On Tampa Racing part 2

[h=2]SVRA: Mazda showcases 'Heritage' at COTAAbove: Robert Davis, senior vice president at Mazda North America Operations, in the Mazda 787 prototype.[/h]
The 787 entered at COTA was the essential platform to produce the eventual crown jewel of all Mazda Le Mans history with its derivative Le Mans-winning 787B in 1991. Six-time Le Mans champion Jacky Ickx had been hired to consult the team in 1990 and continued into the next year. Herbert returned with co-drivers Volker Weidler and Bertrand Gachot and collectively the team proved the winning combination. Robert Davis, senior vice president, U.S. operations group, is driving the 787 this weekend.


Like the other Mazda Heritage Collection drivers, Davis has a strong resume at the wheel and complete respect for the equipment he is entrusted with. He has 26 years of experience, beginning with racing in National Auto Sport Association competition as well as SCCA. Davis has raced up the famous hill climb at Goodwood and "The Mitty" at Road Atlanta. He finished 16th overall in Saturday's feature and took sixth in GTP3.
"We've been running two premiere events each year and this is certainly one of them," Davis says. "The other, of course, is the Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Finally, the 1991 RX-7 IMSA GTO, powered by the same 13J four-rotor engine developed for the 767 prototype, is here this weekend in the hands of MNAO Public Relations Director Jermey Barnes (pictured), who finished 10th overall Saturday and took home the runner up spot in GT2. The 640 HP machine has significant pedigree. Pete Halsmer won his driver's championship with the car that year and, with teammate Price Cobb, secured the manufacturer's championship as well with five victories that season. Halsmer, a Daytona 24 class winner, is also an Indianapolis 500 veteran who has competed in three SVRA Indy Legends Charity Pro-Am races.
"We're here to make some noise, shoot some flame," Barnes quips.
The reality is the effort is a bit more serious than that comment may imply. All the Mazda executives agree racing their Heritage Collection says a lot about Mazda because it reflects the culture of the company as well as its history. The first thing a visitor notices is that the drivers – all Mazda executives – are up to their elbows preparing and adjusting the cars for their next track session.
"There's no free lunch," says Barnes. "You want to race, you work on the car. Seriously, it's what we call the Mazda way. We're one team, one goal, one Mazda. We're a company of car people who are also business people."
The executives explain that Mazda is, as car manufacturers go, a small company of less than 900 employees. Barnes says that Mazda sees itself as a grassroots-focused company who is building brand advocates starting with employees and working "inside-out." John Doonan, the director of Mazda's North American racing programs, says the history reflected by the Heritage Collection is important to the brand.
"Our heritage activity is a statement of why what we do today is important," Doonan explains. "We never forget our history. It tells people what we've accomplished and demonstrates how we have succeeded in taking the road less traveled, like with the rotary engines. Most important, it builds excitement in our employees and dealers in how they can write that next chapter of our history."
The Mazda Heritage Collection, established in 2001, is stored in a basement in Irvine, California. That may not sound glamorous, but the fact is Mazda is garnering tons of respect for tuning the beasts to period perfection and unleashing them on legendary tracks like COTA, and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Along with the three beauties described here other treasures of the collection include Patrick Bedard's 1973 BFGoodrich Radial Challenge RX-2, the MX-6 that won IMSA's 1989 & 1990 GTU championship and the Rx7-92P IMSA prototype Mazda campaigned for one season with drivers Price Cobb and Halsmer.
Mazda's Heritage Collection participation this weekend comes on the heels of the company's recent announcement of its five-race SVRA-sanctioned series, the Mazda Miata Heritage Cup, for 2017. That championship will offer a new entry point for racers to enter vintage racing – and to celebrate the amazing history of the Mazda's impact on motorsport.