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Today was the final day of this wonderful event. We conducted a parade run with the quartet of 4-rotor cars again today. Then I drove the 787B alone for a few laps. I pressed the accelerator to the floor, and I think the spectators were able to hear the impressive sound of the racing 4-rotor engine in this incredible piece of Japanese motor sport history. It also made me feel pretty darn good!
The main part of today's show was the pair of Mazda race cars entered in the classic car race. One was the Mazda 787 driven by MNAO Senior Vice President Robert Davis, while the other was the RX-792 GTP machine piloted by the Manager of Mazda Dealer Relations, Wheldon Munsey. The RX-792 GTP came 2nd in qualifying and the 787 was sixth. However, the RX-792 GTP spun out during the first heat, and thus started from the back of the grid. Despite this setback, the car was extremely fast, set up as it was for the characteristics of this track. It easily picked off other machines one-by-one, and finished the event in third place. Seeing the car move up the order like that was absolutely marvelous!
Also, Robert Davis told me that the 787 had far too much oversteer or ‘push' during qualifying, so I advised him to change the rear wing to a more obtuse angle. The car's handling immediately improved and in the final hour he was seventh, before overtaking the NISSEKI Porsche 962 on the last lap. He finished the race in sixth place. Mr. Davis was glad and thanked me for my advice. I remembered how best to set up the 787 as it was the car I drove at Le Mans.
This remarkably enjoyable event reached its finale today. I ran into a lot of dear old friends and saw a lot of cars from a nostalgic past. The Japanese and U.S. Mazda family grew closer together in the space of just a few days and for that I think it was a really substantial event. The Mazda 787B accomplished its mission and was able to make a strong impression on the spectators at the event.
Many thanks for reading my diary. I'd like to share these memories with you all again someday.
*This diary was made by the editor of MZRacing, who interviewed Mr. Terada via telephone at his location in the U.S.
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