The Tudor Championship began on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway. Today, it ends, in the red clay hills of north Georgia. The points battles, are close, and none of them, have been decided. In Prototype, Michael Valiante and Richard Westbrook hold a lead over Action Express Racing. Patrick Pilet and Porsche, along with BMW's Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner, will fight for GT Le Mans honors. Colin Braun and Jon Bennett, look to defend their championship in Prototype Challenge, from a year ago. Christina Nielsen, also looks to become the first woman, ever, to win a professional sports car racing championship, in GT Daytona. But, she will need to hold off at least ten challengers, to do it. Also at stake, the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup, going to the team that wins the four endurance rounds of the championship. The Petit Le Mans, is next!
Road racers take pride in racing in the rain. But, today, at Road Atlanta, that pride, will be tested to the extreme. Keeping the car on the road, is just as important today, as looking for rivals you are contending with for a championship. There are interesting championship scenarios in Prototype competition. Since May, Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante, have held the points lead. If they finish on the podium today, the championship, is theirs. Action Express Racing and their two cars (#5 and #31), are the closest pursuers. But, don't discount Ganassi Racing either. They have had a quiet season. They won last time out at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. If they win Road Atlanta and PLM, they could steal the whole show.
We really have to watch. What will the wet weather do in terms of strategy? How will yellow flags play out? What will happen, with fuel consumption? Don't run off the road. In GT Le Mans, Porsche has an advantage in the manufacturer's cup. Porsche qualified 1-2 in class. But, car #911 will be caboose on the field, because, they failed post qualifying scrutinizing checks, and the stewards slapped them, with a ride height infraction. Porsche has a mere three points over BMW, with a tie for third, between Chevrolet and Ferrari, both 16 points adrift. Porsche crashed the cars in qualifying, and had to rebuild them overnight.
The GT Daytona story unfolds this way. Porsche, Ferrari, SRT Viper, and BMW have all won. Seven drivers are in contention. Christina Nielsen could be the first woman to win a sports car racing title. The engines have fired. We're ready to go green. Road Atlanta was opened in 1970. It is another of these classic tracks that the Tudor Championship visits. At 2.54 miles, it's a roller coaster. It's worse, in the rain. The water will grab you, if you go off the road, you'll be mired in the red clay.
There will be so many stories to tell in this one, folks. It is wet and humid, with a breeze. Hard to predict what the weather will actually do. There are huge storm systems up and down the East Coast and out over the Atlantic. Standing water will be a factor and so will visibility. Ten hours of racing to come, as Richard Westbrook gets away first. We are green in the Petit Le Mans! Watch out for the conditions, as Johnny Mowlem passes the polesitting Prototype Challenge car with Tom Kimber-Smith at the wheel. Now, for the GT start. GT Le Mans and GT Daytona.
Oliver Gavin in the leading #4 Corvette C-7-R- leaps right to the front of the field! Lucas Luhr brings his BMW Z4 GT to second. Watch GT Le Mans. These cars are quick, even in the wet. Watch for the Porsche's as mentioned earlier. Those blokes are at the back of the grid. But, they'll move forward, to be sure, and be right up there with their rivals. Stable, consistent water, in one place, is no worry. But, it's water that is funneling across the road, that causes loss of traction in wet conditions.
Johnny Mowlem had spun the #16 Prototype Challenge car, and we see it again, in replay. He was jolly lucky not to be hit by passing cars including Tom Kimber-Smith, and our current class leader, Chris Cumming. Westbrook sped up and got faster and faster with each passing lap, during the wet qualifying session. So, undoubtedly, he is a threat for the win in this one, today, folks. Everyone wants to run to a game plan in endurance contests like this. Well, sorry chaps, you'll have to toss your game plan out the window, with this rain. We see cars skating off the road already! #11 in Prototype Challenge, and, one of the ViperExchange.com SRT Viper's also spins. Don't hit the wall! Ker-runch! He tags the wall and smashes the tail of the car!
Don't visit Florida, if you are in a Viper, as the driver knocks out a VisitFlorida.com ad billboard at the side of the track. The grip level is so different. At 140 miles an hour on dry pavement, you're fine. In the wet, at 60 miles an hour... one wrong move, and you are in deep sleet, daddy-o. North of Hot 'Lanta, things aren't so hot, because it's been raining for a good week, so the grass is just as saturated with water, as the track. We have a full course yellow. No chance for Viper to win GT Daytona. The red clay here in Georgia, is mostly just that. A high clay content, means, the soil won't soak up too much water.
