Mazda factory driver Tristan Nunez gave Mazda Motorsports its first front-row starting position in the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship Saturday, qualifying the #55 Mazda Prototype just 0.167 seconds behind the pole-winning #2 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ligier driven by Johannes Van Overbeek.
Nunez, who teamed up with co-driver Jonathan Bomarito to bring Mazda Motorsports its first podium finish in the series at the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic on June 4, was fast early in the qualifying session, but then had to pit to let the team fix a minor electrical glitch. After a short stop Nunez re-entered the track and laid down a series of increasingly fast laps, advancing from fourth to third and finally to second with a lap of 1:35.374 at 128.3 mph.
Team mate Tom Long qualified fifth in the #70 sister car with a lap of 1:36.329.
The two Mazdas are sporting throwback livery for Sunday’s six-hour race around Watkin’s Glen. The #55 is painted green, orange, and silver in honor of the marque’s 1991 win at Le Mans with the 787B rotary prototype. The #70 bears an identical pattern but in red, silver, and grey, expressing Mazda Motorsports’ current and future palette.
