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MAZDA 787B, MAZDA 787 (1991)
Car No. 18: D. Kennedy / S. Johansson / M. Sandro Sala
Car No. 55: B. Gachot / J. Herbert / V. Weidler
Car No. 56: T. Yorino / Y. Terada / P. Dieudonne
Qualified: 23rd (#18), 19th (#55 - 3'43.50), 30th (#56)
Race: 6th (#18), Win (#55 after 362 laps), 8th (#56)
In 1991, the last season for rotary engines at Le Mans, Mazda/Mazdaspeed brought two of their improved Mazda 787B machines and one 787 entry. The 787B was based on the narrow body of the 787, featuring optimized levels of downforce and improved cornering speeds through the introduction of wider rear tread. Total improvements on the car numbered in excess of 200, including better rigidity in the rear section, the use of carbon brakes and 18-inch tyres, a revision of the cooling system for enhanced performance, and a better layout of the electrical harness. Meanwhile, the 4-rotor R26B engine featured several improvements such as enhanced reliability through the implementation of a two-piece ceramic apex seal housing and a fine tuning of the control system. In addition, the facilities at the track had also been upgraded, a new pit building and paddock that was modern enough to have people talking about the arrival of a new era at Le Mans. Also, heroes of the new Sportscar World Championship the Peugeot 905 and Jaguar XJR14, running under Group C Category 1 at Le Mans, made their appearance this year.
The #55 787B, driven by a trio of young F1 drivers, started 19th. After the withdrawal of the Category 1 runners, the #55 machine gradually moved up the order to run fourth behind a trio of Mercedes at the six-hour mark. The car maintained its good position ahead of three Jaguar XJR12s. During the night, two of the Mercedes entries dropped out, while the third car fell back just before sunrise, leaving the #55 Mazda in 2nd place after 13 hours' racing. The #55 car was able to conserve fuel as it was nearly a full lap ahead of the third-placed Jaguar and there were no signs of trouble. Meanwhile the #18 787B moved up to 5th position, however fell to 7th when it spent 15 minutes in the pits swapping a CV joint. Just before 13:00, the race-leading Mercedes returned to the pits and started repairs on the cooling system. During that delay, the #55 787B jumped into the lead and then ran alone for the final three hours without any accidents or other trouble. The team finally took overall victory at Le Mans. It had been 21 years since a rotary engine first appeared at La Sarthe in 1970, and 18 years since Mazda/Mazdaspeed began their attempt at victory in the famous enduro. The win was also the first domination of Le Mans by a Japanese make. The #18 and #56 cars also finished successfully, in 6th and 8th positions respectively, meaning all three Mazda rotary engine runners completed the event at the top of the field.
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