Half distance at the Rolex 24. Alessandro Pier Guidi is being harried by Alexander Sims in the CorvetteZ06 GT3.R. Action Express and Cadillac want the longer green flag runs. They won the championship last year did my pals at Action Express. This was the key at the Rolex 24 for them last year with a six hour period of lead running under green. Nine of ten GTP cars are in this fight. Five on the lead lap and the other four only a lap down. My gosh. This is fabulous motor racing. Trouble still for the #64 Ford Mustang GT3. The #55 Proton Competition Ford Mustang with floor issues. Giammarco Levorato got hit and lost the rear taillamps. So they are now working on the center floor and the diffuser. It is a big learning cruve.
#64 also in the lane. Harry Tincknell, Mike Rockenfeller, and Christopher Mies. The car has run reliably and tested a lot. What they have not done is tried working on contact from the rear. Of course, we saw the Ferrari 296 GT3 with a modular diffuser at the Nurgburgring 24 Hours last spring. The Mustang and the Corvette are taking GT3 to a new level and of course, the BMW M4 GT3 when they debuted a few years ago also had rear diffuser woes. The car has to be able to take a hit. The GT3cars must run both endurance and sprint races alike thinking of DTM and SRO for example. Jack Aitken takes the five points for the Michelin Endurance Cup.
Troubles for the #55 Proton Cmpetition Mustang, pushing it behind the wall by the pit crew. It is not coming by under it's own steam. A drive through penalty too for refueling on the air jacks with the factory car. My gosh! Alessandro Pier Guidi half a second ahead of Alexander Sims. Risi Ferrari 296 GT3 vs. Pratt & Miller Chevrolet Corvette GT3.R. We will be in the night owl shift with Jonny Palmer and Bruce Jones just in a wee while. Alexander Sims has five more laps of fuel than Alessandro Pier Guidi. Trouble in Porsche land. The floor is busted for the #92 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3R. Pit stop time coming. Jack Aitken is regenerating and will be pitting soon.
The same is true for Marcus Ericsson in the #10 Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Global Acura. Sheer willpower for Jack Aitken and now, Tom Blomqvist is taking over. Marcus Ericsson into the Acura. Game over for the #27 Heart of Racing GT Daytona Aston Martin Vantage GT3. Done for the evening, Marco Sorensen, Ian James, Zach Robichon, and Ian James. Jack Aitken has a pizza from AXR for a late night snack before he goes to get some sleep. He will go take a rest. Any of the drivers at AXR can finish the race.
They are all comfortable in the car. Jack Aitken has Scottish heritage and has a thistle on his helmet. Deep into the night as we have passed 2:30 A.M. Eastern Time or close to it. Admittedly, I am a bit behind as the Peacock stream is not synced very well. It keeps having to reload. BMW are spreading their wings beyond GTLM and GTP to the Hypercar class in FIA WEC. Laurens Vanthoor has now retaken the lead of the motor race, Laurens Vanthoor pulling clear of Naxune Nartin. 2:00 A.M. now. GTD Pro separated now by less than half a second. A feeling of deja vu.
Daytona is a relatively short circuit at 3 and a half miles. The shift of a handful of degreees in temperature makes a big difference on the track. Alessandro Pier Guid has done so well as a Ferrari driver no matter which car it is that he drives for them. GTE World Endurance winner and a winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the centenary. Hey presto, they won for the first time in 58 years. The Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 has a 3 liter turbo V6 while the Corvette Z06 GT3.R has a 5.5 liter V8 with an out and out GT3 car. It is not an adapted GT Le Mans car like it was in the past.
Alexander Sims took the GTP title right at the end of the year but he knew he was not doing the best in prototypes and needed a change to go back into GT racing, sharing with Antonio Garcia and Daniel Juncadella. It is time for the Daytona night owls. This fight between Corvette and Ferrari is remarkable. Ferrari have pitted now. We are almost halfway through hour 13. Russell Ward, 13th in GTD. Now in the lane, the #62 Ferrari 296 GT3.
Routine service and now back on track. Daniel Serra, Davide Rigon, Alessandro Pier Guidi, and James Calado. Felipe Massa pits in LMP2 putting Tom Dillmann in the lead over Connor Zilisch. We are onboard in fifth place with Tom Blomqvist in the #31 Whelen Cadillac for Action Express as there is a pass on Dirk Mueller lapped by Earl Bamber in the #4 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. One of the GTP cars runs a wee bit deep into the International Horseshoe. 11 and a half hours to go. Trouble for the #81 Kyffin Simpson driven LMP2 car and fuel only for the #01 Cadillac of Alex Palou.
