Fifteen years after coming to the United States, Peter Farrell is well known in domestic automotive circles both as a racing champion and as the producer of one of the quickest and best handling sports cars in the world, the PFS Mazda RX-7.
A rally champion in his native New Zealand, Farrell came to the United States in 1984 to pursue wider motor sports opportunities. In his first year of U.S. competition (1984), the former Aircraft Engineer won the Sports Car Club of America's Arkansas PRO Rally in a Nissan that he had prepared for competition. Translating his off road rally success to truck racing, Farrell scored first-in-class honors in the 1985 SCORE Baja 1000 behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi pick up truck.
The following year, Farrell helped prepare Mitsubishi's SCCA Escort Endurance series Starion racers, scoring a victory in the Portland, Oregon event. Later in '86, Farrell and the late Jon Woodner formed Woodner-Farrell Racing, and fielded a team of factory supported Peugeot 505 Turbos for the Escort sponsored racing series, as well as the IMSA's Firestone Firehawk series.
Farrell worked with Dodge in 1987, developing and campaigning two Ram 50 race trucks for the SCCA's Racetruck Challenge. In 1988 and 1989, he campaigned Peugeot 505 Turbo's in the Escort and Firehawk series. As an Oldsmobile factory driver in the 1990 Firehawk series, he won the West Palm Beach Grand Prix event.
For the 1991 Firehawk season, Farrell was given the task of developing General Motors' brand new Saturn for competition. He responded with victories in five of the ten Firehawk events and the IMSA Touring class driving championship. A highlight of the season was a shared victory at Watkins Glen with Champcar series regular and former Indy 500 champion Al Unser, Jr.
In the fall of that year, Farrell helped Mazda Motor of America introduce the third generation RX-7 to the American automotive press. Shortly after the intro, Mazda assigned him the task of preparing the high-tech, lightweight, rotary powered two-seater for the race track. During the 1992-1995 seasons, he campaigned the car in IMSA's Bridgestone Supercar series for production based, high-performance sports cars.
Based on his racetrack experience with the third generation RX-7, Farrell developed an ultra-high performance street version of the car, and formed Peter Farrell Supercars to market the car and its components. The PFS Mazda RX-7 has been enthusiastically received by the automotive press and the sports car enthusiasts ever since.
Also in 1993, Farrell campaigned a team of RX-7s in the Firehawk series, winning five of ten events, and further strengthening the public's association of his name with Mazda's unique rotary powered road rocket. Farrell had continued his winning ways in 1994, setting an IMSA record by taking ten consecutive pole positions, winning four straight Firehawk races and capturing the season opening Supercar event at Sebring. With one race remaining on the schedule, he led the Firehawk series points championship, while simultaneously holding second place in the Bridgestone Supercar series.
In 1996, the PFS race team campaigned two Shell Oil sponsored twin turbo Mazda Rx7s in the IMSA Street Stock Endurance Championships series. Winning the season opener at Sebring the RX-7's ran consistently at the top of the Grand Sports class. This year his 500 horsepower IMSA Supercar RX7 scored a 3rd place in the Long Beach Grand Prix, then a few weeks later a 3rd placefinish in the grueling Pike's Peak Hillclimb, finishing the season with his debut in the "1996 Battle of the Imports" drag event at Palmdale, CA running a phenomenal 11.01 ET @ 125 mph in his first attempt at drag racing using the road race specification RX7.
As interest in the sport of Import Drag racing has grown, Peter has turned his focus to this up and coming sport, converting one of the original IMSA RX7s into a drag race vehicle. In its first year of Drag Racing, the PFS Rx7 developed a reputation as one of the quickest and most consistent participants on the NIRA (National Import Racing Assoc.) circuit. Peter won the 1998 NIRA Power 6 final at Atlanta Dragway to become the first NIRA Power 6 Champion.
Peter's 1993 Mazda Rx7 is equipped with a ported PFS 13-B motor using stock apex seals, a PFS engineered custom single turbo kit, intercooler and intake system, and an Electromotive TEC2 Engine Management system. This package makes 598 flywheel hp without the use of nitrous oxide, and puts the power to the ground via a stock Mazda driveline!
The PFS Rx7 has run consistent low-to-mid ten second times, and delivered a best ET of 10.11 seconds @ 138.5 mph en route to winning the Quick 8 Championship in Englishtown, New Jersey in the fall of 1998. The Rx7 now features a bright new purple and white paint scheme that matches the team's truck and trailer. Crew Chief and engine builder Russell Turner continues his meticulous preparation and presentation of the RX7 giving this car an impressive reliability history.
Earlier this year, the PFS team was invited to attend the NIRA event at Ennis, Texas, along with several of the quickest RX7s and Toyota Supras in the country. Despite the 100+ degree heat and an intermittent fuel pump, Peter managed to coax a best run of 10.3 seconds, while winning the Pro Comp class finale in breathtaking fashion over another Rx7 entry.
At the NIRA Import finals held at Englishtown, NJ Peter finally meet his goal, breaking into the 9's with a 9.95 sec ET @ 140 mph. This remarkable performance still using the production RX7 transmission and rear end and WITHOUT the aid of NOS!
Peter plans to continue participating in selected drag racing events in the near future, and also hopes to return to the sport of road racing when an opportunity presents itself. PFS will continue to develop high-performance components for the twin turbo Rx7, and will keep an eye on the development and release of future rotary powered vehicles from Mazda.