The Le Mans-winning 787B will make an appearance along with many other racing models from the company’s history.
True, this isn’t in the U.S., and it really has nothing to do with Mazda Motorsports or Mazda North America…but we think this is pretty darn cool anyway. And any opportunity folks have to hear that amazing four-rotor scream in anger is worth celebrating. That four-rotor we speak of is, of course, the one that powered the 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning Mazda 787B, and fans at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed in Sussex, UK in June will be able to see it as it runs up the event’s iconic Hillclimb. Perhaps even more significant is the Festival of Speed will pay tribute to the innovation and achievements in motorsport by Mazda with a Central Feature in the company’s honor.
The Central Feature, created by renowned sculptor Gerry Judah and Mazda, will provide a spectacular backdrop to the Festival of Speed, which is preceded by the Moving Motor Show presented by the AA in association with The Telegraph, and runs from June 25-28. Set spectacularly against the iconic sight of Goodwood House, the Central Feature will celebrate Mazda’s 95-year history and its numerous international motorsport achievements.
Mazda is the only Japanese manufacturer to have won the world’s most prestigious motor race – the Le Mans 24 Hours – and the victorious rotary-engined 787B, with its distinctive sound, is certain to be a crowd favorite as it winds its way up Goodwood’s 1.16-mile Hillclimb, along with many other examples of its sporting success and road-going innovation.
Further motorsport success has been achieved in touring cars, the World Rally Championship, Andros Trophy ice racing and sportscar competition here in the U.S., where the Mazda SKYACTIV-D Prototype currently headlines Mazda’s involvement in motorsports.
Every era of Mazda’s motor sport achievement will be marked by some incredible competition cars both on the Hillclimb and the Forest Rally Stage, while the Moving Motor Show on June 25 will showcase many of the key models from Mazda’s current range.
“The theme for this year’s Festival of Speed is ‘Flat-Out and Fearless: Racing on the Edge,’ and Mazda’s continual push to reject engineering conventions and strive for something unique perfectly aligns with this philosophy,” says event host Lord March. “We are delighted to be celebrating Mazda’s motor sport achievements and pioneering road-car technologies with the Central Feature, and to help it showcase its brand-new cars to an international community of car enthusiasts and the world’s automotive media – an audience that only Goodwood can attract.”
Staged every summer since 1993, the Goodwood Festival of Speed is the world’s largest automotive garden party; set against the spectacular backdrop of Goodwood House in West Sussex, UK. Over 600 cars and motorcycles spanning the phenomenal history of motoring and motor sport take part with some of the most legendary figures from the sport as well as international celebrities regularly attending.