Check out this interview with President of the A.C.O., Pierre Fillon.
http://sportscar365.com/wec/lemans/fillon-the-spirit-of-the-alms-lives-on-in-tusc/
Friday, January 31, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
How Porsche Does A Pit Stop
Check out this short video on motorsport.com called, The Art of The Pit Stop By Porsche. Cool.
http://www.motorsport.com/wec/video/main-gallery/the-art-of-the-pit-stop-by-porsche/
http://www.motorsport.com/wec/video/main-gallery/the-art-of-the-pit-stop-by-porsche/
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Atlantic Racing and the Wolf GB08 in the Asian Le Mans Series
Wolf Racing Cars has found a distributor for their Wolf GB08 prototype racer that is set to be campaigned in the Asian Le Mans Series by privateer teams.
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/29/atlantic-racing-and-the-wolf-gb08-in-the-asian-le-mans-series/
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/29/atlantic-racing-and-the-wolf-gb08-in-the-asian-le-mans-series/
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Corvette Racing to provide customer programs with the C7.R
Corvette Racing will not only field their factory cars, but also provide more cars to customer teams.
http://www.motorsport.com/tusc/news/corvette-racing-to-provide-customer-programs-with-the-c7-r/
http://www.motorsport.com/tusc/news/corvette-racing-to-provide-customer-programs-with-the-c7-r/
Monday, January 27, 2014
Action Express Racing wins Rolex 24 at Daytona
Here is the summary of the Rolex 24 for Planet Le Mans. Check it out.
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/27/action-express-racing-wins-rolex-24-at-daytona/
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/27/action-express-racing-wins-rolex-24-at-daytona/
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Level 5 Awarded Victory After Penalty Overturned
OK. So, Level 5's protest filed after the race, turned out in a victory for them in GT Daytona, relegating the Flying Lizard Audi R8 LMS to second in class. Whoa. The new winning drivers then, for Level 5 Motorsports are Townsend Bell, Bill Sweedler, Scott Tucker, Jeff Segal, and Guy Cosmo.
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/level-5-awarded-victory-after-penalty-overturned/
The result changes:
GTD: #555 Bell/Sweedler/Tucker/Segal/Cosmo Ferrari 458 Italia.
So, this officially concludes coverage of the 52nd Rolex 24 at Daytona. Next stop, Sebring, in seven weeks time.
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/level-5-awarded-victory-after-penalty-overturned/
The result changes:
GTD: #555 Bell/Sweedler/Tucker/Segal/Cosmo Ferrari 458 Italia.
So, this officially concludes coverage of the 52nd Rolex 24 at Daytona. Next stop, Sebring, in seven weeks time.
Rolex 24: Hour 24 (the finish)
Everyone wants to see the finish. This is going to get very interesting, folks. The crews are the heartbeat of this race. They keep the healthy cars running and the damaged ones repaired. They wait, tired, and thankless, in mind numbing repetition. Each crew member knows who they are. It is fair to say that there are no more routine pit stops. Who will win the 52nd Rolex 24? Take your hats off to the pit crews with the short fuel windows. All zeros in the hours to go column. 58 minutes and counting.
Barbosa and Angelelli are on the same fuel strategy. Action Express might be at an advantage. The transmission issues are apparently, gone. The #33 GT Daytona class Viper, is traffic, that is passed easily. Sharing that car are drivers Jeroen Bleekemolen, Sebastien Bleekemolen, Emmanuel Collard, and Ben Keating. Now, Colin Braun, Jon Bennett and company lead Prototype Challenge by a lap over Tom Kimber-Smith. Patrick Pilet continues to lead GT LM. Porsche hasn't said a word about their fuel economy. But, odds are he might not make it.
BMW doesn't have the straightaway speed to match the Porsche. In GT Daytona, Level 5's Ferrari continues to lead with Alessandro Pier Guidi at the controls. They will need one more stop. Spencer Pumpelly in the Flying Lizard Audi is still going for it. The #33 Viper pits and so does the #51 Spirit of Race Ferrari 458 Italia in GT Daytona. Marco Cioci, shares with Matt Griffin, Michele Rugolo, and Jack Gerber. All four of them are veterans of Ferrari GT cars, and 24 hour races, in Europe.
Alessandro Pier Guidi has pitted. Markus Winkelhock takes over the Flying Lizard Audi R8. Just under 53 minutes left in this race. Markus Winkelhock comes from a racing family, and he holds the distinction of racing one Formula One and going from last to first. He was put on intermediate tires, starts last, goes to first, and has a half a minute lead. The race was stopped. Then he's on pole, and Markus Winkelhock's motor blew up and he was out.
That is a wild way to run your one and only F1 race. Winkelhock comes from a racing family. Scott Dixon is in the pits. They are going to the center of the tub of the car. This car is only committed to the North American Endurance Cup. Could they run the full schedule, though? Marino Franchitti could run the full season. We don't know. But for now, they are going behind the wall. One of the Viper's pits. The #55 BMW Z4 GTE is pitting. Max Angelelli is now in the #10 car, and he's cut eight seconds out of Joao Barbosa's lead.
Joey Hand is in the BMW. Can he catch up to Patrick Pilet? Will he force Porsche's hand? The gap for the lead is now 10.2 seconds. A lot of it is about where you catch traffic. Action Express wants their second win in five years at the Rolex 24. The plot thickens. The clock continues to run down. Joao Barbosa still leads. The fuel window is coming up in just over a minute. At the 30 minute mark, you can't do the lap down wave around. Will the race be on the track?
If it is, the Porsche is faster on speed than the BMW. The Z4 has drag produced by it's big rear wing on the straight. The Porsche might have a better top end. Now, #5 and #10 are pitting for fuel. You could get caught by a safety car staying out. This is fuel only. Watch the in and out laps. Velocity and Angelelli have the same game plan. #5 is slightly quicker on it's fuel stop.
Angelelli can see Barbosa now. Both of these guys have won this race before. A car is off the road. One of the Team Seattle Alex Job Porsche's. Now, the #9 Action Express Corvette also pits. Joey Hand is able to hold off Patrick Pilet. Hand is on the tail end of the lead lap. The gap is 13 seconds between Action Express and Velocity. Angelelli has more to do. Porsche might still have to stop. They are at risk of their lead gap going away.
It's a fuel mileage chess game in GT LM. Sometimes in endurance racing, you simply run out of time. Action Express is running solidly. You can't get held up in traffic with this short time to go. Barbosa puts another second on Max Angelelli. The lap times are not clear. They are 1:41, 1:42 laps. In clear air, the times are two seconds quicker at least at 1:39/1:40. Ferrari still leads GT Daytona with Alessandro Pier Guidi a lap up on Markus Winkelhock in the Audi R8.
Correction. Markus Winkelhock is second to Pier Guidi, by only 13.1 seconds. The gap is the same between the prototypes and the GT Daytona cars. The skies darken and the clouds thicken. But no rain expected. Can Joao Barbosa hold on? This will be the second win for Action Express. It was the #9 car in 2010 with a Porsche V8 powered Riley chassis. But, this time, it will likely be the #5 car.
Colin Braun leads Prototype Challenge and is eighth in the overall. Braun will get a splash and dash. Fox Sports' Calvin Fish called that. 681 laps, 2,424 miles have been run. Tom Kimber-Smith is likely to be called in by his team to pit one final time. Alessandro Pier Guidi continues to hold the GT Daytona lead with the Ferrari. This is a new car and a new category for this team at Level 5. The last time the car stopped was a while ago.
Lets hope they make it on fuel. The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, will become the Rolex 24 Minutes of Daytona, very soon. The #911 Porsche pits for a splash and dash. No tires. Hit your marks. Joey Hand can close the gap. Uh oh. Leh Keen crashes the WeatherTech Porsche and there's a full course yellow! Whoa! Didn't see this one coming, blokes. Keen has crunched the front of the car and has busted a tire. Flat left front.
Leh Keen was coming out of the pits and he overcooked the corner and couldn't get it stopped. He was off on the pit lane exit road, without hitting the wall. Pushing too hard, perhaps? The tire was flat. Maybe it was brake lockup. He was lockued up, but couldn't stop the car. Maybe the throttle was stuck. He was on full acceleration and the rear was digging in.
Hitting the gas pedal didn't stop the wreck. He was still driving. The throttle hung open just a bit, but it wasn't wide open which would have been a lot worse. This is the sixteenth yellow flag with just seventeen minutes remaining. The wave by is happening under an expedited yellow flag, with fifteen minutes to go. This is going to be a stormer of a finish. Stand by for it. This blogger is excited.
This race will end at ten after the hour. It's the dash for the watch, speaking of time. 1:10 P.M. Central time. 2:10 P.M. Eastern time. It's Max Angelelli vs. Joao Barbosa. This has turned from an endurance race, to a sprint. Here we go. Prototype Challenge has breathing room. No one else does. Klaus Graf is a lapped car between Barbosa and Angelelli. Safety car stays on track. Green flag next time by.
Guy Cosmo, in the second Level 5 Ferrari, is right behind Markus Winkelhock. Wow. This is going to be some clincher to the Rolex. Joey Hand is in with a shout. The safety car pulls away and pulls off. Go! Barbosa runs out of the Bus Stop. Advantage Barbosa. Angelelli can see Barbosa. No traffic for some time. It'll be mano e mano. Max "The Axe" got his name because he's demonic on the brakes. Which car comes to life first?
Seven minutes left. Through Nascar turn two, down the back straight. It's a Chevrolet 1-2-3. Barbosa stretches his lead. Look at this. Ferrari vs. Audi for GT Daytona. Markus Winkelhock gets hip checked by the Ferrari. Something could be broken on the Audi. Right rear tire is down. He got robbed! It's towed in. There's a camber problem. Fortunes of war. The steering is out. There's nothing you can do, Markus. Barbosa is growing his lead.
There's no walking wounded in this race. Joey Hand is now coming on like gangbusters. He's coming towards the factory Porsche. Can he get close to Patrick Pilet? He has to get by the Corvette, and does. Hand wants a win and hasn't won since Sebring 2012. Just over three minutes to go. Oh! He's right up to the wall! There's dust in the chicane. White flag this time by. He won't have enough to beat the Porsche. Action Express will get book end trophies at the Rolex in four years.
Now, Winkelhock is back in the lead in GT Daytona. One more lap for Joao Barbosa and Action Express. They will win the Rolex 24 for the second time! Winkelhock gets passed by the Ferrari. Last lap. Level 5 almost overcooks it. Winkelhock has a wounded bird. Can he catch the Ferrari? They're wheel to wheel! At the kink, the Audi doesn't get it. He got shoved off. That was just racing. Through Nascar three and four, Joao Barbosa and his team mates, win the Rolex 24!
Level 5 wins GT Daytona and gives Ferrari the first win for them at Daytona since 1998. Porsche North America win GT Le Mans and Core Autosport. Now, Pier Guidi will get a time penalty for avoidable contact. I don't know. Will they be the winners? They didn't touch at all. Well, that was the incident that sparked the call, according to the stewards.
They didn't touch. How can you call it if they don't touch? Well, the Lizards won! But, more importantly, here's the list of the winners.
Overall/Prototype: #5 Barbosa/Fittipaldi.Bourdais/Friselle Chevrolet Corvette Prototype
Prototype
Challenge: #54 Braun/Bennett/Gue/Wilkins Oreca FLM 09 Chevrolet
GT LM: #911 Lietz/Tandy/Pilet Porsche 911 RSR
GTD: #45 Canache/Pumpelly/Pappas/Winkelhock Audi R8 LMS
Barbosa gets his second win. Christian Fittipaldi gets his second win in a decade in the overall at the Rolex. Sebastien Bourdais gets his first Rolex 24 win. With Porsche's GT LM win, they get their 76th class win at the Rolex 24. Richard Lietz gets his second Rolex 24 win. Audi is the winner in GT Daytona with Nelson Canache, Spencer Pumpelly, Tim Pappas, and Markus Winkelhock in the Flying Lizard Audi R8 LMS. Canache wins two in a row, having won the old GX class last year in a Porsche Cayman.
Level 5 did not win, but they should still be given some credit. This was a great debut race for the championship. All our winners, with the exception of GTD get full points for the North American Endurance Cup, with the next race being another legendary one. It's the 12 Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway in March. It's seven weeks away. We're in for an awesome season. Our thoughts are with Matteo Malucelli and Memo Gidley as they recover. This one is in the books.
We'll see you from the orange groves and the weather worn concrete runways at Sebring, in a little less than two months. Take care. So long, everyone.
Barbosa and Angelelli are on the same fuel strategy. Action Express might be at an advantage. The transmission issues are apparently, gone. The #33 GT Daytona class Viper, is traffic, that is passed easily. Sharing that car are drivers Jeroen Bleekemolen, Sebastien Bleekemolen, Emmanuel Collard, and Ben Keating. Now, Colin Braun, Jon Bennett and company lead Prototype Challenge by a lap over Tom Kimber-Smith. Patrick Pilet continues to lead GT LM. Porsche hasn't said a word about their fuel economy. But, odds are he might not make it.
BMW doesn't have the straightaway speed to match the Porsche. In GT Daytona, Level 5's Ferrari continues to lead with Alessandro Pier Guidi at the controls. They will need one more stop. Spencer Pumpelly in the Flying Lizard Audi is still going for it. The #33 Viper pits and so does the #51 Spirit of Race Ferrari 458 Italia in GT Daytona. Marco Cioci, shares with Matt Griffin, Michele Rugolo, and Jack Gerber. All four of them are veterans of Ferrari GT cars, and 24 hour races, in Europe.
Alessandro Pier Guidi has pitted. Markus Winkelhock takes over the Flying Lizard Audi R8. Just under 53 minutes left in this race. Markus Winkelhock comes from a racing family, and he holds the distinction of racing one Formula One and going from last to first. He was put on intermediate tires, starts last, goes to first, and has a half a minute lead. The race was stopped. Then he's on pole, and Markus Winkelhock's motor blew up and he was out.
That is a wild way to run your one and only F1 race. Winkelhock comes from a racing family. Scott Dixon is in the pits. They are going to the center of the tub of the car. This car is only committed to the North American Endurance Cup. Could they run the full schedule, though? Marino Franchitti could run the full season. We don't know. But for now, they are going behind the wall. One of the Viper's pits. The #55 BMW Z4 GTE is pitting. Max Angelelli is now in the #10 car, and he's cut eight seconds out of Joao Barbosa's lead.
Joey Hand is in the BMW. Can he catch up to Patrick Pilet? Will he force Porsche's hand? The gap for the lead is now 10.2 seconds. A lot of it is about where you catch traffic. Action Express wants their second win in five years at the Rolex 24. The plot thickens. The clock continues to run down. Joao Barbosa still leads. The fuel window is coming up in just over a minute. At the 30 minute mark, you can't do the lap down wave around. Will the race be on the track?
If it is, the Porsche is faster on speed than the BMW. The Z4 has drag produced by it's big rear wing on the straight. The Porsche might have a better top end. Now, #5 and #10 are pitting for fuel. You could get caught by a safety car staying out. This is fuel only. Watch the in and out laps. Velocity and Angelelli have the same game plan. #5 is slightly quicker on it's fuel stop.
Angelelli can see Barbosa now. Both of these guys have won this race before. A car is off the road. One of the Team Seattle Alex Job Porsche's. Now, the #9 Action Express Corvette also pits. Joey Hand is able to hold off Patrick Pilet. Hand is on the tail end of the lead lap. The gap is 13 seconds between Action Express and Velocity. Angelelli has more to do. Porsche might still have to stop. They are at risk of their lead gap going away.
It's a fuel mileage chess game in GT LM. Sometimes in endurance racing, you simply run out of time. Action Express is running solidly. You can't get held up in traffic with this short time to go. Barbosa puts another second on Max Angelelli. The lap times are not clear. They are 1:41, 1:42 laps. In clear air, the times are two seconds quicker at least at 1:39/1:40. Ferrari still leads GT Daytona with Alessandro Pier Guidi a lap up on Markus Winkelhock in the Audi R8.
Correction. Markus Winkelhock is second to Pier Guidi, by only 13.1 seconds. The gap is the same between the prototypes and the GT Daytona cars. The skies darken and the clouds thicken. But no rain expected. Can Joao Barbosa hold on? This will be the second win for Action Express. It was the #9 car in 2010 with a Porsche V8 powered Riley chassis. But, this time, it will likely be the #5 car.
Colin Braun leads Prototype Challenge and is eighth in the overall. Braun will get a splash and dash. Fox Sports' Calvin Fish called that. 681 laps, 2,424 miles have been run. Tom Kimber-Smith is likely to be called in by his team to pit one final time. Alessandro Pier Guidi continues to hold the GT Daytona lead with the Ferrari. This is a new car and a new category for this team at Level 5. The last time the car stopped was a while ago.
Lets hope they make it on fuel. The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, will become the Rolex 24 Minutes of Daytona, very soon. The #911 Porsche pits for a splash and dash. No tires. Hit your marks. Joey Hand can close the gap. Uh oh. Leh Keen crashes the WeatherTech Porsche and there's a full course yellow! Whoa! Didn't see this one coming, blokes. Keen has crunched the front of the car and has busted a tire. Flat left front.
Leh Keen was coming out of the pits and he overcooked the corner and couldn't get it stopped. He was off on the pit lane exit road, without hitting the wall. Pushing too hard, perhaps? The tire was flat. Maybe it was brake lockup. He was lockued up, but couldn't stop the car. Maybe the throttle was stuck. He was on full acceleration and the rear was digging in.
Hitting the gas pedal didn't stop the wreck. He was still driving. The throttle hung open just a bit, but it wasn't wide open which would have been a lot worse. This is the sixteenth yellow flag with just seventeen minutes remaining. The wave by is happening under an expedited yellow flag, with fifteen minutes to go. This is going to be a stormer of a finish. Stand by for it. This blogger is excited.
This race will end at ten after the hour. It's the dash for the watch, speaking of time. 1:10 P.M. Central time. 2:10 P.M. Eastern time. It's Max Angelelli vs. Joao Barbosa. This has turned from an endurance race, to a sprint. Here we go. Prototype Challenge has breathing room. No one else does. Klaus Graf is a lapped car between Barbosa and Angelelli. Safety car stays on track. Green flag next time by.
Guy Cosmo, in the second Level 5 Ferrari, is right behind Markus Winkelhock. Wow. This is going to be some clincher to the Rolex. Joey Hand is in with a shout. The safety car pulls away and pulls off. Go! Barbosa runs out of the Bus Stop. Advantage Barbosa. Angelelli can see Barbosa. No traffic for some time. It'll be mano e mano. Max "The Axe" got his name because he's demonic on the brakes. Which car comes to life first?
Seven minutes left. Through Nascar turn two, down the back straight. It's a Chevrolet 1-2-3. Barbosa stretches his lead. Look at this. Ferrari vs. Audi for GT Daytona. Markus Winkelhock gets hip checked by the Ferrari. Something could be broken on the Audi. Right rear tire is down. He got robbed! It's towed in. There's a camber problem. Fortunes of war. The steering is out. There's nothing you can do, Markus. Barbosa is growing his lead.
