This race, took place on Independence Day, July 4th. The update is coming, ten days later. We move next, this weekend, to Sebring International Raceway. So, stay tuned for lots and lots of news from IMSA after this rac and before Sebring. Here's the story of the WeatherTech 240 as it played out.
IMSA, is back, after a nearly six month break, due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Sports car racing returns in North America, at the place, where it began, Daytona Beach, Florida, and the magical, mythical high banks of Daytona International Speedway. In my introduction to the Rolex 24, a race I was privileged to witness, as a guest of Action Express Racing, I mentioned the beach, a place where cars and drivers used to race, an endlessly long, flat, wide, hard surface, as vast as a great slab of stone. IMSA and its teams and drivers have returned. In January at Daytona, the weather was cool, and sunny. The sunshine remains, but now, on this Independence Day, the 244th birthday of the greatest country in the world that we call home, it's hot, and sticky.
The race today is approximately ten times shorter, than the one teams and drivers first competed in, here at Daytona, five months ago. In the time since, there was no racing, because of the Coronavirus pandemic. In the world we now live in, because of the pandemic, some of the procedures for going racing are different. Health screenings, temperature checks, social distancing, and the wearing of face masks by everyone, to stay healthy and safe. The constants that do remain are going to be close competition, fast and beautiful cars, and the will to win. This, is a sprint event. Unlike the Rolex 24, where durability, stamina, and time, are the key factors, this race, the WeatherTech 240 at Daytona, will be quick. Driver's reflexes will have to be quick and sharp as well, which will be a hard thing for them to get used to, after such a long while away from the cockpit.
But, when it comes to real racing, a driver, being in the car, focusing
on the job at hand, is what everyone, fans, teams, drivers, has been
waiting for. Now, is that time. Now, is that hour. We are ready to
resume the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship at the place
where it began, Daytona International Speedway. We have weather in the
area. There will be a 60% chance of rain. The Balance of Performance
changes are working. Acura may be strong in mixed conditions, and so
will Ferrari.
The banking on the track at Daytona will dry out quickly. Tire management will be crucial, as this will be designated a wet race. Mazda will start on wet tires with both of their cars. The tire situation we have is this. Wets or slicks for DPi and GT Daytona. No intermediate tires whatsoever for anyone, although GT Le Mans has a variety of tires to choose from as far as compounds and heat ratings/ranges. They aren't hand cut slicks, which are not allowed in sports car racing anymore, and of course, we don't have tire warmers in IMSA either. Heat will be built up through the banking. Watch out for the International Horseshoe and the Bus Stop. This race will be a crap shoot.
"The Star Spangled Banner" is playing, and we are getting ready to go. Acura Team Penske and Mazda are on the front row. Ricky Taylor and Oliver Jarvis line up 1-2. Corvette swept the front row of the GT Le Mans grid, with the BMW's and the Porsche's next up in the next few rows. Compass Racing should have started on pole in GT Daytona, but the McLaren 720S GT3 will start from the pit lane. That was the plan but things have now changed. The #22 Gradient Racing Acura with Till Bechtolsheimer at the wheel of it. He's run vintage car racing for a long time, and he can feel where the grip is in intermediate conditions. He races an MG Midget against Ford GT40s and other beautiful vintage sports cars.
Five crew members from each team will do a special salute during the pace laps. We'll check that out in a few minutes. The command has been given to fire the engines. The cars are lined up in echelon formation and now, they rollout of the pit lane for their formation laps. The cars are on track, warming up their tires. Stand by. The clock is set. It's a time certain race no matter what the weather is going to do. The #63 WeatherTech Ferrari 488 GT3 is coming out of the pit lane. Whoops. Rob Ferriol in the #30 Hardpoint Racing Audi R8 has spun onto the grass. Ferriol is making his first start, and he's spun again, just tapping the throottle out of the International Horseshoe. Wow.
The banking will dry out fairly quickly. The pit ceews are standing in front of their pit boxes nas we watch the salute. The crews salute their cars and drivers and so do the fans. The 5,000 fans who are here as guests for this race, all Floridians. We might start this motor race behind the safety car. The marshals wave American flags for Independence Day. The track is slippery in the east horseshoe. The first few laps will be really interesting, neeedless to say. The GTD field is on scrubbed slick tires and GTLM cars are on wets. Corey Fergus has to be upset due to starting from pit lane.
We're set to race in another lap or so. Watch for Joao Barbosa, trying to pass Gabby Chaves in the #31 Whelen Cadillac. Two Floridians in the #7 Acura as the cars may start single file behind the safety car. It's doubtful this will happen. Nick Tandy is the only GTLM car on wet weather tires. They are forming up in Noah's Ark formation, for the green flag. The lights are out on the Lexus LC500 safety car. It's time to race, now. The safety car pulls in. Go! The green flag is out, on Independence Day! Happy Birthday U.S.A.! We're racing!
Castroneves has the lead and here comes Ryan Briscoe! They are side by side, look, the two Mazda's. The #55 Mazda has been passed. Juan Montoya goes around Jonathan Bomarito, and onto the banking for the first time. Nick Tandy has come to the front of the GTLM field and he runs wide! Jeepers! The #3 Corvette of Jordan Taylor, slipping and sliding. Here comes Jesse Krohn in the #24 BMW M8 GTE. Nope. It's Laurens Vanthoor in the #912 Porsche 911 RSR-19. Nick Tandy makes hay while the sun isn't shining.
The track conditions are treacherous. Here come the two BMW's trying to push into the braking area for turn one. Drift to the right and step on the binders. Bruno Spengler is fifth in the class. Tandy has rocketed away from the rest of the GTLM field! Holy cow! He is taking full advantage of wet weather tires as Aaron Telitz in the #14 GT Daytona AVS Lexus RC F GT3 leads the clas. Corey Fergus is now onto the track after being penalized for starting from the pit lane. So his woes, after starting caboose on the field, have been compounded. The scrap for second, third, and fourth sees Oliver Jarvis pulling away from Juan Montoya who wriggles his way around the track.
Nick Tandy is pressing hard. He won the Petit Le Mans overall in 2015, driving around the prototypes, in the rain. That was almost five years ago already. Nick Tandy was already in the race lead, using the grip of his Michelin tires. The second place #912 Porsche has Laurens Vanthoor at the wheel of it. The rest of GTLM has slick tires. Every other car, besides Nick Tandy. He has sandwiched Ryan Briscoe and one of the other Cadillac's between himself and his team mate. Robby Foley, Ryan Hardwick, and Till Bechtolsheimer are all on slicks in GT Daytona and are struggling at the moment.
