The #2 Ligier pits. #2 took over the lead. One of the vertical planes in the rear diffuser is damaged. Johannes van Overbeek stays in the car, and it's fuel only. No tires. It takes 2-3 laps to get the tires heated up. The P2 spec cars are gentler on tires, than the Daytona Prototype based cars, and can do 2-3 stints on a set of tires. Did van Overbeek cross the center pit exit line? No. Apparently not. Go fast, and avoid mistakes, to win the 24 Hours of Daytona. But... we have a penalty coming, for the leading #2 car. It was for speeding entering pit lane. That will hurt. But, they might still pick time back up. Marc Goossens said the power steering was a problem in the #90 car. Car owner/team boss Troy Flis, says the problem is fixed.
We are now 21 hours and six minutes into this race. The #90 car has lost just one lap. He lucked out, and is at the tail end of the lead lap. We're 640 laps into this race, with two hours, and fifty two minutes, left. Memo Rojas is running well in his first race in a GT car. He is racing for Scuderia Corsa in their #68 car. Another Ferrari 488 GTE. Rojas is getting used to driving a GT car. Ooh. Kyle Larson, has crashed, in the kink, slamming into the tire wall. The radiator is damaged. He is trying to back it out.
Larson is buried in the tires, and this, will bring out a full course yellow. GT cars have a lot of roll. If you come from an Indycar, a Formula 1 car, or a Prototype, there is a lot more roll in the car. GT cars move around a lot more. But, the cars are comfortable to drive. By the rules, the production based cars, have to have air conditioning. Pit stop time should be coming again, soon. We are under our 21st full course yellow. Ganassi will not repeat as winners, from last year. In replay, we see that Larson gets in too hot, carries too much speed, and ker-runch! He wallops the tires.
Late in the race, drivers and teams, start making mistakes. Even the blokes in the booth, joke about having too much time in their broadcasting shifts, just like drivers with their turns at the wheel. Hardy har har! GT class pit stops are underway as we have just over two and a half hours left in this contest. Whoa. Some squeezing in the pits. Go to the fast lane. Did Mario Farnbacher squeeze in too soon? Hmmm. Mistakes, mistakes. Be careful, not to make them. #4 goes in the fast lane. The Risi Ferrari, was in the right order, behind the Corvette.
It's a sprint race now. We would be nine minutes, into a typical 2 hour and 45 minute sprint race now. Run on adrenaline. Exhaustion means zippo. Let's go back to racing, boys. Watch for the #2. He's hung in traffic. The #25 BMW M6 GT flashes past a GT Daytona Viper. Hopes for the #90 are that the power steering issues are fixed. Johannes van Overbeek has to stay close, and get Luis Felipe Derani in for the finish, to let loose. Johannes van Overbeek is held up momentarily, behind the Corvette.
Lots of cars are still running. 20 years ago, when I started following this race, there would be slow cars, that were stragglers, everywhere. That's not the case today. Bruno Spengler is driving the #25 BMW M6 GT, and that car, is still in contention, as a new car in the series. The #911 Porsche is dropping wheels. Patrick Pilet is not in contention for the win. There will be a penalty for overboost on the #97 BMW M6 GT. There is a specific overboost limit that they cannot maximize. Ricky Taylor still leads this motor race.
Car #02 is back in the garage, and it is being worked on, even on the back of the flatbed. Ricky Taylor is in the #10 car, and the team might put Jordan Taylor in for the final shift. He is feeling better than he was at the beginning of this contest. Cooper MacNeil's dad David MacNeil, has not run a race since 1999. But, he has had a chance to race, with his son.
Kyle Larson says his Ganassi Riley Ford EcoBoost has had braking issues. If you have front brakes only in a GT car, it is OK. But in a Prototype, not so much. Frederic Makowiecki just turned the fastest lap of the race for the #912 Porsche 911 RSR. Not sure what the lap time was. Mike Rockenfeller is giving it a great ride in the Corvette C-7-R-. Antonio Garcia, will take the car to the finish. Daniel Serra is now at the wheel of the #68 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GTE. Memo Rojas, Daniel Serra, Alessandro Pier Guidi, and Alex Premat, are a strong driver lineup. Serra is closing up on the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 that has just run it's fastest lap in class.
Richard Antinucci is at the controls. Daniel Serra is closing up on Mike Rockenfeller in the GT Le Mans battle right now. Rockenfeller is running 1:45 laps. Alex Job Racing is continuing to raise money for the Seattle Children's Hospital. The charity helps kids with heart conditions. So many wonderful charities, that are not related to racing, but, they are for the greater good of this world. Cars and crew members, are all tired, at this stage of the race.
Two hours and ten minutes left in this race. L.P. Derani has gotten into the #2 car. They have their ace, in the car, who will run down the WTR Corvette Prototype. MSR, Mazda, SMP Racing, and other notables, are well out of this race. Anyone who does not stop between now and the next yellow, will have to be on a different strategy. #10 is in the lane, for four tires and fuel. No driver change. Ricky Taylor, will be back at it. One lap is all it takes to heat the tires on a Daytona Prototype spec car.
Again, the LMP2 cars take longer to heat up[ their tires. Andy Lally in the Audi is closing on Richie Stanaway in the Aston Martin. Lally is closing. Stanaway, is hot shoe. The Audi's do not have the same straight line speed, as some of the othr GTD cars. Lance Stroll pits the #01 Ganassi Riley Ford EcoBoost, and needs to get back on the lead lap. They are fourth overall, three laps down. Ganassi will come up short this year. These cars will be retired and re-branded in the old Rolex 24 winning liveries, for a museum.
Ooh. This is close between the #10, the #85 Prototype Challenge car, and the Ganassi car. This is going to be a big fight between the #10 and #2 cars to the finish. In GT Daytona, for second in class, Andy Lally seems to handle well in the infield in the Audi, but, of course, the Aston Martin, has a lot of grunt with the big V8 in the front of the car. Ricky Taylor is being held up, by Lance Stroll right now.
Luis Felipe "Pippo" Derani, wants a win in the Rolex 24, and is booking it.
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