I’m fresh off of the HSR Mitty at Road Atlanta, where Mazda showcased its Heritage Collection with four cars that shaped a large part of their racing success in the 1990s.
I had the pleasure of driving the newly refreshed 787 Prototype, which campaigned at LeMans in 1990. Flis Performance did an immaculate job with a literal ground-up rebuild on this car, including the chassis, engine, suspension, and even bodywork.
It was a true honor to be driving this car, shaking it down on the test day and putting it through its paces in qualifying and race days. The raw experience that this car creates, with its four-rotor scream, instant power delivery, and manual shifting—not to mention the incredible amount of downforce the car makes—is a true time warp back to what racing prototypes was like in the 90s.
The car’s capability is on par with modern lightweight prototypes, which can pace Road Atlanta with a similar lap time. In near-perfect spring weather, the racing was exciting, since all three Mazda prototypes were on track together, creating a truly unique photo op.
The weekend was also a bit of a reunion for me, with Tristan Nunez and Joel Miller also driving for Mazda. We were all part of the Mazda prototype program nearly 10 years ago, and this brought us back together.
The fans who came out to witness the fleet of historic Mazdas was staggering, as hundreds of Mazda owners and enthusiasts came to celebrate this special event. Mazda owners were even treated to parade laps around the track, and it was enjoyable to see so many iconic years and models of Mazdas, both rotary and piston-powered, making their way around Road Atlanta.
The Mitty was a success in every aspect, and it was rewarding to be a part of such a unique opportunity. I’m grateful for the experience and for all the effort put forth to make it such a successful weekend. If you missed out on seeing the cars at Road Atlanta, our next heritage endeavor will be this summer at the Monterey Reunion at Laguna Seca, so you can check out the cars there. Plus, you can relive the excitement of Road Atlanta from the driver’s seat by watching these on-board video laps!