The great Sam Posey tells the story of the early years of the Rolex 24. In his era as a driver, close finishes were rare, and he was never involved in one. It was rare to see close finishes at Daytona back in those days, in the '60s, '70s, and '80s. To win the race, the key idea was to minimize mistakes and keep the car on the road instead of having pure speed. Crew chiefs insisted to their drivers. "I want you to be smooth, be consistent, and save the car." A race like the Rolex 24 can be won only on the last lap. But you can lose it on lap one if you aren't careful and want to go for it right away. Cars and drivers that did finish the race in the old days, were battered and limping home to the bitter end.
Today, the cars are expected to finish, especially as we enter year two of the hybrid GTP prototype era. The drivers must have the endurance, fitness, and mental toughness to go all the way, and go all out, all the time. This year, as it has in recent years, the Rolex 24 could very well come down to the final lap. At the peak of exhaustion, the drivers doing their final stint, will decide what that, and all the rest of them through the race, meant. Celebration, and despair. The most epic victory in motor racing and the most bitter of defeats. We will be seeing all those other moments, determining what will happen, and what kind of day it will be for the champions.
Stay tuned. We are about to see, what kind of day it will be. 24 hours. No more. No less. It all begins, now. On the pole for today's race, are my friends from Action Express Racing and the defending overall championship winning #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V Series R, under team boss, Bob Johnson, with drivers Pipo Derani, Jack Aitken, and Tom Blomqvist. Blomqvist is looking for the hat trick at the Rolex 24 and Action Express are looking for their first triumph in this race since 2018, six years ago, during the Daytona Prototype International era.
We have one late driver change. Clement Novalak, the Frenchman, who was supposed to be a part of the Inter Europol LMP2 team, the Polish bakers, in car #52, is injured. Taking his place alongside Jakub Smiechowski, Nick Boulle, and Tom Dillman, is the Brazilian, Pietro Fittipaldi. The speedway is buzzing right now, and we are ready to go twice around the clock! This is the crown jewel. It is gorgeous and unusually warm today. This is so important. If you win, you get a Rolex watch. We go racing, next.
The GTP cars are now a known quantity, from Cadillac, Acura, Porsche, and BMW. But in the GT Daytona Pro and GT Daytona classes, things have exploded. The Porsche 911 992 model, Ferrari 296 GT3, BMW M4 GT3, Mercedes-AMG GT3, and McLaren 720S GT3 Evo are now joined by the new Ford Mustang GT3, the new Chevrolet Corvette C8 GT3.R, and the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3. 59 cars start. We join Leigh Diffey, Calvin Fish, and Townsend Bell in the broadcast booth. The GTP cars hit 205 miles an hour. Pipo Derani smashed the track record in qualifying for Action Express. This will be bananas. 228 quality drivers.
The top six IndyCar drivers, F1 stars, sports car stars, it is incredible. Especially the IMSA regulars. Legends of this sport and event have said there has never been a field like this 32 countries, six continents, 69 class winners, champions from all kinds of racing. Formula 1, IndyCar, ASPORTS CARS. We have the whole NBC Sports motorsports crew here to cover the race. We'll tell you who's voices you will be hearing. Kevin Lee, one of the pit reporters tells us that Penske Porsche and Josef Newgarden are ready to go. Five IndyCar drivers are in the LMP2 class.
Last year we had a photo finish in LMP2. Proton Competition won that day. Two GT Daytona classes, pro and regular, with the GT3 cars, the dream cars. James Hinchcliffe, our NBC Sports colleague will race and be on the commentary team. Trouble for the #13 AWA Chevrolet Corvette C8 GT3 of Orey Fidani. They won LMP3 at the Rolex 24 last year. Early trouble for the privateer Corvette's. Starting from pit lane. The prototypes start first and then comes the GT Daytona cars. Each field led by an individual safety car.
It is time, now. Pipo Derani in the Whelen Cadillac leads the field and we're green! Felipe Nasr going for it already and here comes Sebastien Bourdais in the #01 Ganassi Racing Cadillac. In the GT classes the Lexus' pounce on one of the Porsche's already. Michael Christensen in the #77 "Rexy" the dinosaur Porsche 911 GT3R. Pipo Derani, "the dyano", the reigning champion is stretching the lead, with the roaring V8 of the Cadillac. Here come the Porsche, the Ganassi Cadillac, and the Rahal Letterman Lanigan BMW M Hybrid V8. We have great scrapping in the GTD Pro and GTD classes already. Fredrik Schandorff in the #70 Inception Racing McLaren.
