Mazda Posts Top Times at Roar Before the Rolex 24 At Daytona

David S.
By David S. Wallens
Jan 8, 2019 | Mazda

Sunday was a good day for Mazda, as team driver Oliver Jarvis needed just 1:33.398 to lap Daytona International Speedway in his Mazda RT24-P. Not only was it the fastest time set during IMSA’s Roar Before the 24 Qualifying session, but it beats the qualifying record set by Dan Gurney’s All American Racers Toyota GTP team back in 1993.

Second fastest in that session: Harry Tincknell in the Mazda team’s other DPi-class machine. In addition to dominating that qualifying session, Mazda team drivers sat atop the sheets after four of the Roar weekend’s seven practice sessions. The top time qualifying gives Mazda Team Joest first pick for garage and pit selections for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

The feat also, hopefully, removes the various stings that have left Mazda winless in top-tier IMSA competition since 2013.

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Comments
Feedyurhed
Feedyurhed SuperDork
1/9/19 5:51 a.m.

Awesome! Hope Mazda does really well this year, they deserve it! And thanks Mazda for remaining an "enthusiast" car company, your product line is great and the newly updated Miata is the best one ever.

wvumtnbkr
wvumtnbkr GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
1/9/19 11:35 a.m.

Does this mean they will get smacked with bop stuff?

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
1/10/19 5:05 p.m.
wvumtnbkr said:

Does this mean they will get smacked with bop stuff?

I dunno but a good question. 

_
_ Reader
1/10/19 5:08 p.m.

How much competition do they have this year?

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
1/10/19 5:15 p.m.

You can see the results here, but in the qualifying session the top five cars were within a second: Mazda, Mazda, Acura, Cadillac, Cadillac. 

Matt B
Matt B UltraDork
1/11/19 9:40 a.m.

In a world of increasingly weird looking prototypes, that RT24-P is a really good looking racecar...

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
1/11/19 10:48 a.m.
Matt B said:

In a world of increasingly weird looking prototypes, that RT24-P is a really good looking racecar...

Styled by Mazda. smiley

Bmerchant
Bmerchant New Reader
1/12/19 11:34 a.m.

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

BoP Balance of Performance changes were supposed to make the LMP2 cars competitive with DPi cars.  Now IMSA has separated the classes again, so no BoP necessary to equalize the LMP2s and the DPis.  I think IMSA is not going to BoP between DPis; I hope not! 

Search for "montoya imsa bop insane" 

wvumtnbkr
wvumtnbkr GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
1/12/19 11:42 a.m.

Oh, I thought imsa used the roar to help determine bop between manufacturers in every class.

Floating Doc
Floating Doc SuperDork
8/3/19 9:38 a.m.

Well, we know how that turned out.

I'm hopeful for 2020.

 

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