Black Angel Team - Notizie

The Legendary Mazda 787B Comes to Project Motor Racing

Rotary Thunder: 24 Hours to Immortality

September 24, 2025

When it comes to motorsport legends, few names evoke such visceral emotions as the Mazda 787B. This extraordinary prototype race car, with its iconic orange and green livery that defined an era, is making its triumphant entry into Project Motor Racing, bringing with it a story of determination, technical innovation, and a sound that has no equal in the world of motorsport competition.

An Unrepeatable Moment in History

It was June 23, 1991, when the Mazda 787B number 55, driven by the trio of Johnny Herbert, Volker Weidler, and Bertrand Gachot, crossed the finish line of the 24 Hours of Le Mans after completing 362 laps for a total of 4,923 kilometers. It wasn't simply a victory: it was a historic triumph that represented the first overall win for a Japanese manufacturer and the only victory ever achieved by a car equipped with a rotary engine.

That result was the culmination of a decade of attempts, sacrifices, and unwavering dedication by Mazda in the Group C championship. While other automotive manufacturers focused on traditional piston engines, Mazda firmly believed in Wankel rotary technology, transforming what many considered a technical eccentricity into a winning solution.

The Beating Heart: The R26B Engine

At the center of the 787B beats a jewel of engineering: the 2.6-liter, four-rotor R26B engine. This powerplant was capable of reaching 9,000 rpm, unleashing just under 700 horsepower in the 1991 configuration. But the bare numbers don't do justice to this mechanical marvel.

The engine incorporated a series of cutting-edge technological solutions born from years of track development: continuously variable-length intake trumpets to optimize the torque curve, ceramic apex seals to reduce wear and improve sealing, and an ignition system with three spark plugs per rotor that guaranteed more efficient and complete combustion, crucial for facing 24 hours of racing without failures.

But what truly makes this car unforgettable is the sound. When the R26B reaches maximum rpm, it produces a high-pitched, piercing scream, completely different from any other racing engine. It's a sound often described as the cry of a banshee, a mechanical wail that once heard is never forgotten. Those fortunate enough to hear a 787B at full song in person describe the experience as something that enters your soul.

Engineering for Victory

Winning Le Mans is never a matter of luck. It's a brutal test that exposes every weakness, every poorly designed component, every unnecessary compromise. The 787B was designed with the specific goal of lasting 24 hours at the limit, and every detail was carefully considered to achieve this purpose.

The chassis was constructed from carbon fiber and Kevlar, keeping the weight to just 830 kilograms. The drivetrain utilized a tried-and-tested Mazda-Porsche 5-speed manual gearbox, proven and reliable. The configuration was mid-engine longitudinal, with wide tires and an aerodynamic package developed by the team led by Nigel Stroud.

A noteworthy technical achievement: the 787B was the first Le Mans-winning car equipped with carbon brakes, a technology that is now standard in top-level competition but at the time represented a bold and innovative choice.

The Perfect Race

The 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans was a masterful demonstration of how to win an endurance race. The Mazda 787B proceeded with the precision of a metronome for all 24 hours, requiring only routine maintenance: one oil top-up, replacement of brake discs and pads, changing the front nose after contact, plus of course normal fuel refills and tire change stops.

Johnny Herbert drove the final stint pushing to the maximum, flying toward the finish line. When he finally parked the car after completing the mission, the English driver had to be literally extracted from the cockpit, unconscious from the extreme physical effort sustained in the final hours. It was an emblematic image of how much that victory had cost in terms of human sacrifice, beyond technical perfection.

An Immortal Legacy

The historical importance of the 787B goes far beyond the trophy won at Le Mans. This car represents the final chapter in the saga of Wankel rotary-engined prototypes in world-level competition. Shortly after the 1991 triumph, motorsport regulations evolved in a direction that effectively ended the era of rotary engines in top-tier racing.

For this reason, every time a 787B is brought to the track for demonstrations or commemorative events, the crowd's reaction is always intense and charged with emotion. This car represents an alternative branch of the evolutionary tree of racing cars: low weight, vertiginous rpm, and drivability docile enough to allow completing 24 hours of racing at the absolute limit.

The 787B found its way into the souls of enthusiasts thanks to its flamboyant colored livery and the unique sound produced by its four rotors. It's a sound that motorsport has never replicated since, and probably never will again.

Coming to Project Motor Racing

The arrival of the Mazda 787B in Project Motor Racing represents a unique opportunity for sim-racers worldwide to get behind the wheel of a living legend. It will be possible to experience firsthand that unique sensation of revving the rotary engine up to 9,000 rpm, hear the characteristic sound that made history, and understand why this car continues to be revered decades after its triumph.

Legendary cars aren't just fast: they manage to touch something deep inside us. The Mazda 787B did it with neon paint and four rotors spinning wildly. And that magical sound, that unmistakable mechanical voice, will forever be imprinted in the memory of anyone who loves motor racing.

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