Down the inside onto the speedway banking, Jesse Krohn goes around the Porsche. Shades of what we saw in the Rolex 24. The Michelin slick tires are gathering heat for the boys in GTLM at the moment as we've raced for ten minutes. Helio Castroneves leads Oliver Jarvis and Jonathan Bomarito. Juan Montoya is next, followed by Chris Miller in the #85 JDC-Miller "Banana Boat" Cadillac. Gabby Chaves is moving up as well at the wheel of the #31 Cadillac, the Whelen Engineering Racing/Action Express car. Aaron Telitz, John Potter, and Misha Goikhberg are the top three in GT Daytona right now.
Juan Montoya hits the pit lane and changes from wet tires to slicks. Montoya has great car control, but how will he do as the conditions change? Juan Montoya laps in the 1:48 range right now. The #10 and #31 Cadillac's are farther behind. Gabby Chaves does go purple and knocks down a 1:46.6, but he's running half a minute behind Helio Castroneves. Nick Tandy has gone out of the pits after a tire change. He's fallen down the order a little bit. He's smack in the middle of the GT Daytona cars. Meantime, we see the #7 Acura of Castroneves in the lane.
This is four new slick Michelin tires and a splash and dash on fuel for the #7. He's serviced and sent. He has to get heat into the slick tires. No tire warmers allowed in IMSA. Corey Fergus has spun the car. He's spun the McLaren 720S GT3 out of turn six and back onto the high banks. Jonathan Bomarito hits the pit lane for slick tires and so does Joao Barbosa in the #5 Cadillac. Gabby Chaves will move up. He started on slick tires. Meanwhile, Laurens Vanthoor has moved around Jordan Taylor. The race is a lottery at the sharp end right now. We are not sure which strategy will work, other than starting the motor race on full slick tires.
Oliver Jarvis is in the lane, but he's in a lap or so too late. Gabby Chaves will move into the lead of the motor race. He and Ryan Briscoe, both, are running extremely well. Ryan Briscoe and now, Juan Montoya, have reset some of the fastest laps of the motor race. Juan Montoya is a further 12 seconds behind Briscoe. The #3 Corvette of Jordan Taylor is harrying the two BMW's of Bruno Spengler and Jesse Krohn. Oliver Gavin cuts a 1:46 dead, a fast lap in GT Le Mans in the new mid engine Corvette C8.R. Crew Chief Dan Binks has now retired, but the pit crew knows what they are doing. BMW, Corvette, Corvette, Porsche in GT Le Mans. Juan Pablo Montoya runs a 1:38.7. Gabby Chaves has turned a 1:41.3.
The in between conditions are working out for the Lexus team in GT Daytona. Aaron Telitz has been running really well and in second in class, the sister car in the hands of Frankie Montecalvo, and next up is Misha Goikhberg in the #57 Acura NSX GT3. Oliver Gavin has gone around Jesse Krohn and here comes Nick Tandy. Everyone is in liner stern formation in GTLM, but Bruno Spengler has cleared out so far. Juan Montoya resets fast lap to 1:37.5. It's hot. It's nowhere near the same conditions yours truly and the rest of the teams experienced at the Rolex 24 back in January. Left/right through a battle in GTD between Robby Foley and Matt McMurry.
A battle ensues, look, between Jonathan Bomarito and Helio Castroneves, passing the #44 Magnus Racing Lamborghini, John Potter at the controls. No one is waiting. It's fisticuffs right from the off. Gabby Chaves is bish bash boshing it at the moment, at 1:38.5. Each lap quicker than the last one. Ryan Briscoe is 17 seconds behind. Still two hours and ten minutes on the board. 1:49.0, is Corey Fergus' fast lap in GT Daytona. He's pushing, pushing, pushing, and so is Oliver Gavin in the #4 Corvette C8.R in GTLM as we continue to watch the GT Daytona battle between Robby Foley and Matt McMurry. Aaron Telitz leads his team mate Frankie Montecalvo in GT Daytona over Misha Goikhberg, Robby Foley, and Matt McMurry. Till Bechtolsheimer has his hands full with Gar Robinson.
Cooper MacNeil is next in the order in GTD. Chaves has had to deal with some traffic. But, he remains out front, ahead of the battle between Ryan Briscoe and Juan Montoya. Briscoe is comfortably in second spot. Ryan Briscoe runs a 1:38 dead as his new fastest lap. He's been pressing very hard to try and catch the #31 Cadillac of Gabby Chaves. Jesse Krohn, meanwhile, the #24 BMW M8 GTE is in the pit lane. He's early, splitting the strategy? He might have one more pit stop that can be done. Maybe this race will be shorter? We'll have to find out. Montoya and Briscoe continue pushing.
The last pit stop will be crucial. The first 40 minutes have flown by. Chaves has had his lead cut down to 13.5 seconds as Ryan Briscoe is finding a turn of speed. Pit stop time for #31. Pipo Derani will take over from Gabby Chaves. Pipo Derani has not been upset about straight line speed. He is not one to be critical of straight line speed. Mazda has gone to the top of the tree, with Jonathan Bomarito and Oliver Jarvis, and as quick as I say that, Montoya in the #6 Acura is back to the point. Montoya is being monstered by the Mazda's at the present time. The pit stop strategy is chopping and changing. Jarvis is right on Bomarito's tail, look. They've gone past Aaron Telitz aboard the #14 AVS Lexus. The Mazda's are side by side in the tri oval! Yikes! That's close!
The Mazda boys had a very close shave. Larry Holt, and the rest of the Multimatic team were worried there, after taking this team over from Team Joest during the break for the pandemic. 24 laps in the book so far, 85 miles. Aaron Telitz is still leading in GT Daytona over the sister Lexus of Frankie Montecalvo followed by Misha Goikhberg and Matt McMurry. Pipo Derani is moiving up. Juan Montoya leads Jonathan Bomarito by a decreasing margin. The top three run together into the trioval. We have the speedway lights on now, after the 40 minute lightning storm delay.
