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| Oliver Jarvis is looking for a repeat of this grand "selfie pose" with the new one-car team and teammates Harry Tincknell and Jonathon "JB" Bomarito at Watkins Glen ... TWICE. Image Credit: Mazda Motorsports via Twitter (2019 - reposted 2021) |
Mazda DPi's Tincknell. Jarvis, & Bomarito Set To Defend In Back To
Back Watkins Glen Weekends
Mazda & Multimatic Motorsports is heading into an intense period of
competition with consecutive race weekends in upper New York state. First up
is the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen, which was the scene of the Mazda
RT24-P’s first ever victory in 2019. As the race didn’t take place in 2020,
Mazda Motorsports has a title to defend.
The following Friday (2 July) the WeatherTech 240 will take place on the
same track, replacing the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park round, cancelled
due to the Covid-19 related border restrictions. The Fourth of July “240”
race was held at Daytona in 2020 and signaled the restart of racing after
the Covid-19 shutdown. As that resulted in an emphatic Mazda 1-2 finish, the
team has a second title to defend at Watkins Glen.
The 3.4 mile, 11-turn road course at Watkins Glen is hugely popular with the
teams due to the fast, high-grip track. For Harry Tincknell, the event holds
some great memories and also marks the return of team mate and fellow 2019
race winner, Jonathan Bomarito.
“The last time we were at Watkins Glen we took the first win for this Mazda
programme in a pretty dominant fashion,” said Tincknell. “We were first and
third on the grid and then 1-2 in the race. This time around it’s hard to
know exactly how we will do but if we judge it on Detroit, I was more or
less on the pace in qualifying and in the race there was a podium in our
grasp.
“Watkins Glen should suit us better than Detroit,” he continued. “It’s a
very high speed, high commitment circuit, which is very high grip as well. I
think the RT24-P performs at its best in high grip scenarios and has very
strong aerodynamics so we should be playing to our strengths. We know it’s
going to be tough; some of our rivals have tested there recently, which we
haven’t, and obviously we haven’t been there for two years. It will be great
to have ‘JB’ back in the fold. He did a great job at Daytona and Sebring so
we’ll be welcoming him back with open arms. Having three drivers means that
you have to share the track time a little more in practice in order to get
everyone up to speed but it really takes the pressure off in the race. Hot
temperatures coupled with a high speed, high grip track is physically very
demanding. The pace is going to be furious at the front but hopefully we can
go back and do just what we did in 2019.”
Mazda Motorsports ZOOM Call Video & Interview Transcript
Oliver Jarvis, Harry Tincknell, Jonathan Bomarito
Transcript Begin:
Moderator:
Harry Tincknell and Jonathan Bomarito were two-thirds of the driver lineup
that took the victory in the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen in 2019.
Obviously, an emotional victory for Mazda as it was the program's first in DPi
competition and started a run of three consecutive victories for the program
at that time in 2019. So fast forwarding now to 2021, Oliver Jarvis and Harry
are currently second in the DPi point standings, 71 points behind Ricky Taylor
and Filipe Albuquerque. Jonathan, Harry and Olly are also second in the IMSA
Michelin Endurance Cup point standings, just four points behind Ricky Taylor,
Filipe Albuquerque and Alexander Rossi. So, Jonathan, why don't we start with
you, headed to the site of some pretty happy memories. Talk a little bit about
what you're looking forward to getting back to here at Watkins Glen this week.
Jonathan Bomarito:
Yeah, sure is. It seems like forever since we've been back there, but like you
mentioned, the breakthrough victory happened there and kind of storybook
fashion going one-two with the cars. It was amazing, but Watkins Glen is just
a phenomenal race track. We had all the classes back together, racing at the
track. It's just an unbelievable facility and our cars, -- prototype cars,
cars with the higher horsepower, a lot of downforce -- they just loved that
place. And from a driver's standpoint, it's a pleasure to drive there and
looking forward to getting back in the car. I missed the last couple of races,
them being the shorter sprint race format. So that was Harry and Olly driving.
And I just can't wait to get back in the car and get back at it.
Moderator:
Let's switch out in the spotlight with Harry, kind of the same thing, going
back to Watkins Glen, certainly a pretty special place just to talk about that
and what you're looking forward to this week.
