The Mazda Rally Team Europe was a rally team created by Achim Warmbold that competed in the World Rally Championship from 1985 to 1992.

History

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 and front wheel drive, but did feature 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.

Group A The first Group A model was based on the BF 323 with a turbo engine and 4WD. 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 the main WRC class, only Mazda had a well proven 4x4 turbo car. With Ingvar Carlsson and Timo Salonen at the wheel, the BF 323 GT-X brought Mazda three wins in the World Rally Championship.

The new 5th generation BG 323 GT-X was debuted midway through the 1990 season at the 1000 Lakes Rally The new model was much improved over its predecessor, its enlarged 1839cc engine, canted forward so as to provide greater freedom to locate the Xtrac transmission. It was also wider, offered improved suspension travel and had better thermal management, even if the addition of so many grilles lent the GT-X a somewhat fussy frontal appearance. Mazda's driver line-up was also improving what with the team's stalwart; Finns Hannu Mikkola and Timo Salonen now supported by Ingvar Carlsson and, from time to time, Gregoire de Mevius and Jesus Puras. But it wasn't to be. The frenetic, relentless pace of Group A development meant that while the GT-X was a marked improvement over what had gone before, it was still behind Lancia and Toyota and Ford.

The new, larger engine gave more power, but its 275bhp still wasn't enough, especially when mated to an intercooler deemed too small and too inefficient for WRC. Nor was it especially reliable, as evidenced by a rash of retirements following its Finnish debut. More power was extracted through a change of ECU supplier. Come the start of the 1991 season, and the Mazda outfit had also Timo Salonen to Mitsubishi however Carlsson, Puras and Rod Millen remained as did a young Finn called Tommi Makinen. The latter would actually deliver Mazda its best result of the year with drive to fifth on Rally Finland, but that was the only bright spot on otherwise frustrating WRC year.

Mazda withdrew its factory team from WRC programme at the end of the 1992 season, just as the BG 323 GT-R homologation run had been completed for 1993 as a replacement for the GT-X. MRTE built five Group A cars in 1992, one of which went to Bjorn Johansson and Mazda's Swedish rally arm who bought the team from Mazda. The 323 GT-R was run by several privateer teams from 1993 onwards, its best results being a 5th place in 1993 and second place in 1994, both at Rally Sweden.

The capability of the GT-R was further demonstrated by its success in Group N, in which guise Alex Fassina scooped the FIA Production Cup.

Drivers Philippe Wambergue (1984) Minna Sillankorva (1984) Achim Warmbold (1984–1986) Rod Millen (1985) Ingvar Carlsson (1985–1990) Timo Salonen (1987–1990) Hannu Mikkola (1988–1991) Grégoire De Mévius (1990) Jesús Puras (1991) Tommi Mäkinen (1991)

Group B era (1984-1985)

Year Car Driver 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 WDC Points WMC Points 1984 Mazda RX-7 Ingvar Carlsson MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRCRet ARG BRA FIN ITA CIV GBRRet - 0 14th 2 Achim Warmbold MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC9 ARG BRA FIN ITA CIV GBR 53rd 2 Philippe Wambergue MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC ARG BRA FIN ITA CIV GBRRet - 0 1985 Mazda RX-7 Ingvar Carlsson MON SWE8 POR KEN FRA GRC3 NZL ARG FIN ITA CIV GBR10 16th 16 10th 22 Achim Warmbold MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC6 NZL ARG FIN ITA CIV GBR 34th 6 Mike Montgomery MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC NZL11 ARG FIN ITA CIV GBR 60th 2 Neil Allport MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC NZLRet ARG FIN ITA CIV GBR - 0 Stuart Eyre MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC NZLRet ARG FIN ITA CIV GBR - 0 Minna Sillankorva MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FINRet ITA CIV GBR - 0 Rod Millen MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN ITA CIV GBR9 60th 2

Group A era (1986-1991)

