How This Car Changed History, And Got BANNED
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- čas přidán 24. 02. 2022
- The Mazda 787B was the first Japanese car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1991, Japan finally beat Jaguar, Porsche and everyone else in the most difficult test of endurance racing. Find out how the unlikely Mazda Renown Team, and the #55 787B won it all.
#mazda #racing #787B
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This is the biggest middle finger I've ever seen, a small car manufacturers that was said to never win, a engine that was made fun of, and a driver that was said to never race again, what a race
thing is, the rotary is legitmately only good at one thing: producing RPM. shove Sequential Turbochargers and a Continuously variable transmission on one, and build the internals for extreme velocity? you have the fomula for an absolute time attack monster.
as a normal engine though its complete garbage since as an engine system, you have all the individual issues of the diesel 2stroke cycle and the gasoline 4 stroke cycle
@@F14thunderhawk I have driven an rx8 and loved every second of it. As long as you treat it with love an keep up with the maintenance, the engine can go for a suprisingly long time. Granted I put a stronger ignition in there and a straight pipe to get rid of the hot gas better, also I put a oil system on there so I burned 2 stroke oil instead of engine oil.
Just some minor mods and the engine kept going. Had the stock apex seals for about 150k km. Had to sell it as gas prices climbed. I still miss that car! It was such a nice car to drive!
Best comment
It was a fluke, but a satisfying one. Mazda knew this was their only chance as the previous year cars were tugging along 200 kilos of ballast during this race, but inspite this I really don't like people making a case for rotaries to be superior over the regula Piston configuration by bringing this car up.
The 787B was the made fun of for the reason it was unreasonably loud without the bite to back it up, it was always last in every race it got itself in and the reliability was dodgier than the rest of the field. It didn't win on pace, but luck and tenacity, almost similar to the Mclaren F1's victory in 1995, if it weren't for the fact the F1s were actually competitive pacewise lmao.
@@youngrody2386 I agree, it doesn't make a case for superiority over classic piston config, however, there is room for discussion. But to say that they won with luck because of their past is equally stupid in my opinion. All their past tells me is that they didn't want to give up and fought against till the end. It doesn't cloud the victory.
Besides, what does it matter if you win on pace or not. It's an endurance race, not an F1 race. Like having pace makes your win any less valid. I mean, at the end of that day, the mercedeses broke down while the mazda did not so...You also need a bit of luck and drama to win at le mans, doesn't mean that it's all the drivers and manufacturers are relying on which is what you make it seem for them.
A “Ford Vs Ferrari” type movie of this story/win is much deserved!
"mazda vs Mercedes" would be great
@@odailson902 If I rmb correctly, Jaguar was also strong in the race as well XD
@@kirigayakazuto3100 "mazda vs Mercedes and Jaguar"
@@odailson902 Mazda, Mercedes and mates.
@@nafthalene "mazda vs the entire fooking grid"
"Track officials warned spectators about its arrival because it was so loud,they needed time to cover their ears" you know how epic that is?? It deserves a movie for this scene in itself
I went to leman through the 80’s and 90’s.
I never once heard them issue a warning.
Think that’s a bit of bs to be honest….
Lies again? UFC SILAT UEFA SW
If you didn't get goosebumps after this story, I don't know what will. Herbert literally walked like he successfully did a last stand, put his sword and fainted. A true warrior.
Another way of saying he did his duty then sadly passed away?
The sight of Herbert being carried from the car shows you just how much effort the whole team did
Did you see the state of him? He looks near to death.
wow yeah! never seen that before!
jaw dropping
the engine was fine the car was starting to crack
Is that a Senna helmet on your profile picture? If correct, from whom is the other one?
I was at Le Mans in 91 the one only time I've been, Seeing that gorgeous car scream by has stayed with me for life, Amazing ❤️
I am so jealous of your ears.
oh what i would do to experience that sweet sound in person
Damn I’m jealous!!
I was there too. I'd been a massive fan of Johnny Herbert back in his domestic UK racing days and it was great to see him racing successfully again. That green and orange livery never photographs properly. It was so bright it hurt the eyes just like the engine noise hurt the ears! I don't remember it being much louder than the other cars but it wailed like a banshee and you knew it was coming well before you could see it.
@@PeterWasted damn, im jealous what've your ears has experienced!
I always wondered why 1 driver always gets the credit for winning Le Mans, but seeing Herbert being lifted out of that car, almost like he is lifeless with no expression on his face, he certainly deserves the credit
This story brought tears to my eyes 😢...Thank you...this needs to be a Movie
I concur.
Winning LeMans is a true sign of great engineering. Going around this particular track for 24 hours and being faster than anyone else is no simple feat. Everyone involved in a win in LeMans should be considered a legend of racing.
lol the mazda wasnt the fastest, it just lasted the longest.
@@Nexumis yeah and lasting long enough is the most importent thing about that race. It is called endurance racing for a reason.
@@ewana1556 I was responding to the guy above who said it was the fastest, and it wasnt. Everyone Knows its an endurance race, im not putting the car down, just stating the above comment of it being the fastest is not accurate.
@@Nexumis he said faster than everyone else, not the "fastest"
@@h1gh_end134 He wasnt faster lol, please stay in school. The car just lasted longer than most.
