Mazda scores its first success in IMSA, Porsche continues its series

After several disappointments, Mazda, under the leadership of Team Joest, finally reached Victory Lane in IMSA, since the overhaul of the American endurance championship in 2014. The Japanese brand, with the No. 24 RT55-P entrusted to Olivier Pla, Harry Tincknell and Jonathan Bomarito, won the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen this Sunday.

Mazda dominated almost the entire event, the two DPi n°55 and n°77 (entrusted for the latter to Oliver Jarvis, Timo Bernhard and Tristan Nunez) alternating at the head of the event, with the main opponent being the Acura ARX-05 n°6 – Acura Team Penske de Montoya – Cameron.

According to the pitstops, the prototypes exchange positions but just before the last cycle of passages through the pits with a little over half an hour to go, Tincknell takes a decisive advantage over Montoya.

After the final stops, Tincknell retained the lead, Jarvis emerging just ahead of Montoya after his pitstop. The two Mazdas escaped, but Tinckell saw his lead reduced due to a stray bodywork element in the final minutes.

The order will not change, however, with RT24-P n°55 and n°77 finishing in this order to secure the double. Acura Team Penske gets on the podium with the Montoya – Cameron crew, when the top 5 is completed by Renger van der Zande and Jordan Taylor (Cadillac DPi-VR n°10 – Wayne Taylor Racing) and the second Acura ARX-05 n °7 by Ricky Taylor and Helio Castroneves.

No success for the championship leaders Felipe Nasr and Pipo Derani (Cadillac DPi-VR n°31 – Action Express Racing), Nasr making a mistake very early in the race at turn n°8, after a puncture.

Early trouble for the DPi points leaders.#IMSA / #Sahlens6HRS pic.twitter.com/1q8XoAgndg

— #IMSA / #Sahlens6HRS (@IMSA) June 30, 2019

Patrick Pilet and Porsche are required

In GTLM, victory went to Porsche, the fourth in a row for the German manufacturer since Sebring. The #911 911 RSR of Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy wins ahead of the #7 Corvette C3.R of Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen, at the end of a race where offbeat strategies sealed the positions on the track.

The #912 Porsche of Laurens Vanthoor and Earl Bamber, involved in the first lap incident with the #7 Corvette C4.R of Milner – Gavin and the Mercedes-AMG GT3 n°33 – Riley Motorsports from Keating – Fraga – Bleekemolen, was in the lead before a brief pit stop in the last quarter of an hour for additional fuel.

Enough to restore the advantage to the Porsche no. 911 and the Corvette no. 3, placed on the same fuel strategy in the last 45 minutes. Tandy and Garcia crossed the finish line in that order ahead of the No. 67 Ford GT of Westbrook – Briscoe, in the lead during the first hour of the race.

In GTD, victory went to the No. 3 Acura NSX GT86 – Meyer Shank Racing of Mario Farnbacher – Trent Hindman – Justin Marks.

Final ranking

Discover the full report of the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen in IMSA, in AUTO issue 2223hebdo, available tomorrow evening in digital version and this Wednesday on newsstands.