The more liberal Group C rules came into force in 1973, after Mazda’s new RX-3 sedan and coupe models had gone on sale the previous year. The R100 and its larger more powerful 1971 replacement, the Capella/RX-2, pioneered the use of rotary power at Bathurst under the showroom-stock Series Production rules at the time, which included an impressive class victory for Gary Cooke’s RX-2 in 1971. With two wheels clear off the deck, the rotary-powered coupes show how hard their drivers were pushing at Bathurst as they tackle Mount Panorama’s notorious Dipper. The pair of dealer-backed RX-3s driven by Geoff Perry and Mel Mollison impressed with their speed and reliability on debut in the 1973 Manufacturers Championship (or ManChamps). It not only regularly won its class but often finished so high in the outright placings that it embarrassed many V8 Falcons and Toranas of the era. In the mid-1970s the formidable speed and rock-solid reliability of the RX-3 coupe was at its peak, resulting in a string of giant-killing performances. The tag which soon struck a universal chord though was “rice burner” which suggested that the Japanese could do anything with a bowl of rice - even create a special rotary fuel called Riceoleum!ĭespite this good natured ribbing, Aussie race fans came to begrudgingly respect the RX-3 for no other reason than its ability to get the job done on the race track in convincing style. It also wasn’t long before they also started attracting nicknames among Aussie race fans like “egg-beaters” “buzz-bombs” and “rotisseries”. The shrill, ear-splitting sound from these open-piped Japanese cars had many fans reaching for their ear-plugs. While this move increased the power outputs (and decibels) of the category’s booming V8s, high-revving sixes and hot fours, the audible change was most noticeable in the then-latest Mazda RX-3 rotaries which produced a frenzied, high-pitched buzz that sounded like a swarm of angry bees. In other words, you could run big open pipes with no mufflers. This included exhaust systems, which were free after the manifold. The change from Series Production to Production Touring (Group C) rules in 1973 allowed for various modifications to be made. With the standard road-legal exhaust systems required at the time, the Wankel rotary-powered coupes emitted a muffled noise similar to that made when tearing a large sheet of paper. Prior to the appearance of a trio of Mazda R100 coupes in the 1969 Hardie-Ferodo 500 at Bathurst, no one had heard the bizarre exhaust note of a rotary-powered Mazda on Mount Panorama. Here the giant-killing rotary flashes past the race control centre on Pit Straight. One of the Mazda RX-3’s many ‘David v Goliath’ triumphs came at the ‘75 Bathurst 1000 when Don Holland and Hiroshi Fushida raced to a class win and amazing fifth outright, beaten only by V8-powered entrants.
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