Mazda’s 787B Returns to Le Mans—With Patrick Dempsey Driving

Mazda’s 787B Returns to Le Mans—With Patrick Dempsey Driving: "

I was fortunate to be at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991, as a guest of Mercedes Benz. I even got to ride around the circuit on bicycles with the mighty Sauber-Mercedes team, which featured a young German driver by the name of Michael Schumacher. The guy could ride a wheelie for a long time, and I could clearly see from his incredible balance that he would some day become a 7-time F1 World Champion…

And in the race, the Silver Arrows Mercedes-Benz C11s all seemed to have trouble. And victory went to by far the loudest car on the track—an (apparently) uncorked 4-rotor Mazda 787B driven by Johnny Herbert, Bertrand Gachot and Volker Weidler. From the pits, you could hear the high-pitched scream of the green-and-orange car as it blasted down the Mulsanne straight, miles away. It was a historic win, still the only time a Japanese manufacturer has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As a memento, I even bought a little plastic model of the suddenly historic Mazda prototype car from a vendor at the track. I kept it hidden from my Mercedes hosts for obvious reasons.

I can’t believe that the little wind-up model has sat on my shelf for 20 years (see photo above). But it has. And Mazda, wisely, has decided to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the company’s overall win there in a fantastic way—by bringing the 700-bhp 4-rotor 787B to Le Mans this year and having it runs some laps with Patrick Dempsey and Johnny Herbert at the wheel. This will not be a race, says Mazda. It will be demonstration laps to honor the achievement, and to thank the fans for 40 years of support for Mazda and the rotary engine in competition.

Dempsey will squeeze in the trip to France between racing his own Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 at Watkins Glen the week before and at Road America two weeks later. Of note, Dempsey scored a personal-best race-finish earlier this year with 3rdplace finish at the 2011 Rolex 24. Says Dempsey: I’ve been a member of the Mazdaspeed family since 2007. I race a three-rotor RX-8 in Grand-Am GT competition, and Mazda allowed me to drive the amazing RX-792P at Mazda Raceway last year. I love the heritage of the sport, and to be given the chance to drive THE car that scored the highest-visibility win in Mazda’s storied racing history is indeed an honor.”

If you’re at Le Mans this year and get to see the 787B do some laps, heed this advice: Cover your ears!

Related posts:

1. Mazda Returning To Le Mans With A Rotary
2. Ecurie Ecosse Returns
3. From LeMons to Le Mans!

"

Source : Google Reader