It's 3AM Eastern Time, the 13th hour of the 2020 Rolex 24 at Daytona is upon us. We have officially reached the halfway mark in the motor race. Drivers pretty much only have to pay attention for half the motor race. The driver's don't think about everyone else. The pit crews are going to be super tired as they have been up for the better part of two days already. Pit stop time for the #63 Scuderia Corsa WeatherTech Ferrari. New tires are fitted to the car, and Toni Vilander will stay behind the wheel. Davide Rigon has pitted the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari. The much delayed #25 BMW M8 GTE is in the lane for service, Colton Herta now at the controls. Soon we shall see pit action, too, for the #5 JDC-Miller Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R. Loic Duval has been at the wheel for a long time, and Joao Barbosa will take the next stint. Loic Duval turned a 1:35 dead, 1:35.019 which is his best lap and the car's best lap of the motor race.
Both GTLM Porsche's are in the lane. Nick Tandy is in the #911, and Earl Bamber will be in the #912. Again, Joao Barbosa is back in the car and his kids, Jo, and Rodrigo, decorate their dad's racing shoes every year. Barbosa ran a 20 lap fuel stint. We are looking to see a stop from the #10 Cadillac soon. The #48 Lamborghini has pitted for new tires. Bryan Sellers stays in the car, and the same is true for the #88 WRT Speedstar Audi R8. Mirko Bortolotti stays in that car, too. The #10 Cadillac pits for fuel, tires, and a driver change. Ryan Briscoe looks to be the new driver. Olivier Pla has also pitted, and Ryan Hunter-Reay stays on track. Now, the #19 GEAR Racing Lamborghini is back in the race.
Also, pit stop time for the #24 BMW M8 GTE. John Edwards has finished his driving shift and the #12 AVS Lexus RC F GT3 is also in pit lane. Inheriting the GT Le Mans lead, Earl Bamber? It could be. The Porsche's were together on track. Earl Bamber has crossed the start/finish line and the BMW is now at the International Horseshoe. The #12 is in the lane for a lengthy stop. This car is a full season entry in GT Daytona. Sharing the driving chores here at the Rolex 24, Shane van Gisbergen, Aaron Telitz, Townsend Bell, and Frankie Montecalvo. Shane van Gisbergen is into the car. He jumps into the car. Although the mechanics were working in the foot well when Shane jumped in.
The #9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R is also in the lane, running second in GT Daytona to the #44 GRT Magnus Racing Lamborghini, with Andy Lally at the wheel of it, currently. This completes the cycle of pit stops for the GT Daytona machines. Bryan Sellers should cycle back to the lead in class, and he is six seconds clear of Mirko Bortolotti. Bortolotti is two-time defending GT Daytona champion in a Lamborghini and has had to learn about the Audi. Chaz Mostert, meanwhile, has maintained his lead in class in GT Le Mans over Earl Bamber. It's the battle of the Aussie vs. the Kiwi.
Then comes the #911 Porsche 911 RSR-19 followed by the Risi Ferrari and the #3 Corvette, driven by Davide Rigon and Nicky Catsburg respectively. Chaz Mostert and Shane van Gisbergen are both Australian Supercar drivers, but in this motor race, as they do in Supercars, they drive for different teams. Nick Boulle brought the #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca into the pit lane from the LMP2 class lead, and Colin Braun, likewise, pitted the #81 DragonSpeed Oreca LMP2 car as well. The colors, the lights, the shadows, it's like a video game of lights. The darkness here at Daytona seemingly never ends. When the sun brightens up the clouds at dawn, you feel like you've made it.
It's so cold, according to John Edwards, that if you can find a few laps on fuel, you can gain time on an outlap while your competitors are warming up their stone cold Michelin tires. It's cold tonight, here at Daytona International Speedway. Edwards explains that BMW wants consistency and wants more from the 2020 season. They've worked on reliability and on pace at some tracks. Execution will need to be improved and it already has been. Edwards has done a triple stint and he led throughout. He wants the watch. Porsche has the punch off the corner, and BMW has mid range power and good brakes.
The field is really tight despite having manufacturers with new cars in GTLM. It's 2:00 A.M. Drivers will scarf down some food to keep their energy up, hit the shower, and then, get some well earned rest. This motor race can and does bite sometimes. Edwards has been here so often, and he wants to taste the champagne. Joao Barbosa now leads Kamui Kobayashi by 4.2 seconds at the sharp end of the field. Nick Boulle leads Harrison Newey in LMP2. Chaz Mostert holds the GTLM lead for BMW as we have documented recently, and in GT Daytona it is still the Bryan Sellers driven Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini in the lead in class.
