The #540 Black Swan Porsche pits with Marco Seefried at the wheel of it, from third spot in GT Daytona. A.J. Allmendinger and Dries Vanthoor are also pitting, and we have GTLM cars in the lane as well. Both of the factory Porsche 911 RSR's of Fred Makowiecki and Laurens Vanthoor. Driver changes, fuel, and tires, for both. Earl Bamber is taking over the #912. #911 has damage on the left front corner. It is newly acquired damage after a kerfuffle at the restart, more than likely. GTLM and GTD cars are now coming back onto the track. Be so, so careful on that pit lane exit road. It's really slick out there. Both AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3's have gotten back onto the lead lap, and both of them are running really well. It has a propensity to eat up it's rear tires, and this was the case in years past when the 3GT team ran the cars.
Austin Cindric is still driving the #14 and Aaron Telitz is at the wheel of the #12 machine. The #10 Cadillac and the #6 Acura didn't pit during this round of stops, so, they will be at the head of the field and in the pound seats for getting a jump on everybody else. Each class is running in their respective order. Now, Robert Masson gets a mechanical black flag, a black flag with a red dot, also called a "meatball". Now, the #3 Corvette is in pit lane. Remember, yesterday, it ran into it's sister car in the pit lane. The large piece of tape that was used on one corner is splattered with mud. That bear bond is strong stuff, but it might not be able to stick if it is covered with mud.
Ricky Taylor leads the motor race ahead of Pipo Derani, Jordan Taylor, and Simon Pagenaud. The GTD leader has just put 500 laps on the board, (1,780 miles). Acura, Audi, Audi, Lamborghini, Acura, Porsche, Mercedes, Ferrari, Porsche, Lexus, Lexus. So the respective drivers in these cars are A.J. Allmendinger, Mirko Bortolotti, Simona de Silvestro, Patrick Long, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Dominik Farnbacher, and Marco Seefried, along with Aaron Telitz and Austin Cindric at the wheel of the two Lexus'. Then comes the #13 Ferrari which started on pole, and has made it's way up to just being two laps behind, with the #96 BMW M6 GT3 behind that. It's been a miserable race in terms of the weather as the rain still falls.
This race may restart now. But the marshals are biding their time, probably reviewing track conditions. It's darn wet out on the road at the moment. The #9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche is still being repaired. Zachary Robichon says he couldn't see a thing, and there were already two Lamborghini's, and he tagged one of them as the #14 Lexus makes a pit stop. It's game over for the #9 Porsche. It is not repairable whatsoever, and they'll be ready to go next time out at Sebring. More info on that race is to come, as it will happen in just a few short weeks. On the oval, the visibility for Robichon was minimal. Zachary Robichon is the Porsche GT3 Cup Canada champion. He won eight or nine races in a row in the Porsche Carrera Cup U.S. series as well.
The #6 Acura is in pit lane, steaming away. There was a lot of white smoke pouring from the brakes. They are looking at the engine at the rear end of the car. The mechanics are just looking for a problem, but they are not doing anything. Something is wrong. Penske are in trouble. There's smoke out of the right bank of cylinders, and probably both sides. It is not steam. It's smoke. The crew are looking at the gauges inside the cockpit. Running in reduced speed in wet weather, is really problematic for these race cars. There is occasional flame out of the right hand exhaust pipe as the pit crew is doing data acquisition and analysis, through their diagnostic computer.
A crewman is extinguishing the flames from the exhaust pipe. It is burning oil, which isn't good at all. There might be a piston or a valve problem on this automobile. The mechanics are looking at both sides of the motor, and also, the block. Ricky Taylor in the sister Penske Acura leads, completing 536 laps (1,908 miles), as the sister car continues to lose laps and time, hand over fist. Romain Dumas is too far back in terms of laps to maybe catch up with the #6 Acura, despite their troubles. Austin Cindric handed the #14 Lexus over to Jack Hawksworth. The #6 car is having the bodywork refitted again. The car is being pushed back to the paddock. It's probably game over for this car.
