How This Car Changed History, And Got BANNED
Summary
TLDRIn June 1991, Mazda defied all odds at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, securing a historic victory with their 787B, the first Japanese team to do so. Despite facing skepticism and rule changes that threatened to disqualify their rotary engine, Mazda's underdog team, led by a former prisoner, a rookie, and a driver with a severe injury, persevered. Their revolutionary 787B, with its advanced four-rotor engine and carbon fiber monocoque, showcased remarkable reliability and efficiency. As the race unfolded, major competitors faltered, and Mazda, starting from a disadvantaged position, climbed to the lead, ultimately winning in a dramatic finish that captivated Japan and the racing world.
Takeaways
- 🏁 The script tells the story of Mazda's historic win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991 with the Mazda 787B.
- 🔧 Mazda's rotary engine, designed by Felix Wankel, was revolutionary but faced skepticism and lack of competitiveness in racing.
- 🚧 The 787B was a technological marvel with innovations like a full carbon fiber monocoque, aerodynamic design, and a continuously variable intake system.
- 💰 Mazda's underdog status was due to consistent failures and rule changes that favored other engines, but they persisted with the rotary engine.
- 🌐 The 1991 race was Mazda's last chance to prove the rotary engine's viability before it was to be outlawed by new racing regulations.
- 🏎️ The 787B's success was attributed to its efficiency and reliability, which were more critical in endurance racing than outright speed.
- 🤷♂️ The team behind the 787B included a diverse and unlikely group of drivers, including a former prisoner, a rookie, and a veteran with severe injuries.
- 📉 Despite starting in a disadvantaged position due to rule penalties, the Mazda 787B managed to climb through the ranks during the race.
- 🛑 Mercedes' mechanical issues and strategic errors allowed the Mazda 787B to take the lead and ultimately win the race.
- 🇯🇵 Mazda's victory was a significant moment for Japan, marking the first time a Japanese team won the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.
- 🎉 The story is a testament to perseverance, innovation, and the underdog spirit that triumphed against the odds in one of the world's most grueling races.
Q & A
What significant event took place on June 24, 1991, involving Mazda?
-On June 24, 1991, Mazda won the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race with their Mazda 787B, marking the first time a Japanese team won the prestigious event.
What was unique about the rotary engine designed by Felix Wankel?
-The rotary engine, designed by Felix Wankel, was revolutionary due to its lightweight, simple, and compact design. It used a new way of exploding fuel, which was different from traditional reciprocating engines.
Why was Mazda's racing history prior to the 1991 Le Mans win considered unsuccessful?
-Mazda's racing history was considered unsuccessful because they often did not finish races, struggled to be competitive, and faced mechanical failures. Their rotary engine, despite being innovative, did not bring them consistent success in racing.
What changes did Mazda make to their 787 model to create the 787B?
-Mazda made several significant changes to the 787 model to create the 787B. They included a full carbon fiber monocoque, aerodynamically designed body, carbon brakes, and a revised four-rotor R26B engine with ceramic apex seals, three spark plugs per rotor, and a continuously variable intake system.
Why was the rotary engine facing potential obsolescence after the 1991 racing season?
-The rotary engine was facing potential obsolescence due to upcoming rule changes by the FIA that favored standard 3.5-liter engines, similar to Formula One standards, which would effectively outlaw the unique and experimental rotary engine.
What was the strategy behind Mazda's approach to the 1991 Le Mans race?
-Mazda's strategy focused on efficiency and reliability over pure speed for the 1991 Le Mans race. They detuned their engine to 700 horsepower to ensure reliability and trained their drivers to use the least amount of fuel while maintaining respectable lap times.
Who were the three drivers of the winning Mazda 787B team in the 1991 Le Mans race?
-The three drivers of the winning Mazda 787B team were Bertrand Gachot from Belgium, Volker Strycek from Germany, and Johnny Herbert from the UK.
What challenges did Johnny Herbert face that made his participation in the race particularly remarkable?
-Johnny Herbert had a horrific accident in 1988 that nearly severed one of his feet and severely damaged the other. Doctors told him his racing career was over, but he returned to racing in 1989 and was part of the winning team in the 1991 Le Mans race.
Why was the Mazda 787B initially given a lower starting position in the 1991 Le Mans race?
-The Mazda 787B was given a lower starting position because it did not adhere to the new FIA rules that favored Formula One standards. As a result, it was placed behind the top 10 spots reserved for cars that followed the rules.
How did the underdog status of the Mazda team contribute to their victory in the 1991 Le Mans race?
-The underdog status of the Mazda team allowed them to start with a lighter car due to less ballast, which was overlooked by the officials. This, combined with their focus on efficiency and reliability, enabled them to outlast and overtake the heavier, more powerful cars from Mercedes and Porsche.
