The Mazda Rx 7 FD3S, or Rx 7 series 6 as it is known in Australia. Made its debut on the Australian market in 1992, only few days before the James Hardie 12 Hour endurance race. Mazda enter this new RX 7 into the legendary race. The Rx 7 was driven by Charlie O’Brien, Mark Gibbs and the late Gregg Hansford, who drove it to victory. Beating prestige marques like Porsche and BMW. Mazda dominated the race until 1995, when Mazda Australia decided not to continue entering Mazda factory team in this race legendary race.

Since its introduction into Australia 1992, the series 6 RX-7 proved a highly competitive car not only here in Australia, but in the USA and throughout the world. Since the elimination of the rotary in Group A racing in 1984, Mazda Australia had only production car racing, to expose its 13B turbo rotary engined cars to the racetracks of Australia.

 1994 John Nowe crossed the Eastern Creek start/finish line for the 409th time in a little over 12 hours and two minutes, it not only enforced Mazda's dominance of the fifth annual 12 hour endurance event, it hammered down for the third successive year Mazda

From 1992 to 1994 Mazda ran the Rx 7 in basically standard form, with just the usual race modifications done e.g. roll cage and a few engine tweaks. But in February 1995 Mazda announced a limited run of RX 7s, to be known as the SP.

In 1995, the RX-7 SP was born. It took Mazda, Allan Horsley and Daniel Deckers (head Mechanic) three months and apparently less than AUD$10,000 to develop the RX 7 SP a potential 12 Hour winner.

 Come Race day thing weren’t looking to good for Mazda’s, Porsches set the fastest times throughout practice and like Mazda in 1994, and Qualified 1^st , 2^nd and 3^rd on the grid. It was looking like the Porsche finally had the edge on the Mazda’s. But history shows it wasn't to be. Allan Horsley and his Triple M Mazda Motor sport team the victorious in an event, which had become Mazda's biggest triumph and Porsche's greatest frustration.

  The list of changes made to convert a standard Australian spec twin turbo RX-7 to 'SP' specs are 60. The front nose cone would be one of the more noticeable ones, this enormously increased air intake. Another noticeable change is the rear spoiler, which some say looks like a Shopping trolley handle, but I think it looks cool. Both the front supplier and the rear wing are made from carbon fibre. The obvious advantages of these mods are more down force and the obvious weight reductions. Which in turn increased the cornering speeds by 5km/hr.

  Fuel tank capacity, in the 12 Hour, was to be a contributing factor to the Rx 7 SP's success with longer stints between pit stops. Horsley's wild card was his well publicized 'cool fuel'. Stored in large alloy tanks at the track, the 100 octane unleaded was chilled with dry ice to a temperature of around 5 degrees Celsius. When the 110 liters of fuel was dumped in at each fuel stop, the almost freezing fuel lowered combustion temperatures noticeably for the entire session a vital parameter with heat-stressed rotaries and turbo ensuring thermal loading was kept as low as possible.

 Mazda's other trump card was its brake pad consumption. Normally the forte of the smaller and lighter cars, the Mazda SP's larger diameter and thickness rotor and larger four-spot front calipers miraculously made it through the 12 hours of punishment on one single set of Endless brake pads. Horsley said, at the end of the race the pads were removed and "still had 'enough' meat on them". Improving the power-to-weight ratio was a prime concern with the SP. Weight was further reduced with a pair of Recaro's SP seats weighing in at 2.5 kg each!

Its kilowatt output went from 176kW for the standard RX-7, to 204kW for the SP, and around 240kW for the race car. The big additions came from the exhaust system and the three times more efficient than standard air-to-air intercooler turbo modification extended to only minor seal changes. The road car puts out a whopping 357Nm of torque compared to the standard car's 294Nm and it's immediately noticeable on the road. The days of rotaries having no torque are long gone.

To take full advantage of the improved power output, the diff ratio was changed from a 4.1 to a 4.3 aiding acceleration while still stretching the car's top speed 10 km/h beyond the standard car to 260 km/h.

Power windows and mirrors, electrically-operated sunroof, cruise control, CD player, ABS, driver’s side airbag and optional air conditioning where all left in the car, and all these  (apart from the air-bag and A/C) were taken along for the 12-hour ride in the Rx 7.  Something the Porsche 911 RS CS are missing. The Porsches also miss out on a rear seat, carpet and hood lining, although at 1270kg, it would need to. The RX-7 SP tips the scales at 1218kg, another 92kg lighter than the standard model.

Wheel diameter on the Rx 7 SP was increased 16 inch to 17inch front and rear, while tyres increased from 225/50R16 front and rear, to 235/45 front and 255/40 rear. The 204 kW Mazda has proven it can match the 221 kW Porsche 91 1 RS CS on the track and priced at just over $100,000, the 35 models are arguably a much better value for money proposition in the salesroom than the 12 $220,000 Porsches, which made it to Australia.

Mazda's 12 Hour driver line-up was the envy of the field: the twice 12 Hour winner Garry Waldon, Mark Skaife, John Bowe and the legend of Australian Motor racing Dick Johnson. Combined with the RX-7 SP, Johnson and Bowe produced possibly Mazda Motor sports most rewarding victory to date.

                                                                   
During Saturday's practice session there was an accident involving the black number nine RX-7 SP of Mark Skaife and Garry Waldon. Stand by driver Allan Grice lost control of the car at more than 160km/hr exiting the left hander around Corporate Hill when he apparently misjudged the braking point. But with some amazing work by the Mazda team, who began work on the car late Saturday afternoon and only finished it off a mere half an hour before the start of the 12 hour enduro race. The Mazda Rx 7 SP only just made the start of the race at 6.OO AM Sunday morning.

  Porsche took pole position honors with a 1:39.45 lap time from Peter Fitzgerald in the first of the 911 RSCSs. But Mazda was not far behind with a credible 1:40.46 posted by Mark Skaife in the second of the factory RX-7 SP's. Porsches dominated the first three grid positions followed by the three RX-7 SP's.

The Johnson/Bowe RX-7 lead for the majority of the remainder of the race ahead of the Fitzgerald/Richards Porsche finally finishing the race 1 min2Osec in front. Third place, and four laps down on the leader, went to the Andrew Miedecke/Mork Noske Porsche 911 RSCS ahead of the Skaife/Waldon RX-7 SP which looked like claiming third place until brake problems resulted in an unscheduled pit stop only 15 minutes from the finish

If any one has more information to add to www.drmaz.com or if you have some Mazda Memorabilia for sale, please email me at aks_us@drmaz.com

Home Back RX-7 SA RX-7 FC RX-7 FD SP