Crunch time for a motorsport underachiever
Even bringing in the team that took Audi to Le Mans dominance couldn't make Mazda a winner in IMSA in 2018. A massive winter effort has gone into putting things right, and this week's Daytona 24 Hours is the first big test
Mazda is the big underachiever in the IMSA SportsCar Championship prototype ranks. It's still seeking an elusive first outright victory, something that legendary sportscar team Joest Racing couldn't put right in 2018.
That explains a second major revamp of the long-running programme in two years ahead of the 2019 season, which kicks off this weekend with the Rolex-sponsored Daytona 24 Hours - where Mazda secured pole on Thursday.
Nine things to look out for at the 2021 Daytona 24 Hours
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-hitter 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
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 Autosport to pour over its previous 67 races and select the best
When Porsche became a giant-killer
In the first of a new series celebrating underdog achievements from the annals of motorsport history, we revisit the 2015 Petit Le Mans - where a tyre advantage in appallingly wet conditions helped the GT cars overcome the prototypes
Why one car was "too fast for everyone" at Daytona
Cadillac's 100% streak of Daytona 24 Hours DPi-based victories was extended last weekend, with the Wayne Taylor Racing squad triumphant. But the manner of that victory was the real story of the first major sportscar race of 2020
The Daytona 24 Hours run that might be about to end
Cadillac teams remain unbeaten in the Daytona 24 Hours since the IMSA SportsCar Championship's current era began, but they are likely to have their work cut out this weekend in the face of an opposition that is better prepared than ever
The six-year wait for a revolutionary icon
The new, mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette may be considered sacriligious by some, but for those chiefed with producing the C8.R racing variant, six years of anticipation will end this weekend when the car makes its debut at the Daytona 24 Hours
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| Series | IMSA |
| Author | Gary Watkins |