IMSA: Mazda's long road to pole

One year ago, Mazda Motorsports boss John Doonan (ABOVE, left) was shaking the hand of Wayne Taylor after his son Jordan won the IMSA's Prototype pole at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Fast-forward to 6pm on Saturday evening,  and Doonan - along with the rest of the Mazda Racing Prototype team - were receiving congratulations from their rivals after earning its first pole in the perfect setting.

Mazda's first pole, at its home track, is worthy of headlines, but the journey to achieve its first pole is where the story finds its context. Mazda Prototype driver Tristan Nunez, who claimed the fastest time in WeatherTech SportsCar Championship qualifying with a lap of 1:18.143 using a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, was also the fastest Mazda driver during the same session in 2015 when the team used turbodiesel four-cylinder motors.

Last year, Nunez placed eighth on the Prototype grid, lapping a full 2.239 seconds shy of the pole with a 1:20.957. With the gas-fed turbo, the Floridian is a staggering 2.814 seconds faster in the same car.

"A year ago it was all about working on the chassis," Doonan told RACER after qualifying. "We worked with our executive committee and knew there were changes ahead in the regulations that would favor a turbocharged gasoline engine, and they supported it. While we couldn't compete with that engine in 2015, it became all about optimizing the chassis, the package around the engine, and once we plugged in this new 'heart,' the entire package came alive."

Mazda Racing and its partners at SpeedSource conducted extensive testing during the latter half of 2015 in preparation for the new powerplant, and at its home track, all of those efforts have come together this weekend.

"A year ago we were shaking their hands and didn't know what was possible, but we knew exactly what we wanted," Doonan said. "SpeedSource started with GT cars, learning about chassis dynamics, and they, along with Multimatic, have taken this car so far. It isn't just the engine; it's the braking, the cornering, the chassis balance, the aerodynamics. Everything is working in unison to give us the speed we have."

It was not a surprise to see Nunez (LEFT), a teenage driver who's been trained as a professional from the outset, to end up with the pole. The real surprise during qualifying was the pace of his teammate, Tom Long (LEFT, with Nunez), who spent most of his career racing small, low-powered Mazda coupes before getting the call to join the factory Prototype team. Long, who briefly held pole before earning second, just 0.236 seconds behind Nunez, made a statement with his performance.

"I met Tom in 2005 at Petit Le Mans and presented him with his first professional trophy at the Mazdaspeed Spec Miata Cup, and even then, we were so impressed with him in and out of the car," Doonan said. "He got a chance in the Mazda MX-5 Cup, then got a chance in our Mazda Rolex GT cars, and he's continued to develop and develop and now he's become the complete package for us. If there's a 'most improved' award, and a 'most inspirational' award, they go to Tom Long."

Doonan was careful not to get overly excited about a pole position, with Sunday's two-hour race still to run. If his prayers are answered, everyone within the Mazda Racing program, SpeedSource, Mazda USA, and the rest of its partners will be spraying champagne in Monterey.

"We don't want to get ahead of ourselves; this is a small victory," he said. "My hope for the race is it's the payday for everyone who has worked so hard to achieve."