Winning beat goes on for Mazda Team Joest after IMSA WeatherTeach series triumph in Canada

Mazda Team Joest winning drivers Oliver Pla, left, and Tristan Nunez celebrate at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Sunday after leading Mazda to a 1-2 finish in the DPi class.

Mazda Team Joest was back to its winning ways in the DPi class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada on Sunday.

The win for Oliver Jarvis and Tristan Nunez in the No. 77 Mazda RT24-P and runner-up finish for the No. 55 of Jonathan Bomarito and Harry Tincknell gave Mazda back-to-back 1-2 finishes in the DPi class. The win followed the game-changing win for Bomarito, Tincknell and Olivier Pla in No. 55 Mazda a week earlier at Watkins Glen.

This time, Mazda motorsports boss John Doonan couldn’t wait to extend the celebration beyond the drivers and crews after this latest triumph.

“This victory is for the Mazda fans,”  Doonan said. “I’m so proud of the Mazda Team Joest crew and everyone at Multimatic and AER for scoring these two wins in a row. It has been a complete team effort, with flawless execution from all four drivers, from the pit crew, from the engineering staff and from everyone at Multimatic and AER.

“I’m thrilled for Tristan and Olly that they are finally able to celebrate their first victory, and I almost can’t believe that we have another one-two finish for Mazda. Jonathan and Harry dominated all day, and they are every bit as deserving of this victory as Tristan and Olly. We’ve said all along our goal was to achieve success for the Mazda brand and for the people who buy, sell and race Mazdas so this past week has been a dream come true.”

Nunez, who has driven Mazdas in the IMSA WeatherTech series  since he was an 18-year-old series rookie in 2014, feels that Mazda has really turned the corner. Sunday marked Nunez’s first trip to the top step of the podium in 51 races. It was also his third podium in the past four races, including runner-up finishes at Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen.

“It doesn’t get much better than this,” Nunez said. “I got to witness Mazda’s first win in the Prototype class, and now to have one myself with Olly is a dream come true. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to my whole career. We ran a good strategy today and there was some aggressive racing, but we tried to not too any damage and keep the car clean.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

Sights from the IMSA Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Sunday July 7, 2019.

“Leena Gade was on the radio running our strategy and engineering the car, and she did an amazing job. It’s an honor to work with her. This result shows the hard work and dedication that everyone on this project has put it, and it’s all falling into place now.”

For Jarvis, 35, it’s also three podiums in four races after just two podiums in 10 starts last year in his first season with the Mazda Team Joest’s IMSA project.

“This was a monster team effort,” Javis said. “Forget which car won, this is two one-twos for Mazda. Results like this have been a long time coming. It’s the culmination of so many hours back in the workshop by the Mazda Team Joest boys and girls, by Multimatic and AER, to finally achieve our goal.

“To repeat it the next weekend is amazing – we’re going to enjoy this. There’s still a long way to go in the championship and we want more wins. The Penskes put up a heck of a fight and it was a fascinating battle, given the different strategies. We had great pace today and a fantastic Mazda RT24-P. I’m not sure how it would have played out without the safety cars, but it was definitely down to the Penske cars and our sister car. They were amazing all weekend, but this is a victory we’ll celebrate as a team.”

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