Mazda MXR-01
Encyclopedia
The Mazda MXR-01 was a Group C
sportscar used by Mazda
's factory team Mazdaspeed
in the 1992 World Sportscar Championship season
. It would be the final Mazda entry in sportscars since the inception of their Le Mans project in 1983.
with their rotary
powered 787B
, Mazda had hoped to continue in sportscar racing and prove that their lone win was not a fluke. However, with the reorganizing of the World Sportscar Championship
in 1992 by the FIA, Mazda found itself with a problem in that their rotary engines were now banned. Instead, teams would be required to use technologically advanced V10
powerplants similar to those used in Formula One
. Mazda, not having had many racing engines outside of their rotaries, decided that the cost of developing an entirely different engine was not worth it, especially with budgetary concerns within the company. At the same time, if Mazda were to use a V10 powerplant, they would be required to build an entire different car, since the 787B could never hold a V10.
Thus, Mazda came to the decision of buying an existing V10 engine. They turned to Judd (Engine Developments)
, who had developed their GV10 3.5L V10 for Formula One in 1991, and arranged a deal in which the Judd engines would be badged as Mazdas, carrying the name MV10.
For a new chassis, Mazda also turned to an existing design, this time going to Tom Walkinshaw Racing
(TWR), who had worked with Jaguar
until they dropped out of sportscar racing at the end of 1991. Jaguar's final entry, the XJR-14
, was offered by TWR to customers for 1992, and Mazda jumped at the opportunity to use the car which helped win the 1991 championship for Jaguar. Again, the car would be rebadged and renamed as the Mazda MXR-01.
Unfortunately, although the XJR-14 was the 1991 champion, it had not been updated since the end of that season, and Mazda had neither the technical understanding of the XJR-14 nor the cash flow to continually upgrade their MXR-01 on the same scale as Peugeot
and Toyota were able to do in 1992. Their Judd powerplant was also considerably underpowered in comparison to the other factory teams.
. At Le Mans
the team were able to briefly lead the race at various parts of the first hours in front of the dominant Peugeot squad before finishing an honorable 4th. Throughout the season the team ran only a single-car effort, with the exception being two cars for Le Mans.
In Japan, Mazdaspeed
campaigned a single MXR-01 in the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship
, was equally unsuccessful, finishing 2nd in the constructor's championship, although it had only two other competitors in Toyota and Nissan, although in races where the MXR-01 had no competition in its class, it did not score points, which affect its points total.
After the 1993 seasons of both the WSC
and JSPC
were cancelled, and with the RX-792P
shutting down after the 1992 IMSA
season, Mazda found itself out of sportscar racing altogether.
for use by Mazda.
Group C
Group C was a category of motorsport, introduced by the FIA in 1982 for sports car racing, along with Group A for touring cars and Group B for GTs....
sportscar used by Mazda
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
's factory team Mazdaspeed
Mazdaspeed
Mazdaspeed is Mazda's in-house race and street car tuning arm. It began in 1968 as "Mazda Sports Corner", a tuning and racing operation run by Takayoshi Ohashi, who also ran Mazda's Tokyo distributor...
in the 1992 World Sportscar Championship season
1992 World Sportscar Championship season
The 1992 Sportscar World Championship season was the 40th and final FIA World Sportscar Championship season. It was a series of Group C formula sportscars separated into two classes, termed C1 and FIA Cup. It ran from April 26, 1992 to October 18, 1992, comprising 6 races.-Pre-Season:From the...
. It would be the final Mazda entry in sportscars since the inception of their Le Mans project in 1983.
Development
Following Mazda's success in winning the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans1991 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 59th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 22 and 23 1991. It was also the fourth round of the Sportscar World Championship.-Pre-race:...
with their rotary
Wankel engine
The Wankel engine is a type of internal combustion engine using an eccentric rotary design to convert pressure into a rotating motion instead of using reciprocating pistons. Its four-stroke cycle takes place in a space between the inside of an oval-like epitrochoid-shaped housing and a rotor that...
powered 787B
Mazda 787B
The Mazda 787 and its derivative 787B were Group C sports prototype racing cars built by Mazda for use in the World Sportscar Championship, All Japan Sports Prototype Championship, as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1990 to 1991...
, Mazda had hoped to continue in sportscar racing and prove that their lone win was not a fluke. However, with the reorganizing of the World Sportscar Championship
World Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...
in 1992 by the FIA, Mazda found itself with a problem in that their rotary engines were now banned. Instead, teams would be required to use technologically advanced V10
V10 engine
A V10 engine is a V engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five with a distinct exhaust note.- Mechanics :The V10 is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion...
powerplants similar to those used in Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
. Mazda, not having had many racing engines outside of their rotaries, decided that the cost of developing an entirely different engine was not worth it, especially with budgetary concerns within the company. At the same time, if Mazda were to use a V10 powerplant, they would be required to build an entire different car, since the 787B could never hold a V10.
