Mazda, literally, took centre stage at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed. All eyes were of course on the 1991 Le Mans winning 787B, which was driven by among others Valentino Rossi. Our attention, however, was grabbed in particular by this Chevron B16 Mazda that sat stationary in the paddock. Powered by a Mazda 10A engine, this was the very first car to race at Le Mans equipped with a Mazda rotary engine. It proved quick but fragile and after little over a season of racing, the unique Mazda-engined Chevron was retired from contemporary racing by its Belgian owner. He sold the car to the current owner over two decades ago, and he has only cleaned the car. It is believed that the Mazda-engined B16 has not run since 1971, which should make it one of the most original B16s in existence.
Another British sports racer powered by a rotary engine that starred at Goodwood was this Tiga GT286. It was one of two built in this configuration for the 1986 IMSA Lights championship and features a striking Rusty Jones livery. The best result for this GT286 Mazda was a second in class at Riverside.
In addition to the Le Mans winning 787B, Mazda also brought a slightly earlier 787 and the RX-7 GTO and RX-792P that originally raced in the IMSA GT Championship. The latter three are still run by Mazda North America and will again be campaigned at the upcoming Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Enjoy the links:

1970 Chevron B16 Mazda - Images, Specifications and Information

1992 Mazda RX-792P - Images, Specifications and Information

1991 Mazda 787B - Images, Specifications and Information

1990 Mazda 787 - Images, Specifications and Information

1990 Mazda RX-7 GTO - Images, Specifications and Information

1986 Tiga GT286 Mazda - Images, Specifications and Information