They still have one car in the hunt, on the lead lap, in the hands of Ricky Taylor at the moment. The car is on it's dollies and turned sharp left towards the paddock. We'll pass news along depending on what happens. It is going to be sinking like a stone in the running order. Acura does lead by 1.2 seconds with the sister car over the Pipo Derani and Jordan Taylor driven Cadillac's. James Allen leads by a lap over the sister car at DragonSpeed. Rain continues to pound down, as Porsche leads GTLM. It's cold, it's rainy. You want to be in the car because it is the warmest place you can be, but the cars having issues, it's unreal. Former driver Johnny O'Connell, who finished third in 2001, water sloshed around in the cockpit and they had to drill holes in the floor. Corvette went on to win the race.
The water had to be drained out, to not wreck the computer systems. Anyway, O'Connell says he's fascinated by the Cadillac and Acura battle. IMSA, in the mid 1990s, was really tough to find fans for between 1994 and oh, 1998 or so when the late Dr. Don Panoz founded the American Le Mans Series. There's a great vibe walking around the paddock. In the heyday of the American Le Mans Series, it was absolutely mega. That faded away, but now, it's back. The magic of sports car racing is back. O'Connell is a brand ambassador for Cadillac, but it is true for all the brands like Cadillac, Acura, BMW etc. to transfer technology from racing to road cars. The cars are headed back through speedway turn one.
No less moisture out there than we've seen. We're in the same phase we were in between 5AM and 7:20 AM this morning. If the rain eases, by keeping the cars on the track, it's boring, but it does help to dissipate the water. The biggest trouble now is how on earth do I get heat in my tires, if I am a driver? The GT Daytona cars have anti lock brakes, but the GT Le Mans and DPi cars, don't. Encourage the safety car to bring up the speed. The #7 Acura is in the lane for service. Drag the brakes, get the tire temperatures up. The prototypes suck the water out of the circuit because of their aerodynamics. Go to different places on the track, and find water to keep the tires in good shape. The race order hasn't changed much.
Cadillac run 1-2 with Pipo Derani in the #31 car ahead of Jordan Taylor in #10. Acura #7 in the lane. Ricky Taylor hands over to Helio Castroneves, who will rejoin now that the safety car crocodile has gone through. Romain Dumas in the #54 Nissan is fourth, followed by Simon Pagenaud in Acura #6 currently behind the wall. The LMP2 leader in seventh place in the overall is the #81 DragonSpeed car in the hands of Henrik Hedman. His team mate Pastor Maldonado is second, followed by Robert Masson. In GT Le Mans, Ferrari leads, with the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE in P1 with Alessandro Pier Guidi at the controls.
Joey Hand in the #66 Motorcraft liveried Ford GT runs second. Third belongs to the #67 Ford GT of Ryan Briscoe in the Castrol livery. Next up, the two Brumos throwback liveried factory Porsche's of Fred Makowiecki in the #911 and Earl Bamber in the #912. In GTD, A.J. Allmendinger in the MSR Acura NSX GT3 #86 leads Dries Vanthoor still at the wheel of the #29 Montaplast by Land Audi R8. The #88 WRT Speedstar Audi R8 is next with Kelvin van der Linde at the wheel of it. Mirko Bortolotti runs fourth in the #11 GRT Grasser Lamborghini Huracan GT3, and Simona de Silvestro is fifth in the #57 Caterpillar liveried MSR Acura NSX GT3.
The #46 Ebimotors Lamborghini Huracan GT3, was the other car involved in that wreck on the front straightaway. Proto says that he was in the acceleration zone, and a couple GTD cars checked up as visibility got worse, and as he was alongside a competitor, he was pushed onto the track apron and collected by the Porsche, the Pfaff Porsche. It's game over for Ebimotors. Proto is fine, and he spoke to Zachary Robichon. Proto will be racing in Blancpain GT Europe for FFF Racing. It's likely game over for the #48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini, which had Ryan Hardwick at the controls at the time. The Lamborghini is a modern car, and drivers can adapt to the Audi R8 which has a similar chassis and motor but different aero.
The marshals are claning up the track right now as we continue under yellow. Four and a half hours to go. Let's hope there's still some racing in store. We just need to find some kind of gap in the weather, but the rain isn't going to ease up at all. Once you get tire temperature, it's easier to find traction. Drivers are not driving the normal racing line, because the asphalt is rougher, it isn't as polished, so there's more grip out there, and the racing line is slipperier. As a driver, you are petrified to wreck the car in the rain, and you barely touch the throttle and you short shift and brake early. It takes a while to find a comfort zone before you can push. Young drivers have to learn patience, smarts, and speed.
