Mazda Team Joest Tag

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer Many changes have come about for the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and they will debut at this weekend’s Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. The Prototype class from the 2018 WeatherTech Championship is no more, having been split up after the 2018 Petit LeMans into two: Daytona Prototype International (DPi) and Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2). Let’s take a look at the differences between classes before we get into the competitors. LMP2 is strictly pro/am while DPi is the pro-rated class. The LMP2 class is forRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer The 2019 Roar Before the 24 test at the Daytona International Speedway road course prepares teams and drivers for the upcoming 2019 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and caution was seemingly thrown to the wind by Mazda Team Joest ahead of the season-opening race for the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. After suffering issue after issue in last year’s Rolex 24, the squad made several changes during the offseason to its technical staff and minor changes to their driver lineup that seem to be paying dividendsRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jarvis Unofficially Breaks 26-Year-Old Daytona Track Record in No. 77 Mazda DPi “Drivers, start your engines” may be the most famous words in motorsports, but “And… it’s a new track record,” is pretty close behind. And today at Daytona International Speedway, there was another – albeit unofficial – new track record. In the 15-minute IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Daytona Prototype international (DPi) qualifying session for Rolex 24 At Daytona garage and pit selections, Oliver Jarvis drove the No. 77 Mazda Team JoestRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The first day of on-track activity at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 At Daytona was a busy one, with practice sessions for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, in addition to practice and qualifying for the IMSA Prototype Challenge. The event continues through Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. – Two-time CART champion Alex Zanardi is driving in his first Rolex 24 At Daytona this year in the No. 24 BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE in theRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The celebration in the Mazda Team Joest pits following the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans in October almost resembled a victory. There were cheers, hugs, high fives and fist bumps all around as the pair of Mazda RT24-P Daytona Prototype international (DPi) cars landed on the podium for the first time thanks to savvy race strategy on the part of the team as other top contender came up a lap short – or less – on fuel.Read More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer After a growing year with new partner Team Joest, Mazda finished off their 2018 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship challenge with a double podium finish at this past weekend’s Motul Petit Le Mans with a second and third place finish for their two RT24-P DPi machines. The No. 55 of Spencer Pigot, Jonathan Bomarito and Marino Franchitti led at times but they had the lion’s share of bad luck for the team with contact forcing the mechanics to replace the nose and tail on the carRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship draws to a close on Saturday, Oct. 13 at Road Atlanta with the 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans. The race also represents the season finale for the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup. The 21st annual Motul Petit Le Mans headlines an event week at the 2.54-mile, 12-turn Road Atlanta circuit that also includes the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge’s two-hour Fox Factory 120 , which wraps up its 2018 campaign on Friday, Oct. 12. OtherRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The 66th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts offered no shortage of intriguing storylines throughout the race. In reflecting on last Saturday’s one lap around the clock, the intrigue will continue as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship shifts from the endurance racing format to the sprint mindset for the next several events. Here are five key takeaways from an outstanding race at Sebring: 1. Mazda Team Joest is a Contender When the announcement was made in theRead More

By Josh Farmer, Contributing Writer Scott Dixon added another Rolex watch to his collection, and with co-drivers Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook scored Chip Ganassi Racing’s monumental 200th win in the GT Le Mans class at the 56th Rolex 24 at Daytona. The trio piloted the No. 67 Ford GT, which saw Briscoe leapfrog defending race co-winner Joey Hand – and teammate in the No. 66 sister car – on the second to last pit stop with around three hours remaining. The Aussie drove a flawless final two stints, putting 11.166 seconds onRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — The 2018 edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona is upon us and with 50 cars entered it is one of the more talent-filled rosters in the race’s history. Let’s make some predictions about Winners, losers and everything in between. Overall winner: No. 7 Acura Team Penske Team Penske has a stacked lineup with Helio Castroneves, Ricky Taylor and Graham Rahal behind the wheel. All three have extensive racing experience and know how to bring a car home in one piece. ThisRead More