Harry Tincknell:
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, last year was, it was a big miss off the calendar. I
think everyone enjoys going there and certainly, very good memories for Mazda
Motorsports, as you said in your prelude. It was a big moment in 2019 to get
the first win for the prototype program in a long time. Obviously, were very
motivated to go back there. It's a big part of the championship now being two
races back to back. Jonathan and I are defending the six-hour race and then
the next weekend as well, obviously the WeatherTech 240 – we won that at
Daytona last year, too. So hopefully we can repeat 2019 and 2020’s successes
here on the simulators today. I’d like to flip my camera around and show you
what we’re up to, but they’re a little bit secretive about things like that.
But just driving the track again for the first time, even on the simulator you
just go, ‘wow,’ it's just incredible how much grip there is. Like Jonathan
said, in a prototype around Watkins Glen, it doesn't really get much better to
be honest. That always does shock you the first few laps – how a corner you
think is going to be third gear is fifth gear. It’s just incredible, you have
to readapt your horizons a little bit. But, we’re doing that today – we were
on it all day yesterday as well. We’ll go there as prepared as possible.
Q:
Thanks, Harry. Pleased now to be joined by Oliver Jarvis. As I look at the
championship, you and Harry are currently 71 points behind Ricky Taylor and
Filipe Albuquerque, which sounds like a bigger number than it really is, given
our current structure. And also you guys are second, pretty close in the
Michelin Endurance Cup point standings. We're kind of hitting that point in
the season where the championship really starts to come into focus for you
guys. Can you talk a little bit about, maybe what that looks like for you and
what it's going to take for you and Harry to move up that one spot.
Oliver Jarvis:
I think naturally this stage in the season, we've got an eye on the
championship, but we're also approaching each race on a race by race basis.
…We've had a very good start to the season, but I think now certainly going to
Watkins and Road America, it'd be really nice to start getting podiums but
also fighting for the wins. I think it'd be a really nice way to sort of
develop into the season if we could pick up that win early on, or at least, in
the first half of the year. Watkins was a track for us last year. It's one, I
think Harry just touched upon, we all enjoy driving. We had a very competitive
car there in, sorry, 2019. That's not to say it’ll be the same this year, but,
I think we go there with high hopes that we can finally get that win.
Q:
For, Harry or Olly, you thought that the majority of the DPi teams tested at
Watkins Glen, you guys haven't as far as I know. Do you think that might be a
little bit of a disadvantage considering the time off at the track, or are you
sort of putting the virtual sim testing to good use there with that?
Tincknell:
Yeah, I mean obviously if one team's tested over another and it's an advantage
in real life, definitely, but we've done some testing in the background
ourselves, as well, but not Watkins. So maybe in the first section or so that
will be an advantage for others, but we've done a number of days in the sim
and we’re pretty confident in our simulations, real life correlation. And,
obviously, we'd love to test as much as we could, but I have to say we're
pretty confident in that, and we’re going in pretty confident from how we were
in 2019, but lot's changed on everyone's cars, but especially ours.
…Everything that we’ve seen so far suggests we’ll be in the fight for sure.
Jarvis:
I think naturally we would prefer to have tested that, but we can't test at
every track, but we'll do all the preparation we can before we arrive. I think
it's more difficult from what I've seen from the schedule. We have just two
one-hour sessions, we're running three drivers. It's great to have JB back
with us. He brings so much to the team. I'm not sure what other teams would
do. Maybe they'll run two, but testing is quite limited. So I think it's
important that we arrive there with a good setup, which is where the
simulation plays a huge role. We'll also have a good idea of a base setup from
2019, but that's not to say stuff hasn't changed in the year or two since.
I think the great thing about DPi and IMSA is everybody's constantly making
progress. If you stand still, you fall behind. So we can't underestimate our
competition. I think already in 2019, qualifying was extremely close -- a few
hundredths, if not a few thousandths. So I expect it to be close again, the
qualifying and certainly the race much tougher than in 2019, in some respects.
We were very strong, but also we were made to look even stronger by the way
some of our competitors approach the race.
Q:
And, we know that there was a BOP adjustment for you guys ahead of this
weekend. Is that something that you're able to simulate in the simulators
specifically and how does that work in that kind of process?
Tincknell:
Yeah, we can simulate it and I think in general, IMSA can simulate everything
like that as well, so that they know what they're giving people in terms of
power, weight, but also what that should give in that time, as well. But it's
a moderate adjustment. As far as I’m aware, it’s something that we probably
should have already had before, and it just sort of calculates differently, so
I don't think it's a game changer by any stretch. I think it's all going to be
pretty honest, even compared to Detroit.
