Author Archives: Dave Yuan
MOTORSPORT: Team Highball IMSA RX-7, the most successful endurance racer of all time
It is often said that rotary engines are unreliable. And yet, some of the greatest long-distance racers have been pistonless Mazdas, including what has been called the most successful endurance racer of all time: the Team Highball 1985 IMSA GTU RX-7.
Posted in motorsport
Tagged fc3s, imsa, mazda, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, rotary engine, rx-7, sa22, Team Highball
18 Comments
MOTORSPORT: IMSA Mazda RX-3 at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
Mazda continued to flex its racing heritage muscle at this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. In addition to its usual usual cadre of booming (and zooming) rotary racers, four new participants ripped around the renowned Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? The most complete and original Group B RX-7 on Earth
There have been numerous legendary Japanese rally cars (and trucks) throughout history — Toyota Celica GT-FOUR, Mitsubishi Pajero and Lancer Evolution, Subaru Impreza WRX, to name a few. However, the iconic Group B tends to not be associated with JNCs, … Continue reading
NEWS: Mazda launches Roadster restoration program
In another nod to the classic status of Mazda’s NA Roadster, the Hiroshima carmaker is launching an official restoration and parts support program for the world’s most popular droptop. Starting next year, owners in Japan will be able to have … Continue reading
BACKROADS: 1988 was Mazda’s Year of the Turbo
It’s an old trope among JNC enthusiasts in North America: we never get the good stuff like they do in Japan. From the obvious to the obscure — the Skylines, the City Turbo, the AZ-1 — the list never ends. But … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Drifting is now an FIA-sanctioned motorsport
If you are a fan of both professional motorsports and drifting, your day has come. FIA, the federation that sanctions the likes of Formula One, World Rally Championship, and World Endurance Championship — of which 24 Hours of Le Mans … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Toyota 86 sets world record for the most drifting
Lest you forget what Toyota’s neo-hachiroku is about, the 86 just set a new alleged world record for longest non-stop drift. This is not the first time this has happened; the previous Guinness-certified world record was set in 2014, also … Continue reading
BACKROADS: Mazda’s Great Little Car
As we gear up for the next annual Touge California in the hills of Southern California, we are reminded of the cars that came with us last year. We had a truly eclectic mix ranging from built track beasts to pristine grand tourers — and … Continue reading
50 YEAR CLUB: Mazda Cosmo Sport and Rotary Engine
Like it or not, the automotive industry is a highly conservative one. Advances are incremental, radical innovations few and far between. Amidst this seemingly depressing state, however, genuinely novel and creative ideas that challenge convention catch our attention and imagination … Continue reading
Posted in 50 Year Club
Tagged 787b, cosmo sport, Familia Rotary, Kenichi Yamamoto, l10a, mazda, r100, rotary engine, rx-2, rx-3, rx-4, rx-5, rx-7
11 Comments
NEWS: Historic Mazdas make more history at Concours d’Elegance
Ah concours d’elegance, an age-old tradition in the world of classic automobiles. It’s an aristocracy long impenetrable by anything but the most time-tested and pedigreed works of art. Mazda just made history by taking home wins at not one but two major concours … Continue reading
Posted in News
Tagged 110s, 787b, Amelia Island, Concours d'Elegance, cosmo sport, mazda, Pinehurst
8 Comments
Mazda museum to open in Germany, first outside of Japan
A museum dedicated to classic Mazdas is about to open in Augsburg, Germany. Operated by Auto Frey, a Mazda dealer in the Bavarian city, and with support from Mazda Germany, Frey’s Mazda Classic Car Museum promises to be the first and … Continue reading
BACK ROADS: The HD Mazda 929
Mazda is on a roll these days, their current products heralded as best-in-segment in every class they compete in. Their designs have been stunning, especially in contrast to the current trend of excessively decorative styling, and their driving dynamics are top … Continue reading
Mazda restoring its first production passenger car, the R360 Coupé
Back in early 2015, Mazda embarked on a restoration project of a 1967 Cosmo Sport. As we reported, it began with the company desiring to instill the Mazda spirit in the carmaker’s next generation of employees through close study of heritage, … Continue reading
Why don’t we hop in the Hako and go skiing?
Turn that surf line into a ski line. Hakosuka!
MOTORSPORT: Inaugural Mazda Miata Heritage Cup inducts MX-5 into vintage racing world
Vintage racing offers a glimpse into the past — a fantasy world in which all the most interesting and beloved cars don competition equipment and make music on race tracks. It’s like Downton Abbey for car enthusiasts. Needless to say, we at JNC … Continue reading
VIDEO: Racing Beat at the 24 Hours of Daytona
The passing of Racing Beat cofounder Jim Mederer dealt a blow to the community of rotary and Mazda enthusiasts. In remembering the accomplishments of Jim and his shop over the years, we were reminded of the magnitude of their contribution to … Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged 24 Hours of Daytona, gto, imsa, mazda, Mazda GTP, racing beat, rotary engine, rx-7, sa22
1 Comment
RIP Jim Mederer, 1942 — 2016
2016 may be over, but we’re sad to report that on its way out an already tough year has claimed yet another luminary from us. Jim Mederer, co-founder of the renowned Mazda tuning house Racing Beat, passed away on December … Continue reading
Posted in Legends
Tagged bonneville, Jim Mederer, Land Speed Record, mazda, racing beat, rotary engine, rx-2, rx-3, rx-7
10 Comments
25 YEAR CLUB: FD3S Mazda RX-7
Here we are at the end of 2016, twenty-five years since 1991. Think back, what do you remember of MCMXCI? The Gulf War? The end of the Bubble Era? Many of us remember the year quite fondly because it represented a kind of … Continue reading
