Mazda Rally Team Europe
Encyclopedia
The Mazda Rally Team Europe was a rally
team created by Achim Warmbold
that competed in the World Rally Championship
from 1985 to 1991.
The Mazda Rally Team Europe was created by Achim Warmbold as European Mazda
preparation business based in Brussels
, Belgium
. Mazda headquarters appeared to ignore it. Although eventually Warmbold gained their attention, this did not seem to help the project much at first. Warmbold first created a Group A
Mazda 323. This 323 was old fashioned; it had only front-wheel drive but it also featured a turbo engine. The 323 was short lived as it was only a warm-up for a Group B
Mazda RX-7
with a Wankel engine
. It managed to get a podium in the 1985 Acropolis Rally.
Mazda finally realized the potential for a rally team, but they did not want to support the Group B RX-7, and instead wanted to throw their effort behind a Group A 323 again. There was a new model 4x4 323 with a turbo engine, and it promised to be just as good as the Group B car, even though it was in a lower class. The timing of this project could not have been more perfect: the 323 4WD Turbo debuted in the 1986 Monte Carlo Rally
. While this was before the Group B accidents at the Rally Portugal and the Tour de Corse
, its launch was only one year away from the ban of Group B and by the time Group A became compulsory only Mazda had a well proven 4x4 turbo car. With Ingvar Carlsson
and Timo Salonen
at the wheel, the 323 AWD brought Mazda three wins in the World Rally Championship.
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
team created by Achim Warmbold
Achim Warmbold
Achim Warmbold is a German former rally driver. He won the West German Rally Championship in 1971 and 1980, and scored two outright victories during the inaugural World Rally Championship season in 1973 at the Rally of Poland and Austrian Alpine Rally events.Aside from his first WRC race, his...
that competed in the World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
from 1985 to 1991.
History
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
preparation business based in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Mazda headquarters appeared to ignore it. Although eventually Warmbold gained their attention, this did not seem to help the project much at first. Warmbold first created a Group A
Group A
In relation to motorsport governed by the FIA, Group A referred to a set of regulations providing production-derived vehicles for outright competition. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, the Group A referred to production-derived vehicles limited in terms of power, weight, allowed...
Mazda 323. This 323 was old fashioned; it had only front-wheel drive but it also featured a turbo engine. The 323 was short lived as it was only a warm-up for a Group B
Group B
Group B was a set of regulations introduced in 1982 for competition vehicles in sportscar racing and rallying regulated by the FIA. The Group B regulations fostered some of the quickest, most powerful and sophisticated rally cars ever built. However, a series of major accidents, some fatal, were...
Mazda RX-7
Mazda RX-7
Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980...
with a Wankel engine
Wankel engine
The Wankel engine is a type of internal combustion engine using an eccentric rotary design to convert pressure into a rotating motion instead of using reciprocating pistons. Its four-stroke cycle takes place in a space between the inside of an oval-like epitrochoid-shaped housing and a rotor that...
. It managed to get a podium in the 1985 Acropolis Rally.
Mazda finally realized the potential for a rally team, but they did not want to support the Group B RX-7, and instead wanted to throw their effort behind a Group A 323 again. There was a new model 4x4 323 with a turbo engine, and it promised to be just as good as the Group B car, even though it was in a lower class. The timing of this project could not have been more perfect: the 323 4WD Turbo debuted in the 1986 Monte Carlo Rally
Monte Carlo Rally
The Monte Carlo Rally or Rally Monte Carlo is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco which also organises the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique. The rally takes place along the French Riviera in the Principality of Monaco and...
. While this was before the Group B accidents at the Rally Portugal and the Tour de Corse
Tour de Corse
The Tour de Corse - Rallye de France is a rally first held in 1956 on the island of Corsica. It was part of the World Rally Championship from the inaugural 1973 season to 2008. The name "Tour de Corse" refers to the fact that in the early days it was run around the island; nowadays it only features...
, its launch was only one year away from the ban of Group B and by the time Group A became compulsory only Mazda had a well proven 4x4 turbo car. With Ingvar Carlsson
Ingvar Carlsson (rally driver)
Ingvar Carlsson was a Swedish rally driver, who won two World Rally Championship events in 1989.-Career:Carlsson, who was born in Örebro, began his rallying career in the late 1960s, competing in national rallies in a Volvo PV544. Carlsson's first World Rally Championship event came in 1974, when...
and Timo Salonen
Timo Salonen
Timo Salonen is a Finnish former rally driver and the 1985 world champion for Peugeot. It was commented of him that he stood out from other drivers, because he was overweight, wore thick glasses and smoked heavily, but still remained one of the fastest and most competitive drivers in the sport...
at the wheel, the 323 AWD brought Mazda three wins in the World Rally Championship.
Drivers
- Philippe Wambergue (1984)
- Minna Sillankorva (1984)
- Achim WarmboldAchim WarmboldAchim Warmbold is a German former rally driver. He won the West German Rally Championship in 1971 and 1980, and scored two outright victories during the inaugural World Rally Championship season in 1973 at the Rally of Poland and Austrian Alpine Rally events.Aside from his first WRC race, his...
(1984–1986) - Rod MillenRod MillenRodney K. "Rod" Millen is a racing competitor, vehicle designer, and business owner. He has competed in numerous genres of motorsports, including rally racing, off-road racing, hillclimbing, drifting, and super touring.-Personal life:...
(1985) - Ingvar CarlssonIngvar Carlsson (rally driver)Ingvar Carlsson was a Swedish rally driver, who won two World Rally Championship events in 1989.-Career:Carlsson, who was born in Örebro, began his rallying career in the late 1960s, competing in national rallies in a Volvo PV544. Carlsson's first World Rally Championship event came in 1974, when...
(1985–1990) - Timo SalonenTimo SalonenTimo Salonen is a Finnish former rally driver and the 1985 world champion for Peugeot. It was commented of him that he stood out from other drivers, because he was overweight, wore thick glasses and smoked heavily, but still remained one of the fastest and most competitive drivers in the sport...
(1986–1990) - Hannu MikkolaHannu MikkolaHannu Olavi Mikkola is a retired world champion rally driver. He was a seven time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.- Career :...
(1987–1990) - Grégoire De MéviusGrégoire De MéviusGrégoire De Mévius is a Belgium rally driver active in the years 1988–2001. He first broke out into the World Rally Championship scene racing in the Group N category in the Mazda 323. With an unsuccessful spell of Group A races in 1990, he was never considered to be a talent in spotlight of rally...
(1990) - Jesús PurasJesús PurasJesús Puras Vidal de la Peña , also known as 'Chus Puras', is a Spanish rally driver active in the World Rally Championship from 1991 to 2002...
(1991)