Joao Barbosa in the #5 JDC-Miller Mustang Sampling Cadillac is running well in sixth place overall. Bill Auberlen has taken over the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT3. He has taken over from Robby Foley, looking for his 61st career class win in IMSA. Ooh. There was almost some contact as Bomarito nearly zonked Montoya! Yikes! That was very close. Pit stop for Montoya as he turned his best lap of the motor race. 1:37.1 for Montoya as the two Mazda's are now in the top spots.
Porsche leads BMW. Ryan Briscoe in the #10 Cadillac is losing ground. He's trapped between the two GTLM Porsche's. The gap is up five seconds and now down to three between the pace of slick tires vs. wet tires. John Potter started on wet tires in the #44 Magnus Racing Lamborghini. Robby Foley, Ryan Hardwick, and Till Bechtolsheimer all started on slick Michelin tires. Onto the speedway, Jesse Krohn blows by the Porsche down the back straight. Into the Bus Stop they go. The drivers are getting braver. The heat is building in the tires at this moment. We've raced now for ten minutes as Helio Castroneves leads Oliver Jarvis and Jonathan Bomarito, followed by Juan Montoya and then, Chris Miller in the #85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Cadillac.
Gabby Chaves has passed the #911 Porsche 911 RSR-19 of Nick Tandy. Porsche, Porsche, BMW, BMW, Corvette. Aaron Telitz leads John Potter, Misha Goikhberg, Frankie Montecalvo, and Robby Foley in GT Daytona with Gar Robinson next in line. So, your manufacturer order in GT Daytona right now sees Lexus, Lamborghini, Acura, Lexus, BMW, Mercedes. Pit stop time for Acura #6, a tire change for Juan Pablo Montoya to slick Michelin tires. How will he do in changable conditions? Nick Tandy in the Porsche has run a 1:54, with Jesse Krohn in the BMW M8 GTE running a 1:53.
The Cadillac's elected to start the race on the Michelin wet tires. Gabby Chaves, the substitute driver filling in for Felipe Nasr at Action Express Racing, is half a minute behind the Acura's in the lead. So, #31 is in catch up mode at the moment. Ditto for Ryan Briscoe in the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac as we watch the battle between Jonathan Bomarito and Oliver Jarvis in the Mazda's. #10 and #31 seem to be trailing, but Gabby Chaves in the #31 Action Express Cadillac, he sets a new purple sector time (fastest of all) at 1:46.6.
The good news is, Chaves is sixth overall. The bad news, he is a full half a minute behind Juan Pablo Montoya. But, Chaves is doing a fantastic job with driving, and so is Ryan Briscoe. Nick Tandy is in the lane for tires having fallen to 22nd overall on his out lap. Lots of shuffling happening right now barely 15 minutes into the race. Acura in the lane, look. It's the #7 of Castroneves. This is a quick splash of petrol and new slick Michelin tires for the Acura boys. Helio Castroneves is back on track, trying to get heat into the tires. He will be tiptoeing out there for a few laps. Cory Fergus has spun the #76 Compass Racing McLaren 720S, spinning out of turn six and coming back onto the banking. He started a lap down and has compounded his woes in class.
Jonathan Bomarito is in the lane from second spot. Oliver Jarvis in the sister Mazda, is in the lead. Jarvis and company missed the practice session on Friday. Joao Barbosa is in the lane as well in the #5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R and changing over to slick tires. Gabby Chaves is moving up on the two Mazda's and has them within reach. Laurens Vanthoor in the sister #912 Porsche 911 RSR-19 has his hands full with the #3 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, Jordan Taylor behind the wheel at the moment. Oliver Gavin is next in order. Joao Barbosa is back on track as Chris Miller pits the #85 Cadillac. The pit strategy has been a lottery so far.
Mazda #77 in the lane, look. Oliver Jarvis will be behind the eight ball. Gabby Chaves in the #31 Whelen Cadillac will assume the lead of the motor race as we've been racing for a mere eighteen minutes. We had a 45 minute weather delay with lightning, before this race began. Gabby Chaves now leads Ryan Briscoe by 12 seconds and neither of these Cadillac drivers have had to hit pit lane for tires yet. They started on slick tires and have had to tough it out. Gabby Chaves has not driven a DPi car in a couple years. He drove in 2018 in two events for Action Express at Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans. AXR team manager Gary Nelson only called Gabby Chaves on the Thursday before this race.
He said, "Felipe Nasr, our main driver, is ill. Would you be available to drive the #31 car?" Chaves replied, "I'll be there", and here he is now, doing a very good job. Ryan Briscoe has put in the fastest lap of the race, but that didn't last long. Juan Pablo Montoya reset it almost immediately. Jordan Taylor continues chasing Jesse Krohn in the BMW M8 GTE. Bruno Spengler in the sister BMW M8 GTE leads GT Le Mans right now. Jordan Taylor is reeling in Jesse Krohn even though it's taken the Corvette's longer for their slick Michelin tires to hit the sweet spot. Meanwhile, in the sister car, Oliver Gavin, driving Corvette C8.R #4, has just punched in fastest lap of the motor race at 1:46 dead.
The Porsche of Nick Tandy ran 1:46.9, almost a full second away from the Corvette driver. Patience is a virtue even in a sprint race. Longtime Corvette crew chief Dan Binks is now retired, but his wisdom is still within the team. These cars are brand new and just don't have the mileage in the wet weather. Juan Pablo Montoya has done another fast lap. 1:38.7. He's setting them down just like that, in rapid fire sty,e. Bish bash bosh and he gets another fastest lap in the record book. Chaves still leads but is running a little slower at 1:41.3. Poor old John Potter has had his wet weather Michelin tires go dead on him.
He will struggle to stay on the lead lap in GT Daytona as Aaron Telitz is turning up the heat and so is Frankie Montecalvo. The two AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3's are also bish bash boshing it right now in GT Daytona. They are dialed in for these wild and intermediate track conditions. Hats off as well to Misha Goikhberg at the wheel of the #57 MSR Acura NSX GT3 and has Robby Foley in the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT3 in hot pursuit. The GTD leaders are indeed spread out as we continue to watch the GT Le Mans fight. Bruno Spengler's gap has ballooned further. Oliver Gavin is now third, following team mate Jordan Taylor for the two Corvette's as we see the track beginning to dry. BMW and Porsche are in hot pursuit of the C8.R Corvette's at the moment. Jordan Taylor is just four seconds in-arrears of Bruno Spengler.