Oliver Jarvis starts the #9 Pfaff Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 and one of the Lamborghini's is smoking from contact. Vasser Sullivan and Lexus lead GTD Pro right now. The blue #47 Cetilar Ferrari 296 GT3 all over the road. 11 manufacturers in GTD and GTD Pro. Pipo Derani, absolutely flying, sharing the Whelen Cadillac with Jack Aitken and Tom Blomqvist. Whoops. A spin for the #85 JDC-Miller Porsche 963 of Richard Westbrook. He is back in a prototype and ran in a Cadillac in World Endurance with Ganassi Racing last year.
Westbrook caught the Porsche but sent it in too strong into the turn. Sebastien Bourdais in the #01 Cadillac Racing Chip Ganassi Racing car sharing with Alex Palou, Scott Dixon, and Renger van der Zande. Some stellar driver lineups in all these GTP cars. Ganassi, Penske Porsche, Action Express, RLL BMW, Wayne Taylor Acura's. Nasr has to give it up to Renger van der Zande. Alex Palou was immediately on the pace. Leading the LMP2 class, Jakub Smiechowski from Poland, ahead right now of George Kurtz in the #04 CrowdStrike car and Ben Keating in the #2 United Autosport Oreca.
Kurtz sharing the #04 APR CrowdStrike Oreca with Colin Braun, Malthe Jakobsen, and British racer Toby Sowery. In the #2, it is Ben Keating, Nico Pino of Chile, Mexican IndyCar racer Pato O'Ward, and British sports car veteran, Ben Hanley. On February 11th, 1962, Dan Gurney and Frank Arciero won the first three-hour race here. In 1966 it was the first 24 hour race on February 5th and 6th won with Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby. Embrace the wonderful history of this motor race. We are racing, making history now. 59 cars in the field. Stars from all over the world. We have the Peacock Pit Box, with Marty Snider, Steve Letarte, and driver/commentator James Hinchcliffe who is in the #9 Pfaff Motorsports McLaren/
This motor race is about survival. Take good care of the equipment, don't make mistakes, don't get involved in someone else's shemozzle, and pull the pin with four hours to go. If this was a road trip, we would be going al the way across the country. We would end up on the west coast in Mesa Verde, California, going through Texas by the halfway mark in the race, Denton, Texas. Derani, Bourdais, Nasr, De Philippi, Taylor, the top five in GTP. Boulle, Keating, Kurtz, Thomas, Goldburg, the top five in LMP2.
Barnicoat, Serra, Christensen, Garcia, Jarvis, the top five in GTD Pro. In GTD, Telitz, Franco, Rovera, Legge, and Sernagiotto. Full-time drivers need to be rested when they are put into the car and the race car also has to be up to it. The car is only stopped for 40 seconds. Be prepared. You have to take care of your weapon the whole time. The race is great, and the party is also there. I have been to the Rolex 24 before myself, and it is getting better and better. We're open all night and all day. Go get 'em, James Hinchcliffe, in GTD. Cadillac power and strength, Pipo Derani and Sebastien Bourdais, 1-2. We have raced for just 16 minutes.
Correction, Nick Boulle is in the PR1/Mathiasen Inter Europol LMP2 car. The only difference between GTD Pro and GTD are the driver ratings. It does not matter. Right now, the battle is on between Ben Barnicoat in the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 and the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3. Ben Barnicoat vs. Daniel Serra. Endurance racing is about compromise. Alexander Rossi, Indianapolis 500 champion, his foot was catching a steering column bracket on the car. They fabricated a larger brake pedal for the car Rossi and James Hinchcliffe are sharing with Marvin Kirchhofer and Oliver Jarvis.
Daniel Serra is sharing the Ferrari with James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi, and Davide Rigon. Calado and Pier Guidi were part of Ferrari's Le Mans winning 499P Hypercar effort last year. Orey Fidani still havijg big issues with the #13 AWA Chevrolet Corvette C8 GT3.R. We also have many women drivers. Nine female racers, a record. It matters not if the driver is male or female. The car does not know the difference. However, we have nine ladies in the field in various cars especially in the GT classes. Katherine Legge has strong pace in the #66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3.
She shares with Tatiana Calderon, Sheena Monk, and Stevan McAleer. AWA are back behind the wall. The Corvette is dealing with fuel pump troubles. Pipo Derani leading nearly by a second as the Detroit muscle, the Cadillac V8 is roaring like a lion. That motor is probably the most distinctive sound in all of the GTP class. The other engines, the Acura is a 2.4-liter twin turbo V6, the Porsche 963 is a 4.6-liter twin turbo V8, and the BMW M Hybrid V8 is a 4-liter turbo V8. We have big trouble for the #78 Forte Lamborghini Huracan of Misha Goikhberg. He spins out of the Bus Stop and clobbers the tire wall! Ouch!