Jarvis:
Just touching on what Harry said. I did the simulation and it's almost
nothing, especially at a track like Watkins because it's very much in the
lower RPMs. … You're not often in that lower RPM.
Q:
We've seen a lot of travel challenges still in this pandemic. I know in the UK
specifically, there's very strict travel, quarantine restrictions. Have you
guys, how have you sort of juggled that in between races and I know Harry,
you've done the LMS races in addition, have you, or are you at, have you been
at home at all, Harry, or are you sort of on the go at all times And Olly, are
you at home right now?
Ticknell:
I've not really been at home. I've just been on the go. I think I'm in my
ninth hotel of this current trip tonight before the flight to America
tomorrow. So, yeah, it's interesting times … but it's been a nice time. It's
actually really good system in the UK with the elite sportsmen's exemptions
and stuff like that …
Jarvis:
Yeah, similar situation. I mean, I was fortunate enough. I've been home since
Detroit, but following all the guidelines. We're allowed to travel for work
purposes. Like Harry touched upon, it is just staying safe. …
Q:
Olly, it seems like you don't always roll off the truck quick but come
qualifying, you’re there. Any reason for that, just in terms of exploring
other setups, going from a two- to a one-car operation this year, has that had
any effect on how you attack a weekend?
Jarvis:
I think certainly Mid-Ohio we didn't roll off the truck in a window we would
have liked to have been. I thought Detroit was much better, but I think over
the years, we're very methodical in the way that we work through the sessions
and we were constantly improving the car. And I think somewhere like …
Detroit, we just got better and better throughout the weekend. And we ended up
with a very good race car. It's certainly not an intention to start the first
session off the pace. We'd much rather roll out and be the quickest car and
progress from there, but it's just the way things have played out so far this
year. Like I said, I think we made a big step in Detroit. We expected Mid-Ohio
to be a tough race. It was surprising how quick we actually ended up in
qualifying and the race itself. But again, that was fantastic work by the team
to constantly improve the car. And I think that puts us in a good position for
the rest of the year, because if we do arrive at a circuit and where we're not
where we want to be, we know we have the tools and the capability to
continually improve.
Q:
And Harry, for a lot of the DPi guys over the last couple of months, fuel
mileage and saving fuel seems to be a bit of a hot button. Is that on your
list of priorities when you're sitting in there today?
Ticknell:
Yeah, a little bit. Obviously I'm focusing on set up, mainly, but … obviously
fuel saving and managing … consumption saved versus that time lost is
absolutely vital. So for sure we know those numbers, as does everyone else,
but there's definitely a little finessing you can do with the driver to
maximize that. ...
Q:
With the sim, what is the technology in updating the racetrack and in terms of
grip levels. So we haven't been to The Glen in a couple of years. I'm not sure
if the track has got any bumpier just from the New York winter stuff like
that. Is that you essentially running as you did in 2019 with a track in the
SIM, or are there any updates there that the team puts in?
Tincknell:
… We have a lot of very clever people here who are constantly sort of helping
update that, that model and that sim, and I think we've got a situation right
now where we're pretty confident in the changes the we make on the sim and how
they correlate to real life, but for sure that the tracks do change slightly
and everything like that, but we obviously have a lot of real life data and
other things that we can do to sort of check the correlation. And then, of
course, once we get to real life, let's see the data. On Friday we'll know
even more that the facts here, the case and that correlation is pretty good.
...
Q:
Quick one for Jonathan. Great to see you back, mate, have you been in a car
since Sebring? I know you haven't tested at The Glen, but have you tested
elsewhere?
Bomarito:
Oh, these guys give me the crappy jobs and send me over to do the car shake
counts and stuff like that. So, yeah, all the grunt work for the superstars. …
No, it’s been good. I have done a couple of those, so it keeps me around the
team and engineers and just updated with any new updates to the dash and
systems and things like that. So, I've been involved on a small level still,
but I'm not in the car as much as I have been in the past. It's hard to miss
some of the races, for sure. My wife's been having to deal with me a lot more
at home, which isn't good. Watching the races on TV is a whole different
perspective that you're going through. I have the computer going, the TV
going, I’m trying to watch the timing. And I'm trying to think about what's
going on. I'm texting Olly when he's out of the car or whatever, and just it's
been a change for sure, but it's all been good. But I can't wait to get back
to the track, that's for sure.
Q:
I spoke to another DPi guy who's running full time who said they tested (at
Watkins Glen), and he said he had to go back and do extra training because
recognizing just how much grip and force around that circuit. Does that, have
you been hitting it hard to make sure you're ready to go?