There's no walking wounded in this race. Joey Hand is now coming on like gangbusters. He's coming towards the factory Porsche. Can he get close to Patrick Pilet? He has to get by the Corvette, and does. Hand wants a win and hasn't won since Sebring 2012. Just over three minutes to go. Oh! He's right up to the wall! There's dust in the chicane. White flag this time by. He won't have enough to beat the Porsche. Action Express will get book end trophies at the Rolex in four years.
Now, Winkelhock is back in the lead in GT Daytona. One more lap for Joao Barbosa and Action Express. They will win the Rolex 24 for the second time! Winkelhock gets passed by the Ferrari. Last lap. Level 5 almost overcooks it. Winkelhock has a wounded bird. Can he catch the Ferrari? They're wheel to wheel! At the kink, the Audi doesn't get it. He got shoved off. That was just racing. Through Nascar three and four, Joao Barbosa and his team mates, win the Rolex 24!
Level 5 wins GT Daytona and gives Ferrari the first win for them at Daytona since 1998. Porsche North America win GT Le Mans and Core Autosport. Now, Pier Guidi will get a time penalty for avoidable contact. I don't know. Will they be the winners? They didn't touch at all. Well, that was the incident that sparked the call, according to the stewards.
They didn't touch. How can you call it if they don't touch? Well, the Lizards won! But, more importantly, here's the list of the winners.
Overall/Prototype: #5 Barbosa/Fittipaldi.Bourdais/Friselle Chevrolet Corvette Prototype
Prototype
Challenge: #54 Braun/Bennett/Gue/Wilkins Oreca FLM 09 Chevrolet
GT LM: #911 Lietz/Tandy/Pilet Porsche 911 RSR
GTD: #45 Canache/Pumpelly/Pappas/Winkelhock Audi R8 LMS
Barbosa gets his second win. Christian Fittipaldi gets his second win in a decade in the overall at the Rolex. Sebastien Bourdais gets his first Rolex 24 win. With Porsche's GT LM win, they get their 76th class win at the Rolex 24. Richard Lietz gets his second Rolex 24 win. Audi is the winner in GT Daytona with Nelson Canache, Spencer Pumpelly, Tim Pappas, and Markus Winkelhock in the Flying Lizard Audi R8 LMS. Canache wins two in a row, having won the old GX class last year in a Porsche Cayman.
Level 5 did not win, but they should still be given some credit. This was a great debut race for the championship. All our winners, with the exception of GTD get full points for the North American Endurance Cup, with the next race being another legendary one. It's the 12 Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway in March. It's seven weeks away. We're in for an awesome season. Our thoughts are with Matteo Malucelli and Memo Gidley as they recover. This one is in the books.
We'll see you from the orange groves and the weather worn concrete runways at Sebring, in a little less than two months. Take care. So long, everyone.
Rolex 24: Hour 23
Just an hour and 57 minutes left now. The fresh drivers will be put in for the finish. Porsche plays offense, blocking a move from their competitors at BMW in GT LM. Ferrari celebrates the 50th anniversary of the winning Ferrari GTO. It's Ferrari's 60th anniversary, and also, the 50th anniversary of Momo, created by the late, great Gianpiero Moretti, who won this race with a Ferrari 333SP back in 1998. Interestingly, Ferrari might come back to Le Mans with a prototype that could win overall, sometime in the not too distant future.
We'll have to see how that develops, or if it does. We anticipated going back to green. But, the #93 Viper with Rob Bell at the controls, is stalled. We're ready for a restart. Sebastien Bourdais leads. We've run 637 laps (2,267 miles). It's go time. Taylor has to pressure Sebastien Bourdais. He's comfortable with the car, and is in the zone. He doesn't have to worry too much. He can just drive the race car. Wayne Taylor along with Jordan and Ricky Taylor, would be only the second father/son team to win the Rolex 24. John Paul Sr. and John Paul Jr. did it in a Porsche 935 in 1982 along with Rolf Stommelen.
There was a close call with Patrick Dempsey and one other car. We watch the #555 Ferrari. Alessandro Pier Guidi, who is a silver rated driver, and he's run the fastest lap in GT Daytona. Jan Heylen is second in class with the #58 Porsche. Also, Dempsey was run into by Renger van der Zande in a Prototype Challenge car. Magnus Racing is still pounding around. They won't win their class in the race this year like they did last year. But, they have a full season ahead. Aston Martin, BMW, and Audi run together. Augusto Farfus, Brandon Davis, and it is unclear as to who is driving the Audi.
An hour and a half remains in the Rolex 24. The #4 Corvette is back on track. The outer casing of the gearbox was repaired. Mike Rockenfeller knows he and his Spirit of Daytona team mates are not quick enough to win the race today. Rockenfeller will compete in DTM with Audi in Germany again this year. Yours truly has another general car racing blog that highlights DTM. The #01 car goes behind the wall once again. It also looks like the #90 car just isn't balanced. It could be the weather, too. It's a lot warmer than it was in qualifying.
The #64 Ferrari slides off the road with Ken Wilden at the controls. This is the second of the three Scuderia Corse cars. Kenny Wilden sharing with John Farano, Rod Randall, and David Empringham, an experienced sports car and open wheel racer. Wilden, too, has a lot of sports car experience. Sebastien Bourdais has a ten second lead over Jordan Taylor. It is game over for the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley Ford. They are out. Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr are well off the pace, after winning the American Le Mans Series championship last year.
The #01 is ninth in class and they will get points. The leading #5 Corvette still has a question mark about it's transmission, too. The #07 Mazda SkyActiv D prototype could be out. Joel Miller at the controls. They'll tow him in, fix the car and see if they can finish. Bourdais runs a 1:39.7 compared to Jordan Taylor at a 1:40.4. It's go time. Bourdais has found a way around the shift linkage issue. I'ts back and forth with sequential boxes. Shift, and then, relocate where the shift point is. Push forward to go down, pull back, to go up, unlike an H pattern gearbox.
Calum Lockie is running for Aston Martin... 13 years ago, Lockie ran a Marcos LM600. Lockie passed Dale Earnhardt, when he ran at the Rolex 24 in 2001. The sponsor on this car is a seller of expensive paintings. Calum Lockie races a pre-war Maserati. Nick Tandy still leads in GT LM. They are still a lap up on the BMW Z4. Now, they have 32 laps on their current stint. They will need one or two more stops before the end of this race.
Don't overstep the boundaries of your fuel economy, because you could ruin your chances of a good race result, or even, as in the case of this car, a potential class win in GT LM. An hour and nine minutes to go as Sebastien Bourdais will pit. Bourdais locks up the brakes into the pits! Did he overshoot the speed limit? Joao Barbosa takes over the car for the final push. How will Barbosa do with the shifter issue? Max Angelelli takes over the #10 car.
The pit entry by Sebastien Bourdais, anywhere you bust the 37 mile per hour speed limit, you'll have to pay for it. Patrick Pilet takes over the #911 Porsche for the finish. They have a lap lead over the BMW. But they need to save fuel. They might need a splash and dash. Borudais drifts the car going into the pits. He had to get around the slower GT Daytona BMW Z4. It looks like the car will be ready. Wally Dallenbach Sr. (a racing legend in his own right), reaches over to shake Bourdais' hand.
Joey Hand will pit in ten minutes. They are out of the fuel window. John Martin of Australia, pits the sister Action Express Corvette. He'll hand the car over to Brian Frisselle. The #9 car is still having transmission trouble, unlike the sister car. Just over an hour to go to the end, folks. This is going to be something. Stay tuned for the finish.
We'll have to see how that develops, or if it does. We anticipated going back to green. But, the #93 Viper with Rob Bell at the controls, is stalled. We're ready for a restart. Sebastien Bourdais leads. We've run 637 laps (2,267 miles). It's go time. Taylor has to pressure Sebastien Bourdais. He's comfortable with the car, and is in the zone. He doesn't have to worry too much. He can just drive the race car. Wayne Taylor along with Jordan and Ricky Taylor, would be only the second father/son team to win the Rolex 24. John Paul Sr. and John Paul Jr. did it in a Porsche 935 in 1982 along with Rolf Stommelen.
There was a close call with Patrick Dempsey and one other car. We watch the #555 Ferrari. Alessandro Pier Guidi, who is a silver rated driver, and he's run the fastest lap in GT Daytona. Jan Heylen is second in class with the #58 Porsche. Also, Dempsey was run into by Renger van der Zande in a Prototype Challenge car. Magnus Racing is still pounding around. They won't win their class in the race this year like they did last year. But, they have a full season ahead. Aston Martin, BMW, and Audi run together. Augusto Farfus, Brandon Davis, and it is unclear as to who is driving the Audi.
An hour and a half remains in the Rolex 24. The #4 Corvette is back on track. The outer casing of the gearbox was repaired. Mike Rockenfeller knows he and his Spirit of Daytona team mates are not quick enough to win the race today. Rockenfeller will compete in DTM with Audi in Germany again this year. Yours truly has another general car racing blog that highlights DTM. The #01 car goes behind the wall once again. It also looks like the #90 car just isn't balanced. It could be the weather, too. It's a lot warmer than it was in qualifying.
The #64 Ferrari slides off the road with Ken Wilden at the controls. This is the second of the three Scuderia Corse cars. Kenny Wilden sharing with John Farano, Rod Randall, and David Empringham, an experienced sports car and open wheel racer. Wilden, too, has a lot of sports car experience. Sebastien Bourdais has a ten second lead over Jordan Taylor. It is game over for the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley Ford. They are out. Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr are well off the pace, after winning the American Le Mans Series championship last year.
The #01 is ninth in class and they will get points. The leading #5 Corvette still has a question mark about it's transmission, too. The #07 Mazda SkyActiv D prototype could be out. Joel Miller at the controls. They'll tow him in, fix the car and see if they can finish. Bourdais runs a 1:39.7 compared to Jordan Taylor at a 1:40.4. It's go time. Bourdais has found a way around the shift linkage issue. I'ts back and forth with sequential boxes. Shift, and then, relocate where the shift point is. Push forward to go down, pull back, to go up, unlike an H pattern gearbox.
Calum Lockie is running for Aston Martin... 13 years ago, Lockie ran a Marcos LM600. Lockie passed Dale Earnhardt, when he ran at the Rolex 24 in 2001. The sponsor on this car is a seller of expensive paintings. Calum Lockie races a pre-war Maserati. Nick Tandy still leads in GT LM. They are still a lap up on the BMW Z4. Now, they have 32 laps on their current stint. They will need one or two more stops before the end of this race.
Don't overstep the boundaries of your fuel economy, because you could ruin your chances of a good race result, or even, as in the case of this car, a potential class win in GT LM. An hour and nine minutes to go as Sebastien Bourdais will pit. Bourdais locks up the brakes into the pits! Did he overshoot the speed limit? Joao Barbosa takes over the car for the final push. How will Barbosa do with the shifter issue? Max Angelelli takes over the #10 car.
The pit entry by Sebastien Bourdais, anywhere you bust the 37 mile per hour speed limit, you'll have to pay for it. Patrick Pilet takes over the #911 Porsche for the finish. They have a lap lead over the BMW. But they need to save fuel. They might need a splash and dash. Borudais drifts the car going into the pits. He had to get around the slower GT Daytona BMW Z4. It looks like the car will be ready. Wally Dallenbach Sr. (a racing legend in his own right), reaches over to shake Bourdais' hand.
Joey Hand will pit in ten minutes. They are out of the fuel window. John Martin of Australia, pits the sister Action Express Corvette. He'll hand the car over to Brian Frisselle. The #9 car is still having transmission trouble, unlike the sister car. Just over an hour to go to the end, folks. This is going to be something. Stay tuned for the finish.
Rolex 24: Hour 22
The #45 Flying Lizard Audi R8 LMS is running very well in GT Daytona at this point. Unlike the Porsche, the Audi gets the power down in a more challenging way for a driver, but comes off the corner very well. We're ready for more pit stops. The #4 Corvette is coming in. Many teams have measured their pit stops against Corvette Racing. Tommy Milner takes over from Oliver Gavin. Four tires and fuel are added to the car. They are fourth in GT Le Mans and eighth overall.
Paul Miller Racing is pitting their Audi R8 LMS. Christopher Haase put the car on pole in GT Daytona. Matt Bell takes over the car, finishing second last year in British GT, with an Audi R8 LMS. Lights out on the safety car. Let's go racing! Jordan Taylor drops the hammer. Now, Tony Kanaan wants to move on John Martin. The twin turbo Ford V6 doesn't match the oomph of the Chevrolet V8. Jordan Taylor is allowed to rocket away like a scalded cat on restarts.
The crews tell their drivers, "go as fast as you like, but don't burn fuel." That's not very possible, folks. These restarts are wild. The GT Daytona Ferrari's fly away from the Corvette's on the straights, but, then, it's Corvette into the corners, with Tommy Milner at the controls. The top two have clear track ahead. That is what you want to see on a restart. Clear sailing. The quickest lap times match the early evening times from yesterday at 1:41.1. We are now out of the window of being able to come back from a mistake. If you make a mistake now, and want a good finish, you could be out of luck.
No time for mistakes. Go, now! It is exactly the amount of time for a sprint race... two hours and 45 minutes. The Ferrari flies past the Aston Martin. But now, it's a battle for the GT Daytona lead between Audi and Ferrari. It's Townsend Bell vs. Spencer Pumpelly. Can Audi win two years in a row in the GT division at the Rolex 24? Audi has taken the lead in class. The fight to the finish isn't over by any stretch. Tommy Milner continues chasing Richard Lietz.
Pumpelly is a mild mannered chap, but he's a wheel man in a production sports car. Bell and Pumpelly are both pro drivers. Pumpelly's team driver Markus Winkelhock thinks highly of him Winkelhock will take the Flying Lizard Audi to the finish. The motor for the Audi R8 is built in Hungary, not at the Audi headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany. But, there's trouble. Smoke spewing from the Corvette #4. Go to the garage.
It could be game over. Now, the smoke could be coming out of the wheel, not the motor. The banking puts on a lot of extra load for these cars. Richard Lietz will increase his lead. But, Bill Auberlen is still in the hunt in the BMW Team RLL machine #55. They will inherit second in GT LM should the Corvette have issues as Richard Lietz leads in the factory Porsche. The #4 Corvette is in the garage. There was a vibration that got progressively worse. It could be a transmission or an axle. Transmission is more likely. Two and a half hours to go.
Sebastien Bourdais and John Martin both have transmission concerns with their Action Express Corvette's. Max Angelelli will likely finish out the race for Velocity Worldwide/Wayne Taylor Racing. The #911 Porsche heads back on track, holding the GT LM lead. The #10 car makes a pit stop, slowing right down to 37 miles an hour. There will be only two tires on this car. Their sponsor... Velocity Worldwide, is an Irish company. The stop is very effective.
Taylor is now third. Bourdais and Martin still run 1-2. Max Angelelli will close it out for the #10 car as Jordan Taylor will have otherwise done too much time in the car. Daytona International Speedway is going to be revamped. Sebastien Bourdais pits from the lead. There is an odd rule... you are allowed to push it to start it. But, it's an oddly written rule. Scott Pruett pits routinely but has a mirror that is askew. Pruett is running ninth overall. One of the Prototype Challeng cars is on fire. This is an intense fire.
The driver stops. This is the #7 Starworks car of Isaac Tutumlu, Martin Fuentes, Kyle Marcelli, Pierre Kaffer, and Alex Popow. The fire is still burning. The resin compounds in the bodywork will want to continue to burn. These guys were running really well so close to the end. We are under our fifteenth full course yellow in this race. We;ve had five hours and 41 minutes of either caution, or red flag conditions, in this year's Rolex 24.
Pit road is closed. Spencer Pumpelly needed a splash and dash for fuel. They will lose time because they still have to do regular service as we are still under yellow. The #6 Muscle Milk Oreca Nissan has an issue with an electrical fire that has been extinguished. They've had a good race, but not what they wanted. They'll do well in the next race at Sebring... another enduro.
The #10 car pits and just barely gets out in front of the Ganassi car. One of the Action Express cars is still in this, too. Scott Dixon and Bill Auberlen will both get back on the lead lap. Awesome! Alex Gurney visited with Memo Gidley after yesterday's wreck. He'll pull through. That's fabulous news to hear.
Paul Miller Racing is pitting their Audi R8 LMS. Christopher Haase put the car on pole in GT Daytona. Matt Bell takes over the car, finishing second last year in British GT, with an Audi R8 LMS. Lights out on the safety car. Let's go racing! Jordan Taylor drops the hammer. Now, Tony Kanaan wants to move on John Martin. The twin turbo Ford V6 doesn't match the oomph of the Chevrolet V8. Jordan Taylor is allowed to rocket away like a scalded cat on restarts.
The crews tell their drivers, "go as fast as you like, but don't burn fuel." That's not very possible, folks. These restarts are wild. The GT Daytona Ferrari's fly away from the Corvette's on the straights, but, then, it's Corvette into the corners, with Tommy Milner at the controls. The top two have clear track ahead. That is what you want to see on a restart. Clear sailing. The quickest lap times match the early evening times from yesterday at 1:41.1. We are now out of the window of being able to come back from a mistake. If you make a mistake now, and want a good finish, you could be out of luck.
No time for mistakes. Go, now! It is exactly the amount of time for a sprint race... two hours and 45 minutes. The Ferrari flies past the Aston Martin. But now, it's a battle for the GT Daytona lead between Audi and Ferrari. It's Townsend Bell vs. Spencer Pumpelly. Can Audi win two years in a row in the GT division at the Rolex 24? Audi has taken the lead in class. The fight to the finish isn't over by any stretch. Tommy Milner continues chasing Richard Lietz.
Pumpelly is a mild mannered chap, but he's a wheel man in a production sports car. Bell and Pumpelly are both pro drivers. Pumpelly's team driver Markus Winkelhock thinks highly of him Winkelhock will take the Flying Lizard Audi to the finish. The motor for the Audi R8 is built in Hungary, not at the Audi headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany. But, there's trouble. Smoke spewing from the Corvette #4. Go to the garage.
It could be game over. Now, the smoke could be coming out of the wheel, not the motor. The banking puts on a lot of extra load for these cars. Richard Lietz will increase his lead. But, Bill Auberlen is still in the hunt in the BMW Team RLL machine #55. They will inherit second in GT LM should the Corvette have issues as Richard Lietz leads in the factory Porsche. The #4 Corvette is in the garage. There was a vibration that got progressively worse. It could be a transmission or an axle. Transmission is more likely. Two and a half hours to go.
Sebastien Bourdais and John Martin both have transmission concerns with their Action Express Corvette's. Max Angelelli will likely finish out the race for Velocity Worldwide/Wayne Taylor Racing. The #911 Porsche heads back on track, holding the GT LM lead. The #10 car makes a pit stop, slowing right down to 37 miles an hour. There will be only two tires on this car. Their sponsor... Velocity Worldwide, is an Irish company. The stop is very effective.
