Pla in 77 extending the lead to 19 seconds over Bomarito in 55 in 2nd. There was a cool shot of the 77 throwing sparks from the floor scraping over the bumps.

 

Pla is a machine
I'm hoping the field stays clean and we don't go Yellow again because I don't want to see Pla's hard earned 25 second lead disappear.
plus, the Mazdas haven't been great at restarts lately and I don't want to chance it.

Mazda running 1st and 2nd!
Bomarito has his hands full trying to keep that Mustang behind him but so far so good.

 

Final driver changes for both cars.
Jarvis takes over the 77
Tinknell into the 55

An hour and 15 minutes left, here we GO!

 

Looks like Mazda is making their final pit stops for the race.
This is it.
C'mon Mazda!

 

n000000000ooooooooooooo
#77 gets a flat

 

17 minute shootout to determine this race!
gah
Mazda was CRUISING to a 1-2 finish and it all went to **** with that flat tire.

c'mon Mazda.

 

At least it didn't cost them that much time.
15 minutes to go, 55 leading, #6 Acura 3 seconds behind!

 

true.
I think the 77 can still get past cameron but he's gotta really push to make that happen.

 

First endurance win for Mazda!
I thought Jarvis had a chance when Cameron hit traffic, but oh well, still both on podium.

2020 has been a **** year, but finishing Daytona 24H was a great start and winning Sebring is a great finish.

 

#55 wins the 12 Hours of Sebring!!!!
Go Mazda!







what a CRAZY race today, this thing had everything.
We had penalties, contact, tons of yellow flags, lead changes, drama, heartbreak, you name it.

really wish the 77 could have held on for the win, Pla drove a perfect race and those guys had earned a win but the race gods weren't having it today.
Fortunately the 55 was in position to swoop in and take the win for the Team.

side note: the emotion on Helio's face when he realized he was becoming a Champion for the first time...
I'm happy for him.

 

 

Yes I watched it, sorry the #77 had a blown tire while leading and finished third. But I am thrilled for the overall win for #55 and Bomarito, who doesn't have a contract with Mazda for 2021 as they go down to a one-car effort . Remember Bomarita was the last Mazda IMSA champ in the tubular three-rotor RX8s when they competed. Enjoy the moment folks. It isn't likely any BOP adjustments will enable Mazda's one-car team next year to truly compete for the championship. Acura, Cadillac, are still too important to IMSA to be allowed to be at any disadvantage to Mazda.

 

This is the shot I was talking about earlier, also you can see the exhaust glowing red:

I watched a highlight video of the 1994 Le Mans 24H a while back and there was a similar shot of the Nissan IMSA GTO 300ZX, the team said they screwed extra long titanium bolts to protect the floor. I wonder if they did the same here.

 

gwilliams: Tinknell from the 55 and Jarvis from the 77 will be the primary drivers for Mazda's lone car next season. Jonathan Bomarito will be the 3rd driver for the endurace races.
Tristen Nunez will be a brand ambassador for them and help with setup research behind the scenes. Saw an interview with him this week that Mazda has told him he is free to seek a full time ride and they would support him if he found one.


j_tso: glad you posted that, such an awesome shot.

 

Well, that wraps up the 2020 season.
I think in a way that Sebring race was fitting as it sort of encapsulated what the entire season was.

First off, huge props to IMSA for even getting the season completed as when COVID hit, no one knew if they could even keep racing, what that would look like, what races needed to be rescheduled, what would protocols looks like, etc.

For me as a Mazda race fan I'm left with hope yet disappointment again.
The cars looked solid this year they just kept shooting themselves in the foot with race strategy or mechanical failures that a team of their caliber really shouldn't be having.
I'm happy to see them win an iconic race such as Sebring but we all know that's not the ultimate goal. Let's hope that momentum carries into the 2021 season and we can finally bring home a championship.

 

Yes I knew they would use Bomarito for the third driver in endurance races, but this will be the first season in many years he doesn't have a full season ride with Mazda. Very sad for Mazda's last full season IMSA champ. IMHO.

 

I think it's a smart move by Mazda to be honest. While I've known Jonathan for many years, (he's been a frequent visitor of ours at SevenStock and I've gotten to ride with him a few times at various Mazda events) at this point I think Mazda had to go with the younger drivers who seem to just be getting more out of the vehicle these days than J-Bom
Look at the lap times and who has been qualifying the cars (Jarvis and Tinknell)
Bomarito brings a ton of knowledge and experience but Mazda is playing the hot hand next season.

hopefully when Mazda makes the jump to LMDh they do so with more than one car and we'll see guys like Nunez and Bomarito back in full time rides.

 

Had to post this when I saw it.

 

new thread is up!
https://www.rx8club.com/general-auto...ussion-272398/