Driving in these conditions is like if you have just taken a shower, and try stepping onto a tile floor. You might lose your balance if you are not careful. Ben Keating has made it to pit lane and did get some repairs on the car. The #912 Porsche had a new tub rebuilt. They rebuilt it, got a couple hours sleep, and then, came back to the track. Right now though, Earl Bamber at the wheel... has no telemetry. Mike Shank Racing had the same issue, crashing their Ligier Honda in night practice. They took the car to Elan Technologies in Atlanta, and got the thing repaired. Oswaldo Negri Jr. spun the car in the morning warm up. They repaired the suspension, but, they are out of bodywork. They had to fix the damage from the morning wreck.
They have also had to replace much of the suspension on the rear of the car. Oswaldo Negri Jr. is currently at the wheel of the car. Many signatures are on the car, in honor of the late Justin Wilson who raced and won with MSR at the 2011 Rolex 24 at Daytona and in other events. Elan Technologies is donating half the fee to fix the car, to the Justin Wilson Children's Fund. We are back to green, and Richard Westbrook is being hounded by Christian Fittipaldi. Track position is a hug deal in the wet. The top three cars in the championship run in order in the top three of the race. Richard Westbrook (#90), Christian Fittipaldi (#5), and Dane Cameron (#31). The #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette Prototype is fourth. They have a habit of winning the season finale races.
They did so at the final ever Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series event at Lime Rock Park in 2013, and, in this race, a year ago. Max Angelelli is third driver with Jordan Taylor and Ricky Taylor. They have mathematical chances, at the championship crown. ViperExchange.com Racing is still in the pit lane, fixing the car, and they've lost two, almost three laps. The rear bumper is OK. The diffuser, is not. So, they have to add more angle to the rear wing, and are patching the bodywork with bear bond. Will bear bond stick, in the wet? Also in the lane is Chris Cumming in car #11 in Prototype Challenge.
The front end is OK. The back half of the car seems to be in order. But, they do have suspension damage. Cars #88 and #01 are serving drive through penalties after starting from pit lane. They did not make the pre-grid, and that's why they are serving a penalty right now. Porsche has been on quite the streak this season. We see the #17 Falken Tires Porsche 911 RSR. It is the final appearance for this car and team, in the blue and green Falken colors. Meanwhile, the #33 has run into the kitty litter, again. Team boss Bill Riley talks Ben Keating through the situation. "Shake the car", to get the gravel out. Keating is told to run one more lap, as Antonio Garcia in the #3 Corvette and two of the factory GTLM Porsche's go by.
Oh wow! Four wide! Viper, Porsche, Corvette, Porsche! Look out! Keating is still having trouble as the windshield has steamed up. If you are idle in the wet, with these cars with hot engines in the front (like the Viper or the Corvette), the windshields will fog up immediately. Keating couldn't see the corner, and digs up even more gravel. Today, Pro/Am drivers have to do a minimum drive time of two and a half hours, to score points in the race. Get the drive time out of the way, get into a points paying spot, and go race. There are a lot of moving targets. Some teams are better placed, depending on what drivers they use. For instance, if this race, is called off, due to the weather, later on, that's an opportunity to score points, should it end early.
A battle for the lead in GTLM ensues between the Chevrolet Corvette C-7-R- with Oliver Gavin at the controls, and Lucas Luhr, in the factory BMW Z4 GT. The Porsche's are a couple tenths of a second behind. BMW can clinch the GTLM manufacturer's cup if they win. Two bullets in the gun, including Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner. If they haven't got the speed, John Edwards, Lucas Luhr, and Jens Klingman. They are going for a championship at BMW, too. Lucas Luhr was the winningest driver in the old American Le Mans Series.
The pace of the GTLM class is staggering. Richard Westbrook still leads, and he's got some oversteer. Action Express is piling on the pressure on car #90. But, keep in mind, if the #90 car finishes on the podium, they are champions. Ford's new GT car is coming online well, and of course, it will have the same 3.5 liter EcoBoost twin turbo V6 motor being run in the Ganassi Racing Prototype, for the final time in this race. The Riley Ford had alternator and electrical issues, early on in it's development. Water streams through the cracks in the bodywork and also the wheel wells. It's amazing these cars actually run, in wet conditions.
