Mazda has confirmed a two-car Daytona Prototype international (DPi) program and unveiled its new race car, which will compete full-time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Prototype class beginning in 2017.

“This new DPi race car reaffirms Mazda’s longstanding commitment to IMSA and the WeatherTech Championship,” said IMSA President Scott Atherton. “This first public unveiling of a DPi is the culmination of several months of collaboration between Mazda, the Riley/Multimatic partnership and IMSA. We eagerly anticipate its competition debut in the Rolex 24 At Daytona this coming January.”

The new DPi car – dubbed the “Mazda RT24-P” in a nod to the manufacturer’s successful “Mazda Road to 24” driver development program – will use the Mazda MZ-2.0T four-cylinder, turbocharged engine producing approximately 600 horsepower and a Riley/Multimatic prototype chassis with specially designed Mazda bodywork. The bodywork utilizes Mazda’s KODO-Soul of Motion design philosophy and will include elements such as body contours and a five-point Mazda grille.

"We considered the two main parameters of designing a successful race car for this series: aerodynamic performance and the new-for-2017 technical regulations. Working with Multimatic’s aerodynamicist and engineers, we discovered that applying the KODO design philosophy to the surfaces and the silhouette of the car enabled us to create a dynamic, purposeful-looking design and a very aerodynamically efficient one," said senior manager of Design at Mazda Design Americas Ken Saward.

The South Florida-based SpeedSource Race Engineering will manage the two-car program on behalf of Mazda Motorsports. The pair of Mazda RT24-P race cars will be driven by Jonathan Bomarito, Tristan Nunez, Tom Long and Joel Miller.

Mazda’s new DPi program is the next chapter in a lengthy history of prototype racing in IMSA. The manufacturer has fielded a two-car, factory-supported team since the inception of the WeatherTech Championship after previously supporting prototype and GT race cars in both the American Le Mans Series and GRAND-AM. Most recently, the manufacturer utilized a Lola LM P2 chassis and four-cylinder, turbocharged engine in the WeatherTech Championship.

The team will begin on-track testing later this month in preparation for the 2017 WeatherTech Championship season, which begins on January 28-29 with the 55th Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Mazda joins Nissan as confirmed DPi manufacturers for IMSA’s top Prototype class, which also will include international LM P2 prototype chassis from Riley/Multimatic, Ligier, ORECA and Dallara, powered by single-specification Gibson V8 engines.