I was at LeMans when the 787B raced. We had a tent by side of the track. It would be fair to say, I could pretty much tell where it was on the track at all times while trying to sleep in the tent. While it was loud, the pitch of the sound was incredible and actually tuneful. Amazing times. I will never forget how it sounded.
This is a incredible experience I wish I could have a time machine to experience this moment
@@christophermartinez7402 Same here, the past decades of motorsports were acoustically gold
Wow what a memory to cherish @David Gray
Thanks for sharing such great memory
Lucky b'stard!....I hear tell earplugs were invented for the drivers of this car.....
Johnnie Herbert is a warrior… not enough is spoken about the amount that he had to fight through, to continue with this race, finally a video talks about that! Throughly enjoyed this😎
Sounds like we need a movie about him and Mazda about this
This is by far the BEST presentation of this story! Congrats!
I bought my first RX7 in 1978... and still have one (my fourth) and it still goes like a bat out of hell.
And engine is good?
I have had five Mazda late models, best value for the money bar nothing out there and I have a 93 twin turbo rx-7 R1 trim with 17,000 miles on it all original. I get nothing but compliments and thumbs up every single time I take it out the driving experience is unbelievable.
I remember staying up all night in Australia to watch the finish. Back in the early 90s the Nissan GTR was just walloping everything in Group A, Honda engines were the best in F1, Toyota was killing everyone in the WRC, Honda and Suzuki were smashing everyone in Superbikes and the 500s, and when Mazda won Le Mans with a rotary it seemed like Japan was unstoppable in the motorsport world. Then all the various categories changed their rules and that was that. It was a great time to be a motorsport fan for sure.
Really? How?
What channel?
He lived through the time itself, put it together arseloch!
Forrealz!
was also coz Japan had a massive recession in 1991. Three of the richest people in the world, at that time, were japanese business men. They lost 20 years and when they do appear now - its little forays to get IP....then they scurry off again. Sony at that time, had worldwide Sony and japan Sony.... Japan sony was miniature and amazing 20 years ahead of our stuff... I think they still are way ahead they just keep all that stuff for themselves, hidden. They learned a lesson.
I really respect the Japanese people! They have a dedication to excellence like no other but maybe America at the turn of the twentieth century! The downfall to America was the formation of unions which has been a thorn in American ingenuity ever since! I only purchase Japanese cars; they drive circles around all the others!!
Johnny Herbert is a legend, fought through all the pain and won the race The 787b is iconic, great video.
His actions of pepper spraying that cabby also led to the legend of Schumacher
@@SamMoto98 That was Bertrand Gachot
@@MP422ownz ahh my mistake
@@MP422ownz Gachot is a different kinda legend lmfao
Knew about the 787B, but didn't realize what Herbert went through. Hard to give up a lifestyle and what you love. Started playing hockey when I was 2-3 yrs old, Dr. said no more after shattering 1 and breaking 2 vertebrae in a motorcycle accident when I was 18. Took a season off for recovery and missed it too much. Played d3 hockey in college and continue playing today.
I've witnessed this car live and the sound of that thing feels like it's driving a hole into your chest. Pretty amazing. I saw F1 with the V8s in 2021 and the 787 was certainly louder and more angry. Herbert was a machine in that race. Excellent video, thank you.
Absolutely incredible! Johnny Herbert - his final double stint is 100% the stuff of endurance racing legend
I literally watched the title for this video change in minutes of release. How Japan beat the world. I like this content. It's very much like 'Up to Speed' but without James' added comedic bits. It hits all the points, beautifully edited, and properly laid out. The Squidddddddd really does a great job as a storyteller.
Thanks Clif, sadly, this vid isn't doing so hot. Trying to save it but I guess people don't wanna hear this tale as much. Thank you for watching anyway!
@@IdealMediaChannel great video anyways. Even though I say it’s not being viewed more. Just like Mazda, in the end you will win. Keep it up!
why didn’t they put that fantastic rotary engine into any of their production cars? Like an RX-9 supercar to compete with Ferrari and lambo?
Tough question, why Mazda didn't really go beyond the RX-7 in the 90s while the NSX, GT-R and GTO reigned supreme. Maybe something I might dive into.
@@IdealMediaChannel Not to kill your story idea, but Jason Camissa did a whole episode of Revelations on that subject on the Hagerty CZcams channel. I mean you can still do your story, but Hagerty of course has access to tons of researchers, industry insiders, and a whole production team. So they dig deep and I would include their research into your story. But to answer the question, the rotary had a bad reputation and was very costly. Most engines weren't even making it beyond standard Mazda's guarantee regarding years and miles driven. This meant Mazda was paying for new engines to be put in. There were class action lawsuits over it too. The Apex Seals just weren't right and the motor oil had not been really developed for rotary engines. Ķfsportscaster. The Mazda 3 was also coming down the pipe as a sporty hot hatch and the competition within for another 2 seat roadster wasn't going to go the rotary's way it was felt like. There were plans for a Mazda Rx-9 4 door and even a minivan called the RX-6 (for the number of passengers it held). But Mazda felt like after the reputation they now had with the rotary and the market share, plus money, they lost because if it, they weren't messing with rotary engines anymore.
