senor honda

[h=2]IMSA: Hinchcliffe, Pigot join Mazda for Rolex 24[/h] Wednesday, 04 January 2017


RACER Staff / Image by Mazda Motorsports

Jonathan Bomarito, Tom Long, Joel Miller and Tristan Nunez are back for their third season with the two-car Mazda Prototype team for the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. Verizon IndyCar Series drivers James Hinchcliffe and Spencer Pigot will join the driver lineup for the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona in the all-new Mazda RT24-P racecars under the new Daytona Prototype international (DPi) rules.
The No. 70 ModSpace/Castrol Edge Mazda Prototype (Gunmetal Grey livery) will be driven by Long, 34, of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Miller, 28, of Hesperia, Calif. The duo finished sixth in the 2016 Prototype driver points championship after five top-five finishes.


"The anticipation has been building for Mazda and the entire team since unveiling the new DPi platform at the Los Angeles Auto Show," said Long, who is entering his 14th season driving with Mazda and seventh Rolex 24 start. "With the launch of the new Prototype era for IMSA in 2017, the field this year will be sure not to disappoint. The team has been working so hard to get our Mazdas prepared for the drop of that green flag, it's been incredible to be a part of. We're also thrilled to welcome back Hinch to our driver lineup this year!"


For the 55th running of the historic Rolex 24 at Daytona, Long and Miller will be joined by IndyCar race winner Hinchcliffe, 30, of Toronto, Canada. Hinchcliffe finished second in the most recent season of "Dancing with the Stars" on ABC-TV, and will race with Mazda at Daytona for the fifth time since 2012. He was forced to sit out the 2016 race while he recovered from the horrific injuries he suffered during Indy 500 practice in May 2015.
"It sucked sitting out last year's race," Hinchcilffe said, "but my focus at the time was getting myself back in shape for the IndyCar season. Coming back to Mazda and SpeedSource, where I've done all of my races at Daytona, is like coming home and I can't thank [SpeedSource owner Sylvain Tremblay] and John [Mazda Motorsports director John Doonan] enough for the chance. I can't wait to be working with everyone there again, to get my hands on the new car, and try and deliver a win for Mazda."
The No. 55 Mazda Prototype (Soul Red Crystal livery) will be driven for the third consecutive season by the pairing of the 34-year-old Bomarito and 21-year-old Nunez. Bomarito and Nunez recorded a league-leading three pole positions in 2016, led six races and finished seventh in the final Prototype driver point standings.
"There have been quite a few rules changes [such as the DPi category] that I am sure will make for an exciting race," Nunez said. "As for the drivers, to be paired with Jonathan again is such an honor. I have learned so much from him, and I'm looking forward to another year alongside him and being under the Mazda tent with Joel and Tom for the full season. Really, I couldn't have asked for a better group!
"I believe we've got what it takes to win, and I'm so excited to show that this season."
Pigot, 23, will join the No. 55 team for the second year at Daytona. The IndyCar driver made his Prototype debut with Mazda last year at Daytona, then raced at Sebring before leading races at Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta.
For this weekend's Roar Before the 24 test sessions at Daytona, driver Ben Devlin, 34, of Norwich, England, will also join the team, utilizing his extensive prototype experience to help hone the preparation of the two Mazda RT24-P racecars.
"When the Mazda brand embarked on providing the motorsports industry with a driver development scholarship program in 2007, it was our intention to develop drivers from the grassroots to the top levels in both open wheel and sports cars," said John Doonan, director of Mazda Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations. "With the Mazda Road to 24 and the Mazda Road to Indy now fully developed, we strive to promote from within. Each of our full-time drivers – Joel, Jonathan, Tom and Tristan – have come through at least one of the two programs, and they've given us the speed, continuity and great chemistry that a team must have to win. We are also thrilled to have Spencer and James back with us for the Rolex 24, as they have been a part of the Mazda family for many years. Their talent and chemistry with the team are extremely valuable. To have Ben and his experience with us this weekend is an added bonus."