Mazda on rallies? Yes, it already happened. The 323 had a six-year career in group A, despite a previous – far more intriguing – attempt by the Japanese brand in group B with a Mazda RX-7, equipped with the Wankel engine.
But all this happened a long time ago. The Mazda 323 last participated in the World Rally Championship in 1991, and since then, the Japanese brand has never tried to venture into the WRC.
What we bring you today is an individual effort by Markus Van Klink, a New Zealand driver who has been crowned champion of the historic New Zealand rally championship several times, driving a Mazda RX-7 (SA22C, the first generation).
There is an affinity between the driver and the rotors, which leads us to his new machine, with which he participates in the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship.
It is a Mazda RX-8, the brand's latest model to come equipped with a Wankel engine. But if we open the hood we won't find the Renesis 13B-MSP, the bi-rotor that equipped it. Instead, we are faced with the 20B, Mazda's only three-rotor Wankel engine installed in a production car, the Eunos Cosmo.
The Mazda RX-8 thus saw its power go from 231 hp as standard to a declared 370 hp, sent only to the rear wheels.
Of course, to deal with the rigors of competition, the Mazda RX-8 was substantially changed: suspension, wheels, tires, aerodynamics, sequential gearbox and hydraulic handbrake, among other adaptations.
The result is a unique machine that runs through the stages of New Zealand rallies, with a chilling sound. Appreciate: