Wayne Boyd leads LMP3 over Nolan Siegel. AWA over Sean Creech Motorsports. Boyd is an Ulsterman from Northern Ireland. Sebastien Bourdais is chasing down Pipo Derani. Last year at this time, it was freezing at 35 degrees Fahrenheit in Daytona Beach. This year it is in the 60s. The #57 Winward Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 is in the pit lane. Russel Ward, Philip Ellis, Indy Dontje, and Daniel Morad. The distance record for this race in the modern era is 833 laps set in 2020, the year I was at the race at Daytona in person. We are not yet at a record I don't think, because we have brand new cars racing of course with these great GTP cars. Wayne Boyd serviced and sent out of the lane in the second AWA LMP3 car. Orey Fidani, Matt Bell, Moritz Kranz, and Lars Kern in the sister car. A Canadian, a Brit, and two Germans I believe.
Pit stop time for Sean Creech Racing and for Inception Racing as we look at the pit lane in the darkness early on this Sunday morning at nearly 4AM in Florida. Criminy. We need a yellow as I need a coffee or something to keep going here. David Pittard and Roman De Angelis both pit. Nico Pino now takes over the #33 Sean Creech Motorsports LMP3. In the 1960s, Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez were young winners of this event. The #64 TGM Aston Martin has spun. That is the car shared by Ted Giovanis, Hugh Plumb, Matt Plumb, and Owen Trinkler. We hear that Formula 1 and sports car legend John Watson is listening in to the IMSA Radio Rolex 24 broadcast. Hello, John. We hear his voice regularly in a different series, in GT World Challenge Europe for SRO.
Yours truly, under this yellow, escaped to the kitchen for a brownie, a coffee, and a water. We have seen pit stops for GT3s and for the prototypes as the track continues being cleaned up as the boys from IMSA Radio are telling some great stories about McLaren and the late, great Bruce McLaren who built and engineered them. There is a book about Bruce McLaren and by gosh I need to read it. I need to read a lot of motor racing books but I am just too busy blogging the modern ones, I guess. #60 and #24 were in the pit lane. The #24 BMW GTP for Phillip Eng and the #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura.
Nine and a half hours to go. The Cadillac's all pitted just two laps ago. Pipo Derani, Sebastien Bourdais, and Alex Lynn. 50 years ago, drivers like Derek Bell and motorcycle racer Mike Hailwood ran a Mirage prototype here and of course in 1973 Porsche won with Hurley Haywood and Peter Gregg in a Porsche 911 RSR. The best placed LMP2 is Ben Hanley in the #04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR entry with Ben Hanley at the wheel of it. Some say LMP2 cars could win this race overall. But I shall say, right now I doubt it. It depends because the GTP cars have lasted a lot longer than anyone expected them to.
It could very well be game over for the #64 TGM Aston Martin. Break out the marker of doom, again. Humina, humina, humina, as Jackie Gleason said in "The Honeymooners." It is time for a restart! Green flag. Okie dokie then. Tandy, Lynn, Bourdais, Derani, the top four. Pipo Derani wants by Sebastien Bourdais. 475 laps now in the bag. 1,691 miles. We are headed towards daylight very soon. Pipo Derani is prepared to go for it and makes it work hence why Action Express considers him their lead driver. #60 was in for a splash and a dash that was so quick, I missed it.
Philip Eng in the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 also pitted for fuel. Side by side stuff between the Cadillac's which is this scrum between Lynn and Derani and Bourdais is in there as well. It is Sebastien Bourdais trying to keep Pipo Derani at bay and Derani did lose a spot. He won't take that sitting down and will get back to Bourdais soon. Alex Lynn is doing all he can to get by Nick Tandy in P1. Filipe Albuquerque in the #10 Acura ARX-06 is two laps down and wants at least one of those laps back. Daniel Juncadella has Jack Hawksworth right on his six in GTD Pro.
The #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura topped up with fuel or may have actually had a penalty. Porsche, Cadillac, Cadillac, Cadillac. The three Cadillac's have pitted already, and Nick Tandy is about ten laps away from having to hit the lane again. Filipe Albuquerque is deeper into his stint. Albuquerque is reasonably trying to get a wriggle on and now, we see Sebastien Borudais pressing his teammate who locks up and Pipo Derani is watching all this. Bourdais needed no second invitation to pass his teammate. 1.6 seconds between Tandy and the Ganassi cars. Two seconds back, Pipo Derani. This is really close racing at the top of the shop in GTP!
Bourdais passes a Porsche, but it is the delayed #7 963 entry in the hands of Felipe Nasr. Nasr in 14th spot, 16 laps down. The Nasr/Campbell/Christensen Porsche has had a fraught race thus far. The sister BMW M Hybrid V8 #25 has also had a horrid race today, Sheldon van der Linde, the South African, one of the drivers. Sharing with Connor De Philippi, Nick Yelloly, and Colton Herta. Wow. In the garridge, the 2024 GT3 Z06 spec Corvette. It will be hitting the track at the Rolex 24 next year but is now tucked away for the night in it's own garridge.
Garridge? Garage. That's the British pronunciation of course. Of the 61 cars that started this race, eight have officially retired. 53 cars remaining. The Z06 GT3.R is the new Corvette model for next year. It is still a mid-engine car. Doug Fehan, former Corvette program manager, I think he is still involved at General Motors but has time for a spot of golf every so often I suppose as well. Eight retirements and we shall go through the list but not in order. It is by laps completed.
#47 Cetilar Racing Ferrari 296 GT3
#74 Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320 Nissan
#75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes AMG GT3
#11 Team TDS Racing Oreca 07
#92 Kelly Moss with Riley Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
#62 Risi Comeptizione Ferrari 296 GT3
#42 NTE Sport Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo
#36 Andretti Autosport Ligier JS P320 Nissan
That is eight retirements of the 61 original starters in the motor race. The #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 is still racing even though Nick Yelloly had to pull the car off in the hybrid safe zone behind the wall ahead of the pit lane, but the team could not get to it and the blue light was on meaning that the hybrid booster was still charged with massive electricity and high voltage. But they are in the race now albeit numerous laps behind.
The leaders are dealing with traffic as we watch both Sebastien Bourdais and Nick Tandy followed by Alex Lynn and Pipo Derani as we are closing in on the end of another racing hour and will be starting the 16th of 24 hours in this race very, very soon yet. Wow. This race is going down at quite the clip despite the yellows and the fact we may not break the 2020 distance record, the race that I saw at the speedway itself as a guest of my pals at Action Express. Oh boy! Sebastien Bourdais with two wheels in the grass out of turn six at the western horseshoe and now, Bourdais is reeling in Tandy hand over fist. Tandy's Michelin tires are grimey and beginning to squirm.
He was balked by an LMP2 car as well. Eek! He was actually on the wrong end of an LMP3 entry. Borudais had two wheel on the grass... two wheels on me wagon! Now then, 31 laps done in the stint and these chaps are wrestling these new hybrid prototypes like mad. This is spellbinding to watch! What did I tell you? I told you you all would get your money's worth! It is very exciting to watch. I have to have a dast pair of index fingers to type my thoughts on the paper here. This is fabulous motor racing! The tire life ain't an issue on the straights or the banking.
Pipo Derani slowing on the track and maybe there is a tire or something wrong. It is a puncture. Jeez! We will follow up on this.
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