Was it really THAT good? | The Story of the Mazda 787B

[@flameburstgt6503]

Although the car was not as fast as we thought, there’s a couple of reasons why it was so special 1. Being the first and only pistonless car to win Le Mans 2. The amazing idle and scream of the R26B 4 rotor engine 3. This car was the reason the rotary engine had a great community and are trying to still to keep the engine alive till now 4. This car made the rotary engine a signature part of Mazda’s sports cars

[@traviswalker8933]

Point number 1 happened based on luck alone. There is no doubt about it. Point number 3 is owed to GranTurismo majorly.

[@afoxwithahat7846]

It could have made much more power reliably, why Mazda nerfed the engine is yet to be know. But as they said, it could run for another 24 hours

[@onecookieboy]

@@afoxwithahat7846 You might find that fuel economy played a big part in limiting the power output. More power=more fuel and more stops which is why high performance Diesel powered cars have done so well in endurance races.

[@mrspandel5737]

@@afoxwithahat7846 Mazda literally reduced the max RPM (and thus power) to increase Reliability

[@afoxwithahat7846]

@@mrspandel5737 it's like giving all the ships enough lifeboats even tho the big majority will never even crash, it's purely preventive. It does not mean the car was incapable of finishing the race above that rpm.

[@Romulus1001]

Glad you made an appearance in the video! You come off as a natural presenter so don't be camera shy! I've watched all your videos to date, keep up the great work!

[@ziggystardust4627]

Agreed. I think it’s nice for you to appear on camera. It does make your videos stronger and probably will garner you more views.

[@dub537h5]

He even has a set of Elton John's glasses! I'm kinda jealous tbh...

[@blazi2293]

The 787B is to motorsports what the A-10 Thunderbolt is to war planes: It's not good, but it looks cool, makes a funny (badass) sound,and it had its time of glory once. The cool factor is what wins people's heart

[@francouz23]

Both 787b and a10 is a great idea, but both useless in real life.. 787b won just due to lobbying and sneaking into 1991 lemans without being ballasted to 1000kg, as all other racecars of the same class

[@bigsmoke5814]

Brrrrrrrttrrtttttrrr

[@rickyrotarys1501]

That’s a good way to put it. 👌

[@johnnysheridan]

Great analogy! 🙌🏼

[@Nicholas247066]

Except the A-10 IS good. Lol

[@tesladrive1152]

The 787B was in the pits at Laguna Seca, and just as my brother and i walked by, it started up! I jumped two feet in the air! It was crazy loud, much louder than any other car there! Holy crap! Never forget that!

[@AkuaKamau]

Ha ha ha how I envy you. Ha ha ha.

[@uptownsamcv]

@@tesladrive1152 AWESOME!!

[@solderbuff]

A win of an underdog with an unconventional engine is why I love the 787B. Also, I am a big fan of Mazda's reliability (even if the rotary engine is not the best example of it), so it's great to see that it paid off in motorsports for them once.

[@RickOAA]

Having two Mazda's in the family, I can appreciate that even their most pedestrian vehicles have excellent driving dynamics.

[@solderbuff]

@@RickOAA , I'm still on a 2010 Mazda 3 and I love it!

[@RickOAA]

​@@solderbuffMy ex wife has a 2015 Mazda3 GT and mines a 2011 Mazda2. I love that little shit box. The 3 is simply the best of it's class, I think. Too refined for me. The 2 is just simple, a lot of fun, and so easy to drive.

[@Tigermoto]

The reason we all love it will always be that noise and those looks. Great video again, nicely researched and well written and delivered. Thank you.

[@automobilistic]

Glad you enjoyed! It is a great looking car, I hope to hear it in person at some point, I'm sure videos don't do it justice

[@marks7197]

@@automobilistic From personal experience the earlier 4 rotor at Silverstone and Brands Hatch 1000km in 1988 irritated the spectators in the grandstand near us. They made a grating noise that was unpleasant to me and most others at the time, particularly the echo from the grandstand. Although I'm a Jag fan the best sounding car was the Sauber Merc V8.

[@dr.jiIIaIicecooper2587]

​@@automobilisticGerman Wankel name should be pronounced as Vankel in english. There's absolutely nothing funny about it.

[@Kierenstanden-qz7eu]

@@marks7197well you know at Le Mans jag got robbed in a way. 100kg ballast. But also Mazda giving top ACO members Mazda sports cars

[@TheSilverShadow17]

​@@Kierenstanden-qz7euYou see this type of thing happening in the FIA GT3 class. The dominant and winning teams get penalized with some amount of ballast to balance out the playing field. It's how the races don't become too predictable with the same brand winning multiple times in a row.

