The RX-7 owners' event, "7's Meeting 2007", was held at the Central Circuit in the Taka District in Hyogo Prefecture, at the very center of Japan's main island, Honshu. It was held on July 8, the closest Sunday to the Day of the RX-7, July 7.

The weather had been our biggest concern, but thankfully the big day remained dry. In fact, the weather was almost ideal for the event. It was humid but not rainy, and the clouds blocked the scorching sunlight.

The rotary vehicles came from all around Japan. Some drove all the way down from the distant Kanto region. It is fair to say that the 7's Meeting is the largest private RX-7 event in Japan.

The organizer kindly gave us a display space near the entrance of the paddock. The RX-8 Hydrogen RE, the RE 40th Anniversary commemoration flag and some panels detailing rotary engine history were showcased. On the 40th Anniversary flag, the visitors wrote messages, expressing their passion for the rotary engine.

The RX-8 Hydrogen RE in particular attracted the crowds all day long. The sight of a hydrogen vehicle is still a rarity, and many eyes were bright with curiosity. Lots of people also took the time to read through the 40-year story of the RE on the panels.

In the afternoon, the visitors were treated to a talk show entitled, "RX-7 anecdotes" featuring RX-7 FD3S engineers. Nobuhiro Yamamoto (right) was in charge of engine development. Takao Kijima (middle) was responsible for the chassis at the beginning of the development program, and later became the program manager. Akihiro Kashiwagi (left) lead the suspension development. The audience enjoyed exciting stories from the Three Musketeers of the FD3S.

Furukawa-san, the editor-in-chief of the RX-7 Magazine, joined in as the talk show host. He led the show with his wit and rich knowledge and experience in the industry. With all the water under the bridge, the engineers felt the time was right to reveal old secrets about the RX-7, which enthralled the audience.

Akihiro Kashiwagi, the program manager of Mazda's hydrogen RE models, also gave a presentation entitled "The Hydrogen Society". He outlined pressing environmental issues, and the audience learnt what is necessary to address the problems. It seemed that everyone was mindful of the need to be more environmentally conscious.

Capacity crowds turned up for both shows and went away feeling satisfied. After today's success, we are planning to provide more opportunities for our customers to get up close and personal with our staff.