I was at work [selling TVR's] and we tuned into Radio Le Mans for the finish. I felt very proud driving home in my RX-7 that day. I have a model of the 787B right in front of me. Excellent essay.. Thanks.
Thanks for watching! Radio Lemans is like ice cream for my ears. I could listen to them talk 24/7. Nothing better.
I loved Speed's overnight coverage with Radio Le Mans as the soundtrack.
8) TVRs were even more legendary than Rotaries for their unreliability, haha!
@@IdealMediaChannel Be VERY careful doing these videos to diehard fans.. @5mins.. 3 spark plugs per rotor.. you show us that "liquid piston" engine.. WHAT EVER a "liquid piston" might be even IF it isnt !.. also.. youre claiming it was the MOST efficient engine.. not quite.. understand bmep & bsfc brake specific fuel consumption.. i love the rotary but efficient it isnt.. effective it IS.. why .. piston/rotor chamber surface area & redundant cylinder clearance space.. the redundant squish space between the rotor & housing vs combustion chamber volume.. never able to overcome the fundamental design concept flaw !
This is one of my favourites stories of Le Mans. The underdog Mazda with his own style of rotary engine, agains everyone. Then, the drivers like Gachot (what a year 1991 for Bertrand. The jail, the debut of Jordan 191 in F1 with points in Canada, the victory at Le Mans...), the Herbert's end of the race and the whole country of Japan following this little manufacturer (Mazda is a small brand compare with local giants like Toyota, Honda or Mitsubishi). Those are ingridients for legend.
Good description of this epic history
A true Samurai of racing.
Yep. It was also Shioriko Mifune's main favourite car from GT3 all the way to GT7.
Exactly title!!!
I thought I remembered hearing something along the lines of "when they stripped the engine at the end of the race, they could have put it back together and done another 24 hour race" 😳
The engine yes, the chassis, no.
"But but but... Apex seals are shit"
@@LtdJorge true. That's why 24h was so special.
@@LtdJorge Only in street use, they thrive on the higher temps because it keeps the carbon down
@@LtdJorge Fine, they're good for *2* days of driving.
I have said for a very long time this story is one of the most movie worthy stories in racing. Just as worthy of a big budget Hollywood release as the Ford vs Ferrari story. Man what an amazing time in racing that was.
It was arguably the best era of sports car racing. It’s astonishing how much development happened from the early 80’s with the 956 to the early 90’s with the 905. Such a variety of cars and engines. So cool these cars still race in the historic races and new generations get to experience them.
And after that the Mercedes CLK-GTR story. Dominating every race untill it had to be transformed for Le Man and got airborn.
ford vs ferarri? nah, i wanna see Mazda vs THE WORLD
Used to own a RX-7 back in the 90s...and this video really got me so emo!!!
@@hesperidesbell4643the problem with this car is that it only won 1 race in 22 races from two years of competition. And that one race was won from pure luck... It was not a competitive race car at all. So it would be hard to make a compelling movie......
Even as a dyed in the wool Jaguar fan I hoped and shouted for Mazda, listening to it on the radio as I couldn't afford to go. Superb racing days.
Fun fact: Bertrand Gachot was actually under contract with the Jordan F1 racing team, but when the incident with the cab driver occured his predicament left Eddie without a second driver, which led to Michael Schumachers first gig at the 1991 Spa-Francorchamps GP.
9:38 Also I'm pretty sure this is Spa.
At 10:04 the car shown is a Mercedes CLK GTR.
And the car in the clip is the 767
something else to note.. the only failure on the 787b in 24h was a headlight bulb that got shaken loose at 17h in.
THAT, is just phenomenal to say the least!!
Bueno, está bien… solo quedaban 7 horas por delante 😁
Although Mazda was a huge underdog at Le Mans, they were incredibly successful in IMSA & SCCA road racing in the 1980s.
I came here looking for this comment. I believe they were pretty dominant in some series in the 70s too.
There were hundreds of successes with the Miata but nary a Wankel in sight.
@@randytaylor1258 No the RX7 was a dominant race car
@@randytaylor1258 the RX7 is one of the most successful race cars ever, wdym?
IMSA GTO Class where Japanese dominated. The RX7 and later the 300zx did really well
Once you hear the 787 or the 767 in person your life is changed, I finally got to hear one at long beach this past year, there is nothing like this car. It was beautiful I would do anything to hear one again it was godly
Easily the angriest, hungriest, meanest, screaming banshee of a racecar ever built. Truly a proper middle-finger car to the entire racing world.
There should be a return to some sort of "anything goes" racing series (where there are few, if any, rules about what the cars can be and manufacturers get to push technology to the limits)
I understand the notion but stuff like this always devolves into a money battle, where the teams with the biggest budgets always win and dominate the series. Smaller teams couldn't be bothered to join then.
It was called the Can-Am Challenge Cup. 😄
And it died for the same reason such racing wouldn't make it today: It was ruined by cubic dollars.
@@randytaylor1258 Make it an "anything goes" category alongside the other categories at something like Le Mans where the big manufacturers with the big $ (Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes, Ford etc) can push the limits and show what it can do but there is still plenty of room in the lesser categories for the little guy to complete.
@@ClaudioMichel Doesn't this story tell us that it isn't true?
