On October 24 (Sunday), Mazda old hand Kunio Matsuura, who contributed to the development of Mazda's rotary engines, gave a lecture at the Hiroshima Transportation Museum, located in the Asaminami Ward of Hiroshima city.

At the museum, the "Engine Exhibit: The Glory of Race Engines" is underway. The four-rotor R26B engine, used in the Mazda 787B, the first Japanese car to win the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991, is on display, as are other race machines including the Cosmo Sport (as it appeared in the Marathon de la Route), an RX-500, and others.

Mr. Matsuura's lecture was held in connection with this event. Matsuura joined Mazda (then known as Toyo Kogyo) in 1964 as part of its rotary engine research division, and the following year became a leader in undertaking research and development for the world's first racing rotary engine. Furthermore, as the technical director in the 1991 Le Mans, he oversaw the development of an entire machine, including chassis, and led the Mazda 787B to overall victory.

Mr. Matsuura began his lecture by discussing his first encounters with rotary engines, then touched on many topics, such as the process of evolution from when he first began to compete in racing and the history of his participation at Le Mans. At one point, he let loose with his frustrations, saying, "It was so loud that a hammer came flying at us from a neighbouring pit, so we put a lot of effort into developing a silencer," and, "In our first race in America, we were made fools of by the rules and the environment." The visiting tourists listened attentively to Matsuura, who has taken part in numerous races all over the world.

He closed his lecture with predictions for the future, saying, "Techniques developed to win races contribute to the evolution of automobiles. Given that Le Mans is wide open to new techniques, I expect to see technologies like hybrids and hydrogen rotary engines appear and improve."

Mr. Matsuura's lecture will be held once again next month. Furthermore, a rotary engine disassembly/reassembly show is set to be held on the following dates.

Event Schedule:
Let's Hear Kunio Matsuura! November 28, (Sunday) 13:30-14:30.
Rotary Engine Disassembly/Reassembly Show, November 6 (Saturday), 7 (Sunday), starting at 13:30 (1 hour and 30 minutes)