Mazda RX-792P
The Mazda RX-792P was a racing car built for the IMSA GT Championship's GTP category for Mazda. It's career was short lived, with only two cars running in 1992 before the project was abandoned.
The car's name would be a combination of Mazda's RX-7 road car, the year the car raced, and the fact that it was a prototype.
Development
Following many successful years running the RX-7 in IMSA's GTO class and MX-6 in the GTU class, Mazda chose to take on a new challenge. Although Mazda has supported the use of their rotary engines in GTP prototypes in the past, Mazda wished to compete with the likes of Porsche, Nissan, Jaguar, and Toyota with a full factory effort. This would coincide with Mazda's continued running of the World Sportscar Championship in Europe, as well as the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship at home.
After Mazda's success in winning the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans, a change in engine rules by the FIA would force Mazda to abandon their R26B 4-rotor in the World Sportscar Championship. However IMSA rules continued to allow the use of rotaries, which led Mazda to bring the R26B to North America, with refinements to better suit the shorter races and circuits.
For a chassis, Mazda would use the expertise of Crawford Composites to construct their tub, while Fabcar would assist in the project. Due to the different style of racing, the new car would not share much from Mazda's previous effort, the 787B and it's predecessors. The tub would be built from carbon fiber, while the bodywork designed by Lee Dykstra would feature new sweeping lines, including a large exposed vent flowing out from the front wheel well.
A total of three RX-792Ps would be built by Crawford for Mazda before the project was cancelled.
Racing history
Managed by Mazda Motorsports, the first RX-792P would be completed shortly before the 1992 season would begin. The team would consist of drivers Price Cobb and Pete Halsmer. Opting to skip the 24 Hours of Daytona, the first chassis would appear at the Grand Prix of Miami. Unfortunately, a fire caused by the hot exhaust touching the car's bodywork would force the car to be withdrawn before the race even took place. This problem continued at the 12 Hours of Sebring, where the car caught fire once again just prior to the race.
By the next round at Road Atlanta, the second RX-792P chassis would be completed. Both cars were entered in the event, but an accident in practiced forced the second car to not run. The lone remaining RX-792P would manage to take the green flag, finishing in a distant 15th place, nearly twenty laps behind the winner. With the second chassis repaired, Mazda moved to Lime Rock Park, where the cars would finally show their potential. After qualifying in the middle of the grid, the pair would come home in third and fourth places, only three laps behind the winning Toyota. At Mid-Ohio the RX-792Ps would finish sixth and ninth.
Problems crept up once again as the series moved to New Orleans, with one entry managing a mere 16th. However the Mazda team would quickly rebound to take their best finish of the season, with a second place at Watkins Glen, even though this was actually five laps behind the winner. A follow-up seventh place at Laguna Seca would unfortunately be followed by a double DNF at Portland.
A quick rebound would see fourth and fifth places at Road America before the team once again failed to finish either car at Phoenix. This trend would continue at the final race of the season, as neither car would make it to the checkered flag. This string of bad results would leave Mazda a distant sixth in the constructor's championship, although Price Cobb would be able to finish eighth in the driver's championship.
Cancellation
Following the 1992 season, sports car racing throughout the world was greatly altered. Both the World Sportscar Championship and All Japan Sports Prototype Championship would be cancelled, leaving Mazda's expensive MXR-01 nowhere to race. At the same time, IMSA announced plans to abandon the GTP category after the 1993 season, turning instead to a new category of open-cockpit prototypes. This meant that Mazda would only have one more year to be able to use the RX-792P in North America only before they would have to construct an all new car.
This problem, mixed with the economic troubles of Mazda at the time, lead to the company cancelling the entire RX-792P project. Mazda would instead return to running their RX-7s in the production-based categories of IMSA. However the R26B 4-rotor that had been used in the RX-792P would continue to be used as the GTO class was altered to allow for more custom-built elements.
External links
- Mulsanne's Corner - Mazda RX-792P
- Crawford Composites - Crawford history
