Mazda prepared three Capellas and one RX-3 Savanna for the 6th Fuji Tourist Trophy Race in December 1971. It was to be the first race for the lighter RX-3, which had gone on sale in September that year. The RX-3 was powered by Mazda's racing 10A engine and included a Watts Linkage for the rear suspension.
  As the race wore on, many of the Nissan and Mazda works machines retired one after another, leaving only one Skyline GT-R (driven by Kubota and Sugisaki) and the RX-3 going head-to-head. At the very last moment, the Skyline GT-R was forced to pit for repairs, which left the track clear for the RX-3 to take the checkered flag and foil the GT-R's bid for a 50th straight victory.