Mazda has 'by far its best-ever package' - Tincknell
Mazda Team Joest has "by far" its best-ever package ahead of this year's Rolex 24 at Daytona as it seeks to convert its strong performance in the Roar test, claims Harry Tincknell.

The Japanese marque enjoyed a breakthrough 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with a hat-trick of race wins, but reliability issues meant success in the three blue riband events at Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans eluded it.
Mazda ended this month's Roar Before the 24 test on top, Olivier Pla topping the timesheets by 0.219s aboard the #77 RT24-P in the qualifying session that determined pit stall and garage allocation, ahead of the best of the Acura Team Penske cars.
The sister #55 car that Tincknell will share with Jonathan Bomarito and Ryan Hunter-Reay was fifth-fastest, but did top two of the seven test sessions across the three days.
Tincknell said he was encouraged by the level of preparation that has gone into ensuring the RT24-P can run smoothly for a 24-hour distance.
“The big thing we’ve focused on is reliability; that was the clear focus over the winter," Tincknell told Motorsport.com. "We did two 30-hour tests [at Aragon and Daytona] and the results were very positive.
"There have been a lot of small changes to try and find reliability, there was no focus on performance. We have by far the best package we’ve ever had in three years, but we need to be reliable for 24 hours in public before people will take us super-seriously.
"We’re quietly confident, we are much more prepared compared to last year. We've learnt from our failures."
On whether he felt the Roar qualifying session was representative, he added: "Last year we saw others hold back, we were fastest by seven tenths [actually 0.863s], but then we were the fastest in qualifying and one of the fastest in the race.
"This year, the others took a while to show their hand, but I think the mock qualifying was a pretty accurate reflection of where all the manufacturers stand. Everyone was at or very close to their potential, which is a good omen."

#55 Mazda Team Joest Mazda DPi, DPi: Jonathan Bomarito, Harry Tincknell, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Pit Stop
Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images
While Mazda is targeting victory at Daytona and the other blue riband events on the IMSA calendar, Tincknell said that the championship is also a key focus.
The Briton said achieving a similar level of consistency attained by Acura's 2019 champions Juan Pablo Montoya and Dane Cameron last season would be the target.
“Winning at Daytona would be huge for my career, if we could do it," said Tincknell. "But if we can’t win at Daytona, we want to finish second, or if we can’t finish second we want to finish third. We don’t want to be last because we had an issue.
"That's why we’ve focused so much on reliability, because we have the championship in mind. And because of the way the points system is in IMSA, consistency is huge. We want to emulate Acura’s consistency from last year.
“Last year was the breakthrough year for Mazda with three wins. The first year [with Joest, 2018] was an uphill year, and we hope the third year will be the championship year."
Tincknell also commented that the 2020 Michelin tyres - which have a "solid chunk" more grip than last year's rubber - could also help Mazda in its quest for Daytona glory.
“There’s a new tyre this year with more peak grip but a little more drop-off," he said. "We also don’t have as many [37 sets instead of 38], so we’ll have to do more double-stinting. But the Mazda is kind on its tyres, so that can be good for us."

#77 Mazda Team Joest Mazda DPi, DPi: Oliver Jarvis, Tristan Nunez, Olivier Pla
Photo by: Richard Dole / Motorsport Images

Previous article
Hailie Deegan to honor Lyn St. James in Mustang GT debut
Next article
Garcia, Gavin uncertain of Corvette C8.R’s Daytona prospects

About this article
Series | IMSA |
Drivers | Harry Tincknell |
Teams | Mazda Motorsports |
Author | Jamie Klein |
Mazda has 'by far its best-ever package' - Tincknell
Trending
24 Hours of Daytona Video Recap
24 Hours of Daytona: Fourth Place for Ferrari
Watch the entire Rolex 24 in just over a minute
The GTE dilemma that IMSA has created for the WEC
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s decision to scrap its GT Le Mans class for 2022 raises the question of whether the FIA World Endurance Championship should phase out GTE cars. But it's a much harder decision than it appears on the surface.
Nine things to watch at the 2021 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona
After a 100-minute sprint race to whet the appetite, the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship gets underway properly this weekend. With plenty of significant changes during the winter, here are the key points you need to keep an eye on
Why Magnussen is relishing a fresh start in sportscars
Having gone over seven years without a race win through spells with McLaren, Renault and Haas, Kevin Magnussen's departure from Formula 1 for IMSA with big-hitters Chip Ganassi Racing could give him what he craves most - a chance of success
Oliver Gavin's Corvette Racing highlights
Oliver Gavin has stepped down from the full-time Corvette Racing line-up after a stellar career with the team spanning nearly 20 years. He looks back on a stint that encompassed, among other successes, five Le Mans 24 Hours victories.
How Tandy joined an exclusive club of endurance legends
Victory at last year's Spa 24 Hours meant Nick Tandy had completed the unofficial sextuple crown of the world's six biggest endurance races, becoming the first Briton to do so. Ahead of his fresh start with Corvette Racing, he explains how he did it…
The 12 greatest Sebring 12 Hours ranked
The 2020 edition of the Florida sportscar classic is finally taking place this weekend, eight months after its traditional date in March. That meant there was plenty of time for Motorsport.com to pour over its previous 67 races and select the best.
Tony Kanaan’s top 10 races – in his own words
The 2004 IndyCar champion and 2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan probably hasn’t yet driven his final IndyCar race, but we still asked him for the 10 most significant races of his career. He explained his choices to David Malsher-Lopez.
Why the GTE ruleset looks to have run its course
The GTE ruleset has served sportscar racing in both Europe and the United States well over the past decade. But now there are clear signs that the end of its life is in sight as manufacturer support continues to fade.