IMSA: Mazda Team Joest set record in 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona qualifying

Qualifying for the Rolex 24 at Daytona has concluded with multiple track records being broken in the lead-up to the first race of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The starting order is set for the 57th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona with IMSA records being broken in the DPi and GTLM categories. In the DPi class, Oliver Jarvis was keen to show that the multiple years of turmoil and progress with the Mazda program have paid off, as the Briton set a furious lap of 1:33.685 and an average speed of 136.792 miles per hour.

Jarvis’s time shuts the book on the previous track record of 1:33.875 (136.521 miles per hour), which was set in 1993 by the #98 Toyota Eagle Mk III that was driven by P.J. Jones for Dan Gurney’s All American Racers.

Mazda Team Joest hope that this result will be a season-long theme as the John Doonan-led team come off another offseason of change with personnel adjustments and a car further refined by the German team.

In the LMP2 category, it was the #81 DragonSpeed ORECA LMP2 of James Allen that got to work quickly by laying down a lap time of 1:35.904. While the LMP2 class might be smaller in number when compared to the DPi class, it still serves an instrumental purpose by providing international and domestic privateer teams opportunities to compete in an IMSA prototype category in a relatively cost-efficient manner.

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The GTLM class claimed its own piece of history as Nick Tandy broke the previous GTLM track record in his brilliant Brumos Racing throwback-designed #911 Porsche 911 RSR.

Tandy managed to set a lap time of 1:42.257, which equated to an average speed of 125.325 miles per hour. This beat the previous record with time to spare. The previous record was held by current series champion Jan Magnussen in his #3 Corvette C7.R. This record was a lap time of 1:42.779 and an average speed of 124.688 miles per hour. Magnussen will have a chance for payback as the veteran Dane is set to take the green flag right next to Nick Tandy come race time.

The massive GTD class saw incredibly tight competition with a total of 13 out of its 23 cars setting qualifying times within one second of Marcos Gomes, who set his quick time of 1:45.257 to land on the pole position.

The all-female driver lineup of the #57 Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 qualified in a very competitive 11th place with Ana Beatriz working the Caterpillar Inc.-sponsored car around the high banks of the Daytona circuit.

The scene is set for an ultra-competitive race with each class having distinct battles between rival teams and manufacturers. Fernando Alonso will look to work with his Wayne Taylor Racing team, which was qualified by Jordan Taylor and will start from sixth place, to add yet another accolade to his already long list of motorsports achievements. Will this be the year for him to win America’s premier endurance event?

Qualifying Results – DPi

1st – Oliver Jarvis
2nd – Ricky Taylor
3rd – Juan Pablo Montoya
4th – Jonathan Bomarito
5th – Felipe Nasr
6th – Jordan Taylor
7th – Agustin Canapino
8th – Tristan Vautier
9th – Stephen Simpson
10th – Jonathan Bennett
11th – Joao Barbosa

Qualifying Results – LMP2
1st – James Allen
2nd – Gabriel Aubry
3rd – Roberto Gonzalez
4th – Kyle Masson

Qualifying Results – GTLM
1st – Nick Tandy
2nd – Jan Magnussen
3rd – Ryan Briscoe
4th – Davide Rigon
5th – Earl Bamber
6th – Joey Hand
7th – John Edwards
8th – Conor De Phillippi
9th – Oliver Gavin

Qualifying Results – GTD
1st – Marcos Gomes
2nd – Ben Keating
3rd – Trent Hindman
4th – Giacomo Altoe
5th – Rolf Ineichen
6th – Mathias Lauda
7th – Spencer Pumpelly
8th – Lars Kern
9th – Corey Lewis
10th – Patrick Lindsey
11th – Ana Beatriz
12th – Richard Heistand
13th – Marco Seefried
14th – Frank Montecalvo
15th – Daniel Morad
16th – Cooper MacNeil
17th – Alfred Renauer
18th – Ezequiel Perez Companc
19th – Andrew Davis
20th – Ian James
21st – J.C. Perez
22nd – Don Yount
23rd – Bill Auberlen

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IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship fans can soon rejoice as the Rolex 24 at Daytona is scheduled to begin on Saturday, January 26 at 2:35 p.m. ET. Be sure to tune in to the NBC Sports app or IMSA.tv for around-the-clock broadcasting.

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