Mazda Motorsports Boss John Doonan Is IMSA's New President
Veteran Mazda Motorsports boss John Doonan will leave his post with the Japanese manufacturer’s North American arm to become IMSA’s new president. He follows Scott Atherton, who held the post since IMSA’s return in 2014.
The Chicago native (pictured right, with Mazda driver Oliver Jarvis) takes over the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Michelin Pilot Challenge series, and all of the training and development categories that form IMSA’s wide motor racing footprint.
"John is a fantastic choice to become our next president, to build upon the momentum of our just completed 50th anniversary season and take our sport to the next level," said IMSA CEO Ed Bennett, who is expected to rely on Doonan’s management of the sanctioning body while he concentrates on major initiatives related to IMSA’s owner, NASCAR.
"He is respected, well known in our paddock, and brings a strong passion for motorsport that will greatly benefit everyone involved."
Doonan takes over a series in transition. Parting ways with Atherton, who is set to retire, cuts the final leadership tie to the former American Le Mans Series. Under Atherton’s leadership in 2012, he and Bennett brought the ALMS and NASCAR's Grand-Am Rolex Series together under one IMSA-badged roof. In Doonan, NASCAR steps forward with the first IMSA president with no links to the merger.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime and dream opportunity after attending IMSA races since I was young boy," Doonan said. "I am very humbled and truly honored to have the opportunity to join the IMSA team and I’m really looking forward to making a positive impact for our sport, our partners and our industry."
Having joined Mazda in 2003, Doonan’s role in its motorsports hierarchy grew until he was given the reins in 2011. The brand’s marquee program, fielded under the Mazda Team Joest banner in IMSA’s Daytona Prototype international category, scored three wins in 2019. Along with its DPi program, its Global Mx-5 Cup series, and numerous grassroots initiatives, Mazda will need to identify a new motorsports director in a timely manner.
The Roar Before The 24—IMSA’s precursor to January’s season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona race—where the Mazda RT24-P DPis will hit the track, arrives in less than three months.
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