[@PeterWasted]

I was at Le Mans for several years in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Mazdas were always noticeable due to the noise but that RENOWN colour scheme doesn't photograph well. In sunlight it hurt the eyes and it was still bright under the artificial lights. For me, the real love came with Johnny Herbert. I was a major fan of his from British F. Ford and F3 and it was heart breaking to see his career nearly wrecked by the F3000 crash only to then falter in F1. Le Mans felt like an opportunity for him to prove - something. I don't think anyone expected him to be a winner but I certainly hoped to see a strong drive. Through the Saturday and into the night, the Mazda was impressive but didn't look like a race winner. Mercedes were not popular with much of the Le Mans crowd and as they faltered and the Mazda kept going, large groups of spectators were converting to Mazda fans. The victory was very well received. Looking back, it's a classic underdog story on several different levels and it's very hard to not feel it to be a well deserved win.

[@solderbuff]

Thanks for the context.

[@sixter4157]

Mazda won Le Mans the same way my dad won his class in the Baja 1000, he just happened to be the most reliable car that day. He didn't even realize he won when he rolled over the finish line.

[@JohnCharb87]

Gran Turismo 3 is the reason I know about the Mazda 787B. Also winning by others misfortune is still a win. Dig the vintage 24 hrs of Le Man posters.

[@Kierenstanden-qz7eu]

Jag came 2nd 3rd and 4th with old cars

[@NonFlyiingDutchman]

the 200kg weight limit advantage helped them too.

[@Kierenstanden-qz7eu]

@@NonFlyiingDutchman also the aco receving Mazda sports cars that year aswell. Jaguar got robbed like they did with the xjr220. Mazda was that good the next year they got a xjr-14 chassis and put a judd v10

[@tolldoll1007]

​@@NonFlyiingDutchman How many times are you gonna spam the same comment, troll bot?

[@Konformation07]

The Mazda 787B is proof that "To finish first, first you must finish". They didn't win by luck. They won because they built a car that could run without major issues for 24 consecutive hours. The other major players in the race could not do the same. It's a legendary car just like any car that wins this race.

[@automobilistic]

"Success is a combination of preparation and luck" as they say

[@JustSomeDinosaurPerson]

No, they won because of the last minute added ballast (which they conveniently averted) technicality fucking over the other competitors.

[@mustangecoboosthpp3869]

@@JustSomeDinosaurPerson The reason they did not get the ballast was because non of the other competitors thought the little Mazda had a chance to win the race and did not care or protest Mazda not having to add the ballast. So don't go dumping on Mazda because of that, if the other makes that had the ballast could have gotten away with not adding it they would have in a heartbeat.

[@Andrew9565-AD]

It’s really nice finally learning the actual story about this

[@bigduphusaj162]

Hahahaha you think this is the real story? 😂 mate I watched this car with my own eyes and it never got banned for nothing. They were terrified of Mazda running it unrestricted at Lemans. Also it raced a few other races which people have no clue about nor the 767 and they don't realise it was when they went to the RB26 the other manufacturers lobbied for it to be banned as they were scared of it. There's the real story son and I was at Lemans for it winning. This vid is a typical gamers version of reality.

[@Andrew9565-AD]

@@bigduphusaj162 well then nice to see your side of the story as well

[@automobilistic]

@Big dulphus AJ the reason I felt compelled to make this video exactly because of your viewpoint. Nobody has ever denied that the car was good, but as I explained in the video, it wasn't banned because anyone was scared of it, and certainly not because it would suddenly dominate. It did run restricted, yes, but according to the Mazda engineers themselves this was because the engine wouldn't survive 24 hrs "unrestricted". Its a shame that rotary was banned, but it was wrapped up in the same 3.5L V10 debacle that did for everyone else too. Suggesting otherwise is false, fanatical and does a dis-service to the very real achievements of the car.

[@Andyc351]

​@@bigduphusaj162 lol what a load of crap

[@bizarre0013]

@@automobilistic^^^ this is evident by every other manufacturer having to slow down and cut it out

[@johngriffiths118]

My ears have only just stopped bleeding after going to Le Mans in the 80s and hearing the Mazdas

[@danbradley7176]

Excellent video. It really was a case of right place at the right time. You can't underestimate the value of reliability in a race like this.

[@NonFlyiingDutchman]

or the 200kg weight limit advantage they were handed for Le Mans

[@wazzer2348]

As the chief electrical engineer on the 787B we were told that nothing else mattered in 1991 but Le Mans and the vehicle running at 100% speed for 24 hours. The biggest problems that we had to deal with was the heat in the engine bay and the anomalies of unwanted electrical failures. To do this we went back and looked at all the electrical failures on the previous vehicles and decided that to ensure that we had NO failures in the system we designed parallel wiring systems, and a parallel ignition system. Bank one was engineered and built by Sumitomo and bank 2 was engineered, designed and built by NGK. This prevented the problem of a failure in one system being replicated in the second system. As it was at the end of the race the there were no failures.

