Kevin Magnussen seems to be enjoying driving here at Daytona. The pit crew members just cannot sleep. This is tiring for everybody. One reason why four drivers is a good idea, is allowing other drivers to rest. A triple stint is an hour and 45 minutes, but it takes you 15 minutes to go back and another 30 to get back to pit lane. Nick Tandy is running really well in the #4 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R leading team mate Jordan Taylor in the sister car, #3. Filipe Albuquerque is second in DPi and overall, and we see Simon Pagenaud third and Mike Conway fourth. Simon Mann leads GT Daytona in the #21 AF Corse Ferrari. Matthieu Vaxiviere leads the LMP2 class. Aaron Telitz is second in GTD followed by Corey Lewis and Lars Kern.
The BMW's have not had the speed, but they want the fuel mileage, and those cars were lifting and coasting into turn one. They are conserving fuel on long, green flag runs. Lifting and coasting is how you make the fuel mileage, rolling speed into the corner. Corvette Racing continues to run 1-2 in GTLM. In the meantime, the #01 Ganassi Racing Cadillac continues to circulate in the lead of this motor race. No real surprise there. Trouble in paradise, look, for the #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3. The car is on fire. Flames licking from the left front corner of the automobile. What have we here?
It looks like the marshals are putting it out. Now, they were behind the wall for 45 minutes with radiator damage. Frankie Montecalvo was at the wheel of the car. He's way off the track. There's fire belching out the exhausts on both sides. Oil is spewing out of the exhaust and igniting on the white hot headers. Montecalvo will steer the car as the marshals are going to push it. We will see pit stops and maybe a restart in the next few moments. So, it could be game over for the #12 Lexus of Frankie Montecalvo, Robert Megennis, Townsend Bell, and Zach Veach. That would be a tough break for those boys, with Megennis and Veach being Rolex 24 rookies.
Yes. Yes indeed. A flat tow for the #12 car. The race continues behind the Lexus LC500 safety car with well over 13 hours left to go. The Rolex watch is one of the coolest things a driver can win as something that means even more than a trophy. Pit stop time, and many cars and drivers will get new brakes. Both Action Express Cadillac's are in the pit lane. It is time for a brake change on the #31 car. They are grinding the brakes down. The brake change is also taking place on the #48 car. When do you make the brake change? There is more daylight running on Sunday. Clearly Action Express is making their brake change now, under yellow.
A brake change has also gone on for the #60 MSR Acura. Simon Pagenaud at the controls of the #48, and the car didn't start immediately, so the team had to push it. Typically, the car has to start on it's own steam. Both Corvette's come in for service. The #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' as well. The prototypes and the GT cars are using similar levels of braking. BMW are also taking a brake change, while Corvette did not at this point. The BMW boys are playing it safe and not gambling.
The #9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche also made a brake change as well. Zach Robichon sharing with Lars Kern, Laurens Vanthoor, and Matt Campbell. Pit stop time for a number of the teams including Wayne Taylor Racing and also Chip Ganassi Racing pit. Mazda #55 was also in the lane for a rear wing change mandated by IMSA due to malfunctioning brake lights. So this has put the #55 Mazda of Harry Tincknell, Oliver Jarvis, and Jonathan Bomarito behind the eight ball. A lead change in GTD as the #75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes AMG GT3 has taken the lead, being driven by the quartet of Kenny Habul, Raffaele Marciello, Mikael Grenier, and Luca Stolz, a car that we've not called the number of for a wee while.
Back up on the high bamks, the battle is seemingly in full swing between the #10 Acura of Filipe Albuquerque and the #01 Cadillac of Kevin Magnussen. Simon Pagenaud is still in this fight and so is Pipo Derani. So, both of the Action Express Cadillac's are on the lead lap. Olivier Pla in the fifth spot is also in the hunt in the #60 MSR Acura. Maro Engel in the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes has passed Mikael Grenier in the SunEnergy1 Mercedes being assisted by Gradient Racing who raced an Acura NSX GT3 last year in 2020. Maro Engel, the German, is in the #57 Mercedes AMG GT3 sharing with Philip Ellis from Germany, Russell Ward from the United States, and Dutchman Indy Dontje.
Pipo Derani is beginning to reel in both Simon Pagenaud and Kevin Magnussen. Filipe Albuquerque continues to lead the motor race for Acura and Wayne Taylor Racing. They are a team that is going for a hat trick here at the Rolex 24 having won the past two years with Cadillac. Ganassi and Action Express are trying to spoil their party and there's still a long way to go. We won't be at the halfway mark of the motor race for another hour and ten minutes yet. Brake discs glowing cherry red on the #10 Acura on the infield road course here at Daytona. Going up one level, you can get an advantage in endurance racing. It is just past 2:30 A.M. Eastern Time in Daytona Beach, Florida, 1:30 A.M. Central Time.
We are getting close to the end of the 11th hour, here at the Rolex 24. Nighttime is indeed the right time right now, referencing that 1957 Nappy Brown R&B song once again. The cars screaming down the front straight here at Daytona is a sight to behold, especially in the darkness. Wayne Taylor Racing with Filipe Albuquerque and Acura are still leading. We are an hour or so away from the middle point of this racing. We've driven from Daytona to Jacksonville, and are already to Houston and San Antonio, Texas, and all the way to Santa Clarita, California.
364 laps, 1,296 miles run so far.
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