#31 not out but they need to stay on the lead lap as we see the GT Daytona Pro cars into the lane now. Corvette, Lexus, and others. Jordan Taylor handing off to Antonio Garcia. Practice your driver changes either at the shop or the race track before the race weekend begins. There is bodywork damage on the left rear of the #31 Whelen Cadillac. They might have a penalty but the team has a new rear tail set to go. The BMW did not see the red either. How quickly will Action Express make the repair? Both Sims and van der Linde did not see the red light at the end of the pit lane. Both championship contenders. At Action Express, they are changing the tires, and they knew the BMW was not going to stop.
They have a whole new tail assembly that may be needed for the car. The new bonnet does not have to be a necessity. At Penske Porsche, the #6 is still in the garage. The #6 car has chassis damage. So, the points have swapped again.
1. #25 De Philippi/Yelloly BMW Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 2,797 points
2. #10 Albuquerque/Taylor Wayne Taylor Racin with Andretti Autosport Acura ARX-06 2,742 points -55
3. #31 Derani/Sims Whelen Engineering Racing/Action Express Cadillac V Series R 2,658 points -84
4. #6 Tandy/Jaminet Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963 2,691 points -106
5. #01 Bourdais/van der Zande Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V Series R 2,673 points -124
6. #7 Campbell/Nasr Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963 2,671 points -126
The #10 Acura had a slow pit stop and Ricky Taylor is now sixth. BMW #25 hits pit lane for damage repairs. Here are the scenarios. Three cars clinch by winning, either the #10, #6, or #31. Best finisher of those three, clinch if ahead of the #25 BMW. #25 clinches with win if the #10, #6, or #31 finish third or worse. #25 clinches if they outscore by 50 points, the #10, #6, or #31. We're just into the opening handful of hours. BMW #25 driving through pit lane to the box to replace the front nose for Sheldon van der Linde.
They are also doing an energy replenishment. The modular design of these GTP cars really helps. What you get at an IMSA race weekend are enthusiasts who own sports cars. There are 18 manufacturers involved in IMSA. Who isn't in this? This is the golden era of sports car endurance racing. We'll see Lamborghini next year and the Aston Martin Hypercar for both IMSA and FIA World Endurance. Ferrari and Toyota may come and we have the new Ford Mustang GT3 coming for GT Daytona Pro and GT Daytona.
Action Express are back out on track and repaired. 105 feet of elevation around Road Atlanta by the way. We have seen four Full Course Yellows in the opening hours. How can it not with 52 cars on the grid. Everyone trying to get in position at the end of 2023 for momentum in 2024. We're ready to go back to green momentarily. Green flag! Sebastien Bourdais in the #01 Cadillac leads Marco Wittmann in the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 and now Mike Rockenfeller and Matt Campbell, and Alexander Sims stayed on the lead lap as did Sheldon van der Linde.
The #52 PR1/Mathiasen car, the #04 APR CrowdStrike car and the #11 TDS Racing car are all on the lead lap in LMP2. Alex Quinn now in the #52 chasing George Kurtz in the #04 car. One of the AWA cars in the lane. Penalties for bother Cadillac #31 and BMW #25! The #01 has put them both a lap down and a stop +60 seconds too for the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin. These two are back on track and now have to run like the wind. The #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura may be in the clear for now.
For the #7 Penske Motorsports Porsche, they too, are in it, Matt Campbell at the controls. Here's the revised points.
1. #10 Taylor/Albuquerque WTR Acura 2.752 points
2. #31 Sims/Derani Action Express Cadillac 2,723 points -29
3. #7 Nasr/Campbell Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 2,711 points -41
4. #01 Bourdais/van der Zande Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac 2,703 points -49
5. #6 Tandy/Jaminet Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 2,691 points -61
6. #25 Yelloly/De Philippi BMW Team RLL BMW 2,677 points -75
So, the #10 Konica Minolta Acura leads the #31 Whelen Cadillac and the #7 Penske Porsche who is actually behind Mike Rockenfeller in the #5 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963. #31 and #25 can get their laps back but now, the #25 gets an incident responsibility penalty too. My gosh. The #20 High Class LMP2 car of Dennis Andersen has spun again, the Danish driver. He is trying to stay out of harm's way. They don't turn sharply on hot tires once you've spun but Anderson is back on track. This fight goes on as Ricky Taylor is all over Marco Wittmann.
We hand the broadcast booth over to Brian Till, and Kevin Lee here on the Peacock broadcast. #25 BMW back to the pit lane now as we have been racing for almost two and a half hours. Campbell passes Bourdais. Porsche passing Cadillac for the lead of the motor race with Mike Rockenfeller keeping a watching brief in the #5 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963. Wayne Taylor Racing are looking for their first championship since 2017. The #83 Iron Dames Lamborghini is in the pit lane.
