Mazda RT24-P

Mazda RT24-P Overview

Multimatic’s winning relationship with Mazda began in 2004 at the inception of the RX8 GT racing era, but the seeds of the Japanese manufacturer’s DPi programme were sown back in 2012 when Multimatic acquired the brand, assets, intellectual property and, most importantly, the technical experts of Lola Cars when the British firm went into administration.

This included the Lola LMP2 project, which Mazda had already committed to. Multimatic then undertook the design and build of the SkyActiv Diesel Lola Mazdas, working with partners such as Xtrac – a strong relationship that continues to this day. After two seasons of racing, the Mazda LMP2 programme shifted to using a 4-cylinder SkyActiv petrol engine, developed by AER, with the installation undertaken by Multimatic.

In 2016 the decision was taken to create a Mazda DPi car in readiness for the 2017 IMSA season. Designed and built by a partnership between Multimatic and Riley Technologies, the RT24 was initially run by Speedsource but it soon became apparent that the car suffered some deficiencies so Multimatic went back to the drawing board, redeveloping the car into the competitive package that exists today. The team became Mazda Team Joest for the start of the 2018 season, with ever-increasing engineering support from Multimatic.

In the summer of 2019, the Mazda RT24-P took its first victory. That win at Watkins Glen was followed up with victories at Mosport and Road America, claiming an incredible hat trick that became known as the “Mazda Summer”.

Multimatic took the helm of the entire programme in 2020, just as the Covid-19 pandemic hit. In a time when travel and logistics became incredibly difficult, the team set up a new shop in Mooresville, NC, and steered Mazda to a dominant 1-2 result at the first race back after the global lockdown. They finished the season by taking outright victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring, adding Mazda’s name to the Roll of Honour at one of the world’s toughest race tracks.

The Mazda RT24-P ran in the top class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from 2017-2021, winning at Petit Le Mans, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Mosport, Road America and Daytona.