It’s January, and that means it’s time for Daytona! IMSA teams will be converging on Daytona this weekend for the annual Roar Before the 24 test. We’ve been thinking about Daytona ever since we left Petit LeMans at Road Atlanta in October: that’s how focused the SpeedSource Mazda team has been on this program.

The team hasn’t missed a beat, and we have been counting down to Daytona with testing and prepping the Mazda SKYACTIV Diesel prototypes in the shop. On a personal level, I’ve been really focused on all the updates to the car from the driver’s perspective, and I’ve been training in the two-month offseason.

The Mazda has shown a whole lot of potential in the testing we’ve already done, and I know everyone on the team is excited to see the improvements against the competition when we get to Daytona. Because it’s a 24-hour race, the primary focus is not just on pace but also on reliability, so that will be an integral part of how we measure our success.

You can follow us this weekend on IMSA.com’s live timing and keep an eye on my Twitter feed for updates and pics. I look forward to sharing more details after we wrap up the test!