787B to return to Le Mans

[vex]

Another one to add to the list:
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/05...rn-to-le-mans/

A Rotary Will Wail At Le Mans Once Again
By Chuck Squatriglia May 23, 2011 | 9:00 am | Categories: Cool Cars


Twenty years ago, Mazda became the first — and so far only — Japanese automaker to win the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. To celebrate the anniversary, Mazda is bringing the winning car out of retirement to take another lap of the famed track.

The Mazda 787B was one hell of a car, the first and only rotary-engine racer to win at Le Mans. It was an evolution of the 787, a Group-C prototype built to compete in the World Sportscar Championship series, Le Mans and other events.

Power came from an R26B four-rotary engine with continuously variable intake and three spark plugs per rotor. Although the 3.5-liter engines raced at Le Mans could put down 900 horsepower, they were limited to 700 to ensure longevity. The engine was bolted to a Porsche five-speed gearbox. The 787B wasn’t as quick as its competitors, but it was remarkably reliable.

Mazda entered three cars. They weren’t favored to win, and the best of them started 19th. The No. 55 car driven by Johnny Herbert, Volker Weidler, and Bertrand Gachot climbed to third in the early stages of the race. It moved into second as night fell. With three hours left, the Mercedes-Benz C11 leading the race took to the pits with mechanical problems, leaving Herbert to take the win.

The No. 55 car completed 362 laps and covered 4932.2 kilometers (3,064.7 miles). The other two Mazda entries finished sixth and eighth. Changes in the rules made 1991 the last year rotaries would compete at Le Mans.

Mazda meticulously restored the 787B ahead of its demonstration lap around Circuit de la Sarthe before the start of the race on June 11. The car has spent most of the past two decades on display at the Mazda Museum in Hiroshima.

As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations, members of the winning team will return to Le Mans, including Herbert and drivers David Kennedy and Pierre Dieudonné.

Photos: Mazda




Former Mazda factory drivers Yoshimi Katayama, Takashi Yorino and Yojiro Terada put the restored 787B through its paces at Mazda’s Mine Proving Ground in western Japan.



The No. 55 car wore bright orange paint in honor of key sponsor Renown. The other two cars raced at Le Mans with Mazda’s traditional blue and white livery.



The No. 55 car got a complete post-race teardown and rebuild to prepare it for its demonstration run at Le Mans next month.



The R26B engine: 700 horsepower in race trim and one hell of a glorious racket.