Mazda Prototype Team Fights to Earn Strong Finish - Speedway Digest

Despite early setbacks, the Mazda Prototype team earned a fifth-place finish in the Prototype class in today’s Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. The No. 55 Soul Red Mazda RT24-P, with drivers Jonathan Bomarito, Spencer Pigot and Tristan Nunez, soldiered on to finish the 12-hour race 29th overall but fifth among all Prototypes. The team car, the No. 70 Mazda, with Joel Miller, Tom Long and Marino Franchitti driving, overcame a crash early in the race, made repairs and returned, only to find a cracked suspension piece that put them out of the race. The No. 70 team finished 8th in the Prototype class.

The race started on a low note, as Jonathan Bomarito suffered a flat left-rear tire on lap two. After repairs, he returned to the race one lap down. Bomarito fought back to the lead lap, and handed the car to Pigot, who climbed to fourth place overall before a coolant leak forced the 55 team to the garage with eight hours remaining. After lengthy repairs, they returned to complete the 12 hour grind.

In the No. 70 car, Joel Miller suffered a right-rear brake failure approximately 60 minutes into the race. The trouble sent Miller into a tire barrier at the end of the longest straightaway. Despite the scary looking crash, Miller was uninjured and the car suffered mostly cosmetic damage. The crew made repairs and the car returned to action 90 minutes later. With four hours remaining, the team discovered a broken suspension piece, likely a result of the earlier crash.

The next race is April 8 at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.