Through tighter corners, the GTLM cars are a lot quicker than the Prototypes are. Nick Tandy has now taken over the lead in GT Le Mans. Nick Tandy is a former winner of the Petit Le Mans, driving for the Falken Tire Porsche team, making their last start in today's race. Michael Valiante and Richard Westbrook also share the car with Mike Rockenfeller. The #10 WTR/Konica Minolta Corvette Prototype is fourth in the overall. Ricky Taylor remains at the controls. At this point, survival is the deal.
Jordan Taylor mentions one thing that might help with misting and fogging in the Corvette, is a heated windscreen. One of the funniest ways to clean a windshield is keeping a bar of soap, rubbing it on the inside of the windshield. Now, if it doesn't work, you get bubbles inside your race car. But, you still smell good. Free bath in a race car? Hmmm. Hahaha. Drivers learn a lot from observing in these kinds of conditions, in how to drive the car, and how to stay competitive and ahead of the competition. Make note of cars that go off the road in qualifying, so you do not make the same mistake yourself.
How will fuel mileage play out? No gas gauge in these cars. They do not run as fast in the wet as in the dry. Thus, less fuel is used. We are just over 40 minutes into this race. Don't stretch fuel too far. But at the same time, each driver, and their style, dictates fuel usage. Cameron Lawrence in the sister #93 ViperExchange.com SRT Viper, is running well. He stole class pole from Spencer Pumpelly and Leh Keen. Lawrence has also been very successful this year, in the Trans Am Series. Lawrence is not pushing too hard. He's running consistently. Lawrence leads the race. But, he's not running on the ragged edge.
Lawrence gets loose in turn six, but recovers. Pardon me. Turn seven is the corner. Current GT Daytona cars do not have traction control. But, remember, in 2016, we get the full on GT3 spec race cars, with traction control. It's going to be quite a sight seeing those cars, with all the manufacturer interest also coming online. Jon Bennett is a lap down. But, he will likely be champion in Prototype Challenge. No traction control. No roof. But, Bennett will win the championship, along with Colin Braun. Braun just needs to race one lap. The PC class is not a gimme. These guys run inside the curbs.
That's the unloaded section of the corner. If you get off on exit, and slide, you will be sent for a wild ride. This race used to be ten hours or 1,000 miles. But last year, it purely became a ten hour event. The #911 factory Porsche 911 RSR which is prepped out of Core Autosport's shops, owned by Jon Bennett in South Carolina, takes the lead in GT Le Mans. Westbrook continues to lead over Christian Fittipaldi by about ten seconds. In these conditions, normally aspirated motors, tend to run better. The Ford V6 with the turbo has some lag, like the old days, with many of the turbo cars by makes like Porsche and Audi. With the Chevrolet V8, you have, instant power, when you need it.
These cars are very, very close. Heavier rain is in the area. The #64 GT Daytona Scuderia Corsa Ferrari has a wicked slide in the wet, trying to make the apex of the corner, and avoid the Prototypes! Phew! That was close! Daniel Serra of Brazil, is at the wheel. You may recall (from the other endurance races in the NAEC), Daniel Serra is the son of Chico Serra, who ran Formula 1 back in the early 1980s. Jeff Segal in the sister car (#63) is a contender for the GT Daytona championship. Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell have done a great job all year.
Oops. Now we see the #912 Porsche off the road and in the gravel trap. Le Mans winner Earl Bamber is at the wheel. He may not have nicked the tire wall. He's beached it in the gravel. He can't reverse, and with that, our second full course yellow of this race, folks. The team has no telemetry at this point. The car was overheating a bit, and the pit crew took tape off the radiators. This is our second full course yellow. Car #31 is pitting. Did they beat the commitment line before the "pit closed" light illuminated?
It will be fuel only for Dane Cameron. Incidentally, Cameron and Eric Curran, are sharing the car, for this race, with Max Papis. No tires taken. Fuel only on this stop for the second Action Express Racing entry. If you can get to pit lane before it closes under yellow, go for it. There is no rule against that. Bamber might have cut a tire. The Porsche was crabbing into turn one, really badly. Bamber was correcting it, and there was no driver error involved whatsoever.
We are in for more rain, as the first hour of this race, comes to a close. As we approach pit stop time, some classes will have teams that elect to change drivers, while others, will keep drivers that started the race, in the car. If you like motorsports, the area around Atlanta, Georgia, is a neat place to live in, because there are road courses, superspeedways, short tracks, and a drag strip, nearby. Despite the torrid rain, there's only been a handful of off course excursions, so far. There's been tons of rain, all week.
Nick Tandy, leading GT Le Mans, is legitimately in the top five by now. The mechanical grip of a GTLM car is good, and the Michelin wet tire, is also very stout.
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