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.