Joining Mazda Team Joest for a full season in the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, British drivers Oliver Jarvis and Harry Tincknell will make their Mazda race debuts at the world famous Daytona 24 Hours on the 27-28th January.
Harry Tincknell
Oliver Jarvis
The race also marks the debut of Mazda Team Joest: a new collaboration that pairs the third-winningest car manufacturer in IMSA racing history with a racing team that has won the Le Mans 24 Hour race 15 times and taken two outright Daytona 24 Hour victories.
Mazda’s RT24-P race cars are entered in the Daytona Prototype International (DPi) category of this multi-class championship, competing for overall wins and championship success across the 10-race season. British drivers Oliver and Harry will be paired with long-standing American Mazda drivers Jonathan Bomarito and Tristan Nunez, while for the four longest endurance races, the quartet of drivers will be supplemented by IndyCar racer Spencer Pigot and 2017 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) champion Rene Rast.
For the Daytona 24 Hours, Oliver Jarvis will join Jonathan Bomarito and Spencer Pigot in the number 55 car, while Harry Tincknell will be paired with Tristan Nunez and Rene Rast in the number 77 Mazda prototype.
“Mazda North America has had a driver development programme since 2007,” explained John Doonan, Director of Mazda Motorsports North America. “So it’s a big part of our Mazda Prototype effort to feature drivers that have come up through the Mazda ranks, whether that’s in sports cars like Tristan Nunez, or the single seater route link Bomarito and Pigot. We’re thrilled that these guys are back with us again in 2018.”
Adding, “we were also able to recruit fast and winning drivers from Joest Racing’s recent history like Jarvis and Rast, and with Harry Tincknell, who has been successful in both GT and Prototype racing, these new guys are a great fit for our team.”
Joining Mazda after winning the LMP2 category at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans with Jackie Chan DC Racing, Jarvis has extensive experience with Joest Racing , including overall victory in the 2013 Sebring 12 Hours, while Jarvis’ CV also includes a GT class win at the Daytona 24 Hours with Alex Job Racing.
In addition, Jarvis’ single seater career was marked out by winning the prestigious Macau F3 Grand Prix in 2007 and he was named McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year in 2005.
“I’m absolutely delighted to be joining Mazda at such an exciting time. I have followed the project closely since the launch of the stunning RT24-P and I’m convinced that Mazda will be successful, so it was an easy decision when the opportunity arose to be part of the team. Having raced in and won both the Daytona 24 Hours and the Sebring 12 Hours, I know the IMSA series well and it’s always been a goal of mine to race in the championship full-time, and I don’t think there’s been a better time to be part of the series.”
“Testing has been really positive, so I can’t wait to get to Daytona and see where we are against the competition. We definitely have high expectations heading in to the weekend”
Mazda’s other British recruit comes to Mazda Team Joest with a sports car racing career that already includes a European Le Mans Series title and Le Mans 24 Hour win in LMP2, plus a third-place finish in the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship GTE class. Like several of his Mazda prototype team mates, Harry Tincknell also had a sparkling career in single seaters before moving into sports car racing.
“I’m really honoured to be joining Mazda Team Joest, the whole Mazda team has put so much effort into developing the RT24-P, and after testing the car I can’t wait to see how we get on at Daytona. The car has taken huge strides over the winter and I immediately felt comfortable in it. The IMSA championship is very competitive and it will be a tough fight, but the spirit of the whole team is determined and we’re ready for it,” said Tincknell.
Developed for the 2017 season, the Mazda RT24-P race car has a Riley Mk.30 LMP2 chassis clothed in unique Mazda bodywork that features KODO: Soul of Motion design cues to create a dynamic and purposeful look, at the same time as delivering the aerodynamic performance needed for success on track. Powered by a Mazda MZ-2.0T turbo-charged engine developed by British firm Advanced Engine Research (AER), Mazda has also worked with Canadian based Multimatic to develop the chassis.
