On Friday, there was no qualifying or practice schedule, and the teams instead concentrated on presentations and press conferences. Mazda also held a press conference, its first in many years at Le Mans. In the evening, there was a parade through the city with this year's participating drivers sitting atop a cavalcade of classic cars.

The president of the ACO, Mr. Jean-Claude Plassart, was in attendance for Mazda's press conference and exchanged words with Mr. Kanai, vice president of Mazda Motor Corporation. The presentation then got underway. David Kennedy, who arrived yesterday, and Hugues de Chaunac of Oreca, the team responsible in part for the running of the winning machine, also attended the conference. Mr. Kobayakawa, the then General Manager of Mazda Motor Corporation, made a presentation on the history and success of Mazda's Le Mans rotary-engined challengers. He explained the relevance of Mazda's unique technologies, the hurdles faced with motorsports, and the relationship between the company's former efforts and its latest SKYACTIV technology, to which Mazda has devoted so much of its resources. The members of the media looked transfixed and hurriedly jotted important points into their memos. Patrick Dempsey gave his impressions of yesterday's demo drive, saying, “I was nervous, but it was a great honour for me. I'd like to take on the challenge of the Le Mans 24 Hours with Dempsey Racing in the near future.”

In the evening, there was a special event that started in Jacobin Square. The Mazda 787B was paraded through the streets of the city of Le Mans with other Mazda cars such as the MX-5 and Mazda3 before the classic car parade got underway with all the participating drivers. First, Mr. Yojiro Terada took the 787B for a run around the city. Then, in front of a hoard of spectators, handed the wheel over to David Kennedy. Kennedy let the 4-rotor engine roar loudly, and drove to the centre of the city, Republique Square. After that, the Mazda MX-5, with Dempsey sat in the passenger seat, ran at the front of the parade group, followed by the other Mazda cars, in which Mr. Kanai, vice president of Mazda, and ex-Mazda drivers sat in the passenger seats.

Around 75,000 spectators gathered at the roadside shouting in excitement. Japanese women wearing yukata added a special touch to the parade. They were the daughters of the then Mazda motorsports staff of the Le Mans challenge who now reside in Paris. Mr. Terada let the Mayor of Le Mans sit in the passenger seat and drove once more around the city. It was obvious the warmth the citizens of the city of Le Mans feel for Mazda.