Mazda customer DPi under discussion

The number of Mazda RT24-P DPis could increase by at least one next year in IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championships.

RACER has learned the American arm of the Japanese auto manufacturer is looking at making its Multimatic-built prototype available as a customer car, which would follow the recent success where the brand’s factory team has captured three consecutive victories.

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As stated from the launch of the RT24-Ps in 2017, Mazda has been consistent in its messaging, saying it would only consider offering the four-cylinder turbocharged prototypes to customers once it reached the levels of reliability and success that warranted such a move.

It’s believed options supporting part-time RT24-P efforts, concentrating on the four endurance races held across Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, and Road Atlanta, and full-season assistance for works-affiliated customers, are being explored.

Launched in 2017, the RT24-P went through heavy revisions led by Multimatic that resulted in a sharp upturn in performance the following year. With the project shifted from Florida’s SpeedSource Race Engineering to Team Joest in 2018, the Nos. 55 and 77 Mazdas demonstrated more pace, but a number of team- and driver-based mistakes, along with lingering reliability issues, kept the cars from finding Victory Lane.

Although the early stages of the 2019 season were not kind in that regard, the RT24-Ps driven by Oliver Jarvis, Tristan Nunez, Jonathan Bomarito, and Harry Tincknell have gone on to capture seven combined podiums and the three wins since the Mid-Ohio round in May. A total of six podiums were earned from 2017-2018.