Right front flat Michelin tire at DragonSpeed as Dane Cameron pits the #6 Penske Porsche 963. Kyffin Simpson, a slow in lap for the Barbados driver. Simpson sharing with Eric Lux, James Allen, and Sebastian Alvarez. Should we have a yellow there will be pit callers as we are halfway through the 13th hour. The BMW #25 is in the pit lane. Kyffin Simpson was the 2023 European Le Mans Series LMP2 champion. We have more of those races coming for you in highlight form in the month of February. Porsche to the pit lane with the #6. Vanthoor has a clean stop and the #85 JDC Miller Motorsports Porsche 963 is n the lane as well.
Tijmen van der Helm, Richard Westbrook, Ben Keating, and Phil Hanson and Sara Bovy brings in the #83 Iron Dames Lamborghini, in crooked. An obloque angle for sure. The car is on the dolly jacks, and we could have seen a very ugly incident. Michelle Gatting replacing Sara Bovy and of course Doriane Pin and Rahel Frey. In World Endurance of course they ran a Porsche and Sara Bovy earned pole after pole after pole. Tom Blomqvist is now back up to second place behind Laurens Vanthoor. Louis Deletraz says that the #40 car just switched off and could not power cycle the Acura the first time and tried it a second time.
Pit stop time now for the Winward Mercedes of Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, Indy Dontje, and Daniel Morad. Daytona is a fickle track. You just never know what will happen. In the #023 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari, well, let's check that in a moment. Alexander Sims is having a great time being back in the Corvette Z06 GT3.R and it feels more natural to be driving a Corvette instead of a prototype. Sims says the balance is nice in the nighttime in the Corvette. He was just holding onto the Ferrari 296 GT3. Tom Blomqvist has Laurens Vanthoor right on his six.
A change for the race lead has Tom Blomqvist screaming past Laurens Vanthoor into the Le Mans Chicane! Holy mackerel! The Cadillac's have great straight line speed. The Cadillac has had a burst of speed and they are reaping rewards. Tom Blomqvist is a two-time defending Rolex 24 champion but in an Acura. Now he is at the wheel of the Cadillac. Blomqvist shot past Laurens Vanthoor. Don't damage the car. Just run clean and be smooth. It is hard to get through the GT Daytona Pro traffic. Don't try being a hero. Just allow the gaps to emerge and don't spear it off the road onto the grass and into the barriers.
Lapped traffic ahead for Blomqvist and Vanthoor alike. Earl Bamber now in the #4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R. The #5 Proton Competition Mustang Sampling Porsche 963 had to serve a drive through penalty for failing to adhere to the powertrain parameters at Porsche. Well, that's a bugaboo, isn't it. Rene Rast and Dries Vanthoor, they are moving up with the BMW's are moving up. Tom Blomqvist leading with 413 laps completed, 1,470 miles. Drama for the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8. It is stopped on the road. Will this illicit a yellow flag? It does. Oh my.
Pit stops for the GTP cars. Renger van der Zande takes over the #01 Ganassi Cadillac. We remain under Full Course Yellow. Matt Campbell stays out and takes the lead of the motor race as cars are rejoining, the #6 and #25 BMW but the #24 BMW stopped and is getting a tow. Josef Newgarden will be getting into the Porsche #7 soon as we have also seen Spike the Dragon, the #99 Oreca LMP2 car out there with Paul Loup Chatin leading over Ryan Dalziel in the Era Motorsports entry. We are almost into the 14th hour of the race. It is time for a glug of chocolate coffee as Tom Blomqvist now leads the motor race past Rene Rast in second in the BMW.
Matt Campbell third in the #7 Porsche 963. LMP2 led by Paul Loup Chatin in the #99 Spike the Dragon Oreca ahead of Ryan Dalziel and Scott McLaughlin. GTD Pro has Daniel Juncadella ahead of Alessandro Pier Guidi and Michael Christensen in the Rexy Porsche. Renger van der Zande is still in the garage but the #24 BMW is now back in the fight. This is a cracking scrap in LMP2. Blimey! We have seen some wonderful motor racing.
Pit stops coming in GTP. A fight, look, in LMP2 between Spike the Dragon and Era Motorsports from first and second, so Scott McLaughlin will take over the class lead. Trouble for the #01 Cadillac on the jack stands and not much activity. The #3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R is in the pit lane. Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, and Daniel Juncadella as Matt Campbell passes Rene Rast. Tom Blomqvist still leading. Colton Herta next in the serial ahead of Kevin Estre. Now, Tom Blomqvist is increasing his lead but has lapped traffic to work through.
444 laps now completed, 1,581 miles. Rene Rast is being challenged by Colton Herta. The track is in great condition. Whelen Engineering Action Express Cadillac continues to lead, putting a lap on Alessio Picariello in the #5 Mustang Sampling Proton Competition Porsche 963. Retirement for the #01 Ganassi Racing Cadillac of Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande, Scott Dixon, and Alex Palou. Rene Rast pits and Tom Blomqvist will be in next time around.
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