Mazda to Debut Cooling-Related Updates to RT24-P

Photo: John Dagys

Mazda is set to debut updates for its RT24-P, aimed to solve cooling-related issues that have impacted the DPi car’s reliability and performance in the first half of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

The developments, including relocated air ducts and other components manufactured by Multimatic, will be run on the No. 70 Mazda in this weekend’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.

According to SpeedSource team principal Sylvain Trembley, the target is to have both of its Prototype entries in the same configuration by Road America in August, once IMSA finalizes the car’s homologation.

Currently, all three DPi cars are under draft homologations from IMSA, although the Cadillac DPi-V.R has not made any changes to its specification since the Roar Before the 24, according to Cadillac DPi Program Coordinator Max Angelelli.

“We’ve worked really hard to fix [the cooling issues] and we hope this is it,” Tremblay told Sportscar365. “The final pieces arrived today.”

While Tremblay would not go into detail on the specific areas of development, he said they have been working closely with IMSA and have been completely transparent on the process, which is understood to be permitted per DPi-specific rules.

“Multimatic has been driving the development forward, especially on the Mazda, because that’s their baby,” he said.

“[Mark] Hanford, our aerodynamicist, is very smart and knows what we need to do. Julien Sole, the head designer at Multimatic, we have a lot of faith in him. They’re both here this weekend to help us.

“The car has come a long way. You see it from where we were in Daytona, to how good it’s been. So we hope it does what it’s supposed to do here for the six-hour.”

The updates would only be applicable to the Mazda DPi and not the Riley Mk. 30 Gibson, as all LMP2 cars were previously homologated by the FIA and ACO prior to the start of the season.

Despite the car not yet having track-tested the developments, Joel Miller, who teamed with Tom Long for a third place finish in the last round at Detroit, is optimistic about their chances this weekend.

The pairing will be rejoined by Marino Franchitti, who last drove with the team at Sebring.

“We’ve learned throughout the year,” Miller told Sportscar365. “We had some time to make the parts and now we’ve got them.

“Time will tell how beneficial [the updates] are. But the guys are really smart, so we’ll see what happens.

“I’m excited about it. They call you up and say, ‘Hey, we have this new stuff to try.’ Awesome. Right?

“We still have to be realistic of where we are and if we have the opportunity to race like everyone saw at Detroit, we’re going to go race. But we’re getting there.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John