13 laps, 46 miles in the books, as Juan Montoya resets fastest lap of the race once more. 1:37.5 is Montoya's time. Laurens Vanthoor moves by Jesse Krohn. All of the GT Daytona teams are using the exact same slick and wet tires, and so do the DPi cars. GTLM get a choice of Michelin tire compounds for wets and slicks. The DPi and GTD cars are all on the same tires, although they do have a compound that works for warmer conditions. The internecine battle between the Corvette's continues. It's been wet, and it's really hot. The conditions are very different from when yours truly attended the Rolex 24 in January. It's heavy, dense, humid air out there.
Robby Foley and Matt McMurry battle for foiurth in GT Daytona. It's BMW vs. Acura. Meantime, at the sharp end of the field, it's a battle between Mazda and Acura. Down into the infield and through turn one, Jonathan Bomarito wants by Helio Castroneves. No Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini at this race or the following event this weekend at Sebring International Raceway, which is slated to be the Cadillac Grand Prix. Cadillac will sponsor the next race. You will hear more about the race, or a reiteration of it's happening, at the end of this race report. Gabby Chaves is absolutely monstering the field right now. He is in the lead, nearly 50 minutes into this race, and each of his past few laps have been quicker than the previous lap.
1:38.5 has been one of his best, matching Juan Pablo Montoya. Chaves has been driving superbly. Meanwhile, the battle continues between Jonathan Bomarito and Helio Castroneves. Oliver Jarvis is on the back foot compared to his team mate but hew's coming back. Gabby Chaves, in the meantime, is running brilliantly in the lead of the motor race thus far. Oliver Jarvis takes fastest lap at 1:36.5. Nick Tandy is fastest in GTLM at 1:44.8. Don't make mistakes in a sprint race like this because you just can't come back from them like you can in an enduro. Cory Fergus has run fastest of all in GTD in the McLaren at 1:49 dead.
Oliver Gavin is fastest in GTLM at 1:44.8 as we continue to watch Robby Foley and Matt McMurry who both wanted different weather conditions. Aaron Telitz and Frankie Montecalvo continue to run 1-2 for Lexus in GT Daytona. Misha Goikhberg, Robby Foley, Matt McMurry, and Cooper MacNeil are next in the order, and further behind them is a battle ensuing between Matt McMurry and Gar Robinson. Again, a nice mix of manufacturers in GT Daytona in all postions. Behind the Lexus', we have Acura, BmW, Acura, Ferrari, Acura, and Mercedes Benz.
Till Bechtolsheimer is moving up in the Gradient Racing Acura, a team that is in IMSA for the first time, although they've run in other sports car championships before. Cooper MacNeil and Till Bechtolsheimer are scrapping. Now, Gabby Chaves still leads Ryan Briscoe by 17 seconds. Briscoe is second followed by Montoya and Bomarito. The track and air temps are 26 degrees and 29 degrees Celsius. It's muggy out there at Daytona, as Bruno Spengler leads GTLM and his team mate Jesse Krohn is in the pit lane after a 17 lap stint. Fuel, tires, and onemore pit stop. Krohn stays in the car, 35 minutes into the motor race.
Bruno Spengler continues to lead GTLM and the gap is closing to 2.2 seconds over Oliver Gavin as Gavin in the Corvette C8.R steadily closes up. No more rain can be seen on the radar, as we understand it is four tires that Jesse Krohn has. Krohn and Toni Vilander have been living together during quarantine for Coronavirus. Vilander says Krohn is like a puppy dog,and has boundless amounts of energy. Nick Tandy started the race on wet tires. He has more fuel in the tank than anyone else in GT Le Mans right now, and he could gain track position by not having to do an extra stop. Conversely, he does not have the same fuel mileage as his competion.
Back at the sharp end, look, it's still a lead for Action Express and Gabby Chaves in the #31 Cadillac. One of the GTD Lamborghinis' runs wide into turn one as Oliver Jarvis resets fastest lap of the motor race at 1:35.755 in Mazda #77. Gabby Chaves has traffic to go through and he lapped the #44 GRT Magnus Lamborghini that was running wide into turn one. 21 laps, 75 miles in the bag so far. There will be a time in this race as we look ahead to the last pit stop. The first 40 minutes have flown by. We're gtting close to two hours to go. Gabby Chaves has had his lead trimmed back to 13 seconds or so as Ryan Briscoe is catching up.
Chaves is in the lane. 21 laps done. Now, Pipo Derani will take over the car as four tires are changed and fuel is added. The #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac of Ryan Briscoe is in the lane. Briscoe will stay in the car as tires are changed a fuel is added. Pipo Derani screams out of the pit lane and now, Juan Pablo Montoya has assumed the lead of the race. Pipo Derani has not worried about straight line speed from the Cadillac. Montoya, Momarito, Jarvis, Briscoe, Castroneves, the top five. The two Mazda's lead right now. #77 had a fuel issue on Friday. It was trouble with the fuel itself. Their fuel was contaminated somehow.
Juan Pablo Montoya continues to lead. The Mazda battle is for second and third, and was impeded briefly by one of the Lexus GT Daytona cars. That had to be the #12 AVS Lexus, currently in the hands of former open wheel racer, Aaron Telitz. The Mazda's are side by side in the tri oval, look, and there's a little argy bargy there between the two cars. Jonathan Bomarito and Oliver Jarvis get too close for comfort, having given Larry Holt and the crew at Multimatic who now run the team, heart palpitations. That was a close shave! Multimatic have taken over the Mazda's from Team Joest. Jordan Taylor is catching his team mate Oliver Gavin who is still beehind one of the BMW's in GT Le Mans.
Telitz, from Wisconsin, had ten seconds over team mate Frankie Montecalvo and the Acura Meyer Shank Racing team mates are next up. Misha Goikhberg leading Matt McMurry. Pipo Derani claws his nway back up the order as the Montoya/Bomarito battle continues for the lead. The two Mazda's are gaining on the Acura as it is getting darker. They head down through the tri oval. We did have a 40-45 minute delay for lightning before this motor race began. Juan Pablo Montoya is being harried by the Mazda's, still. Joao Barbosa and Jonathan Bomarito are the two fastest DPi cars on the track right now and Bomarito is pressing Juan Pablo Montoya. He can't get inside the Acura into the Bus Stop.
