On Sunday, October 4, our friend Shota Fukuda made the trip to Fuji Speedway for Mazda Fan Festa 2026, one of the biggest Mazda fan gatherings on the calendar. He came back with a camera full of photos and plenty of stories, and we’re sharing both here. This year’s theme was “Enjoy Cars Even More,” and the crowd lived up to it. Mazda owners, motorsport fans, and families filled the circuit for a weekend built around driving, heritage, and the people who love these cars.
The headline act this year was the 35th anniversary of the Mazda 787B’s win at the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans. To mark it, two 787B race cars took to the Fuji Speedway circuit for demonstration runs.For Shota, it was the moment of the weekend. The sight of the cars at speed, the unmistakable four-rotor scream, and the energy in the grandstands made it clear why the 787B still sits at the heart of Mazda’s motorsport story. Thirty-five years on, it is still the only rotary-powered car ever to win Le Mans overall, and the first win there for a Japanese manufacturer. The crowd treated it that way.
The 787B wasn’t the only thing moving. The schedule packed in a wide range of activities:
• Owner parade runs that put Mazda owners’ own cars on the Fuji Speedway circuit
• Endurance racing for the motorsport crowd
• Circuit safari tours for an up-close look at the track in action
• Vehicle displays and technology exhibits covering Mazda’s latest engineering
• Hands-on experiences throughout the paddock
Shota said it was a great chance to learn more about Mazda’s engineering philosophy and the driving passion behind it, straight from the source.
As a fan of car culture as much as the cars themselves, Shota made a point of catching the special exhibition of original artwork by Shuichi Shigeno, the creator of Initial D. For anyone who grew up watching the Takahashi brothers’ RX-7s battle on mountain passes, seeing Shigeno’s original work in person at a Mazda event hits different.
Around the grounds, there was plenty more to see:
• Historic Mazda vehicle displays spanning the brand’s past
• Rotary engine experiences celebrating the powerplant Mazda is famous for
• Exclusive event merchandise you can only pick up at Fan Festa
What stood out most to Shota was how well the event catered to every kind of visitor. Dedicated Mazda enthusiasts, motorsport fans, and families just out for the day all had something to do from open to close. Mazda Fan Festa 2026 was a celebration of everything that makes the brand special: its heritage, its technology, and its passion for driving.
Big thanks to Shota for taking us along and sharing his photos with the MazdaFitment community.
Shavi Wijegunaratne