Year Car Driver 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 WDC Points WMC Points 1986 Mazda 323 4WD Ingvar Carlsson MONRet SWERet POR KEN FRA GRE NZL ARG FINRet CIV ITA GBR10 USA 70th 1 11th 9 Achim Warmbold MONRet SWE POR KEN FRA GRE NZL ARG FIN CIV ITA GBR USA - 0 Rod Millen MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRE NZL7 ARG FIN CIV ITA GBR USA10 44th 5 1987 Mazda 323 4WD Timo Salonen MONRet SWE1 PORRet KEN FRA GRE USA NZL ARG FINRet CIV ITA GBR 14th 20 6th 52 Ingvar Carlsson MON4 SWE4 PORRet KEN FRA GRE USA NZL ARGRet FINRet CIV ITA GBR 17th 20 Rod Millen MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRE USA4 NZL ARG FIN CIV ITA GBR 26th 10 1988 Mazda 323 4WD Timo Salonen MON5 SWERet POR KEN FRA GRCRet USA NZL ARG FIN4 CIV ITA GBR2 5th 33 4th 66 Hannu Mikkola MONRet SWERet POR4 KEN FRA GRCRet USA NZL ARG FINRet CIV ITA GBRRet 30th 10 Ingvar Carlsson MONRet SWE PORRet KEN FRA GRC USA NZL ARG FIN CIV ITA GBR - 0 Ray Wilson MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC USA NZL2 ARG FIN CIV ITA GBR 18th 15 Rod Millen MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC USA8 NZL ARG FIN CIV ITA GBR 59th 3 1989 Mazda 323 4WD Ingvar Carlsson SWE1 MON POR KEN FRA GRC NZL1 ARG FIN AUSRet ITA CIV GBR8 7th 43 3rd 67 Timo Salonen SWE22 MONRet POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN2 AUS ITA CIV GBR6 12th 21 Thorbjörn Edling SWERet MON POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN5 AUS ITA CIV GBR 34th 8 Mikael Sundström SWERet MON POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FINRet AUS ITA CIV GBR7 52nd 4 Hannu Mikkola SWE MON4 POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FINRet AUS ITA CIV GBR9 27th 12 Rod Millen SWE MON POR KEN FRA GRC NZL2 ARG FIN AUS5 ITA CIV GBR 11th 23 Ray Wilson SWE MON POR KEN FRA GRC NZL7 ARG FIN AUSRet ITA CIV GBR 52nd 4 1990 Mazda 323 4WDMazda 323 GTX Timo Salonen MON8 PORRet KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN6 AUS ITA CIV GBRRet 25th 9 5th 30 Hannu Mikkola MONRet POR6 KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FINRet AUS ITA CIV GBRRet 34th 6 Grégoire de Mevius MON PORRet KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN AUS6 ITARet CIV GBR 34th 6 Ingvar Carlsson MON POR KEN FRA GRC NZL2 ARG FIN AUS5 ITA CIV GBR 10th 23 Rod Millen MON POR KEN FRA GRC NZLRet ARG FIN AUSRet ITA CIV GBR - 0 Mikael Sundström MON POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FINRet AUS ITA CIV GBRRet - 0 1991 Mazda 323 GTX Hannu Mikkola MONRet SWE7 PORRet KEN FRA GRC8 NZL ARG FINRet AUS ITA CIV ESP GBR7 25th 11 5th 44 Jesús Puras MONRet SWE POR7 KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN AUS ITA CIV ESP GBR 40th 4 Ingvar Carlsson MON SWE4 POR KEN FRA GRC NZL8 ARG FIN AUSRet ITA CIV ESP GBR 16th 13 Rod Millen MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC NZL6 ARG FIN AUS6 ITA CIV ESP GBR 23rd 12 Tommi Mäkinen MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN5 AUS ITA CIV ESP GBRRet 29th 8

References

External links World Rally Archive: Mazda's seasons