What was the significance of Mazda's victory in the 1991 Le Mans race for Japan and the rotary engine?
-Mazda's victory in the 1991 Le Mans race was significant as it was the first time a Japanese team won the event. It also served as a testament to the rotary engine's viability as a racing platform, despite being outlawed in the following years.
Outlines
🏁 The Underdog Triumph: Mazda's Historic Win at Le Mans
This paragraph recounts the momentous occasion in June 1991 when Japan's Mazda 787B secured a historic victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The nation watched with bated breath as the underdog team, often considered losers, defied expectations and won a race deemed unwinnable. The rotary engine, a unique Mazda innovation, was the heart of their triumph. Despite past failures and the looming threat of the engine being outlawed, Mazda's determination led to a revolutionary car design. The 787B, with its four-rotor R26B engine, was a testament to Mazda's engineering prowess. The narrative sets the stage for a tale of perseverance and the ultimate victory against all odds.
🔧 Engineering Marvel: The Mazda 787B's Technological Edge
The second paragraph delves into the technical marvel that was the Mazda 787B, designed by Nigel Stroud, who had prior experience with the Porsche 956 and Formula One. The 787B featured a full carbon fiber monocoque chassis, carbon brakes, and a continuously variable intake system that allowed it to produce nearly 900 horsepower. Despite its potential, Mazda detuned the engine to 700 horsepower for reliability and efficiency in endurance racing. The car's strategy was centered around its efficiency, with drivers racing to use the least amount of fuel while maintaining speed. The paragraph also introduces the diverse and unlikely team of drivers, each with their own unique story, who would pilot the 787B in the race.
🏎️ Against the Odds: The Dramatic Race and Victory
The final paragraph describes the dramatic race at Le Mans, where the Mazda 787B, despite starting in 19th place and being burdened with additional ballast due to rule violations, managed to climb to fourth place by nightfall. The team's strategy and the car's reliability paid off as they overcame more favored teams like Mercedes and Peugeot. The马自达 team, led by Jackie Eeks, capitalized on the misfortunes of their competitors and pushed the 787B to its limits. Driver Johnny Herbert, despite physical challenges, kept pace and helped secure the lead. The马自达 787B's victory was a testament to the team's resilience and the rotary engine's capabilities, marking Japan's first win at Le Mans and cementing Mazda's place in racing history.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mazda 787B
💡24 Hours of Le Mans
💡Rotary Engine
💡Underdog
💡Endurance Racing
💡Carbon Fiber Monocoque
💡Aerodynamics
💡Continuously Variable Intake System
💡Detune
💡Jackie Eeks
💡Wankel Rotary Engine
Highlights
On June 1991, Japan witnessed a historic event as the Mazda 787B won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, marking a significant moment in automotive history.
Mazda's rotary engine, designed by Felix Wankel, was a revolutionary lightweight and compact engine, despite facing skepticism in the racing world.
Mazda's racing history was filled with challenges and failures, including mechanical issues and lack of competitiveness at Le Mans.
The 787B was a technological marvel, featuring a full carbon fiber monocoque, aerodynamic design, and advanced engine technology.
The 787B's engine had ceramic apex seals, three spark plugs per rotor, and a continuously variable intake system, capable of producing nearly 900 horsepower.
Mazda detuned the 787B's engine to 700 horsepower for increased efficiency and reliability in endurance racing.
The 787B's strategy focused on fuel efficiency and reliability, setting it apart from other teams aiming for speed.
The winning team of the 787B included a diverse group of drivers with unique backgrounds and personal challenges.
Driver Johnny Herbert overcame a severe accident and was told his racing career was over, yet he played a crucial role in the 787B's victory.
The 787B started the race in 19th place due to rule changes and penalties but managed to climb up during the race.
Mazda's underdog status and the team's resilience led to an unexpected second place before the race's final hours.
The Mercedes team faced mechanical issues, allowing the Mazda 787B to take the lead in the final stages of the race.
Japanese TV was entirely focused on the race as Mazda, the underdog, led the world's most prestigious endurance race.
Johnny Herbert's perseverance and physical challenges during the race exemplified the spirit of endurance racing.
Mazda's victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans was a testament to the rotary engine's viability and a defiance of the rules that would later outlaw it.
Mazda's win was the first for a Japanese team at Le Mans, marking a significant achievement for the country and its automotive industry.