They go around the #96 Turner Motorsports Liqui Moly BMW M6 GT3 which is now in the hands of Bill Auberlen. Bill Auberlen is tied with Scott Pruett as the winningest driver in IMSA right now, and he needs one more GTD class win to break that record, driving a red, white, & blue car, on Independence Day. How appropriate. This is round two of the championship and round one of the sprint championship as pit stop time for the DPi leaders is approaching. Bomarito nearly tags Montoya, and here comes the sister Mazda in third place. Bomarito very nearly clipped the Acura which could have done mega damage to either or both cars as Montoya is in pit lane, now.
The two Mazda's will move up. Juan Pablo Montoya ran a 1:37.1 before his pit stop he is serving now. Fuel and tires, and Montoya will do a doiuble stint. Bruno Spengler is in the lane and so is the second Acura #7 with Helio Castroneves also doing a double stint. Connor De Philippi takes over the #25 BMW. Bomarito will have a few more laps on slick tires, at least three, and there will be four for Oliver Jarvis in the sister car. 28-30 laps for the GTLM cars it looks like. Mazda #55 in the lane now. Harry Tincknell will not get into the car, but Jonathan Bomarito will get a new drink bottle. Also in the lane, Ryan Hardwick in the #16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R. Earl Bamber has taken over the #912 Porsche 911 RSR-19, and Oliver Gavin hands the #4 Corvette to Tommy Milner. Antonio Garcia will be in the #3 Corvette.
Jack Hawksworth will be in the #14 Lexus, and after his broadcasting stint for IndyCar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Townsend Bell will take over the #12 Lexus after Aaron Telitz has completed his stint. The #74 Riley Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT3 is also in the pit lane and there's a driver change as well. Lawson Aschenbach into the car after Gar Robinson has now finished his stint. Both Corvette's had tire adjustments, and the #31 Cadillac for Action Express, team manager Chris Mitchum has explained they will be running a fuel mileage race for the rest of this event, and that will dictate their strategy.
In the meantime, Mazda #77 is in the lane as well for service. Tristan Nunez is plugged into the car. Fuel and tires as well. Nunez is back on track. Cooper MacNeil and Misha Goikhberg pit, handing over their cars to Toni Vilander and Alvaro Parente. John Potter pitted the Magnus Lamborghini for tires earlier and Andy Lally has yet to drive the #44 car in this race as Pipo Derani has taken over the lead from Ryan Briscoe in the overall, running 22 laps for an opening stint as did Ryan Briscoe as Jonathan Bomarito dusts the #10 car into the Bus Stop chicane. We also see a pit stop for the #86 MSR Acura NSX GT3, and the #55 Mazda came out ahead of the #6 Acura to take over second place behind Pipo Derani who leads now.
Townsend Bell has now taken over the #12 Lexus after he did NBC Sports commentary for the IndyCar road race at Indianapolis. The #30 Team Hardpoint Audi is in the lane, and Spencer Pumpelly will take over from Rob Ferriol. Marc Miller has taken over the #22 Gradient Racing Acura from Till Bechtolsheimer and a driver chang as well for the #76 Compass Racing McLaren 720S GT3. Cory Fergus is out of the car, and Paul Holton will resume the next stint as we watch side by side stuff between Acura's #57 and #86. They side draft into turn one and continue to battle on the road course. It's Alvaro Parente hounding Mario Farnbacher.
Parente moves by Farnbacher. Jonathan Bomarito turns a 1:35.508, a new fast lap as Pipo Derani runs a 1:36.7. Bomarito is quicker than Derani at the moment, with just over an hour and a half to go. Nick Tandy reported two GT Daytona cars made contact going into turn one and there could be carbon fiber shards at the apex. The marshals and race control will have to keep an eye out for that. Nick Tandy has moved into the GT Le Mans lead. We've raced for just over an hour now. The #24 BMW M8 GTE was the first GTLM car to pit of course. Jesse Krohn and Connor De Philippi in the BMW's may take over the class lead in GT Le Mans, from the Porsche's as the Corvette C8.R's are losing some time.
Tamdy is in the lane now after a 30 lap stint. Some drivers did pit after 27-28 laps which means they'll be running a tad short on petrol. Fred Makowiecki, the Frenchman, will now get into the #911 Porsche 911 RSR-19. The fuel will determine how the pit stop works out and they are fired up and back on track. Makowiecki on cold Michelin slicks, will do a 30 lap stint. We'll see how the pit strategy works out for GTLM. In GTD, there's still ten seconds between the top two Lexus RC F GT3's, of Jack Hawksworth and Townsend Bell. Hawksworth runs ten seconds or so ahead of Bell.
Patrick Long has taken over the #16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R from Ryan Hardwick as Marc Miller is also getting up to speed in the Gradient Racing Acura, car #22. New fastest lap of the race in GTLM, as Connor De Philippi records a 1:43.6 in the #25 BMW M8 GTE for BMW Team RLL, faster than his team mate Jesse Krohn as Fred Makowiecki is now charging again as well. Toni Vilander has recorded the fastest GT Daytona lap of the race to this point. We will keep an eye on that star spangled Ferrari. We have 90 minutes remaining, chaps. We're ten minutes away from halfway as Pipo Derani is leading the motor race by seven or so seconds.
1:36.9 for Derani, 1:37.3 for Bomarito, 1:36.7 for Montoya. Derani is just two tenths of a second off his fastest lap he's run in this whole motor race. It was a brave move, by team manager Gary Nelson and company, to put Gabby Chaves into the car for the opening stint of this motor race and so far it seems to be paying dividends. Team Manager Gary Nelson and Race Engineer Tim Keene, along with team boss Bob Johnson, made a good move with putting Chaves into the car for the first stint, and also putting the car on slick Michelin tires, was a bold move to be sure. Sometimes you have to gamble, and so far, the gamble is paying off for Action Express.
I must digress. As readers of this blog know, I am friends with, and fans of the team at Action Express, but, the credit here, goes to them, not just from a fan standpoint, from a motorsports journalistic standpoint. If you read my posts from the Rolex 24, you'll know that the performance of the team was documented pre-race and post-race, by yours truly, after witnessing them in action, at Daytona. This strategy has gone very well for the blokes on the #31 team. Will it continue to pay dividends in the final hour and a half of the race? We're about to find out.
The gap now though between Action Express and Mazda Motorsports is coming into focus. The Acura's meanwhile, cannot keep up with the Cadillac or the Mazda's at the moment. Ricky Taylor is 25 seconds behind the sister car of Juan Pablo Montoya with Dane Cameron as the co-driver. Meantime, Sebastien Bourdais and Tristan Vautier in the two JDC-Miller Cadillac's are also turning up the pressure. We have a battle ensuing now between the #7 and #10. Ricky Taylor has gone around Ryan Briscoe.