Taylor is now third. Bourdais and Martin still run 1-2. Max Angelelli will close it out for the #10 car as Jordan Taylor will have otherwise done too much time in the car. Daytona International Speedway is going to be revamped. Sebastien Bourdais pits from the lead. There is an odd rule... you are allowed to push it to start it. But, it's an oddly written rule. Scott Pruett pits routinely but has a mirror that is askew. Pruett is running ninth overall. One of the Prototype Challeng cars is on fire. This is an intense fire.
The driver stops. This is the #7 Starworks car of Isaac Tutumlu, Martin Fuentes, Kyle Marcelli, Pierre Kaffer, and Alex Popow. The fire is still burning. The resin compounds in the bodywork will want to continue to burn. These guys were running really well so close to the end. We are under our fifteenth full course yellow in this race. We;ve had five hours and 41 minutes of either caution, or red flag conditions, in this year's Rolex 24.
Pit road is closed. Spencer Pumpelly needed a splash and dash for fuel. They will lose time because they still have to do regular service as we are still under yellow. The #6 Muscle Milk Oreca Nissan has an issue with an electrical fire that has been extinguished. They've had a good race, but not what they wanted. They'll do well in the next race at Sebring... another enduro.
The #10 car pits and just barely gets out in front of the Ganassi car. One of the Action Express cars is still in this, too. Scott Dixon and Bill Auberlen will both get back on the lead lap. Awesome! Alex Gurney visited with Memo Gidley after yesterday's wreck. He'll pull through. That's fabulous news to hear.
Rolex 24: Hour 21
BMW Team RLL has a wheel bearing issue. That is on the #56 car. The #55 is third in GT LM. But BMW does not have the speed to keep up with Corvette, Viper etc. The #4 Corvette pits again and the Porsche takes over the class lead. Oliver Gavin cannot finish the race, but any other drivers on that squad, can finish it. The top two in Prototype and GT LM are on the same lap. Jon Bennett is two laps up on Kyle Marcelli in Prototype Challenge. In GT Daytona, there is a one lap difference. If you stay out and get a wave by, you can get on the lead lap. The top three GT Daytona cars are actually all on the same lap.
Kuno Wittmer has electronic problems with the #93 SRT Viper. Both Action Express Corvette's are still having gearbox/shift linkage concerns. Make sure the gear lever comes back to the middle on up shifts and downshifts. Jordan Taylor had an off course excursion to clean the grass out of the radiators. He had to avoid a spin, and oil in the chicane. He went around traffic and dove for the pits off of Nascar turn four. Jordan Taylor chases John Martin for the overall lead. Spencer Pumpelly in the Audi R8 chases Towsend Bell in the Ferrari.
Brad Blum has a huge wreck wit the #18 GT Daytona Muehlner Motorsports Porsche 911 GT America. He was slower and got run up on by a faster car, spinning. Blum shares with Eugenio Amos, Ron Zitza and others. We are under full course yellow. The factory Porsche with Richard Lietz at the controls is seventh overall but leading the class in GT LM while the track continues to be cleaned up. Sebastien Bourdais pits the #5 Action Express Corvette. Four tires and fuel. But, surprisingly, there's no dealing with the shift linkage.
Will this car be quick enough? Will it delay the car in the final hours? John Martin in the sister car pitted, and so, Jordan Taylor is the new race leader. The pits are now open for any car. Scott Pruett pits. He is ninth in class, 28th overall. For Action Express, team manager Elton Sawyer says that there's something within the car itself as opposed to the shift linkage in the cockpit. We are running under yellow with just over three hours left in the race. Where is the physical position of the gear lever? That's the confusion.
The cars are being waved around to get them back in order, behind the leaders of their respective classes. The fuel situation at Velocity/Wayne Taylor Racing, is uncertain. John Martin is pushing Jordan Taylor, and Ganassi is still in this battle. Another spin for the #7 Prototype Challenge machine. Tony Kanaan is in the Ganassi car, and he's hounding John Martin at the moment. Gaston Kerby is still having issues with a flat tires. There's a lot of damage to the #8 car.
Klaus Graf hit the Prototype Challenge car. No brake changes required for the entire race with the Prototype cars. Carbon is lighter, and that gives the cars more power. Unsprung overall weight is reduced. Hour 21 is nearly over. There are less than three to go in this year's Rolex 24 now.
Kuno Wittmer has electronic problems with the #93 SRT Viper. Both Action Express Corvette's are still having gearbox/shift linkage concerns. Make sure the gear lever comes back to the middle on up shifts and downshifts. Jordan Taylor had an off course excursion to clean the grass out of the radiators. He had to avoid a spin, and oil in the chicane. He went around traffic and dove for the pits off of Nascar turn four. Jordan Taylor chases John Martin for the overall lead. Spencer Pumpelly in the Audi R8 chases Towsend Bell in the Ferrari.
Brad Blum has a huge wreck wit the #18 GT Daytona Muehlner Motorsports Porsche 911 GT America. He was slower and got run up on by a faster car, spinning. Blum shares with Eugenio Amos, Ron Zitza and others. We are under full course yellow. The factory Porsche with Richard Lietz at the controls is seventh overall but leading the class in GT LM while the track continues to be cleaned up. Sebastien Bourdais pits the #5 Action Express Corvette. Four tires and fuel. But, surprisingly, there's no dealing with the shift linkage.
Will this car be quick enough? Will it delay the car in the final hours? John Martin in the sister car pitted, and so, Jordan Taylor is the new race leader. The pits are now open for any car. Scott Pruett pits. He is ninth in class, 28th overall. For Action Express, team manager Elton Sawyer says that there's something within the car itself as opposed to the shift linkage in the cockpit. We are running under yellow with just over three hours left in the race. Where is the physical position of the gear lever? That's the confusion.
The cars are being waved around to get them back in order, behind the leaders of their respective classes. The fuel situation at Velocity/Wayne Taylor Racing, is uncertain. John Martin is pushing Jordan Taylor, and Ganassi is still in this battle. Another spin for the #7 Prototype Challenge machine. Tony Kanaan is in the Ganassi car, and he's hounding John Martin at the moment. Gaston Kerby is still having issues with a flat tires. There's a lot of damage to the #8 car.
Klaus Graf hit the Prototype Challenge car. No brake changes required for the entire race with the Prototype cars. Carbon is lighter, and that gives the cars more power. Unsprung overall weight is reduced. Hour 21 is nearly over. There are less than three to go in this year's Rolex 24 now.
Rolex 24: Hour 20
Scott Dixon pits the #02 Chip Ganassi car. There is a driver change. The twin turbo EcoBoost Ford V6 seems to b running well. The air restrictors were changed since the test. The #9 Action Express Corvette also has a good stop, and no oil was added. Burt Frisselle continues in the car. The #01 car pits. Just ten cars have retired. So, there's still 57 cars on track. Most of these teams use 100 tires per race. The Continental Tire crews are mounting many, many tires. It would be the Empire State Building times 24! The Deltawing's tires, are skinny and look like a Formula Vee tire.
Corvette preps for a pit stop. Oliver Gavin takes over the car on this stop. The Turner Motorsports BMW Z4 pits with Dane Cameron, Paul Dalla Lana. Augusto Farfus, and Markus Palttala. Bill Sweedler is at the wheel of the #555 Ferrari. Action Express pits the Corvette, and there was a prototype that spun off the road earlier... a Prototype Challenge machine. Marco Seefried is running on the same lap as everyone else in GTD. Third in class is Mikhail Aleshin, pitting. Only four crewmen can service the car as the second Level 5 Ferrari clips a cone.
Flying Lizard is third in GT Daytona with their Aud R8s/ Ganassi makes another pit stop. David Hobbs is grand marshal for the Rolex 24 this year. The times for each class were close. No slow cars at all. David Hobbs drove a Lotus Elitte at Le Mans back in the 19u0s. Hobbs raced a Ferrari 512 with Mark Donohue. Hobbs was also a car owner for a Jaguar E Type driven by Jim Clark. Another pit stop for Action Express. Ganassi makes a pit stop.
They are taking safety pins off the wheel locks before the tires are changed. John Martin has taken over the #9 Action Express Corvette. Stefan Mucke has smoke coming out of the #97 Aston Martin as the #10 car pits. Jordan Taylor takes over for his brother. We are coming up on four hours to go in this race. David Hobbs has two third place finishes at the Rolex 24.
He ran with Sam Posey and Ronnie Peterson in a BMW and also, with Jaguar. Now. Christian Fittipaldi has a shift linkage problem. If the linkage is loose, that is troubling. Madison Snow leads GT Daytona. The car is running well accept for another problem. The reliability of these cars is amazing. But Graham Rahal in the BMW Z4, has a broken tow link in the suspension, and an issue with the wheel bearing. Action Express pits and Sebastien Bourdais takes over from Christian Fittipaldi.
Oliver Gavin takes the lead of GT LM from Richard Lietz in the Porsche on the pit stop exchange.
Corvette preps for a pit stop. Oliver Gavin takes over the car on this stop. The Turner Motorsports BMW Z4 pits with Dane Cameron, Paul Dalla Lana. Augusto Farfus, and Markus Palttala. Bill Sweedler is at the wheel of the #555 Ferrari. Action Express pits the Corvette, and there was a prototype that spun off the road earlier... a Prototype Challenge machine. Marco Seefried is running on the same lap as everyone else in GTD. Third in class is Mikhail Aleshin, pitting. Only four crewmen can service the car as the second Level 5 Ferrari clips a cone.
Flying Lizard is third in GT Daytona with their Aud R8s/ Ganassi makes another pit stop. David Hobbs is grand marshal for the Rolex 24 this year. The times for each class were close. No slow cars at all. David Hobbs drove a Lotus Elitte at Le Mans back in the 19u0s. Hobbs raced a Ferrari 512 with Mark Donohue. Hobbs was also a car owner for a Jaguar E Type driven by Jim Clark. Another pit stop for Action Express. Ganassi makes a pit stop.
They are taking safety pins off the wheel locks before the tires are changed. John Martin has taken over the #9 Action Express Corvette. Stefan Mucke has smoke coming out of the #97 Aston Martin as the #10 car pits. Jordan Taylor takes over for his brother. We are coming up on four hours to go in this race. David Hobbs has two third place finishes at the Rolex 24.
He ran with Sam Posey and Ronnie Peterson in a BMW and also, with Jaguar. Now. Christian Fittipaldi has a shift linkage problem. If the linkage is loose, that is troubling. Madison Snow leads GT Daytona. The car is running well accept for another problem. The reliability of these cars is amazing. But Graham Rahal in the BMW Z4, has a broken tow link in the suspension, and an issue with the wheel bearing. Action Express pits and Sebastien Bourdais takes over from Christian Fittipaldi.
Oliver Gavin takes the lead of GT LM from Richard Lietz in the Porsche on the pit stop exchange.
Rolex 24 Hour 19
Jordan Taylor pitted and Action Express passes as the #19 Muehlner Motorsports Porsche spins. 506 laps completed... 1,800 miles. Alessandro Balzan spins his Frrari and has even bigger issues. He says he can drive the car back to the garage. Whatever you do, pull off to the left. If you pull to the right, it's an island, and you are trapped. Christian Fittipaldi has taken over the #5 Corvette. Lucas Luhr pits the #6 Oreca 03 Nissan for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing.
The #63 Ferrari is headed for the house. Game over. Burt Frisselle is at the wheel of the lead #9 Action Express Corvette. Tristan Vautier spins, being clipped by a GT Daytona BMW. That is the Turner Motorsport BMW which will be forced to serve a penalty for the contact. The Magnus Racing Porsche has some damage and Andy Lally is having issues with the seat belts. Action Express wants a yllow to close up their two cars. But one is nearly a lap down as the #02 battles the #10.
Burt Friselle is setting up for another pit stop as the #911 Porsche pits with Patrick PAilet at the controls. Box this lap for Burt Frisselle. There is more smoke out of the motor of the #9 Corvette DP. It is unclear whether the Frisselle's will have a full-time ride in the new championship for the whole season. Fuel, tires, and engine oil are on order for the upcoming pit stop. If there's smoke coming out of the car, then, oil is necessary.
Scott Dixon also pits. He stays in the car as the radiators are blown out. Action Express believes that the smoke coming from the car is rubbing bodywork. Ricky Taylor will pit soon, too. The #63 Ferrari comes out of the garage and replaces a mirror. Alessandro Balzan is still in the car. Ricky Taylor has taken back the overall race lead. The #38 Performance Tech Motorsports PC car spins on the banking but does not hit anything.
Dirk Muller is running well in the #55 BMW Team RLL Z4 GTE. Ricky Taylor pits the #10 Corvette for new tires. His father reminds him the tires are cold. The #42 Oak Racing Morgan Nissan pits and Romain Rusinov takes over from Olivier Pla. If you are down in the pits, sometimes, you get the intoxicating smell of burning racing ruibber from smoking tires. That's what a true racing fan, lives for. Still over five hours to go in the Rolex 24.
Patrick Pilet still leads GT LM. But, Andy Priaulx in the #55 BMW Z4 GTE will get a penalty for avoidable contact. That was for contact with the Krohn Racing Ferrari. Lucas Luhr is up to fifth overall. One of the Level 5 Ferrari's is leaking water. Maybe it's dew from the grass. The #07 Mazda SkyActive diesel prototype is out. They have engine issues. But, they'll be back, as this new diesel powered prototype continues. Mazda is opening a sports car driver's academy, for working their way up the racing ladder.
The #30 Momo NGT Racing Porsche pits, with Christina Nielsen driving. Her dad Lars Erik Nielsen is a former driver. But, her mentor was the late Allan Simonsen who lost his life at Le Mans last year. A spin for one of the Prototype Challenge cars, and a pit stop for the MSR Riley EcoBoost Ford.
The #63 Ferrari is headed for the house. Game over. Burt Frisselle is at the wheel of the lead #9 Action Express Corvette. Tristan Vautier spins, being clipped by a GT Daytona BMW. That is the Turner Motorsport BMW which will be forced to serve a penalty for the contact. The Magnus Racing Porsche has some damage and Andy Lally is having issues with the seat belts. Action Express wants a yllow to close up their two cars. But one is nearly a lap down as the #02 battles the #10.
Burt Friselle is setting up for another pit stop as the #911 Porsche pits with Patrick PAilet at the controls. Box this lap for Burt Frisselle. There is more smoke out of the motor of the #9 Corvette DP. It is unclear whether the Frisselle's will have a full-time ride in the new championship for the whole season. Fuel, tires, and engine oil are on order for the upcoming pit stop. If there's smoke coming out of the car, then, oil is necessary.
Scott Dixon also pits. He stays in the car as the radiators are blown out. Action Express believes that the smoke coming from the car is rubbing bodywork. Ricky Taylor will pit soon, too. The #63 Ferrari comes out of the garage and replaces a mirror. Alessandro Balzan is still in the car. Ricky Taylor has taken back the overall race lead. The #38 Performance Tech Motorsports PC car spins on the banking but does not hit anything.
Dirk Muller is running well in the #55 BMW Team RLL Z4 GTE. Ricky Taylor pits the #10 Corvette for new tires. His father reminds him the tires are cold. The #42 Oak Racing Morgan Nissan pits and Romain Rusinov takes over from Olivier Pla. If you are down in the pits, sometimes, you get the intoxicating smell of burning racing ruibber from smoking tires. That's what a true racing fan, lives for. Still over five hours to go in the Rolex 24.
Patrick Pilet still leads GT LM. But, Andy Priaulx in the #55 BMW Z4 GTE will get a penalty for avoidable contact. That was for contact with the Krohn Racing Ferrari. Lucas Luhr is up to fifth overall. One of the Level 5 Ferrari's is leaking water. Maybe it's dew from the grass. The #07 Mazda SkyActive diesel prototype is out. They have engine issues. But, they'll be back, as this new diesel powered prototype continues. Mazda is opening a sports car driver's academy, for working their way up the racing ladder.
The #30 Momo NGT Racing Porsche pits, with Christina Nielsen driving. Her dad Lars Erik Nielsen is a former driver. But, her mentor was the late Allan Simonsen who lost his life at Le Mans last year. A spin for one of the Prototype Challenge cars, and a pit stop for the MSR Riley EcoBoost Ford.
Rolex 24: Hours 17 & 18
Dawn reveals the battle damage of the night. The sun's rays are appearing. Plenty of overnight action. Jordan Taylor leads in the #10 Corvette. Scott Pruett and Ganassi Racing crashed and is now fixed. But, they are 35 laps down. The sister car #02 has been running better; Max Angelelli passed the #5 Action Express Corvette. The #3 Corvette C-7-R- is out after overheating. Porsche's lead. RSR is out of the race after hitting the wall. So, it's the #25 8Star Motorsport Oreca FLM 09 leading Prototype Challenge, shared by Rob Huff, Tom Kimber-Smith, Enzo Potolicchio, and Michael Marsal.
GT LM sees Porsche leading with the #912 machine. Both Porsche's are running reliably with no issues. The #555 Level 5 Ferrari 458 Italia leads GT Daytona. We're still watching OAK Racing which had alternator issues. But, Olivier Pla is giving the car a good run. The #57 Krohn Racing Ferrari 458 Italia is stopped on track right now. The Mazda. one of the ESM cars, the DeltaWing, the Risi Ferrari, the Gainsco Corvette, and others, have retired.
Many cars are out. After the big wreck yesterday, Memo Gidley had surgery on his left arm and his left leg. Matteo Malucelli, we are still waiting to find out. But, his co-drivers have talked to him (Olivier Beretta, Gianmaria Bruni, and Giancarlo Fisichella. Lucas Luhr pits the Muscle Milk Oreca Nissan and also, the Spirit of Daytona Chevrolet Corvette prototype is doing a brake change.
A gorgeous sunrise appears over Daytona International Speedway. Both factory Porsche's pit as does SRT Viper for a brake pad change, plus the sole remaining factory Corvette C-7-R-, the #4 car. The driver that takes the dawn shift, it is a special moment. Towmsemd Bell and Bill Sweedler have been running real well
in the #555 Ferrari 458 Italia. The #07 Mazda SkyActiv D prototype is still in the race as the
#70 overheated after 15 hours. Green flag. But, the #5 Action Express Corvette will be penalized.
Start back timing the race from the end, to now, to plan the strategy. Scott Dixon is giving it a good race and so is Olivier Pla in the OAK Racing Morgan Nissan. They need a clear track for speed, but are giving it a good run. The car is better with mechanical grip in the infield, but not in top speed on the Daytona high banks. Joao Barbosa serves his penalty. Pla and Dixon continue their battle.
Time plays tricks on your mind, affected by shifts and tides. Hours and minutes are just the abstract. Robin Liddell is at the wheel of the #4 Corvette in GT LM. Viper, and Aston Martin are learning, while the Porsche and Corvette teams, are the true veterans. The #02 car has a flat right rear tire. He's got a problem and will need to get all the way back to the pits. Be careful. If you drop wheels off, you will cut tires. If the tread comes apart, it turns into a saw blade. The #27 Porsche spins.
Now, Scott Fixon is already a lap down. Patrick Dempsey is the driver of the #27 car. When a tire goes down, it sometimes becomes a giant weed whacker and tears the bodywork to shreds. 500 laps now complete. But, there are problems for the #912 Porsche 911 RSR. It needs work as there is a crank case pressure issue. Joao Barbosa is running quickly again.
