Update with 36 minutes to go. Mazda throws away great chances with two horrible pit stops. #55 Mazda was running second (behind a caddy) , and #70 was running sixth when the entire pack came in for a pit stop under a caution.

#55 crew can't get tires off to change, fumbling around. #70 leaves pits with changed tires coming off and has to be pushed back into pits to fasten the tires.

#55 drops from second place to twenty second place ! #70 drops from sixth place to twenty ninth place. Terrible to watch !

Caddy has clean and quick pitstop.

 

FINALLY A PODIUM FINISH !

Long Beach: #55 Bomarito drives like crazy man and finishes third for Mazda's first podium in these cars !! #70 was sixth until last lap and a half, when it runs into a crashed lower class car blocking the line around a blind corner. lots of wrecks on the last two laps with hairpin turn blocked.

Caddy first, Nissan second.

With the pace Bomarito showed to catch back up to the front in last driving stint, without Mazda's bad pitstops, they might have even won.

 

almost time to go racing again!
Cars are at Circuit of the Americas (such a beautiful track) and the first practice session is in the books.


side note: For the first time this season where there were no BoP changes made between races which means....yup, you guessed it!

you know that Caddy has more speed in it but last thing you want to do is torch the qualifying record during the 1st practice session.
Look, not taking anything away from Cadillac, they build a hell of a machine and now it's up to everyone else to get their acts together and try to give them a run for their money.

on a positive note, Mazda seems to have found some speed and finished 4th in the session.

 

Ricky Taylor Crushes Field for COTA Pole



the rest of the field is going to have their hands full tomorrow.

 

Looks like something already happened to both Mazdas.
30 laps in, and #55 is at 23 laps, and #70 is at 20 laps.

Mazda can't catch a break.

BC.

 

*sigh*
Electrical gremlins strike again! I think the Visit Florida car had them during the weekend and sure enough, it hit the SpeedSource team during the race.
Pretty tough weekend for the Mazdas.

I wonder what kind of BoP adjustments we'll see or if IMSA is going to hold tight and tell these other teams to get their **** together because they can't just keep gimping the Cadillacs for their success.

 

I'm curious...
What is there in the way of various electrical components are there on a race car of this level?

Aside from the standard items that make an engine run (crank pos sensor, cam pos sensor, fuel injector wiring, maf/map sensor, oil pressure sensor, ignition coils, coolant temp sensor, etc), what else is there on the engine? Usually race cars don't have radiator fans, some may not even have generators.

With this race engine, its usually misfire related problems, but usually close to the end of a long race. Spark Plug getting worn out or a head gasket getting weak, but this was really early on in a race. Bad coils? Frayed wire? And both cars?

Maybe its time for Mazda to look for a partner other than Speedsource for this I-4 engine.
Or maybe Mazda should just develop a different engine design for racing that Speedsource knows how to get the most out of.

The race car itself is being held back by something, and I can't quite figure out who it should be placed on.

BC.

 

More BoP changes leading up to Detroit.


Looks like the Caddy's have been gimped once again in order to make the race more competitive:
As for Mazda:

 

update on that BoP adjustment for Cadillac.

and they were STILL the fastest car during qualifying before Ricky Taylor crashed.
damn, that's one badass race car Cadillac has built.

 

wow, freaking Cadillac does it AGAIN!
started in last place and still roared back for the win.

Unfortunately my DVR decided not to record the race so I missed the whole thing but I'm glad to see that Mazda back on the podium in 3rd place.

 

Mazda pitted with 40 min to fill up till the end of race which everyone followed. It was good strategy, and their cars didn't die which is always a plus

 

fuel strategy always plays a huge role in this series and glad to see Mazda back on point and not losing races in the pits.
and yes, I'm also just happy to hear they finished the race.

 

#55 just finished 3rd at Watkins Glen!

Nice.

BC.

 

Breaking News!


Joest to Take Over Factory Mazda DPi Program - Sportscar365


SpeedSource is OUT! wow. Didn't see that coming.

 

Big news indeed Jedi and likely for the fans and the brand very good news.

 

yeah, it's been very frustrating the last few years watching Mazda struggle over and over again with reliability, race strategy, and even pit stop executions. The newest prototype has sooo much potential (even if I'm still not a huge fan of that motor) and yet it has continued to be a disappointing season for the team and for it's fans.
The biggest positive has been and continues to be their strong driver lineup which I hope Joest recognizes and leverages next season. Bomarito is IMO one of the premiere drivers in American Sports Car racing and it would be a shame to not see him and guys like Nunez behind the wheel of the Mazda in 2018.

As devastated as I am for the SpeedSource guys because I've gotten to know some of them over the years and know how deeply passionate they are about this program and partnership, I can't help but get kind of excited about what Joest can bring to the table.
we're talking about a team with DECADES of experience and 13 LeMans victories under their belt. Mazda is ALL-IN on this series and about winning NOW with the signing of Joest.
I expect them to fully tear down the RT-24P and that car will come back faster and stronger than ever next year.

it'll be awesome to watch.

 

and for those that didn't read the entire article: Mazda is done for the year and will not race in the 3 remaining Prototype races this season.

 

Sorry they won't be competing further this year, but look forward to future successes.

 

Pretty good read from Racer.com about the bright future of the DPi class.
I really agree with them that seeing major players like Penske and Joest jumping into the mix really could help this series take off in the years to come.

IMSA - PRUETT: The start of something big

 

Thanks Jedi54, good article.

 

Mazda Team Joest Set for 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Debut | IMSA

Looks like they will keep their current drivers, at least through testing around the world.

 

through testing, yes but I doubt the lineup will go unchanged. The Joest brand could possibly attract the attention of some top drivers who suddenly might be interested in jumping ship, especially with how competitive this series could be next season.

Penske vs Joest vs Konika Minolta.
oh man, this is going to be SWEET.

I hope they keep Bomarito and Nunez, I think those are the top 2 drivers for Mazda right now but Tom Long has been good as well.

 

Yes through testing. All bets are off after that as to who will be the Joest drivers.

 

Not sure if you guys saw this update regarding testing?

https://blackflag.jalopnik.com/mazda...s-s-1818576561

 

thanks RX-Tuner