Bomarito:
Yeah. I mean, I just add a little bit more padding to the headrest, so I just
rest. No, it's all good. I think, from a physical standpoint, I'm fine in the
car. And, I do a lot of work around the house here and stay fit and I'm ready
to go. I feel confident about it. We feel good about the car and I think we're
all three just kind of ready to get back to Watkins. It's such an amazing
track. It's a good track for our car. At least it has been in the past. Can't
wait, man, looking forward to it.
Q:
Harry, I believe I recall just a couple of years ago, the last time we were at
Watkins Glen, you had to hold off Montoya there in that final hour, making a
nice pass for the lead there in the boot section. Just how hard do you
remember driving in that final hour of Watkins Glen?
Tincknell:
So given everything at that point, I mean, we'd led for so, so much of the
race. I think JB and I won the award for most laps led in the season primarily
because we led pretty much that whole six-hour race. … It was an interesting
one really, because if I remember right, the safety car protocol wasn't
followed correctly. So I actually went ahead of him and then he overtook me,
and I think those rules now are much more defined in the championship. …
Q:
And then these next two races at Watkins Glen, obviously as mentioned earlier,
a big, big track for Mazda with it being their first win in DPi. And the first
1-2 finish in IMSA competition. How much has this been circled on the calendar
or how important is this race?
Tincknell:
Yeah, definitely. It is very important. And obviously two races in a row, back
to back weekends at Watkins. … If you put a fast race car down this weekend
and you're probably gonna have exactly the same next week, as well. So it's
kind of like double points up for grabs potentially. So, sure, we go in there
with more confidence. But look, it doesn't always work out the same way, that
just because you're quick at a track last year, it means that you'll be quick
as two years ago. … So we're not taking anything for granted. I think it will
be a little closer to this time round, but I definitely think we have a car to
be in the fight. The fact that we were on the front row in Detroit, which is
traditionally one of our weakest circuits, gives me a little confidence that
we're going to have a pace. But we still got to go there and prove that we can
do it, but I think everyone's excited and motivated. ...
Q:
Every time we talk to Ricky Taylor, he keeps telling us the points are closer
than they appear. I get the feeling that he's very aware of what your team can
do. Can you just talk about the championship at this point and how you guys
are in the thick of the battle.
Tincknell:
I didn't even know how many points you get for a win or what the gap was until
you guys just told us earlier, so that just shows how much sort of, we're just
focusing on race by race or suddenly I have a firm from that point of view, I
know it’s all changed this year and I couldn't even tell you how many points
it was. I just want to try and win as many races as we can. And then if we do
that and if we can't win, finish second, you can't finish second, finish
third, and so on. By the end of the championship, we're going to be in a good
position. … It's very, very competitive … , but clearly a couple of the
Cadillac teams had some bad luck or some, some instance in the start of the
season, but they've come good recently, too. So it's all still very tight, I'm
sure. … At some point, we're gonna have to start taking race wins and take the
points with them. …
Q:
Jonathan, you're a part-time driver with the team, but you can win the
Endurance Cup. So how important is that to you?
Bomarito:
Yeah, that'd be great. I mean, obviously my first goal is to contribute to the
team so we can get a championship for Harry and Olly and Mazda and Multimatic
and all the partners. But the endurance cup would be huge. I mean, it is
pretty cool that IMSA does that for teams that are just wanting to run that,
that come over and run the four biggest races in the States and for the third
drivers that we can still fight for a given championship, as well. We're still
right in the hunt for that with two races to go with Watkins and Petit and
feel good about it. I mean, we have arguably the two hardest races for us out
of the way with Daytona and Sebring. We had great podiums at both. I think we
have a good shot at that and overall championship at this point.
Q: FROM Edmund Jenks - Motorsports Journal / "... notes from The EDJE"
You're coming from a two-car team to a one-car team. And Jonathan, since
you're hopping in for the long hauls, what type of dynamic does that bring to
you in terms of just dealing with a single-team structure? Have you seen
anything different? Does it relate to the way you approach this?
Bomarito:
I mean, it's definitely a change. It's the first time the program has been a
one-car team since the start. I think they've done a very good job of taking
all the best components of that program and consolidating it into a core group
of people. Probably have even more -- definitely have more full-time employees
(on one) car now. So I think they're much stronger as far as the workload when
we're not at the track. We have more cars and resources to cycle through
because we've consolidated the program down to one car, but it's definitely a
transition. I think they've done a great job of it. And from a driver
standpoint, it almost helps a little bit because there's less people.