GT LM sees Porsche leading with the #912 machine. Both Porsche's are running reliably with no issues. The #555 Level 5 Ferrari 458 Italia leads GT Daytona. We're still watching OAK Racing which had alternator issues. But, Olivier Pla is giving the car a good run. The #57 Krohn Racing Ferrari 458 Italia is stopped on track right now. The Mazda. one of the ESM cars, the DeltaWing, the Risi Ferrari, the Gainsco Corvette, and others, have retired.
Many cars are out. After the big wreck yesterday, Memo Gidley had surgery on his left arm and his left leg. Matteo Malucelli, we are still waiting to find out. But, his co-drivers have talked to him (Olivier Beretta, Gianmaria Bruni, and Giancarlo Fisichella. Lucas Luhr pits the Muscle Milk Oreca Nissan and also, the Spirit of Daytona Chevrolet Corvette prototype is doing a brake change.
A gorgeous sunrise appears over Daytona International Speedway. Both factory Porsche's pit as does SRT Viper for a brake pad change, plus the sole remaining factory Corvette C-7-R-, the #4 car. The driver that takes the dawn shift, it is a special moment. Towmsemd Bell and Bill Sweedler have been running real well
in the #555 Ferrari 458 Italia. The #07 Mazda SkyActiv D prototype is still in the race as the
#70 overheated after 15 hours. Green flag. But, the #5 Action Express Corvette will be penalized.
Start back timing the race from the end, to now, to plan the strategy. Scott Dixon is giving it a good race and so is Olivier Pla in the OAK Racing Morgan Nissan. They need a clear track for speed, but are giving it a good run. The car is better with mechanical grip in the infield, but not in top speed on the Daytona high banks. Joao Barbosa serves his penalty. Pla and Dixon continue their battle.
Time plays tricks on your mind, affected by shifts and tides. Hours and minutes are just the abstract. Robin Liddell is at the wheel of the #4 Corvette in GT LM. Viper, and Aston Martin are learning, while the Porsche and Corvette teams, are the true veterans. The #02 car has a flat right rear tire. He's got a problem and will need to get all the way back to the pits. Be careful. If you drop wheels off, you will cut tires. If the tread comes apart, it turns into a saw blade. The #27 Porsche spins.
Now, Scott Fixon is already a lap down. Patrick Dempsey is the driver of the #27 car. When a tire goes down, it sometimes becomes a giant weed whacker and tears the bodywork to shreds. 500 laps now complete. But, there are problems for the #912 Porsche 911 RSR. It needs work as there is a crank case pressure issue. Joao Barbosa is running quickly again.
Rolex 24 race notes to this point
Good morning. We are less than eight hours from the finish of the 52nd Rolex 24. Stay tuned for more updates from what has happened overnight, and also, what is currently happening. Yours truly has gotten some sleep, but, has also been listening to the overnight MRN Radio broadcast.
http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/TUDOR-United-SportsCar/News/Articles/2014/01/Rolex-24-Race-Notes.aspx
http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/TUDOR-United-SportsCar/News/Articles/2014/01/Rolex-24-Race-Notes.aspx
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Rolex 24: Hour 7
We need to check points standings, according to the new official rulebook for this series, folks. So much history involved with starting the season at Daytona, and then, at Sebring. Now, look out. The Deltawing is pitting. Watch yourself,. buddy. But, oh, it's Ganassi pitting. Jamie McMurray will do a triple stint., replacing Memo Rojas. The Corvette prototypes are also coming in as the Deltawing continues. Jamie McMurray is trying to become only the third driver to win both the Rolex 24 and the Daytona 500. The only two to have done it, are Mario Andretti, and A.J. Foyt.
Rene Rast pits for fuel for the Paul Miller Raci ng Audi. Triple stinting the tires is now the name of the game, as the temperatures and pressures have to come up. Max Angelelli is on the button right now. Max Angelelli will do the North American Endurance Cup, as the Taylor brothers will run the whole season. Ryan Hunter-Reay, is back at the wheel of one of the factory SRT Viper's. Max Angelelli continues to book it. The lights were started at 100% abd then they are gradually dropped to 50% and 30% power.
Max Angelelli had a chance to fly in a fighter jet recently and had a lot of fun with it. It was a Russian fighter jet. More downforce is in these cars now. The #007 Aston Martin is running well under the direction of former Rolex 24 winner Kevin Buckler. The drivers and the car, have the pace. They're very reliable. The Racer's Group has run the Rolex 24 for 19 straight years, SINCE 1995. There's a traffic jam in the bus stop chicane.
You have Pro Am and pro drivers running together, and of course, different speed rates for different cars. The Prototypes have a shade more speed. Now, there's a wreck. One of them is the #32 GMG Audi and Max Angelelli spins from the lead. Now, it's our fifth full course yellow. One car has huge damage. What is going on with the car? James Sofronas is at the controls of the Audi which is all torn up in the front. We are nearly haflway through hour seven. These guys ran this Audi in World Challenge. Frank Stippler, and Marc Basseng are running with this team. They hit the wall in turn two.
Another Prototype hit the Audi. Not sure which car it was. There are debris shards everywhere. Angelelli rear ended another prototype. But the Audi is definitely compromised. Again, that is the #32 GMG Racing entry shared by Frank Stippler, Marc Basseng, James Sofronas, and Alex Welch, in the GT Daytona division. Velocity Worldwide doesn't have much damage to their car. Jordan Taylor is set to get behind the wheel.
Sofronas got clipped by a prototype, as we enter the last half hour of night one coverage, before yours truly, will follow the race online during the overnight hours, and have more updates in the A.M. tomorrow. The pits are active for fuel and tire stops as the #10 car is running well and just going through routine service. The green flag will appear soon. 20 minutes from now, yours truly will look at the live online stream. Now, an official statement on that heavy wreck. Both Memo Gidley and Matteo Malucelli are awake, communicating, and being observed. So, they should be OK.
Three manufacturers make the Corvette chassis'. The Riley seats the driver to the left, and the Coyote, to the driver's right. That was a 138 mile per hour impact! Ouch! The #91 Viper pits. Kyle Larson pits to top off with fuel. We're now back to green. Mike Rockenfeller leads Sebastien Bourdais and Jamie McMurray. Release the beast! Somebody almost wrecks going into pit lane. That is the #31 Whelen Corvette shared by Boris Said, Eric Curran, Max Papis, and Bradley Smith.
Dirk Werner is running well in the #56 BMW Z4 for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing as the Ferrari spins off the road as Jamie McMurray fortunately dodged that! It was the #49 Ferrari 458 Italia. Traffic in the braking zone. Not sure who is at the wheel of that Ferrari right now, but a close call nonetheless. Actually, the #81 Ferrari was also in this shamozzle. Gianluca Roda is the driver. The right rear suspension ofn that Ferrari is busted. Actually, it's Piergiuseppe Perrazzini. Don't hit the cones.
There are LED lights on the surrounds of the windshields on the GT cars, and the prototypes. More traffic. It's a land rush down the super stretch and into the chicane. Not a lot of room into that diabolical corner. Yikes! It's hard to get close to see it, because it's right on the verge of the infield lake at Daytona... Lake Lloyd. This chicane is becoming calamity corner as Sebastien Bourdais loops it. Take your time,. stay calm, clean your tires, and go.
Ten minutes away from switching over. To watch action... go to www.imsa.com for action through the night. That's what yours truly will do. Then, we'll pick up the action in the morning. If you want to win a medal, run 100 meters. If you want experience, run the marathon. The Rolex 24 is the marathon. John Martin is at the controls of the sister Action Express Corvette... car #9, sharing with Burt and Brian Friselle, and Fabien Giroix.
The halfway light show is still to come. But halfway, will be at 2;00 A.M. local time in Daytona Beach, Florida, as the sand continues to trickle through the hourglass. As the night comes, it's getting wild. There will be a long time before sunrise. Jack Gerber spins his GT Daytona Ferrari 458 Italia. Gerber has run Ferrari's in endurance races a lot, in Europe. For now, yours truly will watch the overnight coverage on IMSA.com. Do join me in doing that, if you so desire, as the Rolex 24, continues.
We'll see you tomorrow, for more highlights and reports. So long, everyone and good night.
Rene Rast pits for fuel for the Paul Miller Raci ng Audi. Triple stinting the tires is now the name of the game, as the temperatures and pressures have to come up. Max Angelelli is on the button right now. Max Angelelli will do the North American Endurance Cup, as the Taylor brothers will run the whole season. Ryan Hunter-Reay, is back at the wheel of one of the factory SRT Viper's. Max Angelelli continues to book it. The lights were started at 100% abd then they are gradually dropped to 50% and 30% power.
Max Angelelli had a chance to fly in a fighter jet recently and had a lot of fun with it. It was a Russian fighter jet. More downforce is in these cars now. The #007 Aston Martin is running well under the direction of former Rolex 24 winner Kevin Buckler. The drivers and the car, have the pace. They're very reliable. The Racer's Group has run the Rolex 24 for 19 straight years, SINCE 1995. There's a traffic jam in the bus stop chicane.
You have Pro Am and pro drivers running together, and of course, different speed rates for different cars. The Prototypes have a shade more speed. Now, there's a wreck. One of them is the #32 GMG Audi and Max Angelelli spins from the lead. Now, it's our fifth full course yellow. One car has huge damage. What is going on with the car? James Sofronas is at the controls of the Audi which is all torn up in the front. We are nearly haflway through hour seven. These guys ran this Audi in World Challenge. Frank Stippler, and Marc Basseng are running with this team. They hit the wall in turn two.
Another Prototype hit the Audi. Not sure which car it was. There are debris shards everywhere. Angelelli rear ended another prototype. But the Audi is definitely compromised. Again, that is the #32 GMG Racing entry shared by Frank Stippler, Marc Basseng, James Sofronas, and Alex Welch, in the GT Daytona division. Velocity Worldwide doesn't have much damage to their car. Jordan Taylor is set to get behind the wheel.
Sofronas got clipped by a prototype, as we enter the last half hour of night one coverage, before yours truly, will follow the race online during the overnight hours, and have more updates in the A.M. tomorrow. The pits are active for fuel and tire stops as the #10 car is running well and just going through routine service. The green flag will appear soon. 20 minutes from now, yours truly will look at the live online stream. Now, an official statement on that heavy wreck. Both Memo Gidley and Matteo Malucelli are awake, communicating, and being observed. So, they should be OK.
Three manufacturers make the Corvette chassis'. The Riley seats the driver to the left, and the Coyote, to the driver's right. That was a 138 mile per hour impact! Ouch! The #91 Viper pits. Kyle Larson pits to top off with fuel. We're now back to green. Mike Rockenfeller leads Sebastien Bourdais and Jamie McMurray. Release the beast! Somebody almost wrecks going into pit lane. That is the #31 Whelen Corvette shared by Boris Said, Eric Curran, Max Papis, and Bradley Smith.
Dirk Werner is running well in the #56 BMW Z4 for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing as the Ferrari spins off the road as Jamie McMurray fortunately dodged that! It was the #49 Ferrari 458 Italia. Traffic in the braking zone. Not sure who is at the wheel of that Ferrari right now, but a close call nonetheless. Actually, the #81 Ferrari was also in this shamozzle. Gianluca Roda is the driver. The right rear suspension ofn that Ferrari is busted. Actually, it's Piergiuseppe Perrazzini. Don't hit the cones.
There are LED lights on the surrounds of the windshields on the GT cars, and the prototypes. More traffic. It's a land rush down the super stretch and into the chicane. Not a lot of room into that diabolical corner. Yikes! It's hard to get close to see it, because it's right on the verge of the infield lake at Daytona... Lake Lloyd. This chicane is becoming calamity corner as Sebastien Bourdais loops it. Take your time,. stay calm, clean your tires, and go.
Ten minutes away from switching over. To watch action... go to www.imsa.com for action through the night. That's what yours truly will do. Then, we'll pick up the action in the morning. If you want to win a medal, run 100 meters. If you want experience, run the marathon. The Rolex 24 is the marathon. John Martin is at the controls of the sister Action Express Corvette... car #9, sharing with Burt and Brian Friselle, and Fabien Giroix.
The halfway light show is still to come. But halfway, will be at 2;00 A.M. local time in Daytona Beach, Florida, as the sand continues to trickle through the hourglass. As the night comes, it's getting wild. There will be a long time before sunrise. Jack Gerber spins his GT Daytona Ferrari 458 Italia. Gerber has run Ferrari's in endurance races a lot, in Europe. For now, yours truly will watch the overnight coverage on IMSA.com. Do join me in doing that, if you so desire, as the Rolex 24, continues.
We'll see you tomorrow, for more highlights and reports. So long, everyone and good night.
Rolex 24: Hour 6
Pit stops are coming soon. The #01 car is back in the pits. Memo Rojas is at the controls. They have done a shock absorber adjustment. Pruett shares with Memo Rojas, Jamie McMurray, and Sage Karam. Memo Rojas is seventh overall. The top 17 are all professional cars (Prototypes, or GT Le Mans). The #555 Ferrari 458 and the #22 Porsche, both pit. Fine tune the race car, because the rules packages were late in arriving. Duncan Ende, who caused the yellow flag, has an electrical problem, and the system is being charged up.
Gustavo Menenez is a Formula 3 driver, who will race in Europe. This team has had a litany of problems, unfortunately. Oliver Gavin has taken over the #4 Corvette. Pit stops are done and dusted for the time being. How do drivers keep their energy level up at night? Eat pasta for dinner. Now, Toni Vilander is in the #63 Ferrari at the moment along with his team mates. All the drivers of these Ferrari's tell how balanced the cars are. They had great speed at the test session and are running good lap times.
The #09i Prototype Challenge car was stopped again. One official retirement so far from this race. 66 of the 67 cars are still in this race. We are back to racing, and the cars accelerate onto the banking. The DP cars are heavier than the P2 cars and will get their tires hotter, quicker. But the P2 car has better top end. Alex Brundle is at the wheel of the Muscle Milk Oreca Nissan. Tony Kanaan is cleaning his tires and muscles his way through.
All the prototypes are running carbon brakes. There' s a lot of glowing at the front brake... a lot of front brake bias. The brakes have to come in quick enough, and get enough bite to stop. There is a carbon silicone compound, as opposed to a carbon carbon compound. Each car depending on it's configuration, has a different set. Also, the master cylinder is smaller, so there's more power when the driver's step on the brakes.
The action here at Daytona is still hot and heavy. Smaller fuel tanks means more work for the crew. Night lasts longer than anywhere in 24 hour racing. In this long night, the noise lasts, and is everywhere, of all these cars, zooming around the track. Rob Bell leads the GT LM class in the #93 SRT Viper. Bell has run for McLaren and their FIA GT and Blancpain Endurance Series works teams. Christian Fittipaldi continues to lead. There has been no smoke or fluid leaking from the car, after some smoke. Sebastien Bourdais will be the next driver into the car.
The track surface is cooling off. Flames shoot out of the cars as fuel burns, and they come down from the cylinder head, to the exhaust. Colin Braun and CORE Autosport lead Prototype Challenge. Again, it's Colin Braun, Jon Bennett, James Gue, and Mark Wilkins. Ryan Hunter-Reay is driving the #91 Dodge Vipers at this point. The Viper won the Rolex 24, overall, in 2000... 14 years ago. Kyle Larson is waiting for his first chance to run in a sports car.
He will run full-time in Nascar. But he will try his hand at road racing. His times are improving by following road racing veterans. The #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette is getting better. They haven't done long runs. Simon Hodgson, team manager, points this out. The Mazda powered prototypes are still going for it. Mazda's diesel is running well. The car has a lot of torque, and the horsepower is also increasing. But the torque, tears up a lot of parts.
Traffic situations, and there's some argy bargy between Tony Kanaan and Max Angelelli going down into turn one. The top six prototypes currently run on the same lap. Max Angelelli passes Tony Kanaan. Mike Rockenfeller and Justin Wilson, are coming. Rockenfeller is in a Corvette with a V8. Wilson, is in another of the Ford EcoBoost turbo powered cars, for Mike Shank Racing. Max Angelelli is now working on Christian Fittipaldi, for the lead.
The sleeping giant has been awakened, and the prototypes are at full chat, as Tony Kanaan is in the lane. Kyle Larson now takes over the car. He had the most issues with doing the driver changes. Tires are changed. The radiators are blown out. He stalls the car, but is now away, as the Ford V6 roars to life. Be careful how you use your tires with a limited amount. Hot right side tires, and cold left side tires. He puts the windshield wiper on by mistake. It's frustrating. But what endurance racer hasn't done it.
Velocity Worldwide is in the lane. It's Velocity Worldwide vs. Action Express. Sebastien Bourdais takes over the car and will do a triple stint. Max Angelelli gets a better stop. Bourdais botched the driver change. Track position is paramount. Can Bourdais leapfrog Angelelli on fresh tires? Bourdais is experiemnced but needs to get into a rhythm as the #7 Starworks prototype loses a tire. Isaac Tutumlu at the controls. Tutumlu is from Spain, but is of Kurdish origin.
Tutumlu races in the FIA World Touring Car Championship, regularly. Another full course yellow. Pit lane will be closed. Bonus points, coming up. Debris is on the road. Tire carcass in the chicane, on the racing line. Kyle Larson has had some things go wrong, but he'll correct them. Now, for all racing fans, go to www.safeisfast.com. It's funded by the FIA and is for aspiring young racing drivers. Check it out. Ganassi is ahead at the six hour mark, so they get points, and money.
Gustavo Menenez is a Formula 3 driver, who will race in Europe. This team has had a litany of problems, unfortunately. Oliver Gavin has taken over the #4 Corvette. Pit stops are done and dusted for the time being. How do drivers keep their energy level up at night? Eat pasta for dinner. Now, Toni Vilander is in the #63 Ferrari at the moment along with his team mates. All the drivers of these Ferrari's tell how balanced the cars are. They had great speed at the test session and are running good lap times.
The #09i Prototype Challenge car was stopped again. One official retirement so far from this race. 66 of the 67 cars are still in this race. We are back to racing, and the cars accelerate onto the banking. The DP cars are heavier than the P2 cars and will get their tires hotter, quicker. But the P2 car has better top end. Alex Brundle is at the wheel of the Muscle Milk Oreca Nissan. Tony Kanaan is cleaning his tires and muscles his way through.
All the prototypes are running carbon brakes. There' s a lot of glowing at the front brake... a lot of front brake bias. The brakes have to come in quick enough, and get enough bite to stop. There is a carbon silicone compound, as opposed to a carbon carbon compound. Each car depending on it's configuration, has a different set. Also, the master cylinder is smaller, so there's more power when the driver's step on the brakes.
The action here at Daytona is still hot and heavy. Smaller fuel tanks means more work for the crew. Night lasts longer than anywhere in 24 hour racing. In this long night, the noise lasts, and is everywhere, of all these cars, zooming around the track. Rob Bell leads the GT LM class in the #93 SRT Viper. Bell has run for McLaren and their FIA GT and Blancpain Endurance Series works teams. Christian Fittipaldi continues to lead. There has been no smoke or fluid leaking from the car, after some smoke. Sebastien Bourdais will be the next driver into the car.
