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MAZDA767B (1989)
Car No. 201: D. Kennedy / P. Dieudonne / C. Hodgetts
Car No. 202: T. Yorino / H. Regaut / E. Forbes-Robinson
Car No. 203: Y. Terada / M. Duez / V. Weidler
Qualified: 28th (#201), 16th (#202 - 3'25:45), 34th (#203)
Race: 7th (#201 - 368 laps), 9th (#202), 12th (#203)
This year's running of Le Mans was the year for Mercedes, aiming at its first victory in 37 years. A trio of the "Silver Arrow" machines with their traditional silver coloring, dominated the front row of the grid. They were followed by Jaguar, aiming at its second win on the trot, occupying the second row. Right behind them was the quasi-works' Porsche from Joest. Japanese entries, including three MAZDA 767Bs, made for a total of 10 cars, including a number of privateer Porsches.
The MAZDA 767B was a development based on the previous iteration of the car, the 767. It featured a lightened chassis, improved rigidity in the monocoque, with improvements also to the car's aerodynamic drag coefficient. A modified version of the 4-rotor 13J engine was brought to Le Mans after several improvements including the installation of a variable induction system, boosting power by some 15%. The vivid orange and green Renown CHARGE colouring, which became so popular later on, made its debut this year. For this assault on the 24 hours, the team set an "aggressive target, aiming at finishing 7th overall." In qualifying, lead driver in the #202 machine, Yorino set a fastest lap a remarkable 8 seconds faster than any of the other MAZDA-equipped drivers, while the #201 car reached its target of covering 5,000kms without ever opening its rear cowl during the race. At the flag, the #201 machine duly crossed the line in 7th place behind a brace of Mercedes (which recorded a 1-2 finish), a pair of Jaguars and two Porsche 962Cs. The #202 car meanwhile finished in 9th, with the #203 machine taking 12th. It was a momentous occasion for MAZDA seeing all three cars cross the finish line together, and brought the team huge applause.
However, it also could be said that the team showed a lack of strength, being unable to take the win at that time, despite it being their best performance to date. In order to beat the top cars, they needed an engine that was much more powerful and with far better fuel consumption, plus a tougher and more efficient chassis.
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