Group b was that (for rallying)
The Rotary engine is a pretty unique and amazing design. With they found a way to make it more reliable for the streets.
It is reliable... with a lot of caveats. Requires special care in driving and refueling, requires a rebuild to fix Mazda's compromises.
@@reinbeers5322 True, Rotaries are incredibly tempermental and general reliabilty was joke.
The 787B was purely lucky, it required more attention than other cars to run and when it did the lack of torque and mediocre top end doomed it from getting a podium in the races.
@@youngrody2386 No, the 787B won _because_ of the rotary's caveats. They do best when you (try) to beat the shit out of them. After the race, they took the engine apart and found that it could race another 24 hours - the chassis could not.
Most of the rotary's problems concern its use on the street, not on the track.
@@reinbeers5322 The Rotary was heavily understressed for reliability reasons, and regular piston engines at the time could also do another 24 hours if need be and still be faster than the 787B. It was already mentioned that the rest of the cars during the 91 Lemans season was running on 200 kg ballast, and the new 3.5L engines still proved to be faster and with enough development time that they didn't have, unlike the 787B, they would have smoked it .
@@youngrody2386 >and with enough development time that they didn't have
Interesting that you mention this, since the Rotary had a fraction of the development time of the piston engine. Maybe the others could run another 24H as well, but the ones fast enough to match the 787B didn't. Either the engine or the chassis (and any of the parts contained within) failed - which didn't happen with the 787B, regardless of the engine being considered a weak point or not.
Perseverance is what made this team win, and the fact that the Mercs and other big teams thought they wouldn't win.powerful presentation thank you.
Yeah because they never won a race besides that one....... 22 races and 1 win with a handful of DnFs in two years of competition.......
You did a hell of a job telling the story of the 787B. Thank you for this epic video.
I have a 1/24 scale model of the Orange and Green Mazda 787B race car, and I have spent probably close to almost $400 give or take on buying the model kit ($140 at the time as they were and still are pretty rare kits) and what's called "Detail-Up Kits" which can range from factory made accessories like wide body fenders made from plastic all the way up to the "Super-High Detail-Up Kits made by 3rd party people and companies that are usually 100% made of resin, crafted with so much more detail that entire model kits sometimes lol. They usually have whats called "Photo-Etched Parts" which are legitimately tiny scale parts made of metal including grills, hood pins or even hood hinges, badging for that particular car so metal Mazda badges etc. I spent over $200 alone on a resin "super high detail up" 4-rotor Wankel race car engine and almost $60 on a set of real turned Aluminum 2 piece wheels with real rubber tires..
Why? Why spend that much on one model car? (you'd shit yourself if I told you how much I've sunk into every car i build for local and friendly competitions) But besides spending almost that much on building one of EVERY Rocket Bunny, Liberty Walk & RWB wide body car for competitions Ive used this hobby to get sober from opiates and stay that way for going on almost 8 years now! I eveb made a business buying/selling/trading model cars from home and I REALLY upped my business game up buying a couple 3D printers to make my own scale model car kits and accessories! Giggity.
I love this. Good for you man.
Earth is flat.
Awesome man. I also got sober from opiates this year and got huge into Warhammer 40k, especially the miniature painting aspect. Helps focus the mind and deal with anxiety.
Building precision scale models it's a craft. There's even shows and competitions for scale modeling. You also get the satisfaction to know you build it your self and strive for perfection, not buy of a shelf already made mediocre looking model.
I took the easy route and bought the Autoart signature version.🙂
It's actually makes a lot of sense that the rotary can be a reliable race engine, since most of it's normal problems is related to normal driving. You see the same kind of thing with some bmw //M cars, like the "notorious" v10 m5 and it's rod bearings, as a track engine, it's way reliable, cause that is what the engine is designed to do, and maintenance is so different.
Like all sports, F1 is full of "what ifs" but Herbert is one of the biggest. Huge talent. Huge determination. If he entered the grand prix scene healthy, OMG what a racer he would have been.
😂
What an amazing story of grit and determination! I’ve always been a Mazda fan (1991 Protege was my first) and several others since - they truly make impeccably well engineered cars that are ACTUALLY reliable and fun to drive.
This story deserves a movie! Who doesn’t love underdogs!
And the movie starts in the hospital.
"So you're probably wondering how I got into this situation. But I'll tell you how: winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans."
I love a good underdog story. And this is the greatest one of all time. The Mazda 787B is the epitome of Japanese perseverance and ingenuity. And they certainly pushed the boundaries. That's why all my cars are Mazdas. Great storytelling, Squidd, as always. JDM #1!
🤜🤛
I would disagree, the Toyota GT1 is a much more impressive prototype, it was much more competitive. The Mazdas weren't competitive, which is why no competitive team cared about them and what made their lucky win much more impressive and shocking. In two years before the ban the Mazdas competed in 21 races and won only 1(le mans). In 1990,1991 suaber Mercedes and jaguar were the group C sports prototype Champions......and Ps. The rotary ban was created in 1990 but inforced in 1992..... Which made Mazda even lucky to compete in the first place......