The track surface is cooling off. Flames shoot out of the cars as fuel burns, and they come down from the cylinder head, to the exhaust. Colin Braun and CORE Autosport lead Prototype Challenge. Again, it's Colin Braun, Jon Bennett, James Gue, and Mark Wilkins. Ryan Hunter-Reay is driving the #91 Dodge Vipers at this point. The Viper won the Rolex 24, overall, in 2000... 14 years ago. Kyle Larson is waiting for his first chance to run in a sports car.
He will run full-time in Nascar. But he will try his hand at road racing. His times are improving by following road racing veterans. The #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette is getting better. They haven't done long runs. Simon Hodgson, team manager, points this out. The Mazda powered prototypes are still going for it. Mazda's diesel is running well. The car has a lot of torque, and the horsepower is also increasing. But the torque, tears up a lot of parts.
Traffic situations, and there's some argy bargy between Tony Kanaan and Max Angelelli going down into turn one. The top six prototypes currently run on the same lap. Max Angelelli passes Tony Kanaan. Mike Rockenfeller and Justin Wilson, are coming. Rockenfeller is in a Corvette with a V8. Wilson, is in another of the Ford EcoBoost turbo powered cars, for Mike Shank Racing. Max Angelelli is now working on Christian Fittipaldi, for the lead.
The sleeping giant has been awakened, and the prototypes are at full chat, as Tony Kanaan is in the lane. Kyle Larson now takes over the car. He had the most issues with doing the driver changes. Tires are changed. The radiators are blown out. He stalls the car, but is now away, as the Ford V6 roars to life. Be careful how you use your tires with a limited amount. Hot right side tires, and cold left side tires. He puts the windshield wiper on by mistake. It's frustrating. But what endurance racer hasn't done it.
Velocity Worldwide is in the lane. It's Velocity Worldwide vs. Action Express. Sebastien Bourdais takes over the car and will do a triple stint. Max Angelelli gets a better stop. Bourdais botched the driver change. Track position is paramount. Can Bourdais leapfrog Angelelli on fresh tires? Bourdais is experiemnced but needs to get into a rhythm as the #7 Starworks prototype loses a tire. Isaac Tutumlu at the controls. Tutumlu is from Spain, but is of Kurdish origin.
Tutumlu races in the FIA World Touring Car Championship, regularly. Another full course yellow. Pit lane will be closed. Bonus points, coming up. Debris is on the road. Tire carcass in the chicane, on the racing line. Kyle Larson has had some things go wrong, but he'll correct them. Now, for all racing fans, go to www.safeisfast.com. It's funded by the FIA and is for aspiring young racing drivers. Check it out. Ganassi is ahead at the six hour mark, so they get points, and money.
Rolex 24: Hour 5
The pass around is happening, and the cars are lining up for the restart. Temperatures are cooling off. At the time of the red flag, track temp was 77 degrees. It has dropped ten, to 67 degrees. At night, the tire compounds will be softer. The #02 Ganassi Riley Ford EcoBoost was going to pit. But the pits are closed. Maybe they are having radio troubles. Emergency service can be performed under yellow, to get around for the order. But, pit stops will be required for either full service, or penalties.
SMP Ferrari is pitting to change a flat tire. One of the top V8 Supercar drivers, Shane van Gisbergen, is running in this race with the Alex Job Porsche in GT LM. Car #22. The pits will open for Prototypes and then GT's. Both Ganassi cars will pit. Action Express and Wayne Taylor Racing both pit. Back to car #22. van Gisbergen shares with Cooper MacNeil, Leh Keen, Louis Philippe Dumoulin, and Shane Lewis. Oak Racing is piting with their team of Olivier Pla and company. Pla shares with Gustavo Yacaman, Oliver Webb, and Romain Rusinov.
Car #02 pits for full service. In the American Le Mans Series, it used to be, when you pitted, you had to stop in your pit. There is a new Delphi safety light and every car has this, to let everyone know the race track is under yellow. More pit action. In the amateur classes, "silver" level drivers have to put in a certain amount of time, otherwise, their teams will be disqualified. The #73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche and the #72 SMP Ferrari both pit. Corvette lost a lot of time on their pit stops while SRT Viper had good stops.
We are still under yellow. The Corvette's have a rear view camera with some high tech systems within them to help see what is behind them. Everyone remains behind the safety car. Different drivers wear their helmets differently. It's personal preference. Robin Liddell and Jan Magnussen are the two drivers in the Corvette's right now. Alex Welch pits the #32 GMG Audi R8 LMS. The #44 Magnus Porsche does, too, with John Potter at the wheel.
The #32 car needs it's headlights and was black flagged. Now, we're back to racing. Accelerate from the Bus Stop, and go. Some guys get their laps back. The Corvette goes down the inside, and is pushing Viper and Porsche. The Pro drivers hang on better on the outlaps on cold tires. Dominik Farnbacher is going for it. This is great GT racing with BMW, SRT Viper, and Porsche. There's an issue with the #8 Prototype Challenge car.
Eric Lux is in the car, taking over for Renger van der Zande and Sam Bird. They are changing the nose and the front bodywork. Graham Rahal is running well with the BMW. But the BMW Z4 doesn't quite have the straight line speed. He's being overpowered by a GT Daytona Ferrari, but, underbraking, it's a different story. Christian Fittipaldi runs a 1:44 flat (1:44.033). Christian Fittipaldi still leads overall.
Dusk comes into effect quickly, and goes not really into night, but into a twilight zone of artificial light. The race doesn't slow down, but it deepens. Each team figures out their internal rhythm, and how the car performs throughout the long haul. Battles are all over the track. It's still Viper vs. Porsche in GT LM with Christian Fittipaldi leading Prototype, and the overall. There are many cars still out on track. Farnbacher 1:45.86, Kuno Wittmer, 1:45.86. Identical fast laps for the Viper's. The Porsche is on a hundredth behind.
Shane van Gisbergen is co-driving with Cooper MacNeil in the #22 Porsche. Cooper MacNeil's dad David is the team owner and is the boss of WeatherTech. He is also the owner of the WeatherTech company, and he will have an ad in the Super Bowl next weekend. David MacNeil was also a former race driver. Fittipaldi continues to lead. But, Tony Kanaan is hanging in there with the EcoBoost Ford. It's cool, and humid. Milo Valverde is being penalized in the #556 Ferrari.
He did not stop at the end of pit lane when it was closed. Valverde shares with Scott Tucker, Terry Borcheller, Guy Cosmo, and Mike LaMarra. Jeff Segal, Michael Avenatti, and others, are in their own battle. Jeff Segal is now at Level 5, moving away from Aim Autosport. Bob Faieta runs for GB Autosport who is right ahead in the #81 Porsche. Faieta is sharing with Damien Faulkner and veteran Patrick Huisman. Mario Farnbacher has a challenge from Michael Avenatti. Viper's run 1-2 in GT LM as Ryan Briscoe is sixth in class with the new C7R Sting Ray.
The chassis on this car is much stiffer than the last generation Corvette. Ryan Briscoe has run prototypes and Indycars, and says the stiffness of the new Corvette chassis, is as stiff as a prototype. The fit and finish on that car, is also spot on. The Viper's were given a 66% weight break after the Roar Before The Rolex 24 test session at the start of this month. The Deltawing has crunched into the tire wall. What has happened to it? Katherine Legge is at the controls.
The #4 Corvette is also off the road. There's going to be something wrong with the water system. Katherine Legge speared into the tires. There's damage to the body. But it's difficult to see if it's damaged. Robin Liddell is driving the #4 Corvette and will need to come to the pits to make sure there's nothing wrong with the radiator. Is their fluid on the tracK/ The grip level could be changing, too. The Corvette is in the pits. Now, Christian Fittipaldi will pit, too. Daytona is dirty, simply because of the high banks.
Christian Fittipaldi pits and will have a tire change. Fittipaldi has clar sailing. Tony Kanaan pits the Ganassi car. The Deltawing is pitting, and just has cosmetic damage. Katherine Legge shares with Gabby Chaves, Andy Meyrick, and Alexander Rossi. Ed Brown is not only a driver, but he's the CEO of Tequila Patron. Points will be given at certain hour marks in the four endurance races, including four times here at the Rolex 24 at hours six, twelve, eighteen, and 24.
We look forward to Sebring, Watkins Glen, and the Petit Le Mans, later on in the year. Max Angelelli takes over the Velocity Worldwide Corvette after Wayne Taylor finishes his one and only stint. The #01 Ganassi car pits again. Another yellow flag. It's Duncan Ende in the #09 Prototype Challenge machine driven by Duncan Ende. Ende is sharing with David Heinemeier-Hanson of Denmark, Brazil's Bruno Junquiera, and Gustavo Menezes of the U.S.
The car spun and he could not get going. This is another full course yellow.
SMP Ferrari is pitting to change a flat tire. One of the top V8 Supercar drivers, Shane van Gisbergen, is running in this race with the Alex Job Porsche in GT LM. Car #22. The pits will open for Prototypes and then GT's. Both Ganassi cars will pit. Action Express and Wayne Taylor Racing both pit. Back to car #22. van Gisbergen shares with Cooper MacNeil, Leh Keen, Louis Philippe Dumoulin, and Shane Lewis. Oak Racing is piting with their team of Olivier Pla and company. Pla shares with Gustavo Yacaman, Oliver Webb, and Romain Rusinov.
Car #02 pits for full service. In the American Le Mans Series, it used to be, when you pitted, you had to stop in your pit. There is a new Delphi safety light and every car has this, to let everyone know the race track is under yellow. More pit action. In the amateur classes, "silver" level drivers have to put in a certain amount of time, otherwise, their teams will be disqualified. The #73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche and the #72 SMP Ferrari both pit. Corvette lost a lot of time on their pit stops while SRT Viper had good stops.
We are still under yellow. The Corvette's have a rear view camera with some high tech systems within them to help see what is behind them. Everyone remains behind the safety car. Different drivers wear their helmets differently. It's personal preference. Robin Liddell and Jan Magnussen are the two drivers in the Corvette's right now. Alex Welch pits the #32 GMG Audi R8 LMS. The #44 Magnus Porsche does, too, with John Potter at the wheel.
The #32 car needs it's headlights and was black flagged. Now, we're back to racing. Accelerate from the Bus Stop, and go. Some guys get their laps back. The Corvette goes down the inside, and is pushing Viper and Porsche. The Pro drivers hang on better on the outlaps on cold tires. Dominik Farnbacher is going for it. This is great GT racing with BMW, SRT Viper, and Porsche. There's an issue with the #8 Prototype Challenge car.
Eric Lux is in the car, taking over for Renger van der Zande and Sam Bird. They are changing the nose and the front bodywork. Graham Rahal is running well with the BMW. But the BMW Z4 doesn't quite have the straight line speed. He's being overpowered by a GT Daytona Ferrari, but, underbraking, it's a different story. Christian Fittipaldi runs a 1:44 flat (1:44.033). Christian Fittipaldi still leads overall.
Dusk comes into effect quickly, and goes not really into night, but into a twilight zone of artificial light. The race doesn't slow down, but it deepens. Each team figures out their internal rhythm, and how the car performs throughout the long haul. Battles are all over the track. It's still Viper vs. Porsche in GT LM with Christian Fittipaldi leading Prototype, and the overall. There are many cars still out on track. Farnbacher 1:45.86, Kuno Wittmer, 1:45.86. Identical fast laps for the Viper's. The Porsche is on a hundredth behind.
Shane van Gisbergen is co-driving with Cooper MacNeil in the #22 Porsche. Cooper MacNeil's dad David is the team owner and is the boss of WeatherTech. He is also the owner of the WeatherTech company, and he will have an ad in the Super Bowl next weekend. David MacNeil was also a former race driver. Fittipaldi continues to lead. But, Tony Kanaan is hanging in there with the EcoBoost Ford. It's cool, and humid. Milo Valverde is being penalized in the #556 Ferrari.
He did not stop at the end of pit lane when it was closed. Valverde shares with Scott Tucker, Terry Borcheller, Guy Cosmo, and Mike LaMarra. Jeff Segal, Michael Avenatti, and others, are in their own battle. Jeff Segal is now at Level 5, moving away from Aim Autosport. Bob Faieta runs for GB Autosport who is right ahead in the #81 Porsche. Faieta is sharing with Damien Faulkner and veteran Patrick Huisman. Mario Farnbacher has a challenge from Michael Avenatti. Viper's run 1-2 in GT LM as Ryan Briscoe is sixth in class with the new C7R Sting Ray.
The chassis on this car is much stiffer than the last generation Corvette. Ryan Briscoe has run prototypes and Indycars, and says the stiffness of the new Corvette chassis, is as stiff as a prototype. The fit and finish on that car, is also spot on. The Viper's were given a 66% weight break after the Roar Before The Rolex 24 test session at the start of this month. The Deltawing has crunched into the tire wall. What has happened to it? Katherine Legge is at the controls.
The #4 Corvette is also off the road. There's going to be something wrong with the water system. Katherine Legge speared into the tires. There's damage to the body. But it's difficult to see if it's damaged. Robin Liddell is driving the #4 Corvette and will need to come to the pits to make sure there's nothing wrong with the radiator. Is their fluid on the tracK/ The grip level could be changing, too. The Corvette is in the pits. Now, Christian Fittipaldi will pit, too. Daytona is dirty, simply because of the high banks.
Christian Fittipaldi pits and will have a tire change. Fittipaldi has clar sailing. Tony Kanaan pits the Ganassi car. The Deltawing is pitting, and just has cosmetic damage. Katherine Legge shares with Gabby Chaves, Andy Meyrick, and Alexander Rossi. Ed Brown is not only a driver, but he's the CEO of Tequila Patron. Points will be given at certain hour marks in the four endurance races, including four times here at the Rolex 24 at hours six, twelve, eighteen, and 24.
We look forward to Sebring, Watkins Glen, and the Petit Le Mans, later on in the year. Max Angelelli takes over the Velocity Worldwide Corvette after Wayne Taylor finishes his one and only stint. The #01 Ganassi car pits again. Another yellow flag. It's Duncan Ende in the #09 Prototype Challenge machine driven by Duncan Ende. Ende is sharing with David Heinemeier-Hanson of Denmark, Brazil's Bruno Junquiera, and Gustavo Menezes of the U.S.
The car spun and he could not get going. This is another full course yellow.
Rolex 24: Hour 4
Our prayers are with both drivers in this wreck between the International horseshoe and the kink. The race is under a red flag right now, as the clock continues to run. Memo Gidley was placed on a stretcher, and into the ambulance. He has been taken straight to the hospital, not the infield medical center. We are praying for him to pull through this. The race will get back underway. But, we still worry about the health of our friends and drivers, Matteo Malucelli, and Memo Gidley.
The cars are moving again. But, hopefully there will be no mechanical issues or heat soak. Don't draw any conclusions. We need more information. Right now, every driver must continue taking risks, and also weighing risk and reward. What is the strategy? The tire temperatures are stone cold. Lock any fear or concern out of your mind, and keep racing. The field is being regrouped under this red flag. There's a long, long way to go.
The cars are beginning to roll. Michael Valiante is tenth overall in Prototype. We'll see what the order is as the race resumes. Fabien Giroix is behind the wheel of the #9 Action Express Corvette. Antonio Garcia is in the #3 Corvette. Bryce Miller is in the Paul Miller Racing Audi R8. There are a lot of new pieces of technology to help with seeing where cars are at night. Play the strategy. The pit lane is closed. But, when it opens, there will be many pit stops.
The sun is dropping down, and there will be driver changes. There has been debris scattered all over the place. Tire changes will be allowed. Also, cars in the garage will be able to be repaired. You cannot work on a car under red flag conditions. When darkness comes, the race's complexion will change entirely. The lap times in GT LM are incredibly close. The incident with the #46 Audi R8 at the start, was due to a half shaft failure.
Rob Huff is the World Touring Car champion. He's driving well in this race, and for the first time in 14 years, running with a full face helmet. Huff just won the Thunder Hill 25 Hours, with an Audi R8 and Rotec Racing, just before Christmas. He also ran the Dubai 24 Hours, and after this race, he'll run the Bathurst 12 Hours. Now, the officials will letg the cars roll across the timing line, and then, the cars will be sent on their way.
Cars begin to move, and we're ready for a restart.
The cars are moving again. But, hopefully there will be no mechanical issues or heat soak. Don't draw any conclusions. We need more information. Right now, every driver must continue taking risks, and also weighing risk and reward. What is the strategy? The tire temperatures are stone cold. Lock any fear or concern out of your mind, and keep racing. The field is being regrouped under this red flag. There's a long, long way to go.
The cars are beginning to roll. Michael Valiante is tenth overall in Prototype. We'll see what the order is as the race resumes. Fabien Giroix is behind the wheel of the #9 Action Express Corvette. Antonio Garcia is in the #3 Corvette. Bryce Miller is in the Paul Miller Racing Audi R8. There are a lot of new pieces of technology to help with seeing where cars are at night. Play the strategy. The pit lane is closed. But, when it opens, there will be many pit stops.
The sun is dropping down, and there will be driver changes. There has been debris scattered all over the place. Tire changes will be allowed. Also, cars in the garage will be able to be repaired. You cannot work on a car under red flag conditions. When darkness comes, the race's complexion will change entirely. The lap times in GT LM are incredibly close. The incident with the #46 Audi R8 at the start, was due to a half shaft failure.
Rob Huff is the World Touring Car champion. He's driving well in this race, and for the first time in 14 years, running with a full face helmet. Huff just won the Thunder Hill 25 Hours, with an Audi R8 and Rotec Racing, just before Christmas. He also ran the Dubai 24 Hours, and after this race, he'll run the Bathurst 12 Hours. Now, the officials will letg the cars roll across the timing line, and then, the cars will be sent on their way.
Cars begin to move, and we're ready for a restart.
Rolex 24: Hour 3
Scott Dixon has taken over the overall lead from Joao Barbosa in Prototype. Alex Tagliani leads Prototype Challenge. The Viper leads GT LM and Bill Sweedler is leading GT Daytona. The series has cracked down on dangerous driving. The contact we've seen lately, has been unreal. You've got all sorts of drivers. A ton of pro drivers, and gentleman drivers. Nick Tandy is hounding Marc Goossens. It's a battle between Porsche and SRT Viper.
This is a game of chicken into the Bus Stop. Porsche has the advantage. They are fairly even in terms of speed. You have power curves and aerodynamics factoring into this. You are in an attack and defend mode the whole time in one of these endurance races. The torque levels and top ends are equally matched. This is Kevin Estre in the GT Daytona Porsche 911 which is much narrower. Estre shares with Jason Hart, Mike Vess, Connor de Philippi, and Patrick Lindsey. #73 pits and so does the #912 Porsche. But, Spirit of Daytona with the #90 Corvette DP has a problem. Michael Valiante came in.
