Five races remain in the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, and this weekend’s six-hour endurance contest at the high-speed Watkins Glen International circuit represents the next opportunity for success for Mazda Team Joest.
With the Sahlens Six Hours Of The Glen making up one of the four Michelin Endurance Cup races – the championship made up of the endurance races at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta – the pair of Mazda RT24-Ps will feature three driver lineups this weekend. In the No. 55 Mazda RT24-P, Jonathan Bomarito and Harry Tincknell will be joined by Olivier Pla while in the No. 77 Mazda RT24-P, Oliver Jarvis and Tristan Nunez will be joined by Timo Bernhard.
The 3.4-mile Watkins Glen International in upstate New York is a favorite among drivers, with the Mazda Team Joest drivers hopeful for their chances on the circuit which features numerous high-speed corners and drastic elevation changes. The drivers are also motivated following a challenging round at the Sports Car Classic in Detroit, where the No. 55 Mazda RT24-P qualified third in the hands of Jonathan Bomarito and Tristan Nunez led laps in the No. 77 Mazda RT24-P before both cars were taken out of contention after contact.
The Sahlen’s Six Hours Of The Glen will be streamed live on Sunday, June 30 on the NBC Sports App, beginning at 9:30 AM ET and concluding at 4:00 PM ET, with a tape-delayed broadcast on NBC Sports at 7:00 PM ET and ending at 10:00 PM ET. Qualifying will be streamed live on Saturday, June 29 at 11:25 AM ET on IMSA.TV.
QUOTES
John Doonan
Director, Mazda Motorsports
“In preparation for the Six Hours, there has been a monumental effort put in by everyone at Mazda Team Joest, and our partners at Multimatic and AER. As ever, we are very confident in our two Mazda RT24-Ps and with this being a long race we are fortunate to have Olivier Pla and Timo Bernhard joining us this weekend. Our program continues to make strides but our goal is unchanged – to deliver success for Mazda and all of the Mazda fans and dealers around the world.”
No. 55 Mazda RT24-P
Jonathan Bomarito
“Watkins Glen International is one of those tracks that, as a driver, you always look forward to. It’s fast, it’s high-grip, and always leads to great racing especially through traffic. After a tough race at Detroit, I’m really looking forward to getting back in the No. 55 Mazda RT24-P with Harry and Olivier. It will be a big push for six hours, but hopefully we come out of it on top.”
Olivier Pla
“Watkins Glen is one of my favorite tracks, and I just can’t wait to drive our No. 55 Mazda RT24-P around this place. All of the high-speed corners on the track should suit our car, and I think we are going to have a very close fight throughout the six hours.”
Harry Tincknell
“Watkins Glen is one of the highlights on the IMSA calendar, so this weekend is going to be very exciting. It’s such a high-speed, high-grip circuit and it should suit the Mazda RT24-P. It’s great to welcome Olivier back to the 55 car this weekend. He did a great job alongside Jonathan and myself at Daytona and Sebring and we’ll push for a great result this weekend.”
No. 77 Mazda RT24-P
Oliver Jarvis
“I can’t wait to get back in our car at Watkins Glen. For me, it is definitely one of the best tracks of the season. It is fast, flowing and high-grip so it really allows the drivers to push! We will once again have Timo back in the car, so I am confident as a team we can be very strong. We have been competitive all season, but it is now time to turn that pace into results.”
Timo Bernhard
“It will be great to be back in the No. 77 Mazda RT24-P on the challenging Watkins Glen International racetrack. I have a feeling this track will suit our car well. All of the team’s crew and engineering staff have worked very hard to prepare the car, and for sure Olly, Tristan and I will give it all for a great result on Sunday.”
Tristan Nunez
“It’s great to be back in for an endurance race, and Watkins Glen is a great track for us. It is smooth, high-speed and our No. 77 Mazda RT24-P is really quick there. As a team, we continue to improve the car and program as a whole which makes me extremely excited to get the weekend underway.”
