DailyDriver2k5

23 Mazda
Rotary Powered class wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona

1975 Ray
Walle, Tom Reddy RX-2 1st
in GTU Touring (14th overall)

1979 Yoshimi
Katayama, Yojiro Terada, Takashi Yorino RX-7 1st in GTU (5th
overall)

1982 Yoshimi
Katayama, Yojiro Terada, Takashi Yorino RX-7 1st in GTO (4th
overall)

1982 Kathy
Rude*, Lee Mueller, Allan Moffett RX-7 1st
in GTU (6th overall)

* First ever class win for a woman in IMSA history.

1983 Pete
Halsmer, Bob Reed, Rick Knoop, Tom Gloy RX-7 1st in GTO
(3rd overall)

1983 Lee
Mueller, Hugh McDonough, Terry Visger RX-7 1st in
GTU (12th overall)

1984 Ira
Young, Bob Reed, Jack Baldwin, Jim Cook RX-7 1st in
GTU (12th overall)

1985 Kelly
Marsh, Ron Pawley, Don Marsh Argo-Mazda 1st
in Lights (10th overall)

1985 Amos
Johnson, Jack Dunham, Yojiro Terada RX-7 1st in
GTU (12th overall)

1986 Frank
Rubino, Ray Mummery, John Schneider Argo-Mazda 1st
in Lights (7th overall)

1986 Amos
Johnson, Dennis Shaw, Jack Dunham RX-7 1st in GTU
(8th overall)

1987 Amos
Johnson, Dennis Shaw, Bob Lazier RX-7 1st in
GTU (10th overall)

1988 Amos
Johnson, Dennis Shaw, Bob Lazier RX-7 1st in
GTU (15th overall)

1989 Al
Bacon, Bob Reed, Rod Millen RX-7 1st
in GTU (12th overall)

1990 John
Grooms, Michael Greenfield, Frank Jellinek Jr. Argo-Mazda 1st
in Lights (9th overall)

Peter
Greenfield

1990 Peter
Uria, Bob Dotson, Jim Pace RX-7 1st
in GTU (12th overall)

1991 Dick
Greer, Al Bacon, Mike Mees, Peter Uria RX-7 1st
in GTU (13th overall)

1992 Al
Bacon, Dick Greer, Mike Mees, Peter Uria RX-7 1st
in GTU (7th overall)

1993 John
Grooms, Frank Jellinek Jr., Jim Downing Kudzu-Mazda 1st
in Lights (7th overall)

Tim
McAdam

1993 Dick
Greer, Al Bacon, Peter Uria, Mike Mees RX-7 1st
in GTU (9th overall)

2001 Howard
Katz, Jim Downing, AJ Smith, Chris Ronson Kudzu-Mazda 1st in
SRP (11th overall)

2008 Sylvain Tremblay, David Haskell, Nick Ham, Raphael Matos Mazda RX-8 1st in
GT (9th overall)

2010 Sylvain Tremblay, David Haskell, Nick Ham, Jonathan Bomarito Mazda RX-8 1st in
GT (??? overall)


Amazing all the cars that won from Mazda were all rotary power plants. Mazda needs to make a limited edition 3 rotor RX-8 before it bows out in the next few years. Were blessed to have a car company that stands behind a rich heritage of road racing and behind a awesome motor that stands the test of time.

Long live the rotary!

dynamho

Moves me...

Renesis_8

I hope in the future Mazda could release a car that can compete in even higher levels. Grand-Am is about as high as they can go with GT cars, since they allow tube framed chassis.

I hope MNAO won't ask Speedsource to represent them in ALMS with a prototype after Dyson ditches them, or vice versa.
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Club Royal Condominium Pattaya

DailyDriver2k5

But that would be awesome if Speed Source was to have a prototype to run in the ALMS. Isn't this the last year for the rotary ban in the ALMS/FIA ?

Mazmart

iTrader: (12)

ALMS could be neat. GRAND-AM prototypes are hideous.

Did someone do a list of Mazda's class wins at LeMans? I know we (Downing Atlanta) won there once or twice with our Kudzu chassis.

Then there's Mazda championships won with rotaries in various series; the list is crazy. I think Mazda won the IMSA GTU championship from 80-90 if I'm not mistaken. By the end of it IMSA had changed GTU from under 2.5L to under 3.7 or something. Mazda beat (Using the 12A and then 13B) cars with more torque and horsepower that didn't have to tuRn as many revs and therefore became more reliable.

'David vs Goliath' is Mazda's rotary racing story.

Paul.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

There has never been a ban. The rules were just changed so the rotary wasn't competitive.

DailyDriver2k5

Ok I thought rotaries were banned from the series. Does anybody know when those rules might change?modified? Etc?

Renesis_8

However Mazda didn't push for the limit as those rules would allow. They had a heavily overweight car that didn't provide enough cooling so the 3-rotor would rev at only RPMs even lower than the restricted Speedsource Rolex GT car. They were never serious about the rotary ALMS car since day 1.

I think Mazda will drop its ALMS effort after this year. It is such a failure since the P2 class is so small, they could never win against Acura, their engine sucks and all the Euro LMS teams have ditched them. Their sponsorship money to Dyson was probably cut in half as they're only entering one car. And why switch to Dunlop tires when Michelin are the fastest tires. Did Michelin drop them?
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Web shows

rotorhead335

That's what I'm talkin' about.