Rare Mazda 767B Catches Fire in Monterey Paddock Two Days Before It Was Due to RaceThe incident unfolded on Monday, August 10, while crews were preparing for the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, when fire broke out in the paddock at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca – with competition still two days away. The car involved was Mazda 767B #203, chassis 003, the third and final example ever produced. The extent of the damage has not yet been confirmed publicly, but the incident carries obvious implications for a car that simply cannot be replaced.Chassis 003 belongs to American businessman Tony McIntosh as a private owner and has no connection to the Mazda USA | Mazda Motorsports Heritage Collection. Chassis 002, raced under the number 202, is part of Mazda North American Operations' Heritage Collection, where it was restored with direct factory involvement. Chassis 003 took a very different road to Laguna Seca: Le Mans in 1989, Le Mans again in 1990, then privateer use, a long stint in a South African collection, a private restoration, and eventually a sale to McIntosh.A June 30 Mazda Motorsports press release distributed through PRNewswire made only a glancing reference to vehicles of this kind, with Jonathan Applegate's statement mentioning "our Mazda Heritage Collection and others" – a single word carrying considerable unspoken weight.What Was at Stake Before the FireNew Zealand driver Brendon Leitch had been confirmed to pilot the 767B in the Hurley Haywood Trophy, the Reunion's marquee class for Group C and IMSA GTP machinery from the 1980s and early '90s. He hadn't turned a lap yet. About three weeks before the Monterey event, Leitch spoke with V8 Sleuth and made clear just how much the drive meant to him – words that are now a little painful to hear:AdvertisementAdvertisement"It'll be a bit like driving the Mona Lisa around… When Tony said he wanted me to come race his Mazda 767B I was pretty floored, to be honest. All of those Group C cars are wild, but that period for Mazda was especially iconic with the famous naturally-aspirated rotary motors that just screamed their heads off."Chassis 003 claimed a class victory at the 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans, driven by Yojiro Terada, Takashi Yorino, and Yoshimi Katayama. Terada was also scheduled to be present at the 2026 Reunion, driving the 787B. The man who steered this exact chassis to a Le Mans class victory would have been at the same track when it caught fire in the paddock.The 767B runs Mazda's 13J-MM four-rotor Wankel, displacing 2.6 liters and producing around 630 hp from a car weighing just 800 kilograms. Warm-up sessions and engine starts are an accepted hazard with machinery of this age operating under such demanding conditions – the 787B had been slated for live engine runs throughout all four days of Reunion, meaning the rotary powerplant was always going to be put to work. That context doesn't make what happened less painful. It just explains how you can be two days out from competition and still have fire in the equation.The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion runs August 12–15, with the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance to follow on August 16. Whether chassis 003 competes in either is now an open question. As of Monday, no official statement from McIntosh or the Leitch camp had been issued. This is an active situation.
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