Over the winter Joest, Multimatic and AER have worked to extensively develop the RT24-P and the 2018 evolution of the Mazda prototype features a host of chassis, aerodynamic and engine upgrades, plus weight saving to enhance performance.
With a capacity field of 50 cars, the 56th Daytona 24 Hours takes place at Daytona International Speedway, Florida on the 27-28th January.
Mazda Team Joest Driver Bios
Jonathan Bomarito
Age: 35
Hometown: Louisville, Tennessee
Twitter: @JBomarito
Bomarito won the 2010 Daytona 24 Hours in the GT category, driving a Mazda RX-8. Bomarito, who grew up in Monterey, California, won the 2003 USF2000 single seater championship, was a race winner in the Mazda-powered Atlantic Series, and nearly won the 2014 IMSA GTLM driver’s championship before his stint in the Mazda Prototype began in 2015.
Oliver Jarvis
Age: 33
Hometown: Burwell, England
Twitter: @OllyJarvis
Jarvis joins Mazda after winning the LMP2 category (and nearly winning overall) at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Jackie Chan DC Racing in 2017. He finished tied for second in the season-long LMP2 class of the World Endurance Championships (WEC), and has extensive experience with Joest, including an overall victory at the 2013 12 Hours of Sebring and multiple podiums at Le Mans. Jarvis has a GT class win at the Rolex 24 at Daytona with Alex Job Racing.
Tristan Nunez
Age: 22
Hometown: Boca Raton, Florida
Twitter: @TristanNuñez
Nuñez holds the record as the youngest champion in a professional class of road racing in North America. He won the IMSA Prototype Challenge presented by Mazda series in 2012 with 11 wins at age 17. He became a Mazda-backed driver after winning the prestigious single seater Walter Hayes Trophy event at Silverstone, England in 2011. Nuñez does presentations across the country on behalf of his “Dnt txt n drV Foundation,” which is devoted to educating young people about the dangers of distracted driving.
Spencer Pigot
Age: 24
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Twitter: @SpencerPigot
Spencer Pigot will contest the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Championship with Ed Carpenter Racing, and will also be a part of four races with Mazda Team Joest. This will mark Pigot’s third year as an endurance driver for Mazda. He is the first and only driver to win four Mazda driver development scholarships, which included championships in Pro Mazda (2014) and Indy Lights (2015).
Rene Rast
Age: 31
Hometown: Minden, Germany
Twitter: @ReneRastRacing
The versatile Rast will compete with Mazda at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta. As a rookie in the DTM series in 2017, Rast won the prestigious drivers championship. He will defend his title in 2018. Rast has previously driven for Joest Racing and has significant Prototype experience, including a podium finish at the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona with Visit Florida Racing.
Harry Tincknell
Age: 26
Hometown: Exeter, England
Twitter: @HarryTincknell
The young British driver joins Mazda Team Joest after a third-place championship finish in the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship GTE category driving for Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK. Like several other Mazda Prototype drivers, Tincknell had a sparkling young career in open-wheel categories before joining the sports car ranks. He won the LMP2 class at Le Mans in only his fourth sports car race in 2014, and was the driver’s champion in the LMP2 class of the 2016 European Le Mans Series.
Mazda RT-24P Technical specification
Class: Daytona Prototype International DPI
Chassis: Riley Mk. 30
Weight 930kg (no driver or fuel)
Length 4,750mm
Width 1,900mm
Wheel base 3,022mm
Top Speed 200mph approx.
Brakes Brembo/Hitco carbon discs
Suspension Independent double A-arms
Dampers Dynamic DSSV
Transmission Xtrac, six-speed sequential
Tyres Continental Extreme Contact
Front 320/680/R18
Rear 325/710/R18
Wheels Forged aluminum
Fuel Capacity 75 litres
The Mazda MZ-2.0T Engine
(developed by Advanced Engine Research AER)
Engine Displacement 1998cc
Bore x Stroke 90 mm x 78.5 mm
Horsepower 600hp
Max Engine Speed 8,500rpm
