Mazda Team Joest secures third pole position of the season
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 29, 2019) – For the third time this season, a Soul Red Crystal Mazda RT24-P will lead the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championshp to the green flag after Oliver Jarvis stormed to pole position on Saturday at Watkins Glen International.
In the 15-minute qualifying session for the Daytona Prototype international class, Jarvis put the No. 77 Mazda RT24-P on top of the timing screens early in the session and stayed clear the other drivers in class – including teammate Harry Tincknell in the No. 55 Mazda RT24-P. Near the end of the session Jarvis reset his fastest lap to 1:29.639, setting a new track record for the DPi class by 2.494-seconds to secure the third pole position for him and Mazda Team Joest this season.
Jarvis previously set course records and pole positions at Daytona International Speedway and Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course. He will share the No. 77 Mazda RT24-P with Tristan Nunez and Timo Bernhard in tomorrow’s six-hour race.
Tincknell, who had set the fastest time in the opening practice session of the weekend, ended the qualifying session in fourth position in the No. 55 Mazda RT24-P that he will share with Jonathan Bomarito and Olivier Pla.
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 beginning at 7:00 PM ET and ending at 10:00 PM ET.
QUOTES
John Doonan
Director, Mazda Motorsports
“We’ve been able to string together several good sessions, punctuated with this pole position. We needed this, especially after Detroit which was a very tough race with both cars taken out and lots of damage. I told the team – it’s all in how you rebound. With our partners Multimatic and AER, we definitely have momentum on our side and we’ve just got to put it all together tomorrow. We’ve got a lot of unfinished business out there so our only goal is to put it on the top step.”
No. 55 Mazda RT24-P
Harry Tincknell
“I feel as though I left a little bit on the table. The car was a little bit loose, and it just wasn’t a clean run, and I didn’t feel as though I drove as well as I could have. But the inherent pace of the car is there. It’s all positive going into the race and it’s great to have another pole for Mazda and to have both cars on the front two rows. There’s no doubt we can win tomorrow with our Mazda RT24-P – we’ve got three quick drivers, the team has made good changes to the cars, the driver changes and pit stops are good. It’s all in a good place to get that victory.”
No. 77 Mazda RT24-P
Oliver Jarvis
“That was incredible. We didn’t quite have the car we wanted all weekend, but the team did an amazing job and we had It for qualifying when it mattered. I didn’t quite get the perfect lap, but I’m pleased with pole and a new track record – and I just got a John Doonan bear hug which is always a good sign. The Mazda RT24-P was spot on and to get the pole makes us very confident. We’ve got a very strong race car so we’re really looking forward to tomorrow’s Six Hours. We’ve got to beat some of the toughest competition in the world. This Is an incredible championship with some of the fiercest rivals I’ve ever come across, so we’ve got to have a perfect race. That goes for all three drivers, to the strategy, the team, the pit stops – there’s no room for error so we’ll be pushing from the green to the checkered flag.”