Cadillac #10 and Acura #7 are both struggling. Taylor is the minnow right now, about to be gobbled up by the shark in the form of the #5 JDC-Miller Mustang Sampling Cadillac, Sebastien Bourdais at the wheel of it. The gap between first and second has been shrinking. Jonathan Bomarito is now closing up on Pipo Derani. This race is going to get very interesting as two of the top contenders are going to be in a major scrap for the overall lead, very soon. Pit stop time for the #44 GRT Magnus Lamborghini with Andy Lally behind the wheel. John Potter and Rob Ferriol did make contact going into turn one from a ways back. John Potter made just slight contact. Lally is tenth now in GTD. Tpmmy Milner runs a 1:44.103 as the fastest lap for Corvette #4.
Jesse Krohn leads GTLM over Connor De Philippi by 3.8 seconds. Tommy Milner did set the aofrementioned fastest lap for the #4 Corvette, followed by the #912 Porsche of Earl Bamber and then comes Antonio Garcia in the sister Corvette C8.R. Pipo Derani continues to lead and is being closed in on by Jonathan Bomarito as the sun is beginning to set while Tristan Nunez is speeding along, catching Juan Pablo Montoya as well. This is a very close race as the sun begins to set. For some reason, Ricky Taylor is losing pace, and Sebastien Bourdais is gaining. Yours truly was about to say losing steam, but that wouldn't work as thankfully, nobody has holed any radiators. That's the only way you'd be losing steam.
Juan Pablo Montoya is running ten seconds behind the Mazda while Jonathan Bomarito is gaining and Pipo Derani, he will have his hands full with Jonathan Bomarito. But, there's developing news, look, from the Penske Acura camp and it's not good news. The car has been coughing and sputtering. A big burst of flame and smoke has been belching out of the car, and the car has been overfueled. Ah. It's into the pit lane. Too much fuel. The car was running rich and it's on fire with raw fuel spewing out the tailpipies. The engine has gone bang. We don't see this. Write it down in your book, chaps. Engine failure for the Penske Acura, car #7.
The lead battle is now afoot. Pipo Derani in the #31 Cadillac has been caught by Jonathan Bomarito in the #55 Mazda. Pipo Derani has run 23 laps, Gabby Chaves did 22 laps. So, Derani will be in for fuel and have to give up the lead to Jonathan Bomarito. Other battles are also beginning to simmer. We're nearly esxactly at half distance. It's game over for Acura Team Penske car #7. Pipo Derani is defending his lead. We are halfway home. 46 laps done. 48 predicted to go, so a 94 lap race and next time by, 47 laps, will be half distance. Pit stop time from fifth, the #10 Cadillac of Ryan Briscoe. Renger van der Zande, the Flying Dutchman, will take over the Rolex 24 winning #10, leaders in the points championship as well, a lead they've held for five months.
Now then, Pipo Derani is pitting the #31 Whelen AXR Cadillac as well. They've run a 24 lap stint on fuel and tires. Pipo Derani will take the car to the end of the race. Bill Auberlen is in the pit lane in the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT3 which is an early pit stop for those chaps. Fuel and tires only, and the first GTD car into the lane. Jesse Krohn brings the #24 BMW Team RLL car into the lane, as the red sister car takes the lead in class. John Edwards is now into the car, one of the drivers who took this car to GTLM victory at the Rolex 24 in January. We're surely into the second half of this race.
The two AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3's continue leading in GT Daytona as we see the Acura NSX battle between Alvaro Parente and Mario Farnbacher. Connor De Philippi will make his penultimate pit stop soon as he has a 16.5 second gap over Tommy Milner. Jonathan Bomarito leads now by eight seconds over Juan Pablo Montoya. Tristan Nunez is third, followed by Sebastien Bourdais and Pipo Derani. Pipo Derani can go to the end after one more pit stop. Less than an hour and 15 minutes left now. Sebastien Bourdais is due a pit stop very soon. BMW, Corvette, Porsche, Corvette in GTLM.
Turner Motorsports and the #96 Liqui Moly BMW M6 GT3 have decided to run shorter stints on fuel until the end of the race. They are rolling the dice. Their pace will be rectified with less fuel and less weight in the car. The lights are on here at Daytona. The air temperature has gone up and the humidity percentage has dropped a tad. Track temperature is dropping. The air temp, the ambient temperature is up. We watch on the NASCAR banking between turns one and two, the Porsche and the Corvette are in amajor battle and here comes the sole remaining Penske Acura into the pit lane, from second place. Dane Cameron is getting into the #6 car.
Also in the pit lane, the #77 Mazda. They have a very quick stop at the Mazda team. Oliver Jarvis is back into the car. Sebastien Bourdais inherits second spot for the time being behind Jonathan Bomarito. Bomarito is now in pit lane for his scheduled service. Tires and fuel for Mazda as well as some quick adjustments made in the cockpit. Harry Tincknell has actually taken over the car. Sebastien Bourdais pits and stays in the #5 Cadillac. All this will cycle Pipo Derani back to the lead of the motor race. The #31 team is breaking this race down into a three stop strategy. So far, that plan seems to be working.
Now, is there an issue for the #44 Magnus Racing Lamborghini? Will the Mazda stay ahead of the Cadillac? Andy Lally and Spencer Pumpelly battle and they shared the same car at the Rolex 24 back in January. Lawson Aschenbach and Patrick Long battle for position in GTD. The Mercedes is loose because the front tires are fading. Pipo Derani's tires are up to temperature and pressure and Derani is coming. Oliver Jarvis has also gone around Dane Cameron. This is Cameron's first stint of the race with just over an hour to go. Jarvis can catch Derani, perhaps, bringing both Mazda's to the front. Right now, they are the bread and the Cadillac is the meet in the sandwich.
Connor De Philippi gives up the lead in GTLM to Tommy Milner and Pipo Derani si trying hard to hold onto second ahead of Oliver Jarvis, but he has his hands full with the Mazda driver. Just over an hour to go. Bill Auberlen pits the #96 BMW M6 GT3 with a fuel pickup issue. He has only run eight laps since going back out. Tincknell leads the motor race over his Mazda team mate Oliver Jarvis followed by Pipo Derani and Dane Cameron. Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais are next in line followed by Tristan Vautier. Tincknell's lead gap is 6.8 seconds.