Transcripts
on a sunday in june 1991
an entire country is silently watching
tv you see history is about to be
defined
their hearts are full of pride the mazda
peak their hands clenched eyes wide open
787b didn't first night
every single channel in japan broadcasts
the same message an entire nation's ears
are perked to the broadcast of telugu
for the first time in their lives japan
is winning winning a fight thought to be
unwinnable the most grueling battle of
the world's nations
fought not with tanks and bombs
but with petrol tires clenched teeth and
pure guts
on this day during the 59th running of
the 24 hours of le mans david finally
kills goliath a plucky little team of
downtrodden underdogs prove to the world
that not only are they a challenger but
that they are kings this is the story of
the mazda787b
[Music]
this isn't a story about winners though
this is a story about losers that won
you see the team at mazda shouldn't have
actually won they kind of never did let
me set the stage you see back in the
1960s mazda had a new engine that they
were very proud of and that of course is
the rotary engine designed by felix
wenkel this was a new revolutionary way
of exploding fuel it was lightweight it
was simple and it was compact but you
see mazda was kind of the only ones that
really believed in it in their first
touring car race they didn't even get on
the podium and that pretty much was
mazda's racing luck sure they dreamed of
winning le mans but they were never
really competitive they did have a
promising race car the mc74
which of course broke down and never
even finished the race the rx-7 le mans
car didn't even qualify then in 1984 by
some miracle they won a race in a car
designed by lola called the t616 of
course this isn't all that important
because this is a slower class but hey
at least for once the rotary engine won
but then it was quickly back to
failure with the 757 the 767 the 767b
every year that mazda entered the race
they were crushed by the competition but
in 1990 they had come out with a new
incredible race car the 787
gone was the little two rotor 13b and in
its place was the massive four rotor
r26b and then on a cold morning in 1990
the drivers left the line and none of
the 787s even finished one had a little
bit of engine trouble and the other one
well it just caught on fire and gave up
for decades the rotary engine had been
giving its all but by the end of the
1990 racing season there wasn't much
hope for it and on the horizon were rule
changes that pretty much doomed it in a
few years the rotary engine would be
outlawed completely
look for those of you that don't know
racin there are three things that matter
on a race track the car the driver and
the rules you see cars in the 1980s were
getting a bit too fast so the rules
started to change the fellas in charge
of le mans the fia wanted everyone to
start to adhere to formula one standards
which meant that all the cool crazy
experimental engines of the 80s were
about to be abandoned for standard 3.5
liter engines and these new rules were
going to go into effect in the 1992
season and i know you might have heard
an old wives tale that the 787b was
outlawed because it was too loud or too
fast
and yes while it was very loud track
officials even warned spectators that it
was coming because it was so loud they
needed to cover their ears
the truth is far more humbling it was
being outlawed because of some boring
rulebook so mazda knew that in 1991 this
was their last chance to prove that the
rotary engine was a viable racing
platform so with that in mind they went
back to the drawing board they pushed
the 787 into the shop and got to work
what rolled out of that shot was nothing
short of a technological marvel
seriously there was nothing like the
787b before designed by nigel stroud a
man who worked on the porsche 956 and
cut his teeth in formula one stroud's
new 787b was lighter he had convinced
mazdaspeed to spend the money and get a
full carbon fiber monocoque with a body
aerodynamically formed in a wind tunnel
designed to maximize top speed on the
mulsanne straight it had carbon brakes
which was a revolution at the time and
most importantly they had totally
revised the four rotor r26b engine this
new version had ceramic apex seals
three spark plugs per rotor and an
insane and revolutionary continuously
variable intake system that essentially
made the car able to stay in its power
band like the entire time think of vtec
on steroids this meant that the car was
able to produce nearly 900 horsepower
almost instantly and was incredibly
efficient at it and then mazda went and
detuned it to 700 horsepower to make it
even more efficient and more reliable
because this is endurance racing and
reliable and efficient are more
important than speed i know generations
later after dealing with the rx-7s and
the rx-8s of the past it's kind of hard
to think about but in 1991 mazda had the
most reliable efficient engine in the
race and it was a rotary sure insert
your apex steel jokes here but like
everything is different on a race track
when you push a car for that long to its
very limits all stereotypes fall by the
wayside the car was so efficient and
reliable that they based their almost
whole strategy of racing around it in
training instead of the drivers trying
to get the best lap times they raced to
see who could use the least amount of
fuel while still maintaining a
respectable lap wrapped in the now
iconic orange and green renowned livery
the 787b was like nothing else with its
high revving engine with its insane
torque curve and wild aerodynamics tuned
for the straights all that was left for
muscle speed was to find drivers that
could actually tame this angry beast
to go the distance in a car that was
constantly trying to kill them mazda
needed the absolute best what they got
was a formula 3 driver a prisoner and a
man who doctors said could never race