[@antoniocpalmer]

Real engineering decision. Keep it simple, keep it reliable, keep it running, no matter what. The weakest part of the whole will always shows up in a test like that - 24 hell hours.

[@44automag117]

The rotary definitely loved Mazda back, they were utterly dominant in IMSA in the 80s, and just about everywhere an RX-7 popped up in the racing world, it was a winner

[@iDAV8]

Gran Turismo is the reason why everyone thought the 787 was the fastest car ever lol

[@solderbuff]

I feel like it's a video to correct a misconception created specifically by Gran Turismo. I don't even know what Gran Turismo is, so I was confused about what he was talking about.

[@thatface3]

Big fan of the uniqueness of the rotary engine, ive had 4 RX-7s in my life, still have one. Very fun. Very nimble quick car

[@RyuusanFT86]

All the same ones or have you experienced a few different ones? I co-owned an FD for a bit, 2 RX8s (Current Owner) and an SA22. Big fan as well, can't wait until the RV gets parts out here, or even the RX9 so we can do some big displacement swaps 😍

[@DerBlaueRabe42]

The 787b is a legend because of the Sound. Rumor has it, it was rev limited because at 11krpm it awakend the Daemons of Petrol and Car.

[@the_w0rkshop419]

I am really happy that you managed to get a sponsor mate, plus i would’ve never guessed your age bro. Such culture and knowledge bro, you can truly transmit your passion through these videos

[@stuartwelsford8909]

Great example of iconic not necessarily meaning best. But I will always love this car... I am a Johnny Herbert fan after all! Great video as usual, thanks 😊

[@ziggystardust4627]

This is a good video that tamps down on some of the best overly florid praise of the 787B and its rotary engine. And so much mythology has grown up around this car that it obscures the reality that it was a car that benefited from a rules loophole. They certainly did a competent job, but it was not a giant killer that the FIA felt that needed to be slayed.

[@NonFlyiingDutchman]

it was literally the worst Group C car: in it's 2 seasons it came last in the championship both times

[@wanr5701]

Another reason it was loved by racing fans is due to its loud sound. Legends has it that marshalls will inform each other that "Mazda is coming" right before they blast through any section.

[@traviswalker8933]

Other cars from this era were also pretty loud.

[@marks7197]

@@traviswalker8933 and much better sounding in person.

[@traviswalker8933]

@@marks7197 all show and no go.

[@marks7197]

@@traviswalker8933 The Mazda definitely was.

[@traviswalker8933]

@@marks7197 nope. Only won based on luck.

[@samacw]

I was thinking of other cool things from the same era; the success and crimes of Vic Lee Racing, the Escort Cosworth, the Nissan 300zx in IMSA, Thundersaloons, the Sierra RS500, the last hurrah of Group B in rallycross, the Peugeot and Citroen Dakar raid cars, how the De Tomaso Pantera was running at Le Mans in the 90s when it was out of date 15 years earlier, British second tier GT cars of the era like the Marcos and TVR cars, the giant killing Honda Civic V-tec in 24 hour races, the single model of the Mercedes 180 that finished something like nine 24 hour races, Soper's last lap heroics in the Spa 24hr, the insane cars of the electronic V6 DTM era,..... So many great stories from that 80s and early 90s racing scene.

[@automobilistic]

all great stories - I'm not gonna be running out of video ideas any time soon hahaha

[@tyrant_tarantula]

I'm glad to see someone else honest about this car(s). It's all about the sound and nostalgia for the wildness of group c. Outside of that there was nothing really special about Mazda. Love all the content you've been putting out, thank you

[@bizarre0013]

the disrespect on the rx7 is fucking crazy, watch your mouth

[@tyrant_tarantula]

@@bizarre0013 it’s not disrespect at all, I’m a fan of the 787B just not a lying hype rider

[@bizarre0013]

@@tyrant_tarantula ig you were referring to their racing team while i thought you were talking ab mazda as a whole. i mean, you have a point, but there was plenty that was special about them other than nostalgia and the sound, and to say that’s the only reason ppl like the car is wack ngl, but to each their own

[@HazardousEnvironments]

I just love the 787b for that nice livery and loud sounds Edit: Thank you for the subtitles

[@ThePapaja1996]

so loud that one of there drivers ended his carrier becouse of the sound.

[@acedogboy8421]

If you have heard it irl at full tap you wouldnt like it lmao

[@GordonMcMullan]

I was there at every Group C Le Mans where the Mazda's were competing, they might not have been winning but they were appreciated for their presence and their effort to compete, and they were loud, so loud, if you weren't there it's impossible explain how much louder than the rest of the cars they were. Looking back I think it's quite fitting that they achieved a victory after supporting Group C for so long!

