On Saturday, March 20, the well established IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring race started in the morning and finished just after 10:00 p.m. Starting from the fourth spot on the grid, the Mazda RT24-P (Oliver Jarvis / Harry Tincknell / Jonathan Bommarito/), car number 55, led from the middle of the race. Towards the end of the race, the Mazda RT24-P engaged in a fierce battle with other DPi cars, and finished on the podium in 2nd place after a close battle in which the top three places were within 2 seconds of each other.

 


The 68th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring last November was won by the No. 55 Mazda RT24-P, which took the lead in the final phase of the race, and the “2020 MAZDA” banner was displayed in the pit building at Sebring Raceway. The 69th race, which saw high hopes for a second straight win, was a thrilling battle that captivated spectators and TV viewers across the United States.

 


After completing the formation lap in 4th place, Jarvis drove the #55 car for 90 minutes before handing the wheel over to Bommarito. Bommarito then passed the baton to Tincknell who quickly rose to the race leader. After that, depending on the timing of the pit stops, the team would occasionally be running in second or third, but from the middle of the race onward, they were the top runner, temporarily pulling away from the second and lower positions by more than five seconds. The road surface at Sebring is very undulating, and the steering was often made almost uncontrollable over the bumps. Even so, the No. 55 continued to defend its position, and was the race leader as the sun set past 7pm. However, in the last half of the race, it became a three-way battle with the No. 5 Cadillac DPi and No. 60 Acura DPi, which were pushing hard. On the last lap, the #60 car closed in on him, but Jarvis, the final runner, presented no opportunity for overtaking and crossed the finish line in 2nd place.

 


As a result, Mazda USA Motorsports’ No. 55 Mazda RT24-P, which finished 3rd in the opening round and 2nd in this round, is now in 2nd place in the championship standings, 8 points behind the leader.

 


Driver Jarvis said, ““This was one of the toughest races of my career. While we didn’t have the fastest car on the track, the team was flawless in our strategy and pit stops, which helped us finish second. This is a great result for the team and the championship.” Harry Tincknell related, “Sebring marked another great result for the No. 55 Mazda RT24-P. Now with two races and 36 hours completed, we have a fantastic start to the season.” Jonathan Bomarito followed, “After a grueling twelve hours and a stressful end, we finished second. This was a strong effort by Harry, Olly, and the entire Multimatic team. We’re excited to come out of this leading the championship as we head to Mid-Ohio.”

 


The third round of the IMSA WeatherTech Championship, a 2 hour and 40 minute race in Mid-Ohio, will take place on May 16.



 

Text by MZRacing, Photos by Mazda USA