Tag Archives: Kennedy

ECU Controlled Telescopic Intake Runners – Mazda 787B #002

The news from Mazdaspeed in 1990 was that they had further developed their 4 rotor wankel to include stepped variable telescopic intake runners and three spark plugs per rotor so that their motors could produce a peak 900 hp or 700hp in race configuration.

Mazda 787B, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

To cope with the new demands of the more powerful motor Nigel Stroud designed the 787 chassis which most obviously differed from it’s 757 and 767 predecessors by having more forward weight distribution with front mounted radiator with vents in front of the windscreen replacing the previous side mounted radiators.

Mazda 787B, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

Two 787’s were built for the 1990 season, both cars retired from the 1990 Le Mans race and the best result for the 787 was recorded in 1991 at the Nurburgring where Maurizio Sandro Sala and David Kennedy finished 5th from 14th on the grid.

Mazda 787B, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

For 1991 the four rotor wankels were further upgraded with ECU controlled continuously variable telescopic intake runners which optimised engine power and torque at varying rpm.

Mazda 787B, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

Three new 787B chassis were built for the 1991 season and the two existing 787’s were fitted with the continuously variable intake motors.

Mazda 787B, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

The 787B’s proved far more reliable than the 787 predecessor clocking up two 6th place finishes at Suzuka and Fuji before two 787B’s were sent to Le Mans.

Mazda 787B, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

Unlike the old turbocharged Group C cars which had to run a 1000kg weight limit the IMSA GTP spec Mazda was allowed to run at 830 kgs.

Mazda 787B, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

As a consequence the #55 787B chassis #002 featured today driven by Johnny Herbert, Volker Weidler and Bertrand Gachot which started only 19th on the grid, 12th fastest qualifier, came through to score the first Le Mans win for a car powered by a non reciprocating engine and the first and so far only Le Mans win for a Japanese manufacturer after all the faster, but heavier Group C turbo cars had wilted.

Thanks for joining me on this “ECU Controlled Telescopic Intake Runners” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a French Le Mans challenger. Don’t forget to come back now !

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600hp 4 Rotor Wankel – Mazda 767 #001

For their tenth visit to Le Mans in 1988 Mazdaspeed developed a new longer four rotor Wankel engine that produced 600hp and fitted it into a new Nigel Stroud designed 767 chassis that replaced the 3 rotor Wankel powered 757.

Mazda 767, Kennedy, Terada, Katayama, 1000 kms Silverstone

Yoshimi Katayama, Youjirou Terada, Takashi Yorino drove a 767 to a 7th place finish in the 500km race at Suzuka in April 1988, the following month today’s featured chassis #001 made it’s first appearance at the 1000km race run at Silverstone where the car is seen above, it was driven to a 9th place overall finish and GTP class victory by Youjirou, Yoshimi and David Kennedy.

Mazda 767, Le Mans,

At Le Mans in 1988 chassis #001 was driven to a 17th place finish by Yoshimi, David Leslie and Marc Duez from 29th on the grid finishing two spots ahead of the sister 767 driven by Takashi, Hervé Regout and Will Hoy, but two spots the GTP class wining Mazda 757 driven by Yourjirou, David and Pierre Dieudonné.

Mazda 767B, Kennedy, Hodgetts, Dieudonné , Le Mans,

Back in Japan Youjirou and David scored the 767’s season high best result in the 500 mile race at Fuji where they finished 4th overall.

Mazda 767B, Kennedy, Hodgetts, Dieudonné , Le Mans,

For 1989 chassis #001 was upgraded to B spec which is most obviously differentiated from the original 767 spec by the side exhaust exiting the right hand side of the car looking from the rear.

Mazda 767B, Kennedy, Hodgetts, Dieudonné , Le Mans,

Chassis #001 was sent to the Daytona 24 hours where Yoshimi, Takashi and Elliot Forbes-Robinson finished 5th from 10th on the grid 62 laps behind the winning Porshe 962 crewed by Derek Bell, Bob Wollek and John Andretti.

Mazda 767B, Kennedy, Hodgetts, Dieudonné , Le Mans,

Back in Japan chassis #001 was retired from races at Fuji and Suzuka with fuel line and gearbox issues before starting it’s 1989 European tour with a 10th place finish overall and GTP class victory at Dijon with David and Pierre at the wheel.

Mazda 767B, Kennedy, Dieudonné , Brands Hatch,

They were joined at Le Mans by Chris Hodgetts where chassis #001 crossed the line 7th overall with yet another class victory from 28th on the grid.

Mazda 767B, Kennedy, Dieudonné , Brands Hatch,

These last three photographs show Pierre and David sharing #001 on the way to 13th place finsh and forth consecutive class victory from 18th on the grid at Brands Hatch.

Mazda 767B, Kennedy, Dieudonné , Brands Hatch,

David and Pierre drove #001 to two further 1989 GTP class victories at Spa and Mexico before it was retired.

Thanks for joining me on this “600hp 4 Rotor Wankel” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Le Mans challenger from Ligier. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Three Rotor Wankel – Mazda 757 #003

For 1986 the Lucky Strike sponsored Mazdaspeed team employed Nigel Stroud to design a new challenger for Le Mans which was to compete in the IMSA GTP class with a new 3 rotor type 13G Wankel rotary engine rated at 1962 cc / 119 cui.