Tommy Milner might have enough petrol left in the tank in the GTLM leading Corvette. Oliver Gavin ran 28 laps in his stint and Milner can run 29-30 laps. He's run his fastest laps at 1:44 dead. 1:44.0. Exactly an hour to go. The #96 Liqui Moly BMW M6 GT3 had a flat left rear tire and that's indeed what caused them to have to make a pit stop. The fireworks explode over the speedway for Independence Day! Happy Birthday United States of America! It's cool to see a Corvette leading at Daytona on the 4th of July. Nothing more American than that. Laurens Vanthoor in the Porsche has been running similar fuel stints to Oliver Gavin in the Corvette and now, we see that the Porsche is chasing down the Corvette's while Oliver Jarvis is sandwiched in the traffic.
Still the Mazda's are running really fast. Jonathan Bomarito and Oliver Jarvis have both been clocking laps in th 1:35 range. 1:35.470 to be exact. Dane Cameron runs 3.5 seconds behind Pipo Derani. Patrick Long pits the #16 Wright Motorsports Porsche, having run a fastest lap at 1:48.8. Many of the teams run two tone paint schemes now. The yellow and silvwer of the #4 Corvette really pops. Now, BMW might have good fuel economy as well and we see some three wide action, look, in GTD. Harry Tincknell leads Oliver Jarvis by six seconds or so. Sebastien Bourdais has really applied the blowtorch. 1:35.9 for Bourdais, within 2/10ths of a second of his fastest lap, and he is catching Dane Cameron.
Both the #5 and #6 will have to pit before this race is done and dusted. We have about 33 laps left, and at this pace we will complete 94 laps. Corvette #4 pits from the lead in GTLM. The windscreen tear off is removed and four new tires on the car. Fuel into the car as well. The Corvette has run 29 laps on fuel and the Porsche is on it's 30th lap. 54 minutes to go, and about 31 laps. Earl Bamber has gone longest on fuel in GTLM at 31 laps. He is into the territory of making his final pit stop. It's a reasonable assumption.
Maybe the BMW team is looking at tire wear and that's why they hit the lane earlier than their competition as the #57 Acura pits as well with Alvaro Parente at the wheel. Alvaro Parente will stay in the car. Lawson Aschenbach is staying in the #74 Riley Technologies Mercedes AMG GT3. Jack Hawksworth and Townsend Bell have also made their final pit stops for the AVS Lexus team. Porsche in the lane as well, look. Earl Bamber will finish out the race in the #912 Porsche. Jack Hawksworth pits from the GTD lead in the Lexus. Earl Bamber is on track and Antonio Garcia is also pitting. Ditto for the #86 MSR Acura in GTD.
BMW is also having to make changes to their strategy. Fred Makowiecki in the #911 Porsche will be in as well. The wet tires gamble for Porsche has been short term pain and long term gain. BMW moves back to the sharp end in GTLM. Toni Vilander leads GTD in the Ferrari and is in the lane now, and he'll relinquish the lead back to the AVS Lexus duo. In GTLM, it may be Porsche vs. one of the Corvette's for the victory as we now are within 50 minutes to go. Porsche #911 is due to pit lane soon as well.
Side by side stuff, look, between the two MSR Acura's. This is a little bit iffy if these two boys tangle with each other and they've got a Porsche right there as well as we race for a short while into the darkness here at Daytona. Earl Bamber did a 32 lap stint on fuel. Corvette has done a best of 31 laps. The Mazda's are only separated now by eight seconds. Pipo Derani is being reeled in by Dane Cameron. This is what race fans need. Sports car racing is food for the heart and soul in these times we live in of the pandemic. Lawson Aschenbach and Patrick Long battle and Till Bechtolsheimer is in the lane now. In GTD, the gap between the two Lexus cars has shrunk down from ten seconds to about four and a half.
The Meyer Shank Acura's in GTD are running in lock step, with Toni Vilander in the Ferrari third in class. Townsend Bell has halved the gap to his team mate as well. In the Acura's world, it's #86 ahead of #57 in GTD. Matt McMurry is used to finishing the races, but now, he has been the starting driver at MSR. He was the closer racing for PR1/Mathiasen in LMP2 last year. Pit stop time for Porsche #911 from the GTLM lead. Fred Makowiecki is taking full service and a full set of fresh Michelin tires, and a windshield tear off being taken off the screen. He's back on track now. This is indeed his last stop, and the two BMW M8 GTE's ahead of him will need to stop again.
We still predict this race will come down to 94 laps. Bamber and Garcia will finish out the race and will be the race for GTLM victory. In GT Daytona, it's the two AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3's going for the win. Bell was on the play by play call for the IndyCar road course race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for NBC Sports, and now he is driving in the IMSA race. Pit stop time for the #10 Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac. Renger van der Zande at the controls. He will finish the race, with some right rear damage to the car. They had a tire go down in practice and there was a skirmish somewhere that caused damage to the car.
Sebastien Bourdais made a pass on lap 59, on Renger van der Zande and now, Bourdais is ahead. Here too, is the final stop for the #31 Action Express Whelen Cadillac. Pipo Derani will run on full rich all the way to the end of the race with less than 37 minutes left. Mazda #55 is in the lane from the lead for the final time. Pipo Derani has been stretching the fuel and he's run consecutive 25 lap stints, quickly and frugally, at the same time. Harry Tincknell is now going to chase down team mate Oliver Jarvis. BMW #24 is in pit lane as well. Tires and fuel to get to the end of the race. Tommy Milner will have to stgretch his fuel. The Porsche had a bobble through the Bus Stop, allowing Antonio Garcia to make a pass.
The #25 BMW is in for it's final stop, with Connor De Philippi, and so the Corvette will inherit the class lead in GT Le Mans as Oliver Jarvis is now pitting. Dane Cameron may also come in for his final stop. It is a full fuel load and new tires for Acura. Oliver Jarvis is back on track. Sebastien Bourdais and Dane Cameron are in a drag race out of pit lane and who will come out first? It looks to be, Bourdais. The #16 Wright Motorsports Porsche passes the GRT Magnus #44 Lamborghini, both chasing the #74 Mercedes. There's four seconds between the two AVS Lexus RC F GT3's of Townsend Bell and Jack Hawksworth. Farnabcher, Parente, Vilander, and Aschenbach follow. Antonio Garcia runs a 1:44 dead and can go full rich to the end, racing against the Porsche.