@@MiguelGarcia-vj7oo way to kill the mood dude. They weren't lucky to be allowed, the rule wasn't going to be in effect till the next year so they took all the chances they could to prove that rotary engines are just as good as other engines. And they did, at least for the one engine in the 787B. It wasnst as much a lucky win as u make it out to be either, Mercedes was good, but they're reliability wasnt insane as you saw in the vid. Luck played a part when the 2nd Mercedes crashed, but the 787B's reliability was miles above the others at the time.
@@woccaflocka4147 first it wasn’t banned anymore than the other engine combinations that were not allowed… second they were allowed to run because they were so bad, if not mistaken they were lighter, and allowed more fuel. On top of everyone else either using the new engine formula or using the old turbo stuff but at much heavier race weight. More DNF’s than podiums, no poles… ya you bet it was a shyt ton of luck. FFS it took the rules to be super advantageous, half the field to be developing a “new” power plant borrowed from F1 not intended for 24/12/6 hr endurance racing and a crash by the Merc…
Yea, I grew up in back seat of a nicely tuned Capella.. I've always loved Mazda's.
They love to rev and all the RWD models pretty much have 50/50 weight distribution and corner beautifully.
Rotaries just male them something even more desirable as long as you don't mind changing seals every so often..and using alot of fuel when you get excited.
The Mazda 787B had the best sound of any racecar in my opinion.
Imagine it’s the last lap and all you hear is this beast scream across the finish line, I love it!
WoW watching as Johnny Herbert was carried away from the 787b, was truly amazing. I can only imagine what it’s like to drive a race car of it’s time. If that isn’t total determination and control by Herbert I don’t know what is……what a great video! I love the 787b. Definitely my favourite car of all time.
I'm a huge rotary guy. I've owned 3 RX7s and have a great deal of experience working on them. In 2012 I had a chance to go to Hiroshima, and visit Mazda headquarters. A family friend worked there and joined me for the factory tour. When we got to the heritage room where the 787B was, he asked if I could have some time alone with it.
The tour guide kept going with the group and they turned off the lights in the room, except for the lights over the 787B. I had 5 minutes alone with it. The 787B had been my favorite car since I was a kid, and in this moment it was like being given a chance to meet my hero. I ran my hand along the car as I walked next to it.
I bought it on GTA V Meh...
How hard did you have to scrub your jeans to get the stains out?
@@Sleepytechnician I had to throw them out
@@joshabooth more than understandable, I’m surprised they made it home without shattering
You're not allowed to touch the cars.
Learning about this car is really exciting because the first time I saw it was in Gran Turismo 3 back in 2002 and I loved it. I can see why it's included in the Gran Turismo games even today. Thank you so much for sharing this great documentary about it.
Glad I could help spread the word about such an iconic car!
Yyyup, what a ride.
My gaming encounter with it is way more recent but sure to stick with me for a while.
Got my retro glasses on, and reinstalled Racedriver Grid (2007, the first and best). And unlike as a kid when it came out now I pay a bit more attention to the background info as well.
While the 24h Le Mans is the season finale in that game, it's not the era of the 787B. But in 'experimental' class I managed to bring the Mazda 787B up against LMP1 cars just yesterday. And then this vid hits me.
What a ride.
You're the best in the whole ideal media team, the way this guys explains stuff without screaming trying to be funny is just so great
Absolutely Epic underdog story! Fantastic job of telling the tale far better than I’ve heard it anywhere else. You can’t make this stuff up, it’s sure to be movie gold someday. The sound of a that beast never fails to make me smile.
GT4 turned into a completely different game after unlocking this car. It was also the first rare "black edition" car I got. Good memories, loud memories, fast memories. Such a beautiful racer. Must've been scary and fun to actually drive one.
For me it was GT3. But i understand you^^.
@@samwisehuluberlu2210 GT3 is the only game i played so far that gave me a sore right tumb.
I do admit i played for 18 hours straight, but nevertheless, in 20 years of playing games, only GT3 got the sore right tumb achievement.
YES!!! Even in gt5, the 787B is still one of my favorites to drive lol. Taking the time to tune it provides a beast lol. :)
My dumb ass thought y’all were talking about GT4 and GT3 class cars
the 787B is my all time favourite car, it's from a time when racing could still have creativity, it's the story of an underdog, it looks beautiful, and it really sounds like it's giving it all, which it was, it went hours on the limit and just wouldnt break down
Why? It’s comparatively bad
@@musiccer7446
I mentioned it wasn't the fastest, it was the underdog that won
@@MarySmith-hv5ur
If Le Mans were just a drag race, we wouldn't have to hang around for the remaining 23 hours, would we? "The Toyotas All Died" is just as valid a headline.
well done! i really remembered this race and why the 787b was so remembered
Even though I've watched this video many times it still gives me chills at the end, the part about it's horrifying scream is just the perfect way to sum up how the 787b sounded
Thank you for this. Absolutely the best video ever done yet about the winning Mazda at Le Mans.
As a fabricator and crew chief for 2 Mazda RX7's racing in SCCA's GT2 and GT3 class I've affectionate feelings for that funny lookin' lil' breadbox of an engine. It will always be near and dear to me.
There was a group of us, 4 GT class cars and a rotary powered sports racer (that won the Runoffs at Mid-Ohio) plus the semi-pro Formula Mazda open wheel formula cars. We all shared a mantra..."We will NOT be beat by piston motors". Our loud, flame spitting lil' monsters constantly outran and won the majority of races against piston motors 2-3 times more displacement.
