Meet The Founder

My name is Matthew Orth and my journey with rotary engines began in 1992 when I was 16 years old and bought my first car, a 1983 Mazda RX-7. Shortly after purchasing it, the engine began overheating, so my father and I rebuilt the original 12A in his Harley-Davidson repair shop. 

Growing up with a master mechanic father meant I had access to every Snap-on tool 

imaginable, along with decades of experience shared by him and the technicians in his shop. That upbringing and environment shaped the way I approach every mechanical problem today. 

After successfully rebuilding my first rotary engine, I began rebuilding engines for fellow enthusiasts in a club I founded called Rotary Revolution Racing. I became close friends with the owner of Mazdatrix, Dave Lemon, at this time and my club was deeply involved in the Southern California rotary community. We spent many years competing in the underground drag racing scene throughout the San Fernando Valley and southern California. 

In January 2000, I shifted my focus toward road racing. I built a 1985 GTU GSL-SE widebody RX-7 powered by a 1988 Turbo II 13B. Rather than using a turbocharger, I chose a Camden supercharger producing approximately 8 psi of boost. Because the engine was force inducted, the Touring Car Racing Association placed me in the 5.0-liter-and-greater class despite competing with a 1.3-liter rotary. 

That challenge led me to further develop the car using nitrous oxide while gaining valuable experience in chassis setup, suspension tuning, and race preparation.  During that period I spent countless weekends at Buttonwillow Raceway, about 100 miles north of my hometown. The SCCA events there were filled with grassroots FB RX-7 racers. On Saturdays I'd watch for signs of engine trouble and approach drivers with an offer to tear down and, if possible, rebuild their engines. More often than not, I was able to save their race weekend and get them back out on the track.  I remained active in rotary racing, engine development, and competition until 2008 when I sold my race car to buy a sailboat.

During the pandemic I built an Exocet based on a Mazda Miata with a kit from www.Exomotive.com and raced it for three years. In 2023 I decided to rotary-swap it. Around that same time Mazda had nearly doubled the price of new rotary engines, and I watched many RX-7 and RX-8 owners begin abandoning cars they loved because they believed an expensive factory replacement engine was their only option and out of financial reach.  That's whatbinspired me to create the Rotary Engine Workshop.

I invited enthusiasts to come learn how to rebuild their own engines instead of simply paying someone else to do it. The response to the first workshop in January 2023 exceeded every expectation I had. In March 2023, long-time Mazdatrix engine builder and Formula Drift driver Kyle Mohan was hired as an instructor for the next event, bringing an incredible depth of knowledge along with tremendous credibility within the rotary community. 

Since then I've worked alongside several respected rotary specialists and built relationships with shops throughout the country, including Pettit Racing in Miami.

Today my primary focus is building competition rotary engines and purpose-built race cars. I also provide trackside support during racing events, assist with suspension tuning, troubleshooting, and overall vehicle preparation. The Rotary Engine Workshop exists because I wanted to give owners an honest alternative to purchasing an expensive factory engine or blindly trusting a shop with little transparency. My goal is to teach people exactly what's inside their engine, what makes it so special and how to build it to survive the most demanding conditions.

Since January 2023, I've completed two nationwide Rotary Revival Tours, traveling more than 35,000 miles while teaching & rebuilding 79 rotary engines throughout the United States (as of July 2026). 

Along the way I've been fortunate to build relationships with enthusiasts and professional shops across the country, and I'm proud to have references nationwide that are available to share their experience with you upon request 

Thank you for your interest in the Rotary Engine Workshop and I hope to meet you at an event soon. I'm available any time by phone at 209-770-5624 to answer your questions or to book your preferred event or service.