24h of Le Mans 1991: behind the scenes of Mazda victory – 2/2

Throughout the 1980s, the Hiroshima firm developed its rotary engine prototypes for the 24h of Le Mans. The Japanese cars are reliable but do not fight for the victory in the general. 1991 will be the last chance for the high-pitched engine. For this edition, the organization of the Mazda team is being reviewed …

=> Read the first part of our retro Mazda

During the winter of 1990-1991, Oreca mechanics replace Alan Docking’s British team, until now in charge of operating the prototype. The boss of the French team, Hugues de Chaunac, remembers: “The association was made through Jacky Ickx. He had run the Dakar aboard a Lada that we had built for the French importer Jean-Jacques Poch. We had become friends. At the same time, Jacky was a Mazda ambassador. It was he who initiated our first meetings in Japan ”.

Until now, Mazdaspeed has rarely tested its machines in Europe. The arrival of Oreca transforms the methodology. “We have set up a base camp in our factory near the Paul-Ricard circuit, continues Hugues de Chaunac. An armada of thirty Japanese arrived three months before Le Mans to prepare for the race. During the first 24 hour simulation, we only had trouble: box, chassis, etc. Mazda intends to repatriate the car to Japan to check everything. “I reacted immediately by saying that it was not possible!” Rewinds Hugues de Chaunac. I deployed treasures of conviction (“a gueulante”, says Pierre Dieudonné) to tell them that everyone had to be kept in France. I knew the circuit was free the following week for a new test and the team worked day and night to make the changes ”. The second simulation on the Paul-Ricard circuit is stopped after 27 hours without the slightest worry. Among the satisfactions is the good performance of the carbon brakes, which had not yet found their place in endurance racing.

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The perfect race

In the columns of Maine Libre of June 22, 1991, Mazda not mentioned among Le Mans 24 Hours favorites, whose departure is given at 4 p.m. The daily Manceau and the 200,000 spectators massed under the milky sky rely more on the crews of the powerful Mercedes C11. In the Oreca camp, confidence reigns. Objective set in the pre-race briefing: “Finish on the podium” according to Hugues De Chaunac. The 787 B, number 55 for the sprinters, posted the 12th time in qualifying: “It doesn’t matter,” explains Bertrand Gachot, 30 years later. We saw that we were good, especially in consumption ”. A second car entrusted to David Kennedy, Stefan Johansson and Maurizio Sandro Sala must provide more. Pierre Dieudonné reunites with his accomplices Yōjirō Terada and Takashi Yorino at the wheel of a 787 version 1990 fitted with steel brakes.

More experienced in endurance racing than his teammates, Volker Weidler took off at the wheel of the orange and green Mazda. The Peugeots give up, the private Porsches are suffering from their weight. At sunset, the Weidler – Herbert – Gachot trio are in 4th place, behind the three Mercedes. The latter takes us on board: “It was a healthy car, but which had very little downforce. The rotary engine power was linear. You didn’t get a kick out of the turn, which made it easier when you were on top of it ”.

« Our brief has always been to attack the car’s possibilities as much as possible to encourage others to consume too much. and slow down at the end of the race ”, continues the pilot wearing the colors of the EEC. The three men have even embarked on an internal competition to find out who burns the least gasoline at the same time. The figures indicated by the small liquid crystal instrument cluster – this is then new – are encouraging. the lift and coast – releasing the accelerator before braking to save fuel drops – is already the order of the day, but in curves, it is absolute. “I can assure you that I have always driven this car like in a Grand Prix, assures the driver who was driving in F1 for Jordan at the time. At Mazda they thought we would end up getting off the road ”. Fortunately, the carbon brakes hold up well and Oreca reduces the number of disc changes, gaining precious minutes in the pits.

Tension in the stand

In the morning, the radios wake up France by announcing a trio Mercedes – Mazda – Jaguar in charge of the 24 hours. Two of the Silver Arrows have experienced overheating issues in the past. At 12.57 p.m., the dramatic turn of events takes place. The Mercedes number 1, driven by Alain Ferté, joins the pits. This is not a routine shutdown. “You see that, you say to yourself: ‘they are a little ahead of the curve, they are going to repair, we must not dream,'” recalls Hugues de Chaunac. The Mazda passed the brand new pit building once, twice, three times and then took the lead. We close the iron curtain in front of the Mercedes stand. Behind the 787 B, three Jaguar XJR-12 are in ambush. Hugues de Chaunac suffers on the command bridge: “You start looking at all the screens to check the temperature of the oil and the water. And when the car passes, you start to hear unusual noises. The last three hours lasted three years« .

In the car, it’s even worse. Murdered three years ago in an accident in Formula 3000 – it still retains a lame approach today – Johnny Herbert is also dehydrated : “In the excitement of the last stop, I left without anyone filling my water bottle,” says the Briton in his autobiography *. “I wanted to throw up and was in cramps. I was a wreck ”.

16 hours. The crowd invades the track even before the 787 B crosses the finish line, victorious. In the Mazda stand, it’s liberation: “The Japanese never kiss you, but if they could have embraced the whole world, they would have done it” testifies Hugues de Chaunac. Arrived at the parc fermé, Herbert exits painfully from the cockpit and removes his helmet. He is as white as a sheet and is falling apart. Two fellows from the Red Cross take him to the medical center while Bertrand Gachot and Volker Weidler take the podium in their black, orange and green overalls. The severe Japanese anthem resounds for the first time on the podium. It It will take 27 years for the giant Toyota to join the “little” Mazda on the list of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

* What doesn’t kill you… My life in motor racing, by Johnny Herbert, Bantam, 2016

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