Sebring Notebook – Jarvis Aims for Endurance Grand Slam

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In: Racing News
By Jeff Olson and Mark Robinson
IMSA Wire Service
 
SEBRING, Fla. – Until a few days ago, Oliver Jarvis didn’t know he was on the verge of history. Now he does.
 
If he wins Saturday’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts, Jarvis will complete a grand slam of endurance races in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
 
He learned of the potential record during an interview.
 
 
Last year, Jarvis won the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International with Mazda teammates Harry Tincknell and Jonathan Bomarito. The three drivers then combined to win the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the final IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup race of the 2021.
 
In January, after joining Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian, Jarvis teamed with Tom Blomqvist, Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud to win the Rolex 24 At Daytona. A victory Saturday at Sebring International Raceway with Blomqvist and Stoffel Vandoorne in the No. 60 would be a fourth consecutive for Jarvis in IMSA endurance races.
 
That’s something that hasn’t happened since 1998, when Petit Le Mans was debuted as a fourth endurance race.
 
“I don’t really pay attention to stuff like that,” Jarvis said. “Obviously, I know we had the wins last year and that we won Daytona, but I actually hadn’t put it together that if we were to win Sebring, it would be a streak of all four endurance races.”
 
Three other drivers – Mauro Baldi, Didier Theys and Giampiero Moretti – came close to an endurance grand slam. In 1998, they won Daytona, Sebring and Watkins Glen but missed winning Petit Le Mans.
 
Nine others – Ed Brown, Pipo Derani, Scott Sharp, Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor, Renger van der Zande, Johannes van Overbeek, Tincknell and Bomarito – have won two endurance races in succession since 1998.
 
“It’s very cool, I have to say,” Jarvis said. “The only way you could add to it is to win Le Mans. You’d tick off the biggest endurance races in the world within a year.”
 
Not bad for something he didn’t know until recently.
 
“Something like this is just the icing on top,” Jarvis said. “I don’t pay too much attention to it, but I guess it’s the equivalent of the grand slam in tennis. … If I could win four in a row, it would be pretty special.”
 
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