Tommy Milner in the sister #4 Corvette is holding off Fred Makowiecki who can run on full rich fuel settings. The BMW M8 GTE's have just not had the same pace as Porsche and Corvette. Harry Tincknell leads Oliver Jarvis followed by Sebastien Bourdais ahead of Dane Cameron. Pipo Derani is then, 1.3 seconds behind. But the top five are within five seconds and sixth, Renger van der Zande, over Tristan Vautier. Bourdais, Cameron, and Derani are all going to push. Bourdais has likely been the Driver of The Evening this evening, and so has Pipo Derani. Derani is closing up on Dane Cameron, at a quick rate.
Ryan Hardwick said he drove a stint for the first time in his career on a wet track with slick tires. Dane Cameron has just cut his fastest lap of the race and so has Pipo Derani. We have some contenders who still have something left in the locker. A fastest lap as well by GTLM leader Antonio Garcia in the #3 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. Tommy Milner is being closed up on by Fred Makowiecki. Milner has to be inn fuel save mode. It's a shorter lap at 3.56 miles, but you still need enough fuel to get around here, especially on the high banks.
The Multimatic Mazda team have played their cards well in this race. It's their first race operating the Mazda team. Pipo Derani is closing on Dane Cameron and the battle for third is ebbing and flowing through the traffic. Derani is really pushing anhd he does not know how to slow down. He's a hard charger. The tripo of drivers battling for third, have pulled away from Renger van der Zande who just cut his best lap at 1:36.5. Pipo Derani has also run his best lap. Lots of purple sector times. 20 minutes left in the motor race.
AIM Vasser Sullivan has their two Lexus coupes five seconds apart and Mario Farnnbacher is second in the #86 MSR Acura NSX GT3. Even in the sprint format, the cars in endurance racing are so close together. Kudos to IMSA for balacing the cars to make the race interesting. This race has come out very well so far. Fred Makowiecki is battling with Tommy Milner, between the #911 Porsche and the #4 Corvette. Antonio Garcia will run to the end in Corvette #3. Earl Bamber will do the same with the Porsche. Bamber cuts his fastest lap at 1:43.885. Corvette vs. Porsche. This is going to be a humdinger in GTLM!
The green eyed monster, the Porsche with it's green tinged headlight gels, is making the move on the #4 Corvetre C8.R. That was an incredible pass! It was on the banking, approaching the road course. Porsche have gone backi to the lead, or well, the pass was actually for third place. Connor De Philippi is also putting the welly down. He and John Edwards are not giving up and we just have about 15 minutes left. Garcia is caught behind the GTD leader as Oliver Jarvis goes 'round the outside. Earl Bamber will be able to close on Antonio Garcia, but the Corvette has to be faster on the banking than does the Porsche.
Connor De Philippi is pressurizing Tommy Milner. Corvette Racing wants to go for a milestone achievement. They've not won in two years. It's a milestone number if they win, and if they get the first win for the new C8.R. The Compass Racing McLaren has been running really well in GTD. Cory Fergus and Paul Holton could indeed have been contenders in GT Daytona. Lexus, Acura, BMW, McLaren, Porsche, Mercedes, Ferrari... the GTD class has been incredible. Seven minutes to go on the clock.
The #16 Wright Motorsports Porsche is back into the pit lane for one reason or another. Earl Bamber has closed the gap up between himself and Antonio Garcia. Under five minutes left in the race. Mario Farnbacher and Alvaro Parente, Toni Vilander and Lawson Aschenbach, they've had some good battles. Aschenbach and Gar Robinson will be satisfied with their finish tonight. Garcia and Bamber are the two drivers who will fight to the finish. Till Bechtolsheimer will finish ninth overall along with Marc Miller in this first round of the sprint championship. Earl Bamber is going to make it hard for Antonio Garcia and he has indeed done that.
Bamber has run a 32 lap stint, and the Corvette has been able to run a maximum of 31 laps. We ought to see the white flag. One lap to go, and we will see a 95 lap race and go beyond the record that we thought we'd achieve. This race has been run entirely under green. Just amazing. No wonder it's been so action packed. We all missed IMSA for months and months on end and we're glad they're back!
Under 3.5 miles to go for Harry Tincknell. Has Antonio Garcia broken Earl Bamber's charge? Oh dear. Poor old Till Bechtolsheimer has gone off the road.
He will not lose a position to Paul Holton in the McLaren. It's the final lap. The final time through the Bus Stop. Mazda are going to win, and poor old Lawson Aschenbach is one lap short on fuel and needs a splash and dash. Mazda wins! It's a Mazda 1-2. The did the hat trick in the summer, last year. Sebastien Bourdais and Joao Barbosa put the #5 JDC-Miller Cadillac on the podium. In GTLM, it is all Corvette for the first win for the C8.R! Corvette win at Daytona ahead of Porsche and BMW. This is the 100th win for Corvette on American soil on Indpendence Day!
Who writes these scripts? Isn't that amazing? Kudos to the Corvette boys! Two years since the Corvette's have won, and now, with Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia. They'd not won a race in America since Long Beach, 2018. GT Daytona honors go the way of Lexus who earn a 1-2 finish. Jack Hawksworth and Aaron Telitz finish just ahead of Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo.
Overall/DPi: #55 Tincknell/Bomarito Mazda RT24P
GT Le Mans: #3 Garcia/Taylor Chevrolet Corvette C8.R
GT Daytona: #14 Hawksworth/Telitz Lexus RC F GT3
The fireworks crackle and sizzle as a pale moon hangs in the air, and this sprint race at Daytona to usher in the return of the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, has ended with a bang. 5,000 people will be able to say, "I was there for the return of IMSA", evoking great memories of Independence Day and the old Paul Revere 250. We had thunder, lightning, a damp track, a great race,a and fireworks.
The next race on the schedule is coming up, this weekend, as the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship travels to the hot, desolate runways of the famed Sebring International Raceway for the Cadillac Grand Prix of Sebring, taking place this coming Saturday evening. Plenty of news to get to between now and then, so look for some double doses of news on the IMSA front and lots more about sports car racing in the days to come. So long, for now, from Daytona International Speedway as IMSA has returned with a bang, in spite of the pandemic.
We'll see you at Sebring.
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