Mazda Rally Team Europe

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MRT/E, Mazda

Full name	Mazda Rally Team Europe
Base	Brussels, Belgium
Team principal(s)	Achim Warmbold
Drivers	see below
Chassis	Mazda 323 GTX Mazda RX-7 Rally Mazda Familia 4WD
Tyres	Michelin Pirelli
World Rally Championship career
Debut	1985
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0
Rally wins	3[1]

The Mazda Rally Team Europe was a rally team created by Achim Warmbold that competed in the World Rally Championship from 1985 to 1991.

History[]

Group B Mazda RX-7

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.

Mazda finally realized the potential for a rally team, but they did not want to support the Group B RX-7, and instead wanted to throw their effort behind a Group A 323 again. There was a new model 4x4 323 with a turbo engine, and it promised to be just as good as the Group B car, even though it was in a lower class. 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 compulsory only Mazda had a well proven 4x4 turbo car. With Ingvar Carlsson and Timo Salonen at the wheel, the 323 AWD brought Mazda three wins in the World Rally Championship.

Drivers[]

• (1984)
• (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 RX7	Ingvar Carlsson						Ret						Ret	-	0	14th	2
		Achim Warmbold						9							53rd	2
														Ret	-	0
1985	Mazda RX7	Ingvar Carlsson		8				3						10	16th	16	10th	22
		Achim Warmbold						6							34th	6
		Mike Montgomery							11						60th	2
									Ret						-	0
									Ret						-	0
											Ret				-	0
		Rod Millen												9	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	Ret	Ret							Ret			10			70th	1	11th	9
		Achim Warmbold	Ret														-	0
		Rod Millen							7						10		44th	5
1987	Mazda 323 4WD	Timo Salonen	Ret	1	Ret							Ret					14th	20	6th	52
		Ingvar Carlsson	4	4	Ret						Ret	Ret					17th	20
		Rod Millen							4								26th	10
1988	Mazda 323 4WD	Timo Salonen	5	Ret				Ret				4			2		5th	33	4th	66
		Hannu Mikkola	Ret	Ret	4			Ret				Ret			Ret		30th	10
		Ingvar Carlsson	Ret		Ret												-	0
										2							18th	15
		Rod Millen							8								59th	3
1989	Mazda 323 4WD	Ingvar Carlsson	1						1			Ret			8		7th	43	3rd	67
		Timo Salonen	22	Ret							2				6		12th	21
			Ret								5						34th	8
		Mikael Sundström	Ret								Ret				7		52nd	4
		Hannu Mikkola		4							Ret				9		27th	12
		Rod Millen							2			5					11th	23
									7			Ret					52nd	4
1990	Mazda 323 4WD Mazda 323 GTX	Timo Salonen	8	Ret						6				Ret			25th	9	5th	30
		Hannu Mikkola	Ret	6						Ret				Ret			34th	6
				Ret							6	Ret					34th	6
		Ingvar Carlsson						2			5						10th	23
		Rod Millen						Ret			Ret						-	0
		Mikael Sundström								Ret				Ret			-	0
1991	Mazda 323 GTX	Hannu Mikkola	Ret	7	Ret			8			Ret					7	25th	11	5th	44
		Jesús Puras	Ret		7												40th	4
		Ingvar Carlsson		4					8			Ret					16th	13
		Rod Millen							6			6					23rd	12
		Tommi Mäkinen									5					Ret	29th	8

References[]

External links[]

• World Rally Archive: Mazda's seasons