There was a sensor in the motor that was not working, and the Earnhardt Childress engine techs took a look at it. Electric gremlins are hard to find and hard to fix. It is much easier now to get your lap back with this formula in the Tudor Championship. You can get a lap back on every yellow flag. This racing is very competitive right now. Watch out for the Bus Stop. Someone goes sraight... and you have to come to a stop to rejoin the race. The #57 Krohn Racing GT Le Mans Ferrari 458 is off the road.
Scott Dixon still leads. 65 laps, 231 miles, have been completed. Marc Goossens continues leading from pole in GT LM. SRT can show they've gotten better with the team aspect. The car is now 30 kilograms lighter, even since the test at Daytona at the beginning of this month. The #57 Ferrari spins and resumes in the turn six area again. Tracy Krohn at the controls. Joao Barbosa is now having more issues with overheating on the #5 Action Express Corvette. There's smoke still coming out of the car.
The oil level is burning off, according to team manager Elton Sawyer. Barbosa has run his quickest race lap to this point. The #91 Viper pits. There's a lot of pressure on the driver change, now that the rules are different. Dominik Farnbacher takes over from Marc Goossens. Gianmaria Bruni also pits the #62 Ferrari. They switch to medium compound Michelin tires. Michelin has a shortage of softer tires. Don't run the mediums when it's cool at night.
Michelin is testing and collecting their data for their tires, right here at Daytona International Speedway. Patrick Pilet has now taken the GT LM lead. Maurizio Mediani is running well in the SMP Ferrari. But, one of the SKyActiv diesel Mazda prototypes is smoking. That's the #07 car. There are several cars spinning through the Bus Stop chicane including the #33 Dodge Viper and the #94 BMW Z4. Scott Dixon makes another pit stop and returns in the lead. Memo Gidley pitted the #99 Gainsco Corvette, losing time on out laps and in laps. An out lap is when you go out on the first lap on cold tires during a stint. An in lap, is actually coming into the pits.
Don't lose time. But, don't throw the car into the weeds. Tony Kanaan has taken over the #02 Ganassi Riley Ford EcoBoost. John Pew brings in the #60 Mike Shank Racing Riley Ford EcoBoost for tires and fuel. Pew shares with Oswaldo Negri Jr., A.J. Allmendinger, and Justin Wilson. This new Ford motor is a twin turbo ngine that has already done 11,000 miles on the dynomometer. The #72 SMP Ferrari 458 Italia pits. Maurizio Mediani stays at the wheel. He shares with Mika Salo, Sergey Zlobin, Boris Rotenberg, and Mikhail Aleshin.
Stop and hold penalty on the SMP Ferrari. The #63 Scuderia Corse Ferrari 458 is running well. Alessandro Balzan is driving, along with Jeff Westphal, Lorenzo Case, and Toni Vilander. Connor de Philippi is running second in GT Daytona for Park Place Motorsport. Connor de Philippi is a Porsche Junior driver, from the United States. There is part of the splitter that's damaged. So, it will affect aerodynamics on the banking. The #62 Ferrari is in the sin bin.
The balance of performance is difficult to get to. But, chief tech director Scott Elkins has done well with this series. The Viper is now leading GT LM again. But the Porsche's are still hounding them. The good old days of sports car racing, are back. The #73 Porsche locks up, as Connor de Philippi leads GT Daytona. But he'll need a tire change ASAP. Patrick Pilet is in the factory Porsche.
Nicky Thiim is in the #30 Momo Porsche 911 GT America. Nicky Thiim's dad Kurt Thiim is a former DTM champion. Thiim shares with Christina Nielsen, Kuba Giermaziak, and Henrique Cisneros. Tony Kanaan is hunting down Christian Fittipaldi for the overall race lead. Chris Cumming leads Prototype Challenge for RSR (Rocketsports Racing). Conor Daly, Rusty Mitchell, and
The #38 Prototype Challenge car is having issues with overheating and losing water. Now, there's been a HUGE wreck for Gainsco and the #62 Risi Ferrari. Full course yellow, immediately. Memo Gidley and Matteo Malucelli are the drivers involved in this massive wreck. There was a momentary fire for the #99 car. But, everyone might be OK. The field is stopping on course. These cars don't run well slowly. This is a full course yellow flag.
This is a game of chicken into the Bus Stop. Porsche has the advantage. They are fairly even in terms of speed. You have power curves and aerodynamics factoring into this. You are in an attack and defend mode the whole time in one of these endurance races. The torque levels and top ends are equally matched. This is Kevin Estre in the GT Daytona Porsche 911 which is much narrower. Estre shares with Jason Hart, Mike Vess, Connor de Philippi, and Patrick Lindsey. #73 pits and so does the #912 Porsche. But, Spirit of Daytona with the #90 Corvette DP has a problem. Michael Valiante came in.
There was a sensor in the motor that was not working, and the Earnhardt Childress engine techs took a look at it. Electric gremlins are hard to find and hard to fix. It is much easier now to get your lap back with this formula in the Tudor Championship. You can get a lap back on every yellow flag. This racing is very competitive right now. Watch out for the Bus Stop. Someone goes sraight... and you have to come to a stop to rejoin the race. The #57 Krohn Racing GT Le Mans Ferrari 458 is off the road.
Scott Dixon still leads. 65 laps, 231 miles, have been completed. Marc Goossens continues leading from pole in GT LM. SRT can show they've gotten better with the team aspect. The car is now 30 kilograms lighter, even since the test at Daytona at the beginning of this month. The #57 Ferrari spins and resumes in the turn six area again. Tracy Krohn at the controls. Joao Barbosa is now having more issues with overheating on the #5 Action Express Corvette. There's smoke still coming out of the car.
The oil level is burning off, according to team manager Elton Sawyer. Barbosa has run his quickest race lap to this point. The #91 Viper pits. There's a lot of pressure on the driver change, now that the rules are different. Dominik Farnbacher takes over from Marc Goossens. Gianmaria Bruni also pits the #62 Ferrari. They switch to medium compound Michelin tires. Michelin has a shortage of softer tires. Don't run the mediums when it's cool at night.
Michelin is testing and collecting their data for their tires, right here at Daytona International Speedway. Patrick Pilet has now taken the GT LM lead. Maurizio Mediani is running well in the SMP Ferrari. But, one of the SKyActiv diesel Mazda prototypes is smoking. That's the #07 car. There are several cars spinning through the Bus Stop chicane including the #33 Dodge Viper and the #94 BMW Z4. Scott Dixon makes another pit stop and returns in the lead. Memo Gidley pitted the #99 Gainsco Corvette, losing time on out laps and in laps. An out lap is when you go out on the first lap on cold tires during a stint. An in lap, is actually coming into the pits.
Don't lose time. But, don't throw the car into the weeds. Tony Kanaan has taken over the #02 Ganassi Riley Ford EcoBoost. John Pew brings in the #60 Mike Shank Racing Riley Ford EcoBoost for tires and fuel. Pew shares with Oswaldo Negri Jr., A.J. Allmendinger, and Justin Wilson. This new Ford motor is a twin turbo ngine that has already done 11,000 miles on the dynomometer. The #72 SMP Ferrari 458 Italia pits. Maurizio Mediani stays at the wheel. He shares with Mika Salo, Sergey Zlobin, Boris Rotenberg, and Mikhail Aleshin.
Stop and hold penalty on the SMP Ferrari. The #63 Scuderia Corse Ferrari 458 is running well. Alessandro Balzan is driving, along with Jeff Westphal, Lorenzo Case, and Toni Vilander. Connor de Philippi is running second in GT Daytona for Park Place Motorsport. Connor de Philippi is a Porsche Junior driver, from the United States. There is part of the splitter that's damaged. So, it will affect aerodynamics on the banking. The #62 Ferrari is in the sin bin.
The balance of performance is difficult to get to. But, chief tech director Scott Elkins has done well with this series. The Viper is now leading GT LM again. But the Porsche's are still hounding them. The good old days of sports car racing, are back. The #73 Porsche locks up, as Connor de Philippi leads GT Daytona. But he'll need a tire change ASAP. Patrick Pilet is in the factory Porsche.
Nicky Thiim is in the #30 Momo Porsche 911 GT America. Nicky Thiim's dad Kurt Thiim is a former DTM champion. Thiim shares with Christina Nielsen, Kuba Giermaziak, and Henrique Cisneros. Tony Kanaan is hunting down Christian Fittipaldi for the overall race lead. Chris Cumming leads Prototype Challenge for RSR (Rocketsports Racing). Conor Daly, Rusty Mitchell, and
The #38 Prototype Challenge car is having issues with overheating and losing water. Now, there's been a HUGE wreck for Gainsco and the #62 Risi Ferrari. Full course yellow, immediately. Memo Gidley and Matteo Malucelli are the drivers involved in this massive wreck. There was a momentary fire for the #99 car. But, everyone might be OK. The field is stopping on course. These cars don't run well slowly. This is a full course yellow flag.
Rolex 24: Hour 2
There's still a problem with the #02 car, but he gets away. Scott
Dixon at the wheel. New rules are in place. The action is hot and
heavy. Yours truly is keeping up, or trying to. But, this is a fun
race to watch, everyone. Joao Barbosa leads this race, 51 minutes in.
We watch the GT LM battle. Jonathan Bomarito and Marc Goossens still
lead in their Dodge Viper's. Gianmaria Bruni in the Ferrari 458 Italia,
is third in class. Bruni shares his Ferrari 458 Italia with Matteo
Malucelli, Gianmaria Bruni, and Olivier Berretta.
The Deltawing is blocked by the GT cars. But, it's so narrow and small, it's hard for other drivers to see it. Let the overtaking car take the high line. If you are slow, stay low. Now, the #94 Turner Motorsports BMW Z4 GT in GT Daytona, is up to the top five. But, Dane Cameron takes it off the road. Cameron shares with Paul Dalla Lana, Augusto Farfus, and Markus Palttala. But, he got clobbered by another car and that's how he spun out. The #60 Ford EcoBoost Riley for Mike Shank Racing is having issues.
The #31 Whelen Chevrolet Corvette DP., has spun. He slid into the chicane, releasing the brakes and sopinning all the way around, fortunately, without hitting the wall. The #912 Porsche is in the pits. Patrick Long, Michael Christensen, and another factory driver are in the car. Pit stop rules for USCR are different from the old American Le Mans Series. No longer do drivers have to shut the car off, and also, thetires can be changed and the fuel can be added at the same time.
They must shut the car off. OIliver Gavin pits and does a driver change. The sister factory Porsche #911 also pits. Brendon Hartley pits the #78 Starworks Motorsports Riley Dinan. This team is the only one to represent BMW in the prototype class, now that Ganassi runs Ford power. Dinan is the engine name, as BMW tuning specialist, Steve Dinan, builds the V8 motors. This is the one and only BMW powered prototype. Brendon Hartley (who is now, also a Porsche factory driver), shares with Scott Mayer, and Alex Popow.
The #2 ESM HPD prototype spins and whacks the wall. He's got na broken tow link at the right rear. TRhey can fix the car. The #38 Porottype Challenge car of Tomy Drissi also spins. He's a former Trans Am champion. Now, the #1 ESM car of Scott Sharp, has spun, too. There's oil down. The engine won't rev. The throttle position switch doesn't work. Now, a GT Daytona car takes evasive action, and there's splitter damage.
He got slammed by another prototype. Do you push it? Do you risk going off the road? The tires will be flatspotted. Scott Dixon leads overall with the Ford twin turbo V6 motor is running well. The Bus Stop chicane is very slick right now. The winner of this race will cover 2,600 miles in 24 hours. Ford tested their motor for that amount of time. The engine blocks are made from a special type of iron, which makes them more durable.
Ricky Taylor teams up with his brother Jordan Taylor, for his dad's team. Max Angelelli is also on the squad. So, is Wayne Taylor (Ricky and Jordan's dad, and a great sports car racer in his own right). He will soon get in the car, for one and only one stint in the race. The #49 Ferrari is having issues. That is the car that hit the Dane Cameron piloted BMW. Gianluca Roda is at the controls. He's stopped on the road. But, there's lots of time to get back into the race.
Scott Dixon continues to lead. The Muscle Milk Oreca Nissan is running well. But, it spun off the road earlier. No grip. A lot of work has been done to equalize the Daytona Prototypes and what used to be known as Prototype 2 cars in the American Le Mans Series. Dario Franchitti is here at the Rolex 24. But, he's not racing. He is recovering from an accident. However, he's retired from driving. He is now a driver leader at Ganassi Racing, much like Rick Mears had at Penske Racing.
Ricky Taylor pits the #10 Velocity Worldwide Corvette, and Scott Pruett pits, but is out of sync, hitting one of his crewmen. The #99 Gainsco Corvette pits as the #48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 pits. So does the #90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette. Scott Dixon also comes to pit road. This is the most pit stops we'll see in this race. Tony Kanaan will take over the car next. Ricky Taylor flies around the #99 car. There will be an unsafe release penalty for the Ganassi car.
Memo Gidley is now at the wheel of the #99 car. Marc Goossens still leads GT LM and still is driving the #91 SRT Viper. Nick Tandy is pushing hard at the wheel of the #911 Porsche 911 and Patrick Dempsey wheels his #27 Porsche. Slow cars need to stay down low. One of the Ferrari 458's has a pit issue. Traffic jams everywhere! More battles all over the place on this track. Joao Barbosa leads the race. The smoke out of the car earlier, has gone away.
Brendon Hartley is running well in the #78 Starworks Riley Dinan that he shares with Alex Popow and Scott Mayer.
The Deltawing is blocked by the GT cars. But, it's so narrow and small, it's hard for other drivers to see it. Let the overtaking car take the high line. If you are slow, stay low. Now, the #94 Turner Motorsports BMW Z4 GT in GT Daytona, is up to the top five. But, Dane Cameron takes it off the road. Cameron shares with Paul Dalla Lana, Augusto Farfus, and Markus Palttala. But, he got clobbered by another car and that's how he spun out. The #60 Ford EcoBoost Riley for Mike Shank Racing is having issues.
The #31 Whelen Chevrolet Corvette DP., has spun. He slid into the chicane, releasing the brakes and sopinning all the way around, fortunately, without hitting the wall. The #912 Porsche is in the pits. Patrick Long, Michael Christensen, and another factory driver are in the car. Pit stop rules for USCR are different from the old American Le Mans Series. No longer do drivers have to shut the car off, and also, thetires can be changed and the fuel can be added at the same time.
They must shut the car off. OIliver Gavin pits and does a driver change. The sister factory Porsche #911 also pits. Brendon Hartley pits the #78 Starworks Motorsports Riley Dinan. This team is the only one to represent BMW in the prototype class, now that Ganassi runs Ford power. Dinan is the engine name, as BMW tuning specialist, Steve Dinan, builds the V8 motors. This is the one and only BMW powered prototype. Brendon Hartley (who is now, also a Porsche factory driver), shares with Scott Mayer, and Alex Popow.
The #2 ESM HPD prototype spins and whacks the wall. He's got na broken tow link at the right rear. TRhey can fix the car. The #38 Porottype Challenge car of Tomy Drissi also spins. He's a former Trans Am champion. Now, the #1 ESM car of Scott Sharp, has spun, too. There's oil down. The engine won't rev. The throttle position switch doesn't work. Now, a GT Daytona car takes evasive action, and there's splitter damage.
He got slammed by another prototype. Do you push it? Do you risk going off the road? The tires will be flatspotted. Scott Dixon leads overall with the Ford twin turbo V6 motor is running well. The Bus Stop chicane is very slick right now. The winner of this race will cover 2,600 miles in 24 hours. Ford tested their motor for that amount of time. The engine blocks are made from a special type of iron, which makes them more durable.
Ricky Taylor teams up with his brother Jordan Taylor, for his dad's team. Max Angelelli is also on the squad. So, is Wayne Taylor (Ricky and Jordan's dad, and a great sports car racer in his own right). He will soon get in the car, for one and only one stint in the race. The #49 Ferrari is having issues. That is the car that hit the Dane Cameron piloted BMW. Gianluca Roda is at the controls. He's stopped on the road. But, there's lots of time to get back into the race.
Scott Dixon continues to lead. The Muscle Milk Oreca Nissan is running well. But, it spun off the road earlier. No grip. A lot of work has been done to equalize the Daytona Prototypes and what used to be known as Prototype 2 cars in the American Le Mans Series. Dario Franchitti is here at the Rolex 24. But, he's not racing. He is recovering from an accident. However, he's retired from driving. He is now a driver leader at Ganassi Racing, much like Rick Mears had at Penske Racing.
Ricky Taylor pits the #10 Velocity Worldwide Corvette, and Scott Pruett pits, but is out of sync, hitting one of his crewmen. The #99 Gainsco Corvette pits as the #48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 pits. So does the #90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette. Scott Dixon also comes to pit road. This is the most pit stops we'll see in this race. Tony Kanaan will take over the car next. Ricky Taylor flies around the #99 car. There will be an unsafe release penalty for the Ganassi car.
Memo Gidley is now at the wheel of the #99 car. Marc Goossens still leads GT LM and still is driving the #91 SRT Viper. Nick Tandy is pushing hard at the wheel of the #911 Porsche 911 and Patrick Dempsey wheels his #27 Porsche. Slow cars need to stay down low. One of the Ferrari 458's has a pit issue. Traffic jams everywhere! More battles all over the place on this track. Joao Barbosa leads the race. The smoke out of the car earlier, has gone away.
Brendon Hartley is running well in the #78 Starworks Riley Dinan that he shares with Alex Popow and Scott Mayer.
Rolex 24: Hour 1
Drivers, start your engines. This is the first race of the Tudor United Sports Car Championship, melding the American Le Mans Series, and the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series. This field is stacked with competitive teams. Look out for Wayne Taylor Racing, Muscle Milk Pickett Racing, and Chip Ganassi Racing (five-time and reigning champions). Gnassi Racing has two cars. Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Marino Franchitti, and Kyle Larson are in this car.
It is powered by a Ford turbo V6 motor. Four classes will race in the next 24 hours. Prototype, Prototype Challenge, GT Le Mans, and GT Daytona. The polesitting #99 Chevrolet Corvette DP is piloted by Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty, Memo Gidley, and Darren Law. GT Daytona will be a very competitive class. We're getting ready for a start. This race will be a shootout towards the end. Here we go!
At the start, in front of a record crowd, we're racing! Dixon wants by the Corvette's who are leading. The Deltawing is moving up. There's contact already. The polesitting PC car for CORE Autosport of Jon Bennett, spins. This is the #54 car shared by Bennett, Colin Braun, James Gue, and Mark Wilkins. Traffic will be bunched up all over the place. The speed differentials will be a big deal. The Corvette's are th dominant force for these high downforce prototypes.
There's a lot of bumps going between turn six and the transition back to the Nascar banking. Having some tech problems, folks. We're in the opening laps of this race. Just six minutes have elapsed. Alex Gurney still leads over Richard Westbrook and Burt Frisselle. Prototypes take up the whole of the top ten right now. The Deltawing and the Pickett Racing Oreca Nissan round out the top ten. The top GT LM car is Jonathan Bomarito in the #93 SRT Viper. Christopher Haase leads GT Daytona in his Audi R8.