Lil' background...At every single race meet, every single track session we'd watch our competitors fiddling around with valve train related issues before and after going on track.. Careful valve lash setting, checking pushrods, lifters, ensuring rockers were functioning correctly. After practice/qualifying they'd repair/replace valve train components as needed. Hence Racing Beat once sold T-Shirts emblazoned with a big circle with a slash thru it and an image of a conventional poppet valve and spring with the words..."Valves?? We don't need no stinkin' valves!" Our engine maintenance consisted minor jetting changes to compensate for the weather and double check ign. timing, which never seemed to change. That allowed us to really focus on suspension, chassis and braking setups.
Point is, as long as the rotors/chambers got oil, that engine is practically unbreakable needing very little attention. Plus, the top end charge from 8K+ rpm is unreal. Although piston cars might a bit of advantage of grunt (torque) exiting a turn, once that rotary is wound up, look out!!! As in golf parlance..."Pardon me, we're playing through."
The Formula Mazda class was a success story of it's own. A strong, simple tube frame open wheel car with innovative suspension and a sealed spec 13B with a standard Weber 48 IDA would deliver 180+ hp for race after race after race. That engine could easily make more hp but was detuned for reliability.
Daryl Drummond in Bakersfield was the contracted builder of all the FM engines. Daryl would always dyno an engine before and after a rebuild. I was in the shop when he started on a 2 time national champ in class engine that had 5 full seasons of racing on it. Even after 5 years, that lil' lump still produced 165 hp. Compression was down, needed a refresh to bring it back to spec. That series eventually begat the "Road to Indy" drivers program with scholarships to top competitors to use towards a pro career in Indy cars.
With the 4 rotor engine outlawed in WEC series, Mazda moved to the IMSA GTP series. Competitors there complained loudly that if the same power plant is allowed in IMSA (it was) that they haven't a chance. IMSA penalized the team by adding weight and requiring a smaller fuel cell than the others. The only cars to threaten the Mazda's were the Nissan/Electromotive and Gurney Toyota GTP cars, engineering marvels of their own.
There are still supporters of that funny looking motor. The Aussies are making some crazy dyno numbers, Rob Daum here in the states has built his own monster 4 rotor 1000+ hp 4wd RX7 and in Puerto Rico the import drags are owned by rotary powered cars.
Even USAC outlawed the engine. A handful of rotary engine midget sprint cars were beating up the 2 liter inline fours on track. Fuel injected, methanol burning rotaries were making in excess of 400 hp with a power plant that weighs less than half the piston powered cars. That top end charge of the rotaries simply outran the others. Plus the glorious 3 foot long flames on every corner entry was beautiful to behold.
Yeah, the rotary engine is truly a neat lil' motor when you understand it.
Interesting that Mercedez and Mazda collaborated for decades on a hydrogen rotary and yet the 787B beat their partner from that project. Personally owned 2 x R100 , 3 Rx3 coupes, 1 rx2 coupe, 1 rx2 sedan and now have an Fd3s but recall driving through the usual mountain roads at night with big flames that lit up my rear mirror like an explosion with the forest catching fire on every gear change. I had my daily R100 I drove for years with a 12a previous owner fit 2 x 1.3/4 Su carburettors with custom long curved runner manifold which gave me 30% better torque and fuel economy everywhere with slower response but very smooth and cheaper everywhere vs other fueling options.
Awesome last line.....can't agree with you anymore, it's just a very misunderstood engine.
@@petergoz7453
And that success was despite efforts to constrain it. Mazda claimed with multi-rotared cars that only one combustion chamber was actually firing at any given moment. Sanctioning bodies held that two chambers were in firing position at any given moment, thus cutting the power to weight ratio in half, and the little beast still ran away with races and championships. So efficient with so little weight and so few moving parts.
good post, tnx man
Very pleasant to read. Thanks.
I remember my first ride in a rotary engine car . It was 1987 and the car was a 1973 Mazda RX3 road rally car that was brought to the United states by a guy in the Air force , it was right hand drive . It was quick and fast , never road in a car that was being shifted at over 10,000 RPM .it was an amazing experience.
Goosebumps! Well done vid!
Thanks for this story. Really interesting!
I never get tired of watching Mazda 787 videos. A small manufacturer that pours its passion into its cars.
Loved the story telling! Thanks for putting this together
Glad you enjoyed it!
Fascinating epic story, thank you for posting this, well done!
Good show. I really enjoyed that.👍
These types of videos are what make CZcams worthwhile. Thank you for sharing with so much passion, this little piece of Le Mans history.
Our pleasure!
Mazda 787B has been one of my favorite cars all time since gran turismo series. Car is fast, light, nice to handle and god damn that engine screams. I fell in love with that car
Stories like this, the original nsx, and an r32 are so awesome. Fantastic work
Brilliant video. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
For me this is the most beautiful race car ever build. The story behind it is also wonderful
And they won a 24 hr race with the car which was known as unreliable which is awesome.
And that car🤤🤤
Man this vid is great , one of the best stories I've encountered, I appreciate the effort dude ,keep going and all the best too you 👍🏻
the way you narrate this video is pretty goddamn good!!
