Mazda's new prototypes start 24-hour race
4 Hours

The grid for the 24-hour race that had started rolling just after 2:00pm were given the green flag at 2:11pm, and quickly got up to racing speed.

For SpeedSource, the starting driver in the #70 Mazda LMP2 SKYACTIV-D Racing machine was team owner Sylvain Tremblay, while Joel Miller started the #07 entry. They set off from 17th and 18th in the prototype class, respectively. The #70 circulated in good form, but the #07 ran sluggishly soon after the start, and within a few laps, the car's pace had dropped off dramatically. It seems to be some trouble with the turbocharger, which caused several trips to the garage for repairs.

Two hours into the race, and already there were a few teams whose cars had crashed or gone off track. There was also one machine that spun when it drove over the dust kicked up by another car that had just gone off track. Shortly before 5:00pm, three hours into the race, there was a major crash in the infield, sending up red flags around the entire course, stopping the race.

At this point, the #07 was in the pit undergoing repairs to its turbocharger, while the #70 Mazda was running in 14th place with James Hinchcliffe at the wheel. The vicinity around the track gradually began to get dark. It appears the temperature has also plunged suddenly. Shortly after 6:00pm, the Pace Car led the rolling start, signaling that the race is set to get back underway.

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