Three 757 chassis were built #001 was given it’s debut at Suzuka in April 1986 where Yoshimi Katayama, Youjirou Terada and Takashi Yorino finished 6th from 12th on the grid.

#90 URD  David Mercer, Jens Winther, #201 Mazda David Kennedy, Takashi Yorino,  Kouros 1000 Kms Silverstone,

Chassis #002 and today’s featured #003 got their first runs in the Kouros 1000 Kms at Silverstone where Yoshimi Katayama and Youjirou Terada finished 13th overall and first in GTP with chassis #002.

David Kennedy and Takashi Yorino, seen battling with the #90 URD driven by David Mercer, Jens Winther above, came home 19th one spot behind and on the same lap as the #90 URD, both cars being 38 laps behind the winners Jaguar driven by Derek Warwick and Eddie Cheever.

#120 Mazda 757, David Kennedy, Mark Galvin, Pierre Dieudonné, 24 Heures du Mans, Le Mans,

Mazdaspeed took all three of it’s 757’s to Le Mans in 1986, but only used two of them in the race.

Both cars, #003 carrying the #120 race number driven by David Kennedy, Mark Galvin and Pierre Dieudonné and #002 carrying the #121 race number driven by Takashi Yorino, Youjirou Terada and Yoshimi Katayama were bought back to the pits at the end of the race after their gearboxes failed after completing 137 laps and 59 laps respectively.

#120 Mazda 757, David Kennedy, Mark Galvin, Pierre Dieudonné, 24 Heures du Mans, Le Mans,

The 757’s continued to be campaigned in Japan through 1986 where Yoshimi Katayama and Youjirou Terada scored a season high 4th in the 500 km race at Fuji in November.

Following a 1987 season high 4th place finish at the May Fuji 1000 kms for Takashi Yorino and David Kennedy Mazdaspeed returned to Le Mans with three cars one of which, #002, was retained as a spare.

#120 Mazda 757, David Kennedy, Mark Galvin, Pierre Dieudonné, 24 Heures du Mans, Le Mans,

#003 was renumbered possibly with a new chassis #103 and driven by the same David, Mark and Pierre trio as in 1986, but now carrying the #202 race number as seen below.

After starting 28th they finished the race in 7th place overall, first in IMSA, while the new sister chassis #104 carrying the #201 race number driven by the ’86 all Japanese trio of Yoshimi, Youjirou, and Takashi, retired with engine failure after completing just 34 laps.

#202 Mazda 757, David Kennedy, Mark Galvin, Pierre Dieudonné, 24 Heures du Mans, Le Mans,

On it’s return to Japan chassis #003/103 was acquired by Shizumatsu Racing who ran it in Japan during the 1988 and 1989 seasons for Syuuji Fujii, Terumitsu Fujieda, Tetsuji Shiratori, Kaoru Iida and Seisaku Suzuki whose best results were two sixth places during the 1989 season.

Pleasure Racing became the entrant of the car for it’s final season with the drivers Syuuji and Tetsuji being joined by Keiichi Mizutani for one event at Suzuka in September where they finished 14th from 18th on the grid.

Syuuji and Tetsuji rounded out today’s featured cars known career at Fuji in October 1990 with an 8th place finish from 18th on the grid, equaling the 1990 season high finish at the same track in July, from 16th on the grid, when Seisaku was also sharing the driving.

Thanks for joining me on this “Three Rotor Wankel” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looling at a short tailed Alpine. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Criptic Details – GALPOT Quiz Answers

Last Wednesday I set a Criptic Details Quiz here are the questions and answers.

Quiz

It’s a ’58, but which letter ?

Chrysler 300D, Gold Cup, Oulton Park

Answer 1958 Chrysler 300D.

Quiz

Another slippery MOPAR, but which model ?

Dodge Viper, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Answer Dodge Viper.

Quiz

What was the code name that Product Planning Dept leader Erick A. Reikert lent to the base model of this RS Turbo ?

Ford Escort RS Turbo, Castle Combe

Answer Erick A. Reikert lent his name Erika to the base Ford Escort Mk III of which this is the top of the range RS Turbo model.

Quiz

Surnames names of two US presidents who might be associated with this door handle.

Lincoln Continental, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Sq, Bristol

Answer Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy are the names that might be associated with this Lincoln Continental.

Quiz

What was the most popular block used in the Formula A / Formula 5000 open wheel series ?

Lola Chevrolet T142, Gold Cup, Oulton Park

Answer The most popular block used in Formula A / Formula 5000 series for cars powered by production block motors was the Chevrolet small block as seen on this 1969 Lola Chevrolet T142 once run by Horst Kröll.

Quiz

Which Brazilian went on to become a three time world champion after running into the rear end of Martin Brundle’s Formula Three Ralt RT3 ?

Ralt RT3, Gold Cup, Oulton Park

Answer Brazilian Ayrton Senna went on to become three time world champion after running into the rear end of Martin Brundle’s Formula Three Ralt RT3 seen here at the recent Oulton Park Gold Cup meeting driven by Graham Fennymore.

Quiz

Enzo Ferrari described this as “The most beautiful car ever made” what is it ?

Jaguar E-Type, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Answer Enzo Ferrari described the E-Type Jaguar as “The most beautiful car ever made”.

I hope you enjoyed taking part.

Thanks for joining me on this “Criptic Details” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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