[@smoloms]

Rotary engines being traditionally “unreliable” but winning because it was the most reliable is hilarious. It’s not fast but that just means we get to hear it for longer. And it sounds incredible

[@faithinverity8523]

I had an RX-2. It was pure fun. There’s no argument against pure fun. Add to that the fact that the 787 won at Le Mans and all you’re left with is that the 787 is a gem.

[@CLoading]

Thank you for debunking the myths surrounding this car! Still an absolute legend for the way it won in 1991, but shouldn’t be held in as high regard compared to the C9, XJR9/12, 905, etc. screw FIA and the 3.5L rule hahha

[@bigduphusaj162]

Bunch of Merc and German car fanboys don't like the fact a NA 2.6ltr car beat them fair and square. They talk drivel as all they've done their entire life is play GT and Forza. It's embarrassing calling a car that got banned even in restricted mode "overrated" it humiliated them

[@bigduphusaj162]

​@Darth Vader ikr these kids know F-all. I remember watching this thing and they knew it had every other cars number they even said it on old old old Topgear back when it raced. They wee rally guy laughed at Mercedes race team and said you got beat by a 2.6ltr car.

[@ryadhasanahmed5443]

​@@bigduphusaj162I'm a hardcore Porsche fan but the 787B is my favourite Japanese race car ever made. Loved it so much I use it as much as I use the 962 C in Gran Turismo 7 and was willing to spend £150 on a scale model for it. Those other German car fanboys can go do one, this Mazda is a legend nonetheless 👌

[@darkseid1358]

It was C11 driven by Schumacher. Mazda only won because mercedes got mechanical failure.

[@HenAnt]

​@@bigduphusaj162 fair my ass, That NA 2.6 Liter Wankel got dogged in both the entire 90 and 91 season WSC in it's class, it's a fluke and I'm tired of people saying and bragging about how the Mazda 787B won because of it's Rotary engine and not because everyone got screwed over By Bernie Ecclestone's BS rules and the 200 KG Ballast on other cars. Funnily enough when Mazda was forced to ditch the Rotary for the Judd V10 they were competitive against the Jaguars, Mercs, and Peugeots in pure pace and reliability. Had they opted for a piston Engine they would had been in the conversation of a win prior to these rule changes.

[@viarnay]

I love how the WEC is getting more and more popular...😊

[@thomasharper4166]

The 787B is a winner by the sound alone!

[@thelegendaryblackbeastofar39]

I once read in an automotive book of the rotary engine design's tremendous potential for racing (comparitively superior reliability and endurance), but not so much for road going cars.

[@Lead_Foot]

Yep, they did really well in various imsa endurance racing classes. The reliability and fuel economy when going at 10/10ths for long periods of time was quite a lot better than the piston engines cars. At the end of races all the other cars sounded like they were dying while the RX7s idled like they were ready to do another hundred laps.

[@Starfire_Storm]

One funny thing, is that for the 1991 24h of Le Mans, Jaguar and Mercedes decided to run the XJR-12 and C11 instead of the XJR-14 and C291 because they thought they wouldn't be able to finish the race. Best part, the XJR-12's and C11's ended up having trouble, handing the win to Mazda. In the WSC Season, Mazda ended up 5th in the Teams Championship, behind Jaguar with the XJR-14 that won the championship, Peugeot with the 905, Mercedes with the C291 and a little team called Euro Racing, which ran with a car called the Spice SE90C, which I'm pretty sure almost no one has ever heard of that car. In fact, they almost lost 5th to Kremer Racing that ran Porsche 962's..... So that's how you know the 787B wasn't actually that fast.... But hey, at least they were the only team to actually finish all of the races, so that's something, I guess....

[@Kierenstanden-qz7eu]

Also mazda used the XJR-14 car with judd v10 after lol. XJR-14 would have won. They should have entered one car at least. But to think the chassis and TWR got the win in 1995 show how good it was

[@Starfire_Storm]

@@Kierenstanden-qz7eu By raw pace, the XJR-14 would've won, but it likely would've failed to finish like the 905's did in 1991.

[@marks7197]

The XJR12 was proven over 24 hours at Le Mans and Daytona so was the obvious choice once the FIA/ACO had to admit non 3.5 cars due to the poor entry numbers. If not for carrying the extra ballast (that the Mazda was wrongly excused of) the Jags would have a 123. The XJR14 was not designed for endurance so TWR were right not to race it once they were given a choice.

[@Kierenstanden-qz7eu]

@@marks7197 also your forgetting the other factors that robbed jag of the win

[@marks7197]

@@Kierenstanden-qz7eu Well the ballast meant they couldn't run at the pace they had a year before and stay within their fuel allocation. They were left with no choice but hope for the lead Mazda to have reliability issues, the other two were not really in the frame.

