MAZDA ROTARY DOWN UNDER

THIRTY YEARS OF COMPETITION SUCCESS IN NEW ZEALAND

BY CHRIS DENBY

A recently released New Zealand motorsport book should appeal to a significant proportion of car club membership. Five years in the making and eagerly awaited, 'Mazda Rotary Down Under' has just been printed and distributed nationwide via the Mazda Dealer Network, and directly through the author/publisher. Its 350 colourful pages recount the rotary engine's 30 years of success in virtually all motorsport disciplines, including circuit racing, hillclimbing, rallying, rallycross, speedway and drag racing.

The brainchild of Napier accountant Chris Denby, 'Mazda Rotary Down Under' has been written with the full backing and cooperation of a contingent of established motorsport names such as Rod Millen, Neil Allport, Bill Shiells, Allan Woolf, Don Grindley and Ron Kendall, plus help from many other prominent drivers. Chris has put a total of almost three thousand hours into the project. The result, a superb compendium of Kiwi motorsport, has been well worth the wait. Its 350 colourful pages are crammed with history, superb photographs, technical information, personality profiles and results, all described in an easy-flowing and highly readable style.

But it's not just a one-eyed view of rotary engine achievements. Just as it's impossible to tell the story of Noah without mentioning the ark and all the animals, the rotary story cannot be told without reference to the Escorts, Datsuns, Toyotas, Audis, MGs and others that make up New Zealand's motorsport heritage.

The first two chapters introduce the men who conceived, invented and developed the Wankel rotary engine. Following is a detailed analysis of Mazda's rotary-powered production cars from 1967 to the present day, with a look beyond to the forthcoming RX-8. The remainder of the book's twelve chapters is a series of varying length biographies, devoted to the drivers who made or enhanced their reputations with the whirring,vibrationless wonder between 1971 and 2001. The list of characters includes some very big names, including Robbie Francevic, Rob Gerard, Angus Hyslop, Rod Millen, John Woolf, and Possum Bourne.

The backbone of the book is a very comprehensive chapter on the New Zealand exploits of Rod Millen, whose remarkable achievements with the Mazda Dealer Team RX-3 mark him as arguably this country's greatest and most consistent rally driver.

This entire book leaves very few stones unturned, with a wide geographical spread of characters, venues and championships.

A book of this size and colour content would normally retail at around $80, but by publishing the book himself Chris has kept the price down to a very reasonable $59.95 plus $5.00 postage and packaging. And with a print run limited to just 1000 copies it looks set to become an instant collector's item, so be in quick!

A wonderful addition to a motorsport enthusiast's bookshelf, 'Mazda Rotary Down Under' will appeal to a wide range of readers and age groups.

To order a copy then click on this link and print the order form

For more information about the book,you can email the author directly at cjdenby@clear.net.nz