The Mazda Heritage Collection is back at the racetrack, this time at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the famous Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Three glorious rotary engines will echo through the northern California canyons courtesy of a 1989 Mazda 767B-002, a 1991 Mazda RX-7-001 GTO and a freshly restored 1992 Mazda RX-792P.
The collection’s 767B and RX-7 GTO were in action earlier this year with Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, while the Rolex Reunion will mark the first outing for the recently refreshed 1992 RX-792P.
Deployed into competition at the height of the manufacturer battleground that brought IMSA racing to the fore, the 750hp RX-792P had much unfulfilled potential. Created for IMSA’s powerful GTP category, its 1992 debut was seen as a development year and had a top result of second at Watkins Glen International. But despite significant progress being made with the young program, the elimination of the GTP class the following year negated all the work that could have made history.
Driving the RX-792P at the Rolex Reunion is Mazda driver Tom Long, who has previously been driving the RX-7 GTO for the Mazda Heritage Collection. Gladly sliding in to take up the vacant driver’s seat will be two-time Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin Tires Champion Jared Thomas.
“I was super excited when Mazda invited me to drive a car from the Heritage Collection at the Rolex Reunion,” said Thomas, who won the 2024 MX-5 Cup race at Laguna Seca by just 0.079s. “To get the opportunity to drive one of them — I was blown out of the water. I’m excited to get out there, especially at a great venue like Laguna Seca. I guess these are the perks of being a two-time MX-5 Cup champion! Hopefully there will be more opportunities down the road to drive these cars again.
“There aren’t any modern driving aids like cars today. There’s no ABS or traction control, so I’ll dig back in my notes and things I’ve driven without those to figure out the techniques I need to drive it. I’m going to make sure to take care of it and not tear anything up!”
A fan favorite, the 767B will be driven by its regular pilot, long time Mazda factory driver Jonathan Bomarito.
“It’s perfect that we have a third Mazda Heritage Collection car ready to hit the track at the Rolex Reunion,” said Jonathan Applegate, Senior Manager, Mazda Motorsports. “Even better, the additional car has opened up a seat for our reigning MX-5 Cup Champion and JTR Motorsports Engineering team owner, Jared Thomas. We knew right away he was perfect for the job and earned this opportunity to drive a piece of Mazda history in Monterey.”
The 767B and RX-792P will be part of the Hurley Haywood Trophy GTP group, while the RX-7 will be in the Hurley Haywood Trophy GTO division.