Everybody wants their piece of this and that. It's a little bit easier when
there's less of that going around. But I think it's worked well. That's been
definitely a change for me going into a third driver role. … The third driver
just seems to come in (and) be low-maintenance, and I'm trying to do that my
hardest and come in and just do the job, get your stints done, leave the car
in good condition for going all the way to go finish the race. But I mean, I
think it's been good. So we've still been able to develop the car and the
right processes involved, like all he was hitting on earlier. We've still been
able to make a lot of progress through sessions. It seems like, through all
the practice sessions and get to the race and not miss too much information
like we had more information from a two-car team. I think it's been OK so far,
Q: FROM Edmund Jenks - Motorsports Journal / "... notes from The EDJE"
Oliver, do you have anything to add or any reflection?
Jarvis:
No, I think JB’s touched on most stuff. … Being a one-car team, you do lack
that option of the two cars going in different directions on the setup. In the
past, we'd always have maybe slightly different setups on the car or one would
focus on, let's say front dampers, the other one would focus on a geometry
change. So you have much less options available to you to actually focus on
and get the setup right. And that's where I think this year has done an
incredible job. Just being that one-car team, it puts you on a bit more
pressure to make the right setup choices. And so far … we've improved the car
every session, I think. … Having one car means the whole team's focused on one
car and that now makes life a little bit easier. So there's pros and cons to
both, but certainly in an ideal world, I, from my personal point of view, we'd
be running two cars. We'd have JB full time, like last year. … We certainly
miss having them around. We were a really good team, got on really well. From
a personal side, it's a shame not to have them at the track every race and,
and also our third drivers who brought so much last year, as well, and in
previous seasons. I definitely miss that camaraderie, but we understand the
reasons behind it and we're making the best of the situation.
Q: FROM Edmund Jenks - Motorsports Journal / "... notes from The EDJE"
Harry, do you have any personal reflections as it relates to this?
Tincknell:
I'd say Multimatic has so many good people, talented people in the program,
and the big thing to me is that pretty much every single person as it’s gone
from two cars to one car, has stayed. We just have so much brain power and
knowledge and experience on one car rather than spread across two cars. So,
for me, that's a key factor really that while it has gone down to one car, we
haven't lost half of the brainpower. We still got very, very intelligent
engineers and guys and girls on the car, who remain pretty much there. So
that's very important from my point of view. And, great to see that JB has
used his time off from driving to really grow that beard up. So that's
fantastic for the weekend.
Q: FROM Edmund Jenks - Motorsports Journal / "... notes from The EDJE"
I guess going to a one-car team, you just have to be that much more decisive.
That's one thing about race car drivers. So when it gets down to it, what are
you going to do? You're going to be decisive.
Tincknell:
You haven't got a backup if the lead car goes wrong at the moment. So again,
massive credits to Multimatic and AAR and everyone involved on the reliability
side. The car has been super strong all year. Touch wood that that’s going to
remain the same. That was a crucial part because I think if we didn’t get
through Daytona and Sebring, we wouldn't have a chance for the championship.
So that's obviously great. And we just continue on with the same focus.
ENDS
|
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Oliver Jarvis, Harry Tincknell, & Jonathan Bomarito seek to
secure a full season championship with a good turn over these next
two weekends at The Glen ... at the very least, an IMSA Michelin
Endurance Cup DPi Drivers Championship for themselves and
their third driver. Image Credit: Mazda Motorsports via Twitter (posted 2021)
|
Larry Holt, Executive Vice President – Multimatic Special Vehicle
Operations, said: “Lots of pressure this weekend going back to where the
RT24-P winning started. I race engineered the #55 car to the win back
in ’19 and it remains a personal highlight for me. We should be good
again on the return, some of our competitors have been testing there but I’m
confident in our simulator work this week, and correlation is strong, so no
stress. The BoP is pretty equitable so, once again, there should be
some close racing throughout the whole six hours. We have JB back and
that gives us the strongest driver line-up in the field; all we have to do
now is execute!!”
The Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen gets underway on Sunday 27 June at 10:40
EDT / 15:40 BST. The WeatherTech 24 at the Glen is on Friday 2 July at 18:10
EDT / 23:10 BST.
[ht: Multimatic Communications & IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar
Championship]
TAGS:
MAZDA DPi, Multimatic, Oliver Jarvis, Harry Tincknell, Jonathan Bomarito,
Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, Watkins Glen, Six Hours, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, The EDJE