[@mariapires7170]

Don´t forget that the Mazda Wankel´s rotary engines also raced the 1969 at the 24 hours of Spa Francorchamps with three "littles" Mazda ´s R 100 Coupe with two rotors de 49,1cm3 with a total of 982 cm3 racing engines, with 200hp to 7000rpm, the race numbers were #28, #29, and #30, the 28 and 29 were classified in p5 and p6 respectively and the#30 had a fatal crash unfortunatly. Thank you very much for the amasing reviews Automobilistic.

[@uptownsamcv]

a win is a win. reliability is one of the main factors in the race, that's why it's a 24 hour ENDURANCE race...

[@AkuaKamau]

There is NOTHING that you could ever say that will cause me to 'UN-LOVE' the rotaries. In Jamaican motorsports we call them the 'Roaches' and they are the best. Their screams have terrorized many piston powered racecar drivers for years. To me the 787b racecar with its R26B rotary engine is the best sounding racecar ever.

[@automobilistic]

Good! Nothing in this video is supposed to make you like rotaries or the 787B any less, I just wanted to clear up some myths. Rotaries are awesome!

[@peterauvin9941]

so happy you got a sponsor. idk how your vids arent catching the algorithm, 10 min vids about obscure topics usually do really well.

[@heliopolis29]

Ahhhh.. the good ol days. The 787B was behemoth of a race car. Fascinating technical insights here. Great upload. Watching LeMans 2024 cured my insomnia!

[@superyamagucci]

The scream of that engine alone makes it legendary. It’s surprising rotary isn’t the standard, it just makes more sense than a reciprocating piston.

[@stevemelia2651]

I was there at Le Mans that year camped on Maison Blanc that year splitting noise was joy to hear during the night, unforgettable as was the whole Group C era. Those engines at the start of the race was proper 'Roling Thunder' not like today's diluted spectacle,happy days.

[@zigwil153]

To me, the best engine sound ever... that scream is phenomenal...

[@meeshker]

I'll will never forget the C2 Mazda's If you went to Le Mans you'll never forget these little cars getting louder and louder . By morning they made every other car sound like a whisper.

[@Mr.Scootini]

I love the rotary and Mazda because at the end of it all, Mazda was the only company to really, as said in the video, “to have any success with it” they kept on pushing and never really gave up even in the face of emission regulations.

[@djchocice]

Great video and good to see the real story of the 787B being told, it wasn’t a bad car, but it was a midfielder on a good day and was notably underpowered compared to its rivals.

[@MiguelGarcia-vj7oo]

Lol.... A car winning 1 race out of 21 isn't a bad race car??

[@HenAnt]

it was a REALLY bad car, it was always last place in the 91 WSC championship. Between 88 to 90 it didn't ever enter the top 10.

[@siniyden]

​@@MiguelGarcia-vj7ooit lost to even privateers in that season

[@Diptera_Larvae]

Another great video! Thank you for your hard work, much like plucky Mazda team! Seriously, I’m glad your video while pointing out the common known story that while yes the 787B only one because the two silver arrows retired, a lot of other videos on the same story neglected the fact that keeping a car running for 24 hours is a huge feat and negates the Mazda team from being proud of that win!

[@hexgraphica]

C2 in 1991 was old Group C formula, so nearly all of Mazda's opponents raced there. C1 existed to promote the F1 style ruleset, to the point the first 10 grids spots were reserved to the 10 quickest cars in C1. But Mazda, in C2\GTP class, had a Category 2 engine, which was defined as a naturally-aspirated rotary piston engine, and for category 2 there was no 1000kg minimum weight, as it was set at 850kg. This went down further to 830 thanks to the lobbying done by Oreca and (I assume) sporting director Jacky Ickx. The 787Bs qualified all next to a Jaguar, so they were as fast on one lap, but the Jaguars reportedly had brake fatigue (two feet braking to stop the car) and had to lift and coast, as their engines were .3L litres larger as they finished with fuel to spare in 1990.

[@automobilistic]

Yes, I don't think I was clear enough in the video. In the 1991 C2 class it is my understanding that only the cars that had been classified as C1 the previous year had the 1000kg limit

[@marks7197]

Remember that the Jaguar spent no effort on qualifying times of the V12's other than to get in the race. The XJR14 would have been most likely for pole if it had a dry lap, it was only just pipped by the Merc in better weather conditions. But the French had their way by starting the fastest C1's in order regardless of their laptimes compared to the group C machinery. Convenient that it put the Peugeots on the front row even though they were 4 sec slower than the Merc and Jag. The C11 should have been pole where as the XJR14 was never intended to start the race. Oh and don't forget that the Jag was 100kg lighter in 1990 as they ran to the ACO weight as the race wasn't in the championship.