We are now under yellow. Charlie Putman has crashed his #46 GT Daytona racer, into pit wall. He had a mechanical problem with the Audi R8 LMS he shares with Charles Espenlaub, James Walker, and Oliver Jarvis. Jarvis won in GT in an Audi R8 in this race last year. But, these cats are headed for the house early. Game over. Pit stops are underway. Joao Barbosa brings the #5 Action Express Corvette in. Water and noil temp alarms have appeared. Not good.
ESM is also in with their #1 HPD ARX-03 with Scott Sharp at the controls. Audi is in, too. Both Flying Lizard cars are in. Tim Pappas is at the wheel. Use the grounding cable to eliminate sparks during refueling. If you extend the hose length, you will get more fuel in the cars. Sunset at 9;56 P.M. Sunrise at 7;16 A.M. Almost 12 hours of darkness here at Daytona compared to just five at Le Mans.
Green flag. We're underway again. Watch Richard Westbrook in the Spirit of Daytona Corvette. Scott Dixon locks the brakes on the #02 Riley Ford. Jonathan Bomarito still leads GT LM in the lead SRT Viper. Correction... that's Marc Goossens in the #91 car. Bomarito races the sister car, #93. Nick Tandy is pushing the factory Porsche past the Aston Martin, too. Watch out. Corvette and AAston Martin are banging wheels already. Oliver Gavin is at the controls of the new Corvette C7R. No dodge 'em cars, boys. Cool it.
Roush Racing built the Ford road racing program and dominated everywhere in GT racing with Ford Mustang's and Mercury Cougar's. In GT Daytona, Christopher Haase is under pressure from Mika Salo in the Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia, #62. Haase shares with Bryce Miller, Rene Rast, and Matt Bell. Now, the other cars to watch are the new Mazda diesel prototypes. This was originally a Lola chassis. This is a 2.0 liter four cylinder diesel, with a water pipe issue. Joel Miller is at the controls of the #07 sister car to the #70.
Alex Gurney still leads this race right now. There's a long, long way to go yet. With the Mazda team, their drivers stack up this way. Car #07: Tristan Nunez, Joel Miller, and Tristan Vautier. Car #70: Sylvain Tremblay, Tom Long, and James Hinchcliffe. The Deltawing has spun and the Muscle Milk prototype took evasive action. Andy Meyrick is at the controls. It's unusual, but it's lightweight, and efficient. The car uses a Mazda motor. Prototype Challenge sees Bruno Junquiera leading the class, with Renger van der Zande in the second place car.
These cars are all Oreca chassis with Chevrolet V8 engines. The #07 Mazda is in trouble again. He has to move. Joel Miller has to stay off the line. Andrew Davis is running for Patrick Dempsey's team in their #27 Porsche 911 GT America. Dempsey and Davis, share with Joe Foster and Marc Lieb. Porsche this year has customer teams, factory 911's, and their new Le Mans prototype racer. Rocketsports Racing team mates battle in Prototype Challenge.
Alex Tagliani is in the #08 and Bruno Junquiera in the #09. They run for former driver Paul Gentilozzi. Now, Junquiera was trying to pass, but he couldn't. The winds have turned 180 degrees and it's a tailwind as opposed to a headwind during qualifying. Three wide on the banking with the Viper's and the #007 Aston Martin in GT Daytona entered by The Racer's Group and Kevin Buckler. Nick Tandy begins pushing the Viper's of Bomarito and Goossens.
In GT LM it's Viper, Viper, Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette. Gianmaria Bruni and Nick Tandy are dicing. The Tudor Championship Porsche squad, is their own factory team, while there are other teams in Europe and all around the world. Coming to the end of the opening hour of this race. A GT car straightlines the chicane. Alex Gurney keeps leading. Richard Westbrook still has second overall. He had a horrendous wreck in testing at Daytona, but came out fine.
Westbrook sharing with Michael Valiante and DTM champion, Mike Rockenfeller. Third is the second Chip Ganassi Racing Riley Ford V6. Scott Dixon is driving. The Ford V6's are a couple miles an hour slower than the Chevrolet V8's. Speaking of that, here comes the #9 Action Express Corvette pit with Burt Frisselle at the controls. Change the air blocker for the radiator, to cool it. Muscle Milk Pickett Racing is into the pits. Klaus Graf driving, doesn't have a drink bottle.
So, a crewman gets him one. You have to replenish fluids during these races. The closed cockpit cars will be really hot and the open cockpit cars will be really cold. Andrew Davis continues driving the #27 Dempsey Racing Porsche. He'll pit and hand over to Patrick Dempsey, soon. Franz Conrad and Chris Crawford are helping out. Konrad is a veteran endurance racer in Europe. Hurley Haywood is a consultant for the team. Marc Lieb, a Porsche factory driver, is also in the car.
Lance Willsey spun the sister Dempsey Porsche as Alex Gurney pits for fuel and tires. Ganassi Racing is also in. It's Scott Pruett. Tires and fuel are the routine. They are having an issue with a car in front leaking oil, and covering the windshield. Klaus Graf is on the apron, with the Oreca Nissan, slowly coming into the pits. Richard Westbrook pitted the Spirit of Daytona entry. Pit lane speed is limited to 60 miles an hour. Or maybe, it's 60 kilometers an hour (37 miles an hour).
It is powered by a Ford turbo V6 motor. Four classes will race in the next 24 hours. Prototype, Prototype Challenge, GT Le Mans, and GT Daytona. The polesitting #99 Chevrolet Corvette DP is piloted by Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty, Memo Gidley, and Darren Law. GT Daytona will be a very competitive class. We're getting ready for a start. This race will be a shootout towards the end. Here we go!
At the start, in front of a record crowd, we're racing! Dixon wants by the Corvette's who are leading. The Deltawing is moving up. There's contact already. The polesitting PC car for CORE Autosport of Jon Bennett, spins. This is the #54 car shared by Bennett, Colin Braun, James Gue, and Mark Wilkins. Traffic will be bunched up all over the place. The speed differentials will be a big deal. The Corvette's are th dominant force for these high downforce prototypes.
There's a lot of bumps going between turn six and the transition back to the Nascar banking. Having some tech problems, folks. We're in the opening laps of this race. Just six minutes have elapsed. Alex Gurney still leads over Richard Westbrook and Burt Frisselle. Prototypes take up the whole of the top ten right now. The Deltawing and the Pickett Racing Oreca Nissan round out the top ten. The top GT LM car is Jonathan Bomarito in the #93 SRT Viper. Christopher Haase leads GT Daytona in his Audi R8.
We are now under yellow. Charlie Putman has crashed his #46 GT Daytona racer, into pit wall. He had a mechanical problem with the Audi R8 LMS he shares with Charles Espenlaub, James Walker, and Oliver Jarvis. Jarvis won in GT in an Audi R8 in this race last year. But, these cats are headed for the house early. Game over. Pit stops are underway. Joao Barbosa brings the #5 Action Express Corvette in. Water and noil temp alarms have appeared. Not good.
ESM is also in with their #1 HPD ARX-03 with Scott Sharp at the controls. Audi is in, too. Both Flying Lizard cars are in. Tim Pappas is at the wheel. Use the grounding cable to eliminate sparks during refueling. If you extend the hose length, you will get more fuel in the cars. Sunset at 9;56 P.M. Sunrise at 7;16 A.M. Almost 12 hours of darkness here at Daytona compared to just five at Le Mans.
Green flag. We're underway again. Watch Richard Westbrook in the Spirit of Daytona Corvette. Scott Dixon locks the brakes on the #02 Riley Ford. Jonathan Bomarito still leads GT LM in the lead SRT Viper. Correction... that's Marc Goossens in the #91 car. Bomarito races the sister car, #93. Nick Tandy is pushing the factory Porsche past the Aston Martin, too. Watch out. Corvette and AAston Martin are banging wheels already. Oliver Gavin is at the controls of the new Corvette C7R. No dodge 'em cars, boys. Cool it.
Roush Racing built the Ford road racing program and dominated everywhere in GT racing with Ford Mustang's and Mercury Cougar's. In GT Daytona, Christopher Haase is under pressure from Mika Salo in the Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia, #62. Haase shares with Bryce Miller, Rene Rast, and Matt Bell. Now, the other cars to watch are the new Mazda diesel prototypes. This was originally a Lola chassis. This is a 2.0 liter four cylinder diesel, with a water pipe issue. Joel Miller is at the controls of the #07 sister car to the #70.
Alex Gurney still leads this race right now. There's a long, long way to go yet. With the Mazda team, their drivers stack up this way. Car #07: Tristan Nunez, Joel Miller, and Tristan Vautier. Car #70: Sylvain Tremblay, Tom Long, and James Hinchcliffe. The Deltawing has spun and the Muscle Milk prototype took evasive action. Andy Meyrick is at the controls. It's unusual, but it's lightweight, and efficient. The car uses a Mazda motor. Prototype Challenge sees Bruno Junquiera leading the class, with Renger van der Zande in the second place car.
These cars are all Oreca chassis with Chevrolet V8 engines. The #07 Mazda is in trouble again. He has to move. Joel Miller has to stay off the line. Andrew Davis is running for Patrick Dempsey's team in their #27 Porsche 911 GT America. Dempsey and Davis, share with Joe Foster and Marc Lieb. Porsche this year has customer teams, factory 911's, and their new Le Mans prototype racer. Rocketsports Racing team mates battle in Prototype Challenge.
Alex Tagliani is in the #08 and Bruno Junquiera in the #09. They run for former driver Paul Gentilozzi. Now, Junquiera was trying to pass, but he couldn't. The winds have turned 180 degrees and it's a tailwind as opposed to a headwind during qualifying. Three wide on the banking with the Viper's and the #007 Aston Martin in GT Daytona entered by The Racer's Group and Kevin Buckler. Nick Tandy begins pushing the Viper's of Bomarito and Goossens.
In GT LM it's Viper, Viper, Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette. Gianmaria Bruni and Nick Tandy are dicing. The Tudor Championship Porsche squad, is their own factory team, while there are other teams in Europe and all around the world. Coming to the end of the opening hour of this race. A GT car straightlines the chicane. Alex Gurney keeps leading. Richard Westbrook still has second overall. He had a horrendous wreck in testing at Daytona, but came out fine.
Westbrook sharing with Michael Valiante and DTM champion, Mike Rockenfeller. Third is the second Chip Ganassi Racing Riley Ford V6. Scott Dixon is driving. The Ford V6's are a couple miles an hour slower than the Chevrolet V8's. Speaking of that, here comes the #9 Action Express Corvette pit with Burt Frisselle at the controls. Change the air blocker for the radiator, to cool it. Muscle Milk Pickett Racing is into the pits. Klaus Graf driving, doesn't have a drink bottle.
So, a crewman gets him one. You have to replenish fluids during these races. The closed cockpit cars will be really hot and the open cockpit cars will be really cold. Andrew Davis continues driving the #27 Dempsey Racing Porsche. He'll pit and hand over to Patrick Dempsey, soon. Franz Conrad and Chris Crawford are helping out. Konrad is a veteran endurance racer in Europe. Hurley Haywood is a consultant for the team. Marc Lieb, a Porsche factory driver, is also in the car.
Lance Willsey spun the sister Dempsey Porsche as Alex Gurney pits for fuel and tires. Ganassi Racing is also in. It's Scott Pruett. Tires and fuel are the routine. They are having an issue with a car in front leaking oil, and covering the windshield. Klaus Graf is on the apron, with the Oreca Nissan, slowly coming into the pits. Richard Westbrook pitted the Spirit of Daytona entry. Pit lane speed is limited to 60 miles an hour. Or maybe, it's 60 kilometers an hour (37 miles an hour).
Christopher Haase takes on the 24 Hours of Daytona
A story about another driver competing in the Rolex 24 this weekend. Audi driver for Paul Miller Racing, Christopher Haase, who has some valuable experience, along with fellow Audi driver Rene Rast, running in an Audi R8 in 24 hour races.
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/23/christopher-haase-takes-on-the-24-hours-of-daytona/
There is anothr story about this, too... from AudiWorld.
http://www.audiworld.com/articles/first-pole-position-audi-daytona/
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/23/christopher-haase-takes-on-the-24-hours-of-daytona/
There is anothr story about this, too... from AudiWorld.
http://www.audiworld.com/articles/first-pole-position-audi-daytona/
Friday, January 24, 2014
Stories from Rolex 24 qualifying
Here are some of the key stories from qualifying for the Rolex 24.
Porsche 911 RSR tackles new season from first grid row
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/24/porsche-911-rsr-tackles-new-season-from-first-grid-row/
DeltaWing Racing Cars to Start Eighth in the Rolex 24
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/24/deltawing-racing-cars-to-start-eighth-in-the-rolex-24/
First pole position for Audi at Daytona
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/24/first-pole-position-for-audi-at-daytona/
ESM Patron Qualifies for Inaugural Race of TUDOR Championship
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/24/esm-patron-qualifies-for-inaugural-race-of-tudor-championship/
Flying Lizard Qualifies For Rolex 24 at Daytona Race
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/24/flying-lizard-qualifies-for-rolex-24-at-daytona-race/
OAK Racing's qualifying session spoilt by an engine problem
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/24/oak-racings-qualifying-session-spoilt-by-an-engine-problem/
Pickett Racing set to kick off 2014 season from the sixth row
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/24/pickett-racing-set-to-kick-off-2014-season-from-the-sixth-row/
Level 5 Motorsports To Start Inside Top-10 for Historic Rolex 24
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/24/level-5-motorsports-to-start-inside-top-10-for-historic-rolex-24/
Porsche 911 RSR tackles new season from first grid row
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/24/porsche-911-rsr-tackles-new-season-from-first-grid-row/
DeltaWing Racing Cars to Start Eighth in the Rolex 24
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/24/deltawing-racing-cars-to-start-eighth-in-the-rolex-24/
First pole position for Audi at Daytona
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/24/first-pole-position-for-audi-at-daytona/
ESM Patron Qualifies for Inaugural Race of TUDOR Championship
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/24/esm-patron-qualifies-for-inaugural-race-of-tudor-championship/
Flying Lizard Qualifies For Rolex 24 at Daytona Race
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/24/flying-lizard-qualifies-for-rolex-24-at-daytona-race/
OAK Racing's qualifying session spoilt by an engine problem
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/24/oak-racings-qualifying-session-spoilt-by-an-engine-problem/
Pickett Racing set to kick off 2014 season from the sixth row
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/24/pickett-racing-set-to-kick-off-2014-season-from-the-sixth-row/
Level 5 Motorsports To Start Inside Top-10 for Historic Rolex 24
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/24/level-5-motorsports-to-start-inside-top-10-for-historic-rolex-24/
Rolex 24 qualifying results
Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing, and their lead driver, Alex Gurney, score pole for the Rolex 24 on Saturday, and make history as the first polesitters for a race in the Tudor United Sports Car Championship.
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/gurney-takes-gainscobsr-to-rolex-24-pole/
Here's another story about the qualifying session.
"Gurney takes Daytona 24 pole, Daytona Prototypes Dominate Qualifying"
http://www.motorsport.com/tusc/news/gurney-takes-daytona-24-pole-daytona-prototypes-dominate-qualifying/
...And another, about some problems for teams in GT Daytona, failing the post qualifying scrutinizing checks.
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/gtd-polesitter-fails-tech-others-penalized-after-inspection/
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/gurney-takes-gainscobsr-to-rolex-24-pole/
Here's another story about the qualifying session.
"Gurney takes Daytona 24 pole, Daytona Prototypes Dominate Qualifying"
http://www.motorsport.com/tusc/news/gurney-takes-daytona-24-pole-daytona-prototypes-dominate-qualifying/
...And another, about some problems for teams in GT Daytona, failing the post qualifying scrutinizing checks.
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/gtd-polesitter-fails-tech-others-penalized-after-inspection/
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Leh Keen at COTA, driver's eye
Leh Keen at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, driving his Brumos Porsche liveried #59 Porsche 911 GT-3- Cup during morning practice before the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series race there, last March.
http://www.motorsport.com/tusc/video/main-gallery/leh-keen-at-cota-driver-s-eye/
http://www.motorsport.com/tusc/video/main-gallery/leh-keen-at-cota-driver-s-eye/
Stories leading up to the Rolex 24
Planet Le Mans has many stories about drivers, teams etc. in the lead up to this weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona and the debut of the Tudor United Sports Car Championship. Same goes for another source I look into... a website called Sportscar365. Check them out... after the jump.
***
CORE Ready for First Rolex 24 at Daytona
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/21/core-ready-for-first-rolex-24-at-daytona/
WeatherTech Racing Ready for Rolex 24 At Daytona
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/21/weathertech-racing-ready-for-rolex-24-at-daytona/
Nisssan targets third Rolex 24 at Daytona Victory
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/21/nissan-targets-third-rolex-24-at-daytona-victory/
*Nissan won overall titles at the Rolex 24 in 1992 and 1994. One with the Nissan R91CP GTP car and one with the GTS spec turbocharged Nissan 300ZX. The prototype won in '92, and the 300ZX in '94.
Team Seattle - The Heart of Racing Ready for Race and the Cause
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/21/team-seattle-the-heart-of-racing-ready-for-race-and-the-cause/
Flying Lizard Enters Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona Race Week
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/21/flying-lizard-enters-rolex-24-hours-of-daytona-race-week/
Starworks Confirms Drivers for Rolex 24 PC class
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/21/starworks-confirms-drivers-for-rolex-24-pc-class/
ESM Patron Geared Up For Daytona
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/23/esm-patron-geared-up-for-daytona/
Coyote DP Bodywork Set for March Debut
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/coyote-dp-bodywork-set-for-march-debut/
Level 5 Confirms Rolex 24 Lineup
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/level-5-confirms-rolex-24-lineup/
***
CORE Ready for First Rolex 24 at Daytona
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/21/core-ready-for-first-rolex-24-at-daytona/
WeatherTech Racing Ready for Rolex 24 At Daytona
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/21/weathertech-racing-ready-for-rolex-24-at-daytona/
Nisssan targets third Rolex 24 at Daytona Victory
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/21/nissan-targets-third-rolex-24-at-daytona-victory/
*Nissan won overall titles at the Rolex 24 in 1992 and 1994. One with the Nissan R91CP GTP car and one with the GTS spec turbocharged Nissan 300ZX. The prototype won in '92, and the 300ZX in '94.
Team Seattle - The Heart of Racing Ready for Race and the Cause
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/21/team-seattle-the-heart-of-racing-ready-for-race-and-the-cause/
Flying Lizard Enters Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona Race Week
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/21/flying-lizard-enters-rolex-24-hours-of-daytona-race-week/
Starworks Confirms Drivers for Rolex 24 PC class
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/21/starworks-confirms-drivers-for-rolex-24-pc-class/
ESM Patron Geared Up For Daytona
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/23/esm-patron-geared-up-for-daytona/
Coyote DP Bodywork Set for March Debut
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/coyote-dp-bodywork-set-for-march-debut/
Level 5 Confirms Rolex 24 Lineup
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/level-5-confirms-rolex-24-lineup/
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Primat Joins HTP Motorsport for 2014 Blancpain Endurance Series
Harold Primat will be on the driver's strength for HTP Motorsports and their Mercedes SLS AMG in Blancpain Endurance Series competition this year.
http://www.blancpain-gt-series.com/news/details/primat-joins-htp-motorsport-for-2014-blancpain-endurance-series
http://www.blancpain-gt-series.com/news/details/primat-joins-htp-motorsport-for-2014-blancpain-endurance-series
Bye Bye GTSPRINT International Series, Hello EUROGTSPRINT!