There's been chaos and mayhem all over. The #31 and #25 cars are only a lap down and can come back into the fight. Alexander Sims is still in the #31 Cadillac. Sims and his team can get the lap back and so can the #25 and the #60. The #60 lost two laps and have one of them back. Nick Yelloly at BMW says that you have to take your medicine, and both cars missed the red light out of the pit lane. Traffic has been hectic. At BMW the balance is there according to Connor De Philippi. Still a very long way to go. Matt Campbell in the lead of the motor race, currently.
If it were to stay this way the #7 Porsche could win the title. But believe you me, things will change more as the race goes on. Everyone can still win the title. Stay tuned, folks. Anything can happen. We saw that in the VP Sports Car Challenge races on Thursday and yesterday and in yesterday's Michelin Pilot Challenge finale as well. Iron Dames having trouble with something on their Lamborghini, and now, the battle rages in GTP between Marco Wittmann and Ricky Taylor for fourth place and Taylor ducks inside side by side with the BMW and Taylor takes the spot away through traffic.
Traffic giveth, traffic taketh away, as theyfly past an LMP3 car. In LMP3 currently, the #36 Andretti Autosport car was in that incident and they have a broken suspension piece. Gabby Chaves at the wheel of it sharing with Jarett Andretti and Glenn van Berlo as the Iron Dames crew is fixing the #83 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2. #83 is actually headed back out now. Taylor nipping through the GT Daytona traffic. But he must still be circumspect through the traffic backing off and then matting the throttle and making a clean pass.
In the braking zones without so much top speed, the GT Daytona cars have antilock brakes, and they can brake very deep into the turns. At Porsche, they have split up Matthieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell to the different cars and f course there are veterans on the team like Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy. Matty Jaminet and Matty Campbell are best pals. Campbell and Jaminet now lead Taylor and Albuquerque by nine points and Derani and Sims by 48 points. Bijoy Garg, a winner in the VP Sports Car Challenge in both races in LMP3. He is a Petit Le Mans rookie racing the #30 JR III Racing Ligier with Garrett Grist and Dakota Dickerson.
Garg leads by ten seconds or more in LMP3. Russell Ward in the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 leads GT Daytona currently ahead of Patrick Liddy in the #78 Forte, US Racetronics Lamborghini, the #32 Korthoff Preston Motorsports Mercedes and the #12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3. Russell Ward sharing with Philip Ellis and Indy Dontje. The #31 Whelen Cadillac is making up time of Alexander Sims. The GT drivers are telling the prototype drivers they are aware of them but wait so I can let you go.
At Magnus Racing in the #44 Aston Martin Vantage GT3, John Potter's drive time is complete, and they can swap over to Spencer Pumpelly or Andy Lally for the rest of the race. In GTD Pro it is currently Jules Gounon leading Kevin Estre, Kyle Kirkwood, and Jordan Taylor. Mercedes, Porsche, Lexus, Corvette. Four different brands in the top four. Campbell, Quinn, Garg, and Ward are the other current class leaders in GTP, LMP2, LMP3, and GTD. We are 3/4 of the way into this racing hour. You want drivers and team members who push each other but not so intense that your teammate ruins the race.
For Kyle Kirkwood, he wants the LMP2 cars by quickly and cleanly. Matt Campbell continues to lead the race. The #7 Penske Porsche team came into the race in fifth place, 73 points out. The #6 sister Porsche still in the garage. Trouble in pit lane for the #25 BMW and the #31 Cadillac still both a lap down. The #10 Acura has passed the #24 BMW and all positions are still chopping and changing like a Vegas slot machine. Points as they run sees Taylor and Albuquerque at 2,772 points only 11 ahead of Campbell and Nasr at 2,711 and Sims and Derani 59 out at 2,713.
Things will change again. Trust me. 350 points for winning the race. I cannot calculate all of this on the fly. Don't get caught up in the pace you are running. Your car is not ideal now but maybe in the darkness it will get better. What was the car like in night practice? That is what will be important as we get to the closing portion of the event. What is your tire degradation? Daytime wear same as nighttime wear. No soft compounds for the nighttime. Know what your fuel burn is. On the GTP cars it is easy to save ten percent fuel and you can coast in the esses or down the hill into turn ten and you can coast to turn 12 and save fuel in the braking zones.
Emmanuel Collard is second in LMP2, former Porsche factory driver and one of the winners with Wayne Taylor and Eric van de Poele in a Ferrari 333SP in the first Petit Le Mans back in 1998. Collard behind Alex Quinn now driving the #52 PR1/Mathiasen car. This is the #88 AF Corse Oreca of Emmanuel Collard, Matthieu Vaxiviere, and Francois Perrodo.
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