again mazda's team was french but was
spearheaded by a belgian man named
jackie eeks the drivers were from
everywhere including belgium sweden
ireland and japan there were two teams
of 787bs in that 1991 race but today
we're just gonna talk about the winners
belgium's bertrand garcia germany's
bulker viedler and hailing from the uk
the mad man himself johnny herbert
bertrand started the season in prison
thanks to an assault on a cab driver
yeah the dude sprayed a cab driver with
cs gas over some road rage spent a few
months in prison and then went racing
volker had driven the porsche 962c in le
mans previously but had very few wins
under his belt johnny herbert was a
formula racing veteran who had an
absolutely horrific accident in 1988
when his formula car slammed into a
barrier nearly severing one of his feet
and severely damaging the other doctors
had to work on him constantly and they
told him that his racing career was over
however in 1989 he found himself back
behind the wheel he found it really
difficult to press the brake pedal and
he couldn't run for the le mans start
but he could win together this team of
wacky individuals a prisoner a rookie
and a man with a limp set out on june 22
1991 to rewrite history
[Music]
it's three o'clock in france the 24
hours of le mans has just begun the
number 55 mazda 787b is all the way back
in 19th place despite qualifying for a
better spot you see thanks to rule
changes and the fia's desire to have
everything be like formula 1 the top 10
spots were reserved for people who
followed the rules and the 787b
did not follow the rules so it started
way in the back additionally the penalty
for not following those rules was you
added 200 kilograms of ballast to your
car which is about 440 pounds for those
of us using the hamburger system the
ballast didn't really make that big of a
difference as the race started the
mercedes team with all the extra ballast
piloted by none other than michael
schumacher himself quickly pulled ahead
of the peugeot team that did not have
the ballast the raw power and skill of
the mercedes teams meant they were
favored to win the race 400 pounds be
damned against all odds though right
behind the mercedes powerhouse was a
team that no one expected to see the
number 55 mazda 787b which as night fell
had climbed up to fourth place you see
no one not even mazda themselves really
believed that the 787b was going to be
competitive so when it came time to hand
out that extra ballast jackie east was
actually able to convince officials that
the mazda 787b was powered by a small
displacement naturally aspirated engine
and no other team thought to question it
because no one really cared they thought
the mazda team was just kind of cute so
the 787b left the line with a
lightweight 830 kilograms ready to hunt
down and overtake those heavy 1000
kilogram mercedes benzes and porsches
the big manufacturer's lack of respect
for the mazda team eventually ended up
being their downfall as night fell upon
that track in france the mercedes team
could not shake the mazda then one by
one the mercedes all kind of fell apart
the number 31 had gearbox issues number
32 ran into some debris and suddenly the
underdog mazda team was in second place
in first was the number one team
mercedes and the team at mazda speed
could smell blood in the water as the
race drags on jackie eeks notices that
the number one mercedes is taking a
slower pace he reasons that they're
trying to conserve fuel you see the
extra weight and larger engine was
starting to take its toll and even
though jackie is usually very cautious
he tells the team to push it
and then in the 11th hour or sometime
around the 22nd hour i guess pushed to
its limits by the angry pack of bees
behind it nipping at its heels the
mercedes-benz begins to overheat and has
to pit in letting the underdog
mazda787b finally take the lead
throughout the course of this race the
little loser team from japan that nobody
thought was going to be in the top 10
was suddenly number one all of japanese
tv was tuned into this race at this
point as japan was leading the world's
most prestigious endurance race a ragtag
group of ruffians driving a strange car
with a stranger engine was ahead of auto
industry titans mercedes jaguar porsche
were all sniffing the exhaust fumes of a
mazda to stay ahead they had johnny
herbert do a double stint at the finish
you know the guy with the broken feet by
the end of the race he had no water he
was dehydrated as hell his ankle was
killing him the pain was so bad he
almost passed out on top of that he had
stomach problems he was nauseous he was
anxious he was exhausted he was
stretched so thin you could see through
him but he kept pace the wild rotary
engine had finally proven itself in its
dying breath of the lama series as a
giant middle finger to the officials
that outlawed it the wankel rotary
engine pushed past everyone and its
horrifying screen echoed through the
valleys of france as it finally crossed
the checkered line first place to team
mazda as herbert finally passed under
the checkered flag in the 787b the newly
crowned champion was in pretty rough
shape he had to be dragged out of the
car and put into an ambulance herbert
didn't even get to stand on the podium
but that's the beauty of endurance
racing it's both a test of man and
machine and on that day in 1991 mazda
and in its place all of japan took that
test and passed to become the first team
from japan to win the 24 hours of le
mans the cumulative effort of dozens of
engineers and drivers and mechanics the
end result of loss after loss after loss
was gold pure gold and that is the story
of how mazda and japan finally won the
24 hours of le mans i hope you enjoyed
watching consider subscribing to ideal
cars and as always it's been ideal
hanging out with you guys see you in the
next one later
[Music]
you
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