[@LethalSpine]

I've been loving this channel and your ability to get so much good information into such a short amount of time! I really hope your channel takes off, it's definitely one of the best mini-documentary channels out there. There's a lot of fun stories in American motorsports you could cover if you're looking for more topics; the AAR Eagle GTP cars, Smokey Yunick's notorious Chevelle that was falsely rumored to be smaller scale, the "Beast" Indycar engine, and plenty of other NASCAR, Indycar, and IMSA stories. There's probably even some for rallying, a lot of people don't realize that Hyundai dominated rallying with some crazy AWD cars.

[@automobilistic]

Thanks for the suggestions! My list of video ideas is getting very very long but one day I will get to them!

[@RedPetrol76]

Thanks for doing this. As glorious the 787b is by the looks, sound and the fact it was generally made in-house by Mazda, I also hate when people just tell "it was so conquering it got banned" and take it by face value

[@92trdman]

787B using the carbon fiber monocoque chassis that makes the car lightweight. Combined the new engine intake design that pushing the limit! (Tested in racing simulation the engine dyno curve+ modified 5 speed Porsche gearbox able to top out around 340+kph) in reality that the slowest top speed compare to turbo car..* when the setup use in endurance racing the recipe just matching the durable needs.... (Not high power but the easy to drive configuration)

[@jacobkeegan721]

If I'm not mistaken, I believe that the first Rotary-powered car that Mazda sold to the public was the 1966 Mazda Cosmo; a small, front-engined, 2-Rotor-powered, sports car... I hear they're quite rare and valuable today, with some nicer examples fetching nearly $1,000,000...

[@a92gsxdsm]

18k subs! Way to go!! Keep up the great content and we will keep coming. Cheers!!

[@UncleJoeLITE]

Back for another watch/listen. Best race car of all time, the GOAT.

[@mattteee2973]

Perfect, now there's a concise, handy-dandy vid to point rotary apologists to whenever people refuse to join in the circle jerk. Thanks mate!

[@andycollins8577]

I was at Lemans ,camping in the middle of the circuit, you could hear the wailing sound from the Mazda all the way round the circuit in the night, the other cars sound faided but the tone and shear volume of the Mazda…..

[@kuartz.]

Camping in the middle of Circuit de la Sarthe sounds both incredible and awful! You’re trapped in the event anything goes wrong, but at the same time I’m guessing it’s an absolutely incredible experience! Would love to try something like that some time!

[@nsx_montana]

Great to finally be able to put a face to the voice! Glad to see you grow like that and getting sponsors onboard!

[@gt_zatoichi9617]

Love the Granturismo 1 music in the background! Brings back memories

[@alexd7579]

That car is absolutely perfect you can handle the power perfectly in this car. It had huge advantages back then in le man like ultra lightweight and kevlar brakes. The engine is almost a turbine 😅

[@diegocraigdallie]

We have been blessed with new content, awesome!!

[@johnbaran577]

It’s a beautiful car but the GT 40 with the Breadbox rear is the pinnacle of racing beauty

[@figeon]

Man I miss that era of racing. There are so many regulations nowadays that we’ll never see the insane stuff engineers cooked up in the 90’s.

[@RacingGameArchive]

Just found your channel and this is some great stuff! Endurence is sadly often overlooked and it certainly has a lot of interesting history.

[@MrReese]

A friend of mine is racing Group C cars in an online rFactor 2 racing series at the moment, these things are absolutely nuts and we love it :D.

[@Strelok762]

Although the car never really performed as well as its popularity may suggest. It is the absolute peak of Mazda rotary engine cars

[@alekseykuleshov111]

I thought my man was 40 year old car journalist from 80-s. Even after face reveal, not fully convinced otherwise

[@asadpuppy1259]

A rotary winning on the basis of reliability against pistons is arguably one of the most ironic events in motorsport history

[@MiguelGarcia-vj7oo]

Kind of ....... It raced 21 races and only won 1 of them.... And a good handful were did not finish.......

[@bigduphusaj162]

​@@MiguelGarcia-vj7oo BS that was 767 stop lying. This is the RB26 engined 787b. Stop telling lies kids

[@hugokussj3531]

Nope, in fact the Wankel is just THE most reliable type of engine ... If you let it heat up, if you drive close to the redline sometimes and if you maintain it well. His bad reputation is only due to the vast amount of people that bought a Wankel engine without knowing how to use it.

[@bizarre0013]

@@hugokussj3531all you need to do is maintain it and use premix and it’s easily more reliable than most euro cars

[@houseyUK]

Nice to see someone confronting the ignorance around this car that was a non event for most who followed Group C but became a thing after a computer game and some sound clips. Don't get me wrong, 1991 was one hell of an achievement but some of the crap ive read from the utterly ignorant about this car is ball aching. One of the slowest Group C cars to race, but had one massive giant killing win. Also if you were track side 30 minutes in it was bloody tiresome and became just an annoying noise.