FG Group of Italy, that sanctions the Euro GT Sprint championship, will change the name of the series. Here's the entirety of the story via Planet Le Mans.
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/20/bye-bye-gtsprint-international-series-hello-eurogtsprint/
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/20/bye-bye-gtsprint-international-series-hello-eurogtsprint/
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Alex Zanardi Announces Racing Comeback
Alex Zanardi will come back to racing, after four years away from the sport, racing a BMW Z4 GT3 for ROAL Motorsport in the Blancpain GT Sprint Series.
http://www.speedcafe.com/2014/01/22/alex-zanardi-announces-return-racing/
http://www.speedcafe.com/2014/01/22/alex-zanardi-announces-return-racing/
Inside IMSA's New Leader Lights System
Check out this article from Sportscar365 explaining IMSA's new "leader lights" system for the Tudor United Sports Car Championship. In the past, three lights would light up on the car if they were first, second, or third, overall, or in class. But, this new system will be more effective. Read about it, via the link.
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/inside-imsas-new-leader-lights-system/
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/inside-imsas-new-leader-lights-system/
Monday, January 20, 2014
Nissan GT-R Nismo GT-3 lineup confirmed for Bathurst 12 Hour
The Nismo factory Nissan GT-R driving squad has been confirmed for the Bathurst 12 Hours. Sharing the car will be Rick Kelly, Wolfgang Reip, Katsumasa Chiyo, and Alex Buncombe. Chiyo's name doesn't ring a bell. But all the other drivers are familiar. Here are the details.
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/20/nissan-gt-r-nismo-gt3-driver-line-up-confirmed-for-bathurst-12-hour/
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/20/nissan-gt-r-nismo-gt3-driver-line-up-confirmed-for-bathurst-12-hour/
Sunday, January 19, 2014
McLaren GT racing news
McLaren is set to run Frenchman Kevin Estre as one of their factory sports car drivers this year.
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/18/mclaren-gt-confirms-kevin-estre-as-factory-driver-for-2014/
Also, McLaren will make their debut in the Bathurst 12 Hours, racing at Mount Panorama for the first time. The entry list for that race also has been confirmed, and it will take place in three weeks or so between February 7th and 9th. Look for a brief rundown of the race winners, on this blog, after the race's conclusion.
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/19/mclaren-to-make-bathurst-debut-entry-list-confirmed/
Also, here's the official web site for the race itself.
http://www.bathurst12hour.com.au/
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/18/mclaren-gt-confirms-kevin-estre-as-factory-driver-for-2014/
Also, McLaren will make their debut in the Bathurst 12 Hours, racing at Mount Panorama for the first time. The entry list for that race also has been confirmed, and it will take place in three weeks or so between February 7th and 9th. Look for a brief rundown of the race winners, on this blog, after the race's conclusion.
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/19/mclaren-to-make-bathurst-debut-entry-list-confirmed/
Also, here's the official web site for the race itself.
http://www.bathurst12hour.com.au/
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Oliver Webb joins OAK Racing for the Daytona 24 Hours
Oak Racing has confirmed their driver lineup for the Rolex 24 at Daytona next weekend, confirming that young Englishman Oliver Webb will join a deep talent pool that also includes Olivier Pla, Roman Rusinov, and Gustavo Yacaman on the driver's strength.
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/16/oliver-webb-joins-oak-racing-for-the-daytona-24-hours/
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/16/oliver-webb-joins-oak-racing-for-the-daytona-24-hours/
Friday, January 17, 2014
Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup
Go to the link and check out this little preview video for the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup, highlighting the four endurance races for this season in the Tudor United Sports Car Championship that includes Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, and the Petit Le Mans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLyVAejwObU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLyVAejwObU
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Muscle Milk Pickett Racing: Challenge Accepted
A feature story on Muscle Milk Pickett Racing's preparations for the Rolex 24.
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/16/muscle-milk-pickett-racing-challenge-accepted/
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/16/muscle-milk-pickett-racing-challenge-accepted/
RSR Racing doubles-down with two-car effort and powerhouse driver lineup in 2014
RSR Racing owned and operated by former SCCA Trans Am champion and IMSA competitor Paul Gentilozzi, along with his sons Tony and John, have entered a formidable driver squad for the Rolex 24 and for the entire 2014 inaugural season of the Tudor United Sports Car Championship. Here are the details.
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/14/rsr-racing-doubles-down-with-two-car-effort-and-powerhouse-driver-line-up-in-2014/
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/14/rsr-racing-doubles-down-with-two-car-effort-and-powerhouse-driver-line-up-in-2014/
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Rolex 24 entry list
It has taken a while for the official entry list to come together and the official Tudor United Sports Car Racing website does not have a definitive copy as of yet. But, here, from NBC Sports Network, is at least a rough draft of what the entry list looks like as we close in on the Rolex 24 coming up in ten more days. Yours truly is looking forward to it.
http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/14/tusc-rolex-24-entry-list-update-one-plus-week-out/
http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/14/tusc-rolex-24-entry-list-update-one-plus-week-out/
Risi Competizione: Exceptional talent roster for Rolex 24 At Daytona
Here's the announcement by Risi Competizione of their driver lineup for the Rolex 24. They will be the only factory Ferrari team in the GT Le Mans category of the Tudor United Sports Car Championship this year.
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/14/risi-competizione-exceptional-talent-roster-for-rolex-24-at-daytona/
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/14/risi-competizione-exceptional-talent-roster-for-rolex-24-at-daytona/
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Pegasus Racing returns to LMP2 in the ELMS and applies for Le Mans entry
Pegasus Racing is back in European sports car racing for the upcoming season with their Morgan LMP2 prototype. Here's the scoop on the Strasbourg, France, based team.
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/13/pegasus-racing-returns-to-lm-p2-in-the-elms-and-applies-for-le-mans-entry/
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/13/pegasus-racing-returns-to-lm-p2-in-the-elms-and-applies-for-le-mans-entry/
Monday, January 13, 2014
Corvette C7.R Revealed
It is official. The brand new Chevrolet Corvette C7.R race car has been revealed and will race for the first time in a couple of weeks at the 52nd running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
http://sportscar365.com/wec/lemans/live-corvette-c7-r-unveiling/
http://sportscar365.com/wec/lemans/live-corvette-c7-r-unveiling/
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Winner of the Dubai 24 Hours
Porsche has won the 2014 Dubai 24 Hours over Mercedes Benz. The winning car is the #20 Stadler Motorsport Porsche 911 GT-3-R shared by brothers Mark and Rolf Ineichen, Marcel Matter, Adrian Amstutz, and Christian Engelhart. All drivers, were Swiss, except for Engelhart, who is German. Go to this link, for complete coverage.
http://live.24hseries.com/
Planet Le Mans also has a story on their website, about the race.
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/12/swiss-porsche-team-stadler-motorsport-wins-ninth-running-dunlop-24h-dubai/
http://live.24hseries.com/
Planet Le Mans also has a story on their website, about the race.
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/12/swiss-porsche-team-stadler-motorsport-wins-ninth-running-dunlop-24h-dubai/
Saturday, January 11, 2014
United SportsCar Racing, teams
Here is a link to the official teams that will take part in the inaugural Tudor United Sports Car Racing series. Still waiting for a definitive race entry list for the Rolex 24, which is two weeks away.
http://www.imsa.com/series/united-sportscar/teams
http://www.imsa.com/series/united-sportscar/teams
Friday, January 10, 2014
The Nineties: A Tumultuous Decade For Sports Car Racing
A story highlighting the sports car racing scene in the 1990s when there was a huge transition in the sport. Check this out.
http://www.imsa.com/articles/nineties-tumultuous-decade-sports-car-racing
http://www.imsa.com/articles/nineties-tumultuous-decade-sports-car-racing
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Viper & Audi have successful Daytona tests
More news from the recent Roar Before The Rolex 24.
GMG Finishes Daytona Pre-Season Test In Top 10
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/07/gmg-finishes-daytona-pre-season-test-in-top-10/
...And
No. 33 ViperExchange.com Viper GT-3R Team Completes Productive Rolex Roar Test at Daytona
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/07/no-33-viperexchange-com-viper-gt3-r-team-completes-productive-rolex-roar-test-at-daytona/
GMG Finishes Daytona Pre-Season Test In Top 10
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/07/gmg-finishes-daytona-pre-season-test-in-top-10/
...And
No. 33 ViperExchange.com Viper GT-3R Team Completes Productive Rolex Roar Test at Daytona
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/07/no-33-viperexchange-com-viper-gt3-r-team-completes-productive-rolex-roar-test-at-daytona/
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Lowndes Targeting LM24 Debut in 2014
Multiple Australian V8 Supercar champion Craig Lowndes, looks to make his debut at this years 24 Hours of Le Mans, and as a precursor to that, he'll race in the Bathurst 12 Hours GT race at Mount Panorama, next month. Here's the story.
http://sportscar365.com/wec/lemans/lowndes-targeting-lm24-debut-in-2014/
http://sportscar365.com/wec/lemans/lowndes-targeting-lm24-debut-in-2014/
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Muscle Milk Pickett Racing, and Nissan, join forces
Nissan joins forces with Muscle Milk Pickett Racing.
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/muscle-milk-pickett-racing-nissan-join-forces/
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/muscle-milk-pickett-racing-nissan-join-forces/
more news after the Daytona test sessions
Even more news has arisen from the recent test sessions for the Rolex 24. Planet Le Mans, has all the details.
Oak Racing proves it's competitiveness at the official Daytona test sessions
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/07/oak-racing-proves-its-competitiveness-at-the-official-daytona-test-sessions/
Successful Roar For Deltawing Race Cars
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/06/successful-roar-for-deltawing-racing-cars/
ESM Patron Quickest of LMP2-spec Cars at Roar Before Rolex 24 Test
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/06/esm-patron-quickest-of-lmp2-spec-cars-at-roar-before-rolex-24-test/
CORE Makes Noise at Roar Before The Rolex 24
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/06/core-makes-noise-at-roar-before-the-24/
Krohn Racing Completes Successful Test at the Roar Before the Rolex 24
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/06/krohn-racing-completes-successful-test-at-the-roar-before-the-rolex-24/
Flying Lizard Completes Roar Before the Rolex 24 Test In Daytona Beach
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/06/flying-lizard-completes-roar-before-the-rolex-24-test-in-daytona-beach/
Muscle Milk Pickett Racing: Successful Shakedown Test Complete
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/06/muscle-milk-pickett-racing-successful-shakedown-test-complete/
Starworks Rule with Fastest Lap at the Roar
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/07/nothingbuttaillights-as-starworks-rule-with-fastest-lap-at-the-roar/
Oak Racing proves it's competitiveness at the official Daytona test sessions
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/07/oak-racing-proves-its-competitiveness-at-the-official-daytona-test-sessions/
Successful Roar For Deltawing Race Cars
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/06/successful-roar-for-deltawing-racing-cars/
ESM Patron Quickest of LMP2-spec Cars at Roar Before Rolex 24 Test
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/06/esm-patron-quickest-of-lmp2-spec-cars-at-roar-before-rolex-24-test/
CORE Makes Noise at Roar Before The Rolex 24
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/06/core-makes-noise-at-roar-before-the-24/
Krohn Racing Completes Successful Test at the Roar Before the Rolex 24
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/06/krohn-racing-completes-successful-test-at-the-roar-before-the-rolex-24/
Flying Lizard Completes Roar Before the Rolex 24 Test In Daytona Beach
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/06/flying-lizard-completes-roar-before-the-rolex-24-test-in-daytona-beach/
Muscle Milk Pickett Racing: Successful Shakedown Test Complete
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/06/muscle-milk-pickett-racing-successful-shakedown-test-complete/
Starworks Rule with Fastest Lap at the Roar
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/07/nothingbuttaillights-as-starworks-rule-with-fastest-lap-at-the-roar/
Monday, January 6, 2014
Westbrook fastest on final day of Daytona testing
Richard Westbrook and Spirit of Daytona are fastest on the final day of testing for the Rolex 24.
http://www.motorsport.com/tusc/news/westbrook-fastest-on-final-day-of-daytona-testing/
http://www.motorsport.com/tusc/news/westbrook-fastest-on-final-day-of-daytona-testing/
A wrapup of the Roar Before The Rolex 24
Here is news of the night time running during the Tudor United Sports Car Championship test for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
http://www.motorsport.com/tusc/news/night-moves-on-the-high-banks-no-ordinary-rolex-24-practice-session/
The sporting regulations for the new championship, have been revealed.
http://www.motorsport.com/tusc/news/imsa-sporting-rules-released-as-successful-daytona-test-concludes/
Plus, a photo gallery of the session from the same source... Motorsport.com.
http://www.motorsport.com/tusc/photos/main-gallery/?sz=6&r=7758&y=2014&s=5&p=5
http://www.motorsport.com/tusc/news/night-moves-on-the-high-banks-no-ordinary-rolex-24-practice-session/
The sporting regulations for the new championship, have been revealed.
http://www.motorsport.com/tusc/news/imsa-sporting-rules-released-as-successful-daytona-test-concludes/
Plus, a photo gallery of the session from the same source... Motorsport.com.
http://www.motorsport.com/tusc/photos/main-gallery/?sz=6&r=7758&y=2014&s=5&p=5
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Night moves on the high banks: no ordinary Rolex 24 practice session
Here's a taste of what went down during the Roar Before The Rolex 24, at a practice session, with teams and drivers, dialing in cars and setups for the 24 Hours of Daytona in three weeks.
http://www.motorsport.com/tusc/news/night-moves-on-the-high-banks-no-ordinary-rolex-24-practice-session/
http://www.motorsport.com/tusc/news/night-moves-on-the-high-banks-no-ordinary-rolex-24-practice-session/
more news
Planet Le Mans has more stories about the Daytona test which happened yesterday and continues today.
Mazda Ready To Roar At Tudor United Sports Car Championship Test
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/04/mazda-ready-to-roar-at-tudor-united-sportscar-championship-test/
Level 5 Motorsport Ready for Roar Before Rolex 24
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/03/level-5-motorsports-ready-for-roar-before-rolex-24/
Nissan Returns To Top Level U.S. Sports Car Racing
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/03/nissan-returns-to-top-level-us-sportscar-racing/
Ryan Hunter-Reay and Rob Bell Complete SRT Motorsports Driver Lineup
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/03/ryan-hunter-reay-and-rob-bell-complete-srt-motorsports-driver-lineup/
Krohn Racing Takes to Daytona International Speedway for the Roar Before The Rolex 24
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/04/17751/
Mazda Ready To Roar At Tudor United Sports Car Championship Test
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/04/mazda-ready-to-roar-at-tudor-united-sportscar-championship-test/
Level 5 Motorsport Ready for Roar Before Rolex 24
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/03/level-5-motorsports-ready-for-roar-before-rolex-24/
Nissan Returns To Top Level U.S. Sports Car Racing
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/03/nissan-returns-to-top-level-us-sportscar-racing/
Ryan Hunter-Reay and Rob Bell Complete SRT Motorsports Driver Lineup
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/03/ryan-hunter-reay-and-rob-bell-complete-srt-motorsports-driver-lineup/
Krohn Racing Takes to Daytona International Speedway for the Roar Before The Rolex 24
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/04/17751/
Friday, January 3, 2014
'Roar' Testing Starts Off New Year of Racing
The official test for the Rolex 24 at Daytona... the Roar Before The Rolex 24, is this weekend. Here's a preview.
http://www.imsa.com/articles/roar-testing-starts-new-year-racing
http://www.imsa.com/articles/roar-testing-starts-new-year-racing
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Spirit of Daytona Signs Westbrook, Valiante
Spirit of Daytona is firming up their driver lineup for the Rolex 24 and the season ahead. DTM champion Mike Rockenfeller is also going to be a part of it. Here are the details.
http://www.imsa.com/articles/spirit-daytona-racing-signs-westbrook-valiante
...And
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/01/spirit-of-daytona-racing-announces-2014-tusc-lineup/
http://www.imsa.com/articles/spirit-daytona-racing-signs-westbrook-valiante
...And
http://www.planetlemans.com/2014/01/01/spirit-of-daytona-racing-announces-2014-tusc-lineup/
IMSA Increases Grid Capacity for NAEC Rounds
Fabulous news!
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/imsa-increases-grid-capacity-for-naec-rounds/
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/imsa-increases-grid-capacity-for-naec-rounds/
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Tudor Championship news stories
There are a number of stories about the developing entry list for the Tudor United Sports Car Championship that go back as far as last week. They all come from Planet Le Mans, a great sports car racing news resource in and of itself. Here are some of those stories.
Porsche Factory Drivers Named For 2014 Porsche North America 911 RSR Entries
http://www.planetlemans.com/2013/12/23/porsche-factory-drivers-named-for-2014-porsche-north-america-911-rsr-entries/
Bennett and Braun To Race For CORE Autosport in LMPC
http://www.planetlemans.com/2013/12/30/bennett-and-braun-to-race-for-core-autosport-in-lmpc/
Rob Huff To Race Starworks LMPC in Tudor USCC
http://www.planetlemans.com/2013/12/30/rob-huff-to-race-starworks-lmpc-in-tudor-uscc/
Turner Announces official 2014 driver lineup and season plans
http://www.planetlemans.com/2013/12/31/turner-announces-official-2014-driver-lineup-and-season-plans/
...and
Scuderia Corse Ferrari announces Rolex 24 at Daytona Driver Lineup
http://www.planetlemans.com/2013/12/31/scuderia-corsa-ferrari-announces-rolex-24-at-daytona-driver-lineup/
Porsche Factory Drivers Named For 2014 Porsche North America 911 RSR Entries
http://www.planetlemans.com/2013/12/23/porsche-factory-drivers-named-for-2014-porsche-north-america-911-rsr-entries/
Bennett and Braun To Race For CORE Autosport in LMPC
http://www.planetlemans.com/2013/12/30/bennett-and-braun-to-race-for-core-autosport-in-lmpc/
Rob Huff To Race Starworks LMPC in Tudor USCC
http://www.planetlemans.com/2013/12/30/rob-huff-to-race-starworks-lmpc-in-tudor-uscc/
Turner Announces official 2014 driver lineup and season plans
http://www.planetlemans.com/2013/12/31/turner-announces-official-2014-driver-lineup-and-season-plans/
...and
Scuderia Corse Ferrari announces Rolex 24 at Daytona Driver Lineup
http://www.planetlemans.com/2013/12/31/scuderia-corsa-ferrari-announces-rolex-24-at-daytona-driver-lineup/
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