I wonder how it feels like when you hear the loud roaring dominantly taking the whole Le Mans track of the 787B when you said "jackie convinced his team to push it"
The Mazda 787B was not 'banned'! It simply ran out of time in the Group C regulations it ran to. Many other cars did too. It's a shame because the 'fuel' era of Group C was truly a golden era. I was lucky enough to witness a number of Gp C race4s in-period, including Mazda's epic 1991 Le Mans victory. But it wasn't banned.
Came to add this point, glad to see it's already here. Facts don't get in the way of click bait and stories though 👍
I always thumbs down click bait titles, no matter how good the content.
As for group C, for me, it was a sad time when their time was up, I loved everything about them.
@@mickk8519 indeed, it merely shows the creator has not done their research at Glance, if the title is already wrong.
Bingo. Also the "fanbois" all say it was banned because it was too fast, which is BS. They qualified 12th for the race, some 12 seconds off the pace of the Peugeots and Mercedes'. They were more fuel efficient and more reliable than the rest of the leaders though, and that is why and how they won.
USAC didn't ban gas turbines at Indy, either. They simply limited the size of the permitted air intake. It still ran but.not wit any power.
NASCAR didn't t ban Chrysler's +200 mph winged Daytonas and Superbirds. They simply ruled that they had to race with 5 litre engines against 7 litre non-wing coupes.
"Banned" is such a blunt word. (And the 787B won on non-spec tires for that matter.)
Very important to remember - the great Jackie Ickx lobbied the FAI to lower the Cars weight from 1000kg to 830kg - a massive 170kg taken from the cars - which cannot be overlooked in the process of the win.
crazy edge for tire/brake wear, fuel usage
I’m pretty sure they got extra fuel too…
@@shaadydog1 they did run more fuel than what was legally allowed on the other cars because... idk maybe no one tought it would ever win but they wanted it to keep up with faster cars or smt.
I seem to remember they werkeignen this special treatment because they could not accurately compare the engine capacity with that of the regular cars
I enjoyed this! Awesome! Thanks
What a story with great end, thanks for this video.
i did not know of Mazda's History on LeMans in this much depth, but i'm proud that a underdog made to the podium putting said team to shame and giving both a reality check and middle finger that not just standard V10s and V12s are THE engines to use... Well played Mazda and also good vid man
Fun fact: Mazda didn't actually quit after 1991. They went on for one more year under the then new 3.5L regulations with the MXR-01. That car was actually just last year's Jaguar XJR-14 fitted with a Judd GV V10. Mazda did this because they didn't have the budget, tech or knowhow to produce an F1-style engine like that, but still wanted to race.
The MXR-01 finished fourth at Le Mans but it could never keep pace with the Toyota TS010 and Peugeot 905, as Mazda had no knowledge of the car and couldn't really develop it. When the World Sportscar Championship collapsed at the end of 1992, Mazda finally called it quits.
Yes!
It didn't get banned...
They just stopped using it because of regulation changes.
My favourite fact is the MXR-01 then became the TWR WSC-95 and won Le Mans in 1996... then they rolled it out in 1997 with no changes and won again.
@@mikexkennedy That wasn't the MXR-01. It was another modified XJR-14 chassis TWR sold to Porsche.
Great video! Thank you
Wow, you did an excellent job telling this story. Great video.
This video is so full of inaccuracies. Gachot was sentenced AFTER the Le Mans race so he was not a prisoner before the race Johnny Herbert did not need to run to the cars, Le Mans cancelled the standing start in 1971. Mazda may have had difficulty at Le Mans but had incredible success racing the Rx7 in IMSA, and in the Touring Car series in Europe and Australia.
I’ll add another- see the 2nd Mercedes crash? That’s not a C-9 or 11 it’s one of the CLR crashes from 1999 a full 8 years later.
I was going to say that about Australia. Alan Moffat campaigned a peripheral port 13B powered RX7 and had considerable success in touring car racing in Australia during that era. It was a bit prone to overheating early on but once they got it sorted it was quite the weapon, it kept up with the big V8s no problems. Alan was no slouch behind the wheel either, which helped. Just like at LeMans it wasn't taken seriously at first, the Aussie yobbos called it the chook-cooker (rotisserie) but once he started winning they respected it a lot more. It was a wild looking car too, with huge flares, big spoilers front and rear, and massive wheels, it looked like a Hot Wheels car, and it was very loud which kind of added to the package. Very cool car.
Not that it matters but the track diagram is from the bygone Era -- pre-1971 -- before the chicanes were added to cut the Mulsanne Straight into thirds.
Also the car never got banned
@@zipsuma6971 exactly- the rules simply changed- that’s not being banned- there’s a big difference when one uses the word “ban”
Its ridiculous how many engine regulations were brought in, massively stunted development of the engine for the whole world.
Johnny Herbert is a British motorsport legend 🇬🇧
Great EF'n video. Salute Mazda team
Not sure if you do scripting and footage by yourself or with a team BUT gaaaawdamn! You did an awesome job telling this story! Sad you rushed over the details but at least you mentioned them... Great video I am glad i watched and happy i subscribed. Keep the entertainment/educational videos coming! pls
Thank you for the video presentation. To add a bit more context and background here.
