I just returned from an incredible week at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, which is held during Monterey Car Week. I had the opportunity to join Mazda in their showcase of historic race cars at Laguna Seca, driving the 787.
Mazda has participated in this event with their Heritage Collection of amazing four-rotor-powered race cars in the past, but it was much more than that this year, since Japanese racing history was the featured theme of the event.
Not only did Mazda USA bring some of their most prized examples of historic race cars, but Mazda Japan also brought THE 1991 24 Hours of LeMans-winning 787B Group C car that claimed the only overall win for Mazda at that prestigious race. Beyond those cars, many other Mazda cars that shaped the marque’s racing heritage were on display, from GT cars to even the early days of the Mazda Miata.
Many other manufacturers were represented, too, and from a pure motorsports fan angle, it was exciting to see so many cars that I grew up with, which helped shape my passion for racing.
Personally, I had the honor of driving the 1990 Mazda 787 prototype in the Group C category, which had so many iconic race cars from the time by manufacturers including Toyota, Porsche, Jaguar, and Nissan, to name a few.
The fan engagement was spectacular, as many came to witness the unique sound of those screaming 4-rotor icons.
It was so much fun, not only getting to race the 787, but also getting to celebrate the era by having all these race cars on track together.
Overall, the week was just incredible, and each day was better than the next. The Mazdas finished the week at the Pebble Beach Concours, which is a very different environment than the race track!
It’s a short turnaround for me now, from celebrating Mazda’s history to fostering Mazda’s racing future with the MX-5 Cup series. The series will be racing at my home track of Virginia International Raceway, and I’ll have a full report next week.