Small Giant

Ebbro 1/43 Mazda Familia Rotary Coupe R100
Spa-Francorchamps Endurance Race 1970

Mazda's involvement in endurance races, I think, started in 1968 when they entered the wankel engine Mazda Cosmo Sport in Spa-Francorchamps. Since then, they continued to race their Wankel engined cars at endurance races.





In July 1968, the mass-production Familia Rotary Coupe, equipped with a rotary engine as its name implied, was launched and took over the position of a volume seller for the Mazda stable from the Cosmo. The racing Familia Rotary Coupe featured Type 10A engine identical to the preceding Cosmo Sport but the use of a peripheral port allowed it to generate peak power approaching the 200ps mark.

The Familia Rotary Coupe R-100 recorded its maiden victory at the Grand Prix of Singapore in April 1969 but this was just the beginning. It finished the Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour race in fifth and sixth places after four Porsche 911s, vehicles that were fundamentally in a different category. One month later, it finished in the points, fifth overall, in the "Marathon de la Route."
The following season saw the presence of the evolutionary version of the racing Familia. The car participated in three events within two months; the RAC Tourist Trophy Race in June 1970 (GB, eighth overall), the West German Touring Car Grand Prix in July (fourth overall) and the Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour Race.

There were 58 entrants including BMW2800CSs and Alfa Romeo GTAs in the Belgian endurance race. The four Familia Rotary Coupes that had been entered displayed a good rhythm from the very beginning. At the 12th hour, the entry driven by Yoshimi Katayama and Toshinori Takechi overtook a BMW to take the lead in the event for the first time. The other three siblings maintained third, fourth and eighth places. The fierce battle between the first- and second-place cars from Japan and West Germany lasted until the 18th hour when the Familia suddenly had to pull out for good. This might have been an omen of misfortune for the marque from Hiroshima as two more Familia Rotary Coupes were added to the retirement list. The last remaining survivor was classified fifth, a disappointment considering the superb performance up until the 18th hour.

Though the Familias did not win the race, the promotional effect was so great that most of the spectators present at the event were aware of the brilliance of the rotary engine. The awe-inspiring performance of the new comer was highly acclaimed and the Mazda Familia Rotary Coupe was nicknamed the "Small Giant."