LOL

Blame it on Matty. I'm just here to help

 

So usually Race Pedigree plays an important part in a car's future collectability. What was the combined road racing record of the FD? I know the SA was IMSA champ several years running. I know the FD had success in the Australian Bathurst series, but what about the U.S. market? Other than Cam Worth and a few other privateers, did the car do well in any U.S. series from '93 through '95 and I'm just forgetting which ones? (which more and more these days is becoming VERY likely)

 

Peter Farrel likely had the most success and history racing the 3rd gen. Mazda didn't put much effort into the racing the FD. Nothing like the RX8 effort which is a shame because the FD deserved better.

Don't forget though that this car dominated and I mean DOMINATED the autocross scene for 10 years.

Peter Farrell Brings Historic Presence to Rally America?s U.S. Rallycross Series | Rally America

 

Yes, the FD was (and is) a Solo monster. I guess it didn't make much sense for Mazda to support an out-of-production car with such a short selling life in North America, though. There wasn't ever a factory racing FD like this FC, for example: Meeting Your Rotary Heroes - Speedhunters

The FD did well in Japan as a Midnight Run type of car, touge king, and circuit racer (i.e., 2006 JGTC - GT300, etc.), particularly with R.E. Amemiya and the other big-time rotary tuning houses, though... so the FD has a ton of racing pedigree, but mainly on the JDM side – I'm not counting drift and drag events, for example.

Also, it did well in Australia... "The FD RX-7 comprehensively and unarguably thrashed all other major manufacturers including Porsche 4 times in the Eastern Creek and Bathurst 12 Hour Endurance races in the mid to late 1990s.": http://www.rotaryeng.net/racing-history.pdf

I guess the closest we got to hardcore performance marketing was Racing Beat's top speed build: Retrospective>>racing Beat On The Salt - Speedhunters