Staying on track is the key. The walking wounded are still out there. Dr. Robert Masson has had a fantastic time in his first Rolex 24. It's "predictably unpredictable" Florida weather. The #38 was given a meatball flag earlier of course but Masson was not aware. Cameron Cassels is now at the controls. The safety car driver also wants to pick up the pace. Drivers are trying to do the math on the rest of their stint. How hard do I push? What do I do? Pipo Derani is flying, and so is Jordan Taylor. Team managers are telling their drivers to be smart and not try to prove anything.
Cadillac run 1-2 and one Cadillac is now still in contention. For the sister #6 Acura, there isn't any info on what has happened to the car. The pit crew is still working on it. Maybe they can come back into the race. Pagenaud says he was told to hit the lane. A 24 hour race is tough. It's tougher in the cold and rain. If you win, it's amazing. If you break early, fine. But if you break towards the end of the race, you are gutted. Everyone knows race car drivers want to win Daytona, Sebring, and Le Mans. The giants of motorsport, have run and sometimes won this race. But, when you have a mechanical problem in bad weather like this, it's total agony. Alonso had a great run in 2018 along with Lando Norris, and the knowledge he gained, was crucial for what he has achieved so far.
Le Mans is a great race and the track is physically easier. Maybe not mentally, but physically. You have the long Mulsanne straight where you can rest a little bit. But, at Daytona, your body gets banged around. Psychologically it is harder because of the amount of darkness compared to Le Mans. Le Mans is somewhat easier. But when you get to this time of the day at hour 20, you are sore and upset with your team because you're physically knackered. Another weather system has closed back in on the track it seems. It's not 100% rain, but it's intermittent according to the forecast. Lots of showers, and lots of drizzle.
At Le Mans 2001, it rained the whole time. Yours truly remembers, because I saw that race on television and this was many, many years before I decided to write about sports car racing, but it rained the whole time, just like it has been doing here at Daytona. Johnny O'Connell had a monster wiggle through a river changing gear from fourth to fifth. One side is telling you, slow down. The other side is saying, no, speed up, now. When you are representing a brand, you floor it. You don't lift. You just pray the car doesn't get all wiggly on you. It is your responsibility as a driver for a manufacturer, and these guys are true car guys... but they expect. Your bosses are watching you, and so is your team.
It's hard to be a race car driver without having certain amounts of ego, anger, and a feeling of fear of failure. But, look at the big picture. Don't go off the road. Look after the car. Pipo Derani is leading this motor race. The pit lane is now closed. In theory, this race could be stopped at any minute, so drivers are saving fuel. But, this event could continue. With the Prototypes and GT Le Mans cars not having ABS, it is harder for them to get heat into their tires. Fuel saving and efficiency goes from race cars to production cars. But, components can be damaged if they aren't tested. There is a reason why all these manufacturers are here to race, especially in IMSA. Alonso wants this race on his CV as the #10 hits the pit lane.
Jordan Taylor gets fuel into the car and the pit crew is cleaning rubber and tire debris out of the ducting on the car. Different engineers on the DPi cars engineer their cars so so differently. It is fun to explain to people about race cars who are interested in them. You can theoretically drive a prototype or a Formula 1 car on a ceiling. The science that goes into racing is unreal. The cars used louvers at first, and made for breaking, so they could get more aerodynamic assistance. The smart thing to do is what is being done now, with no louvers over the wheel arches. It's going to stay rainy, at different amounts. The worst of it is passing to our north. Just as we are about to finish the 20th hour, there's a spin for the #912 Porsche, look.
Earl Bamber has spun in the trio oval and look how slippery it is. Now he's goiing the wrong way down the road and getting it re-fired on the apron. You are allowed only to do donuts after you win. Bamber was also looking to get heat in the tires. He hit the throttle in a lower gear. That banking is significant, very significant. More pit action. #62 is in the lane and so is the #85 Cadillac.
No comments:
Post a Comment