Mazda Motorsports has released a set of special liveries for its two LMP2 cars ahead of the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen on July 3.
The design is a clear nod to the 1991 Le Mans winning Mazda 787-B which remains the only rotary powered car to take overall victory.
Johnny Herbert, Bertrand Gachot and Volker Weidler were the drivers on that day, and had to beat factory efforts from the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Jaguar.
Driving the green and orange Mazda in 2016 will be championship regulars Tristan Nunez and Jonathan Bomarito, plus Spencer Pigot who joined the team at Daytona and Sebring.
“I may not have been born when they won Le Mans, but being an age where technology is key, there are a lot of videos on the internet of that car!” said 20-year-old Nunez.
“I’ve been watching the 787B for years – even before I got picked up by Mazda. It’s one of those cars that really captures your eye – and the sound that rotary motor made! It’s going to be an honor to run that paint scheme. I won’t see the car until it rolls off the trailers at the Glen, but I assure you it’s going to be an emotional moment for a lot of people, myself included.”
….and looking ahead to the future (Credit: Mazda Motorsports)
The sister #70 Mazda Prototype – driven by Tom Long, Joel Miller and third man Ben Devlin – will also run a special paint scheme but with a few changes.
Using the 787’s criss-cross pattern as a guide, the #70 car will race in Mazda Motorsports’ usual red and silver colours which represent the present and future look of the company’s brand.
The 6 Hours of Watkins Glen takes place on July 3, with the green flag falling at 10:10 local time.