Nicky Catsburg remains on track for Corvette, while the #4 car is still being fixed in the garage, getting the oil leak fixed. Corvette Racing is hopeful of going to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Corvette is learning how to win, just like Ford did when the GT debuted here back in 2016 and is now retired. The #4 Corvette is still being worked on, to be able to finish the motor race. We have trouble now, look, for the #48 Lamborghini that was just mentioned in reviewing class leaders. Bryan Sellers at the controls. Sellers will be penalized with a drive through penalty for rotating wheels while on jack stands.
Sellers will have to cede the lead to the #88 WRT Speedstar Audi R8 of Mirko Bortolotti. Wheels moving on the jac stands is very dangerous. Toni Vilander moves to second and the Marco Mapelli moves up a place into third in GT Daytona at the wheel of the #44 GRT Magnus Lamborghini. Robby Foley moves up as well, aboard the #96 Turner Motorsports Liqui Moly BMW M6 GT3. In LMP2, we have seen pit action, as Dwight Merriman was in the lane for scheduled service aboard the #18 Era Motorsports Oreca. Merriman is the Bronze rated driver in that car. Joao Barbosa is slower than Kamui Kobayashi. Kobayashi is closing up on the #5 car.
Joao Barbosa protects his line and Barbosa just nearly kissed the tire wall with the left rear quarter panel of the Cadillac. He held a perfect line, and he also is keeping Kobayashi at bay. This race is a video game at night, trying to decide where to go to dodge traffic. Alvaro Parente is one they go around in the #57 Acura. Parente has raced here, and he's won at Bathurst, as well as winning in IMSA at Laguna Seca. The Bathurst 12 Hours is part of a different championship, but is a race you will read about here on this blog, as it is coming up.
Joao Barbosa knows Daytona International Speedway in and out. He's won three overall titles at the Rolex 24 and has had a class win here. No Christmas cards exchanged between these two blokes. That's for dead sure. This is indeed an on track rivalry. But don't risk the car, and make sure the chap finishing the motor race has a good car under them. Filipe Albuquerque in third, he runs 14 seconds behind the top two in the #31 Cadillac. There's a margin of 17 seconds between Olivier Pla and Ryan Hunter-Reay in the two Mazda's, and Simon Pagenaud is behind them in the #6 Acura. Pagenaud is in danger of going down a lap if Barbosa gets past him. Lapped traffic. Uh oh. Split the difference. Kobayashi goes to the low side of the #38 Performance Tech LMP2 car and they both make it past, as Joao Barbosa takes the high road.
Who has the momentum? The cars are identical. Kobayashi wants to pass in the Bus Stop. No dice. Barbosa holds the lead of the motor race. There was no way for Kobayashi to go through. This lead battle is absolutely fascinating. They are thinking about leading this motor race. Mundane thoughts that the rest of us think every night, are not anywhere in the minds of these racing drivers. Davide Rigon is still ahead of the #3 Corvette in GT Le Mans. Some drivers drive with their helmet visors open, and the trouble is that dust can get in your eyes or you can breathe it in. You don't want to be coughing while driving at high speed.
Mirko Bortolotti leads GT Daytona followed by Toni Vilander, Marco Mapelli, Bryan Sellers, Robby Foley, and others. Also on the lead lap is Anthony Imperato, driving the #16 Wright Motorsports Porsche, then comes Shinya Michimi, Lars Kern, and Parker Chase. Then comes Shane van Gisbergen followed by Alvaro Parente. So, there's quite a blend of manufacturers. Ferrari, Lamborghini, BMW, Acura, Porsche, Lexus. Chaz Mostert leads GTLM by 3.3 seconds over Earl Bamber. Third place, Fred Makowiecki, Davide Rigon in fourth, and Nicky Catsburg in fifth. There's a battle brewing for fourth between Rigon and Catsburg. Pit stop time for the #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac. Filipe Albuquerque stays in the car, getting four new tires and fuel before heading out for another stint.
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Joao Barbosa may be pitting fairly soon. Olivier Pla is 22.7 seconds behind Filipe Albuquerque. So, #31 is ahead of #77 right now. Grip is down in the cooler weather. There are tires ready for the #5 car and the #10 Cadillac has gone at least 20 laps since it last pitted. As many as eight sets of tires can be used twice. But you want to use them at night, not at "happy hour" when the sun is rising on Sunday morning. Kamui Kobayashi is using every trick in the book to pass Joao Barbosa. But these tricks are not new to Barbosa. He's seen them all before and he knows what Kobayashi is trying to do. Sebastien Bourdais will not be getting into the #5 car yet. Nor will Loic Duval. He's probably asleep, dreaming about his stint.
The pit crews are readying to put their pride on the line once more. Kobayashi has a run on Barbosa through traffic. Side nby side stuff through the tri oval and Kobayashi makes the pass. Barbosa is now the one who is the pursuer. Kamui Kobayashi ran the fastest lap ever at Le Mans a few years ago. Not much has changed, except for the gaps in the other classes except in GTD where Mirko Bortolotti leads Bryan Sellers by 23.5 seconds. Pit stop time for Joao Barbosa. Barbosa will stay in the car, taking on new tires. The data stick was switched, but this is a routine stop. Joao Barbosa is back on track and we should see Kamui Kobayashi in the lane soon. Olivier Pla is also in and getting new tires.