Nigel Stroud came on board with the top Mazda effort in 1986 with the 757 and each subsequent iteration to the 787B.
Mazda also had other very important class wins prior to the overall in 1991 that contributed to the ultimate success.
1983 - 717C 13B / (1st) Group C Junior
1984 - Lola T616 13B / (1st) / Group C2
1985 - 737C 13B / (3rd) Group C2
1987 - 757 13G / (1st) IMSA
1988 - 757 13G / (1st) IMSA
1989 - 767B 13J / (1st) IMSA
1990 - 767B 13J / (1st) IMSA
Mazda, as well as the other teams, were well aware of the rules changes (3.5L formula) coming from at least late '88, so they embarked on a full attack to try and win on or before 1991. The challenge was enormous, but Mazda set some very ambitious performance goals for itself with the 787B program (+100 HP with higher efficiency), they hired the right people (ORECA, Jacky Ickx, 6 time LeMan winner and some fast F1 drivers) to help set the performance and efficiency goal and worked at it relentlessly. This was a technique learned over the previous decade of competition at the LM24 and Daytona. The team also "politiked" very effectively, a big part of racing, and it was all hands on deck back home in Hiroshima with all engineering departments contributing to the effort, including their new shiny supercomputer.
What most don't know was the actual amount of preparation, sophistication and technology that was thrown at the 787 "B" effort, especially for 1991. The chassis tub monocoque, full carbon fiber, a rarity then, the brakes, carbon-ceramic, again one of the first at LM, but what really took the team to the top was the amount of telemetry, monitoring and data gathering used for the '90/'91 LM effort, again a rarity in sports car racing then. The driver training on how to run the car most efficiently, and not the absolute fastest, was also a very deliberate plan.
Once on-track MazdaSpeed Team Boss, Ohashi-San, released the #55 to rabbit out and run a quicker pace then the other two cars, run or die... The strategy worked and when the other teams started to suffer failures (attrition was more common back then) the #55 Mazda was there to pounce running its own highly prepared strategy. So yes the 787B was not the absolute fastest, but it was the most prepared and reliable that day. This was an effort that had really taken +10 years to achieve.
So yes, it was definitely not banned, but the factory itself and other outlets perpetuated the myth, as it made for great marketing and people still believe it today. 😉
Best comment👍🏼
Thanks for this. They made it seem like Mazda were just pure losers when in fact they had many victories, just not Le Man
As an old cars lover. I loved your documentary on the 787B. I never knew the full story of the rotary motor performance in LeMans. Thanks :)
Tyvm! You are an excellent story teller! :-)
Bro this video is so good, you need to make more like it.
And people ask me why i'm in love with cars, and racing.....
Each rotor is similar to a 3-cylinder, 120 crank, 2 stroke. 4 rotors would be similar to 15 degree crank, which is right in the optimum power stroke angle.
that's interesting. if we take this knowledge and use it with the Mazzei formula 5 ,5 rotor car. what would be the equivalent?
@@paradox_l00p86 72° V10 engine.
The pace and music had me tearing up at the end. Good vid 🙌🏻
Such a great video, I'm crying ❤️
I vividly remember that race and how everyone at the end cheer for the underdog ; as an engineering nerd its so refreshing to see not just a victory for Mazda but a victory to engineering
No matter how many times I see that car I just can’t get enough of that beauty
Fantastic history, and exciting report. Congratulations...!
I had no idea about Mazda 787B endurance trial. Thank you, very much.
Luiz Andrade - Sao Paolo/Brazil
thanks for this awesome video... had goose bumps😅
Herbert never had to worry about running in a Le Man's start, it was changed in 1970. Great video btw
Sometimes I have that camera on and just say things without even realizing it or thinking about it.
Great egos was hurt during this race :) Go Mazda go
I enjoyed that, thank you!
7:53 the way you give the "wacky" pointing to them just got me
I remember watching that race when I was in Jr High. The sound of the 787B still gives me chills. Very sexy
Damn, you wrote a truly beautiful script, very epic, I found this through recommended by chance and I don't even know anything about racing, but you kept my eyes peeled.
Glad you liked it!
I first saw this car on gran turismo 3 and it was a car that you couldn't buy it you had to win it, I spent hours on that game trying to get it and never did. Then I got gran turismo sport and you could buy it for a million credits and it was the first car I bought, I did the driving school and track knowledge to get money and cars so I could save to get this car and I love it, the ultimate underdog turned into a living legend
First time watching your channel, had a secret fanatical obsession with the 787b in particular being a kiwi from nz, we built the first high performance 4rotors (that im aware of) and im instantly hooked, subscribing, liking and clicking that bell. Glad this was the first vid i saw of yours
Easily the best CZcams video I've seen in a long time. Well narrated, utterly engaging. Please do more.
An honor to hear that friend, thank you for watching.
Hey Man, you a great story teller and actor... Dude, the story actually made me claps hands sitting alone... Well done... Keep it up and if no one told you before, I think you'd do good as a top gear presenter...
Thanks Susan!
Same. I'm watching this video again after one week and still in awe of the story behind the 787B's Le Mans victory.
Very, very good 👍. How you conveyed such a massive heartfelt story so quickly is just brilliant 👏.
Well done guys. ✌️👍🇬🇧
Great story and well told. Thank you.