Thus, Mazda came to the decision of buying an existing V10 engine. They turned to Judd (Engine Developments)
Judd (engine)
Judd is a name brand of engines produced by Engine Developments Ltd., a company founded in 1971 by John Judd and Jack Brabham in Rugby, Warwickshire, England...
, who had developed their GV10 3.5L V10 for Formula One in 1991, and arranged a deal in which the Judd engines would be badged as Mazdas, carrying the name MV10.
For a new chassis, Mazda also turned to an existing design, this time going to Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Tom Walkinshaw Racing , was an auto racing team and engineering firm founded in 1976 by touring car racer Tom Walkinshaw.-History:TWR started by modifying BMW 3.0 CSLs, but soon was contracted to head Mazda's works program in the British Touring Car Championship. The TWR developed RX-7, with Win...
(TWR), who had worked with Jaguar
Jaguar (car)
Jaguar Cars Ltd, known simply as Jaguar , is a British luxury car manufacturer, headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, England. It is part of the Jaguar Land Rover business, a subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors....
until they dropped out of sportscar racing at the end of 1991. Jaguar's final entry, the XJR-14
Jaguar XJR-14
The Jaguar XJR-14 was a sports-prototype racing car introduced for the 1991 World Sportscar Championship season.-Introduction:The 1991 season marked the introduction of the FIA’s new, and controversial, 3.5 Litre Formula which replaced the highly successful Group C category that had been used in...
, was offered by TWR to customers for 1992, and Mazda jumped at the opportunity to use the car which helped win the 1991 championship for Jaguar. Again, the car would be rebadged and renamed as the Mazda MXR-01.
Unfortunately, although the XJR-14 was the 1991 champion, it had not been updated since the end of that season, and Mazda had neither the technical understanding of the XJR-14 nor the cash flow to continually upgrade their MXR-01 on the same scale as Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
and Toyota were able to do in 1992. Their Judd powerplant was also considerably underpowered in comparison to the other factory teams.
Racing history
Mazda was able to successfully finish third in the teams championship of the 1992 World Sportscar Championship season, with a best result of second in the 500km of Silverstone1992 500km of Silverstone
The 1992 500 km of Silverstone was the second race of the FIA Sportscar World Championship. It was run on May 10, 1992-Official results:Class winners in bold...
. At Le Mans
1992 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 60th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 20 and 21 1992. It was also the third round of the Sportscar World Championship...
the team were able to briefly lead the race at various parts of the first hours in front of the dominant Peugeot squad before finishing an honorable 4th. Throughout the season the team ran only a single-car effort, with the exception being two cars for Le Mans.
In Japan, Mazdaspeed
Mazdaspeed
Mazdaspeed is Mazda's in-house race and street car tuning arm. It began in 1968 as "Mazda Sports Corner", a tuning and racing operation run by Takayoshi Ohashi, who also ran Mazda's Tokyo distributor...
campaigned a single MXR-01 in the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship
All Japan Sports Prototype Championship
The , abbreviated as JSPC, formed by the Japanese Automobile Federation, was a domestic championship which took place in Japan for Group C and IMSA GTP prototype cars and also featured cars that were eligible for touring car racing in its earlier years...
, was equally unsuccessful, finishing 2nd in the constructor's championship, although it had only two other competitors in Toyota and Nissan, although in races where the MXR-01 had no competition in its class, it did not score points, which affect its points total.
After the 1993 seasons of both the WSC
World Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...
and JSPC
All Japan Sports Prototype Championship
The , abbreviated as JSPC, formed by the Japanese Automobile Federation, was a domestic championship which took place in Japan for Group C and IMSA GTP prototype cars and also featured cars that were eligible for touring car racing in its earlier years...
were cancelled, and with the RX-792P
Mazda RX-792P
The Mazda RX-792P was a racing car built for the IMSA GT Championship's GTP category for Mazda. Its career was short lived, with only two cars running in 1992 before the project was abandoned....
shutting down after the 1992 IMSA
International Motor Sports Association
The International Motor Sports Association is an American sports car auto racing sanctioning body based in Braselton, Georgia. It was started by John Bishop, a former employee of SCCA , and his wife Peggy in 1969 with help from Bill France, Sr...
season, Mazda found itself out of sportscar racing altogether.
Chassis
A total of five MXR-01s were built by Tom Walkinshaw RacingTom Walkinshaw Racing
Tom Walkinshaw Racing , was an auto racing team and engineering firm founded in 1976 by touring car racer Tom Walkinshaw.-History:TWR started by modifying BMW 3.0 CSLs, but soon was contracted to head Mazda's works program in the British Touring Car Championship. The TWR developed RX-7, with Win...
for use by Mazda.
- MXR-01 #001 - Raced exclusively in the JPSC
- MXR-01 #002 - Spare used as a test car at Le Mans
- MXR-01 #003 - Spare used as a test car at Le Mans
- MXR-01 #004 - Ran entire WSC schedule
- MXR-01 #005 - Second car for Le Mans only.