They are also doing a full windscreen tear off. Pla is back on track as well and Ryan Hunter-Reay will pit the #55 Mazda. Kamui Kobayashi is also in the lane. Kobayashi was asked about wanting some water, and he will surely take it since the car is not running an onboard drink bottle. The track has also been full of rubbish and clag. There's been no time to clean the speedway due to all the green flag running. Harry Tincknell is back into the #55 Mazda and they are working on something underneath the nose of the car. They are putting a new nose on the #55 car. Maybe the dive plane needed to be replaced, hence changing the nose. Who will be ahead in the battle between #5 and #10?
The GTLM Porsche's move aside for the leaders. The GTLM battle is still simmering. Kamui Kobayashi runs ahead now, and he's pulled out a big margin over the #5 car. Kobayashi needs to warm his Michelin tires back up to temperature while Joao Barbosa's tires are already hot and holding the grip within them, making contact with the pavement. Juan Pablo Montoya is having a good run as we watch the onboard camera on the #6 Acura, and hear the sonorous engine note of the Acura turbocharged V6 motor. But we also hear the car chattering over the bumps out of NASCAR turn four. Is there some kind of suspension damage, nose damage, or diffuser damage, on the Acura that we are unaware of? Montoya has also got a very dirty, very buggy windscreen.
The Acura is porpoising through the turns and the Porsche GTLM cars have been dealing with that same issue. Chaz Mostert and Earl Bamber are separated on the timing screen by the #38 LMP2 car of Cameron Cassels, but they are more separated on the road, physically. There's a 7.7 second gap between the two Porsche's. Juan Piedrahita also brings the #85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Cadillac, "the banana boat" into the pit lane. Who is in the #85 car? It could very well be Chris Miller who has taken over. The #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT3 is in the lane. Robby Foley hands the car over to Bill Auberlen. The Acura does not seem to have the speed or fuel consumption of some of the Cadillac's or the Mazda's.
Olivier Pla is a minute or so behind Kamui Kobayashi, and Filipe Albuquerque holds third spot in the #31 Whelen Cadillac for Action Express. 6.5 seconds is the gap between first and second in DPi and then Filipe Albuquerque is ten seconds behind. The #85 JDC-Miller Cadillac stalls in the pit lane and three mechanics had to push it forward through two pit stalls before the car would fire up. What will race control say about that? The #63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari has hit the lane in GTD. Cooper MacNeil has taken over from Toni Vilander. The #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari will hit the pit lane fairly soon as well. It's still cold and damp out on track. Florida cold is not the best, although the race cars like it.
The #62 Ferrari is in the lane. Davide Rigon is out of the car, and Daniel Serra may be headed into the car. The #16 Wright Motorsports Porsche in GT Daytona, makes a pit stop. Side by side on the banking in GTD between Bill Auberlen and Alvaro Parente, for tenth place in class. Auberlen decides discretion is the better part of valor. Parente still needs to visit the lane for service. Fred Makowiecki is in the #911 Porsche and will drive his first full IMSA season for Porsche, since 2016. Pit stop time, too, for the #74 Riley Motorsports Mercedes. Gar Robinson and Lawson Aschenbach are the full-season drivers, joined for the Rolex 24 by Felipe Fraga and Ben Keating. Shane van Gisbergen and Alvaro Parente, are former team mates, and they are now rivals, trading paint. Those two raced for McLaren and won the 2016 Bathurst 12 Hours, race you will hear about soon.
Ah. Forgot to talk about Michelin Endurance Cup points for the 12 hour mark. #5 led from #10. Fred Makowiecki gets fuel and tires for Porsche in the #911 car. Chaz Mostert has passed Shane van Gisbergen. Attention Australian Supercar fans. Mirko Bortolotti has pitted the #88 WRT Speedstar Audi R8. Who will be in that car? Dries Vanthoor should be taking over. Earl Bamber is in the #912 Porsche 911 RSR-19. The #88 Audi is back on track. Fuel and tires only for the Porsche, and now, Corey Lewis takes over the #48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini. Happy Sunday, everybody. It's dropped quite a bit in temperature and is very chilly for Florida this time of night.
The engines and tires love the cool, dense air. Will the tire restrictions mean triple stinting of tires? Triple stinting, as we talked about earlier, isn't an option. There's only so much durability in these tires and therefore, they can only do double stints, maximum. The GTLM leading BMW #24 is in the pit lane. We have eleven hours to go. It's 2:40 A.M. Eastern Time, Sunday morning, January 26th, 2020.
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