIZARRE Mazda Rotary Le Mans History 25 (resin)
1981 Spa-Francorchamps 24h, Mazda RX-7. The first great success for the rotary Mazda’s. The small Mazda RX-7 was the surprise of 1981. It was already blistering quick in qualifying (2nd behind a Camaro), but managed to keep up the high rhythm all race long. The Tom Walkinshaw prepared Mazda defeated the BMW 530i and Ford Capri that were the favorites. This was also the first 24-hour race that I visited!
#40 Tom Walkinshaw (GB) / Pierre DieudonnĂ© (B) – 1st
TWR Mazda RX-7 – 1.3 liter Mazda 13B-RESI 2-rotor, approx. 300 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 900 kg. Steel monocoque, chassisnr. unknown
- BIZARRE BZ429 (resin)
1983 Le Mans 24h, Mazda 717C. The tiny Mazda 717C was built by Mooncraft and had a 1.3 liter 2-rotor engine that developed now almost 300 hp. It was entered in the C-junior category, that it won thanks to its reliability!
#60 Yoshimi Katayama (J) / Yojiro Terada (J) / Takashi Yorino (J) – 12th overall / 1st in C-junior
Mooncraft Mazda 717 – 1.3 liter Mazda 13B 2-rotor, approx. 300 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 800 kg. Aluminum monocoque, chassisnr. unknown
- JUMAJO 24H135 (diecast)
1984 Le Mans 24h, Lola T616 – Mazda. Lola built this T616 for the C2 category and equipped it with a Mazda 2-chamber rotary engine. They finished 10th and 12th and won the C2 category in front of the official Mazda 727 works cars that used the same engines.
#67 Jim Busby (USA) / Boy Hayje (NL) / Rick Knoop (USA) – 12th overall / 2nd in C2
Lola T616 – 1.3 liter Mazda 13B 2-rotor, approx. 300 hp. BF Goodrich tires. Weight 800 kg. Aluminum monocoque, chassisnr. #HU3
- BIZARRE BZ359 (resin)
1986 Le Mans 24h, Mazda 757C. In 1986 Mazda completely changed their strategy. No longer the Japanese Mooncraft chassis were used, Mazda had their 757C designed by Nigel Stroud in the UK and built it in house. The IMSA GTP 757C had a 3-chamber rotary engine that delivered 450 hp and was much faster than the previous models. But the gearbox was their weak point and both cars retired.
#170 David Kennedy (GB) / Mark Galvin (GB) / Pierre DieudonnĂ© (B) – DNF
Mazda 757C – 2.0 liter Mazda 13G 3-rotor, approx. 450 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 850 kg. Aluminum monocoque, chassisnr. Mazdaspeed #003
- SPARK S0640 (resin)
1989 Le Mans 24h, Mazda 767B. The Mazda 767s were the first to use the 4-chamber rotary engine that delivered over 600 hp. The Mazdas were entered in the IMSA GTP class which suited them better than Group C. The three Japanese cars were the only entrants in this class, so it was quite obvious they would win it. But the reliable cars finished 7th, 9th and 12th overall and that is a great result.
#202 Takashi Yorino (J) / HervĂ© Regout (B) / Elliot Forbes-Robinson (USA) – 9th overall / 2nd in IMSA GTP
Mazda 767B – 2.6 liter Mazda R26B 4-rotor, approx. 600 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 830 kg. Aluminum monocoque, chassisnr. Mazdaspeed #002
- Q-MODEL Streamline QM114 (diecast)
1990 Le Mans 24h, Mazda 787. Just like in 1989 Mazda entered its cars in IMSA GTP, this time it was the new 787 with a carbon fibre chassis. The #203 car won its class, but unlike last year the other two cars retired. Among these was this car.
#201 David Kennedy (GB) / Stefan Johansson (S) / Pierre DieudonnĂ© (B) – DNF
Mazda 787 – 2.6 liter Mazda R26B 4-rotor, approx. 600 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 830 kg. Carbon fibre monocoque, chassisnr. Advanced Composite Techn. #001
- SPARK S6046 (resin)
Mazda 787 and 787B
1991 Fuji 1000 km, Mazda 787B. While one car was tested in Europe, two other B-versions of Mazda’s 787 raced the competitive Japan Sports Prototype championship. Kennedy and Yorino reached the podium once, at Fuji. Of course the team won at Le Mans.
