Efficiency was a key factor in this period at Le Mans due to the restricted amount of fuel available for each car. In preparation for the race, Mazdaspeed's engineers figured that completing 367 laps in 24 hours would be sufficient for victory, so they set about optimising the new 787B to achieve that goal. As a result the maximum engine revs were limited to 8,500 rpm, restricting the power to 650 bhp. Much emphasis was also put on achieving the highest cornering speeds possible as that would improve performance without affecting consumption.
