While rotary powered cars are all but common in Europe this doesn’t mean that they aren’t competitive though. Steve Putt’s Rx-7 is a clear example of a well performing and reliable track machine built to bite British tarmac. 
This FD is built by CP Racing a father and son team dedicated to building and racing Mazda RX7’s with over 50 years worth of experience in mechanical engineering, 6 of which mostly dedicated to motorsport. Their passion and dedication speaks for itself with over 10 podium finishes in the last 2 seasons of racing in the Castle Combe GT championship.
Engine wise Steve’s Rx-7 represents the paradigm of a well planned build. This particular 13b-REW received some love, in the form of a bridgeport and other goodies, from Hayward rotary. What sets this car apart from the masses is the exhaust compartment: a custom tubular manifold hosts a massive Garret gt4094 turbo that discharges the gasses through a, still custom, downpipe and exhaust combo.
As the driver leaves his foot from the fun pedal the extra air is dumped to the atmosphere by a massive Turbosmart twin Dumpvalve. Pressure spikes are further kept under control by a huge 60mm Tial wastegate and an Apexi AVCR.
To keep the intake charge cool a Forge custom v mount intercooler takes most of the engine’s bay space thanks to the engine’s small size. A 90mm throttle body feeds the intake manifold while the fuelling needs are satisfied by 1640cc primary and 850cc secondary injectors, fed by a KG Parts fuel rail. The pressure is regulated by an Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator. The brains behind the engine’s functions is the tried and tested Apexi Power FC ECU and the Commander to do small changes on the fly.
The transmission chosen to withstand the track torture is a 6 speed sequential kept in place by a custom power plant frame. It is mated to the engine via a HKS twin plate clutch and to the rear differential, a kaaz 1.5 ways clutch type lsd, thanks to a custom prop-shaft.
Handling wise we find BC Racing coilovers on all four corners with jaw breaking 20kg front and 18kg rear springs. Every OEM bushing is replaced by polyurethane counterparts and the rear hubs are rosejointed. With Atomic Rex’s 390mm front disks and 8 pot calipers at the front and 356mm disks with 6 pot calipers at the rear, stopping is not a problem for this rotary powered beast. The pads are Ferodo items. A hydraulic handbrake completes the handling departement, the icing on the cake!
As you can see from the pictures the exterior is a nice example of function before form design. Steve and his father designed the exterior with two goals in mind: Weight reduction and aerodynamic efficiency. The doors and the boot are GRP item and every window is replaced by much lighter lexan parts. In order to fit wider wheels Chris Putt Racing made their own wide arch kit.
Carbon bonnet, Driftworks spoiler with custom legs and mounts, an oversize diffuser and a Driftworks roof scoop could be described as carbon fibre galore. Furthermore a Cwest front bumper mated to a Chris Putt Racing splitter and under tray actively help fight understeer while balancing the front and rear aero. The side skirts are made by Feed – Fujita Engineering, a very well known japanese wankel specialist.
The interior of the car is fully stripped and a Cobra suzuka pro seat hugs the driver while a 6 point cage enhance chassis rigididy and driver safety. CP racing made a custom panel to host the different switches needed to keep this car on track and a custom dashboard.
CP Racing would like to thank Hayward Rotary, Forge Motorsport, Japspeed, Pettit Racing and Opie Oils for their help. Racing in europe is rather expensive and finding the right partners is a must!
We wish Steve and his father the best of luck for this year’s ArrowPak Eurosaloons Championship , the event they will be competing at. We leave you with a video of CP Racing’s FD at Castle Combe.