[@7ndrew]

This man could do a 5 hour documentary about the Civic doing donuts in the Tesco parking lot near me and I would watch it in one sitting

[@automobilistic]

Who told you about my next project?? 😂

[@manoo422]

You forgot to mention the Mazda was allowed to run 170kg lighter than everyone else in the race. Mainly because it was so uncompetitive and the race organisers were desperate to put cars on the grid.

[@JustinCFC]

Always great videos on this channel. Hopefully one day you’ll cover the E36 STW, a severely overlooked car yet won the 24 Hours of Spa 4 years in a row. One of my all time favorites from the 90’s.

[@ritarossweisse_]

Never expected a face reveal but wow Now I know the face behind the voice. Great video sir. I really love all your content!

[@gtfanatic]

I love your videos so much, its awesome learning about the famous cars at Le Mans, especially with your narration

[@negil]

Another great video! Like other comments have said, it was cool to see the face behind the voice, one thing I'd suggest though is having those sections also contained within the same rounded 4:3 aspect ratio, as, especially with some other the shorter clips, the change in aspect ratio was a little distracting

[@automobilistic]

yeah I think I'm gonna have a play around with it and try those sections as 4:3 as you say. its all new to me so it'll probably take a few videos to get it nailed down

[@ImInLoveWithBulla]

The rotary was a clever way of Mazda saying they had made a 2.6 liter engine when it was actually close to 16 liters. That is, if you also take into account the multiplier for it running more like a 2 stroke than a 4 stroke.

[@phenomAMD]

You are the only one here got the sense, but need to be adjust a bit. It's every RPM carry power, 4 cycles engine only 1/4 of the total RPM generates power. That's why later Mazda got kick out LM. It's never a fair fight. Mazda cheated it.

[@siniyden]

​@@phenomAMDit could be just weighted up to similar cars. Mazda had great advantage. And even with this it lost to even spice in champ

[@boypotato666]

Always had this thought on 787b that most people don’t talk about, still a legend group C car though with that sound and story

[@Recklesshade]

Love the format as always! Nice to see a face to the voice. Such a wonderful presenter i wouldn't be surprised if some one eventually calls you for some.proper voice over work.

[@GavinByrneLand]

Another top class video. This has fast become a do-not-miss channel for me.

[@OkieDokieSmokie]

I will forever love any vehicle that sounds like a jet and every hornet in the state at the same time.

[@eviltango]

Love this channel! I was trying to make up my mind which car to buy (GT7). Choices are Sauber C9, Mazda 787B or the Jaguar XJR-9. They’re all similar priced. Thanks to your videos I know so much more and still can’t make up my mind lol Prolly the XJR

[@lorddrac_dontaskmetodance]

The main reason why it was suggested this car should be ran as a sprint is because the Mazda Wankel Rotary Engines (or just rotary engines in general) runs its best and is at its most comfortable when it's getting the everloving shit kicked out of it. So, the engine isn't the problem when you're driving at a bonsai level; it's everything else, such as the durability of other components and the drivers, as well as the skill and baIIs needed to drive one of these things. The drivers could also be physically and/or mentally tough to go buckwild for hours at a time.

[@jrojassengard2586]

SO glad people are finnaly talking about this!

[@exiles299]

would love a video on the Audi R10 TDI, aka the most dominant diesel race car ever

[@kinger41]

Best LMP1 car ever imo.

[@automobilistic]

Its on the list!

[@easthastings1346]

same, definitely an icon of the modern era

[@The_Master_G_]

It would be really good to hear the story of the Porsche 917k

[@automobilistic]

Its on the list!

[@zethloveless7238]

Oooooooooo yes

[@AssosVideo]

To win an endurance race, it's not about about the fastest or the most powerful car, but a combination of factors. what stands out for me is a former 13b owner they were always thirsty, but any engine that can burn more fuel usually means more power and rotarys have always punched above their class in many race tracks around the world, like in Australia winning the touring car twice against v8's and coming 2nd overall at Bathurst running a 13b using carburettors naturally aspirated. That's not luck it's called reliability from the toughest engines out there

[@anhondacivic6541]

It was lucky and the results for the rest of the 1991 WSC season indicate that

[@Scaley_Reptile]

Stil loving your work mate. Always interesting that first video where the person reveals Thier face. From very first video was obvious your a natural content creator.

[@heatmonster420]

Great video! Your added asides really nailed down all of that info.

[@BigCar2]

Another great story. Thanks!

[@stephenmorse342]

Nice video and spot on. PS.. I was there. I went to Le Mans in 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992.. good times!!