#202 David Kennedy (GB) / Takahasi Yorino (J) – 3rd
Mazda 787 – 2.6 liter Mazda R26B 4-rotor, approx. 600 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 830 kg. Carbon fibre monocoque, chassisnr. Advanced Composite Techn. #001
- HPI 8039 (resin)
1991 Le Mans 24h, Mazda 787B. All eyes were on the Jaguars and Mercedes that would fight for honors in this year’s Le Mans. But to everybody’s surprise, the howling rotary-engined Mazda took victory. It was the first overall win for a Japanese manufacturer at Le Mans and the only one until Toyota finally won in 2017.
#55 Volker Weidler (D) / Johnny Herbert (GB) / Bertrand Gachot (B) – 1st
Mazda 787 – 2.6 liter Mazda R26B 4-rotor, approx. 600 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 830 kg. Carbon fibre monocoque, chassisnr. Advanced Composite Techn. #002
- MINICHAMPS MC436 911655 in presentation box (1:43 diecast)
- CMR 175 (1:18 with opening doors)
2002 American Le Mans Series Mid Ohio, Lola B2K/42 – Mazda. The B2K/42 is a Lola B2K/40 that has been adapted to the Mazda rotary engine. De B2K/40 and B2K/42 are often used in the ALMS (P675) en IMSA-series (SR2). This Mazda version is entered by Spencer Motorsports in the ALMS but doesn’t have much success.
#62 Dennis Spencer (USA) / Richard Grupp (USA) – DNF
Spencer Lola B2K/42 – 1.3 liter Mazda 13B 2-rotor, approx. 300 hp. Avon Tires. Weight 680 kg. Aluminium monocoque, chassisnr. #HU02
- TOP MODEL COLLECTION LM021 (diecast)
Mazda prototypes without the rotary engine
1992 Mazda MXR-01. After the win in 1991, rotary engines were prohibited. Now Mazda had no car to defend their title in 1992. The Japanese bought the carbon fibre Jaguar XJR-14 chassis’ from Walkinshaw, who was shutting down the Jaguar project. They attached a Judd V10 and raced them as Mazdas in the same livery and drivers as their winning rotary car.
#5 Johnny Herbert (
GB) / Bertrand Gachot (
B) / Volker Weidler (
D) – 4th
Mazdaspeed Mazda MXR-01 – 3.5 liter Judd MV10 V10, approx. 600 hp. Michelin tires. Weight 750 kg. Carbon fibre monocoque, chassisnr. TWR / Astec #004
- SPARK S0798 (resin)
2008 & 2009 American Le Mans Series, Lola Mazda. Dyson Racing Team drove Lola chassis’ in the ALMS for years. After a short period with the Porsche RS Spyder, the team returned to Lola. This time the new closed Lola with the Mazda 4-cylinder turbo engine and support of BP. Details of the cars and drivers can be found in Collection #030 BP
2016 IMSA Championship Watkins Glen, Mazda Prototype. Mazda returned to the IMSA series and just as a number of years before, they used Lola chassis and an Mazda based engine. The cars ran in red metallic, but for the Watkins Glen race for one of the cars an old and famous color scheme was chosen. In 2017 a new DPi car would be presented and Joest Racing would take over the development.
#55 Tristan Nunez (USA) / Jonathan Bomarito (USA) / Spencer Pigot (USA) – 29th / 8th in P
Lola B12/80 – 2.0 liter Mazda MZ-2.0T AER straight-4 turbo, approx. 500 hp. Continental tires. Weight 900 kg. Carbon fibre chassis, chassisnr. Lola #HU06
- HI STORY MD43012 (resin)
The rotary lives on in a GT
2010 Daytona 24h, Mazda RX8. While the rotary engines have been banned from sports car racing and Mazda switched to ‘normal’ petrol engines, Mazda still raced ‘rotary chain saws’ in GT. In the Grand Am Series most attention goes to the Daytona Prototypes which are the fastest. But behind that, great GT racing is going on. The GT class is surprisingly not dominated by the traditional GT makes, but by the Riley designed Mazda. This RX-8 won the GT class at Daytona in front of some 911 GT3 cup, Camaro, BMW M6 and more Mazda’s.
#70 David Haskell (USA) / Sylvain Tremblay (CAN) / Nick Ham (USA) / Jonathan Bomarito (USA) – 8th overall / 1st GT
Mazda RX-8 – 2.0 liter Mazda 20B RENESIS 3-rotor, approx 450 hp. Pirelli tires. Weight 1100 kg. Steel space frame, chassisnr. #Z-002 (Riley-Speedsource)
- SPARK ML013 (resin)
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