Ugh! Let's see what happened. He ate the curb, lost the tail, and... ker-runch! Thank heavens he is out of the car under his own steam. There's serious damage. Goikhberg has won titles and endurance races. Sorry for the team at Forte Racing. We are seeing today, the biggest ever crowd for the Rolex 24. Again, next year, yours truly hopes to return to see this wonderful motor race in person. Usually you need a jacket at the Rolex 24 but not this year. It is warm out and we are now under yellow for the Misha Goikhberg incident as he is being rescued.
The Rolex 24, 228 drivers from 32 nations, and legitimate superstar drivers. We have had a half hour of racing. We have that wonderful narration from the great Sam Posey that I paraphrased at the top of the blog post and he knows better than anyone, having driven himself but he is also an author and orator in addition to being a great driver. He is a treasure of motorsports. What will happen over the 24 hours? We think about this race for an entire year and we are in it now. Action Express now in the pits and so are the other GTP's.
21 sets of tires, 30 stints. Some point will come where the teams need to double stint tires. Something is amiss on the #6 Porsche 963 of Nick Tandy. Something in the steering, maybe. They put the nose back on. Problems early are what you want. Fix the issue and get back after it. Play the strategy game. It would be great if your road car could have a modular nose to replace. That would be amazing. That is what we have with the GTP cars. Clever design. There is also that whistling sound from the electric hybrid unit before the combustion engine fires up.
Josef Newgarden, last year's Indianapolis 500 champion, he is experiencing his first Rolex 24 at the wheel of the #6 Penske Porsche 963. Newgarden is in the #7 Porsche 963 with Felipe Nasr, Dane Cameron, and Matt Campbell. In the sister #6 it is Nick Tandy, Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre, and Matthieu Jaminet. Josef Newgarden is here on the Peacock Pit Box. He says he finally watched the full race. Drivers who win the 500 and watch the race back, are often in tears, tears of joy. The Rolex 24 is the same deal. These huge races are so special.
Adrenaline is a beautiful thing. He went into the crowd to celebrate the fans. I too, would love, not only to return to Daytona, but to also see the Indianapolis 500. Anyhow, this is a big honor for Newgarden racing with Porsche and Penske. Team Penske is Newgarden's home. This is so different for him than being in LMP2 from last year. He is in the top category. The GTP cars challenge you as a driver. Any GTP driver wants that challenge, from any team, any brand. Ricky Taylor has passed Pipo Derani for the erstwhile lead.
On Tuesday, Josef Newgarden got the baby Borg Warner Trophy. The big one stays at the speedway. The IndyCar season begins in three weeks. It is coming. NBC, USA, Peacock, that is the list of networks you need, or the Peacock app, to watch the race today. Stay with us. Internationally, I ope all of you are tuned into IMSA TV and IMSA Radio. The Wayne Taylor Acura team has two cars entered. The #10 Konica Minolta car is Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque, Brendon Hartley, and Marcus Ericsson. In the #40 Dex Imaging sister car, it is Jenson Button, Jordan Taylor, Louis Deletraz, and Colton Herta.
If you are going to pull it all the way through with us today, tonight, and tomorrow, I suggest plenty of food, plenty of coffee. Bananas are a great energy booster by the way. Now, speaking of energy boost, we are back to racing. Again, Ricky Taylor leads the motor race and there's a huge three car wreck! Three LMP2 cars have spun! Jeepers creepers! This is madness! It does not look like any damage right now but we need to see. "Spike" the dragon, the AO Racing #99 AND A FEW MORE AND NOW THE #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus has plowed into the #20 High Class Racing Oreca. #14 is chewed up!
Mike Conway in the defending champion car from last year and here is the #20 High Class car. Dennis Andersen, the Danish racer, at the wheel of it. Conway had no place to go. It is spewing fluid out the radiator. That rad is cooked. In replay, P.J. Hyett, Steven Thomas, and Dwight Merriman does a sympathy spin. Ugh! Mike Conway had no place to go! Blimey! Andersen just swept right across into Conway! So, it appears to be game over for the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3. Mike Conway, Jack Hawksworth, Kyle Kirkwood, and Ben Barnicoat.
Lance Willsey in the sole Ligier LMP2 #33 Sean Creech Motorsports car, washed out Dennis Andersen who had to give it up and went off the road. The brake lights are n. Mike Conway cannot believe it! Three wheels on me wagon for the #20 High Class Racing Oreca. Mike Conway cannot believe what has happened to him barely an hour into this race. That was a lightning strike. This is serious damage. Electrical woes, bodywork damage can be fixed. But this is massive damage. Teams have been here for two weeks preparing the cars. The tea cannot believe this. They were very confident in the car. An LMP2 car ran wide and was too bold.
So, we are closing in on the conclusion of the first hour of racing. Jimmy Vasser, owner of the Lexus team knows this will probably be a terminal crash. Vasser Sullivan has one more car with the #12. That is the sister car with Frankie Montecalvo, Parker Thompson, Aaron Telitz, and Ritomo Miyata.
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