[@automobilistic]

awesome! you caught some good years! I've never been myself unfortunately, will hopefully get there one day

[@ekscalybur]

You forgot the 787Bs greatest achievement. That glorious sound it made coming down a straight.

[@martinclemmensen8071]

Omg. I thought you were a 50 year old man. Nice to see young people having interest in historic racing. Love your work.

[@marks7197]

Great video and about time someone told more of the truth about this car and the manner it achieved it's only success. A few points i'd raise, the Mazda had run in the GTP class not C2 as you stated, in 1991 the hasty rule change to allow older Group C style cars included GTP and both should have been ballasted to 1000kg. Mazda lobbied FISA to say they couldn't build a competitive car at that weight and when the rulebook was finalised, GTP cars (only Mazda) were omitted from the weight restrictions. The 1991 rules meant modern 3.5 WSC's ran as C1 where as legacy cars like the Jags, Mercedes, Porsche and Mazdas were C2 (not to be confused with the C2/Junior class from the 80's). To give some context the Mazda could easily lap at the same pace as it did in 1990 where as the Jaguars with the massive weight gain were 7 seconds a lap slower than the previous year. Jaguar were left hoping the Mazda would break as they would have run out of their fuel allocation if they had run at their capability, so they were not able to chase the Mazda in the closing stages, it was not due to any mechanical reason.

[@automobilistic]

The 717C was a Group C Junior / C2 car, as was the 727C and 737C. The 3-rotor generation cars were primarily designed as GTP car, yes, but once you get to the 787(B) the distinction falls away a bit, as most competitions were lumping Group C and IMSA GTP together. For the purposes of Le Mans, Mazda's car was a Group C car. The cars not able to meet the new C1 regs in 1991 were knocked down to C2, yes, however only the ones that were previously C1 (which the 787B wasn't) had to increase the ballast. You're right that it was only the Mazda that this ended up applying to, but given that the 787 was only a C2 car anyway, I think Mazda had a point when they complained that a ballast would destroy their competitiveness. None of this is to say the system was perfect, or even good lol

[@marks7197]

@@automobilistic I agree the earlier cars were C2 but that wasn't relevant to the 1991 rules as the Le Mans entry lists from 1986 onwards all show the Mazda's as GTP entries from the 757 3 rotor onwards. A very different category to C2 in terms of weight, fuel etc. The initial concession to allow 1990 spec GTP/Group C1 to boost the awful entry for 1991 was to include GTP under the same 1000kg and 2550 litre fuel allowance. The ACO 1990 rules were for GTP cars to use a smaller 100 litre fuel tank not the Imsa 120litre so they were confined to the group c rules at the time. The C2 750kg rules from years before had nothing to do with it.

[@mrawesomelemons]

I don't care what people say. It is not the fastest or best race car ever but a rotary winning due to reliability beating German cars that is even better. It is definitely the best sounding.

[@theofficialfluffy]

I just appreciate the car because it was reliable, and sounded crazy

[@thatcornfedrx8guy372]

the rules changing and banning rotary’s was still unfair alongside banning turbos is what made group C cool in the first place

[@BrotherJP333SP]

I was just watching the final round of the '91 season and you see the Mazda going a lap down not long into the race.

[@sergiogiacomosammartano7623]

That engine sound, though.... 😍

[@Chenotcheese]

Aidan Millward did make a video on this car being overrated but that doesn't mean it's a bad and slow car

[@automobilistic]

nor am I saying its a bad car

[@lRedKill3r]

it wasnt bad, just not as good as many think it was

[@Edelweiss1102]

Nobody said it was bad, but it certainly wasn't the all dominating, Group C killing car that had to be banned that some people make it out to be.

[@JustSomeDinosaurPerson]

It was kinda shite in its class though. Its results were mid to mediocre in its entire decade long running with the exception of the single Le Mans win.

[@Pjb93]

One of the reasons they won was their main competitors had major issues. Still a great car, but overrated and wouldn't have won in other circumstances. The sound is legendary, though, and would love to hear one running in real life one day!

[@marks7197]

From personal experience, the Mazda rotaries sounded awful from trackside.

[@aygwm]

I’ve seen this car in person and heard it. It is very very loud and amazing

[@mustangecoboosthpp3869]

To finish first you first have to finish. Having a car that can lap 5 seconds a lap faster than anyone else does no good if it can't finish the race. So tired of people using that excuse to dump on Mazda.

[@guitarb26]

The 787B, TS020 & R390 are my jam.

[@Clyde-2055]

As an aviation enthusiast, I was quite interested in the Mercedes CLR mentioned in this video …

[@automobilistic]

haha luckily for you I made a whole video about it around a year ago

[@richardk6238]

"The notoriously cost effective medium...of motorsport" ❤