The GTP cars involve the drivers far more than the old Daytona Prototype International cars did. The drivers steer the engineers to use the systems to make the cars better. It is a challenge. In a handful of years they will have learned all the systems as Robby Foley pits from second in GT Daytona. We have had LMP2 cars in the lane. Robby Foley doing a double stint sharing with Patrick Gallagher, Jens Klingman, and Jeake Walker. The Corvette pits with Bear Bond on the right rear corner and they are working on the taillight and fueling the car, the fluid venting out the taillamp and Pipo Derani back in for pit work and so is the #40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Global Acura.
BMW also in the lane with Team RLL. Add fluid at Corvette but if it keeps venting out, then there's trouble. Is the fluid puddling in the undertray? It was venting fluid. Now, Neil Verhagen leads GTD Pro in the Paul Miller Racing BMW and puts the Corvette a lap down as the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963 pits from the erstwhile lead. Felipe Nasr at the controls. Nasr running ahead of his old teammate, Pipo Derani. Four Porsche's all on the lead lap and in contentuon with under seven hours to go. Porsche are the winningest brand in IMSA and the winningest at the Rolex 24 for a long time. Pipo Derani inherits the lead another time.
Matthieu Jaminet second and Matt Campbell third, taking over the #7 from Nasr. Pipo Derani leads as the U\sun is rising over Daytona International Speedway. After 17 hours, the field has logged 27,000 collective miles as the sun rises. Everyone is awakened and reinvigorated. The end is in sight. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans much less darkness. Six hours of darkness at Le Mans in the summer and 13 hours here at Daytona in the wintertime. The races are very different. More pit stops for Corvette and Ferrari. Triarsi Ferrari and the #4 Corvette I believe with a good taillamp set and no venting fluid. Wright Motorsports in the lane with Jan Heylen, car #120 sharing with Elliott Skeer, Adam Adelson, and Fred Makowiecki.
Pressurized oil being added. Ford Mustang GT3 #64 in trouble with the bonnet open. What is the plan? It looks like they are adding fluid and it could be brake fluid for the master cylinder. They may have done a brake change but could be suffering from a long brake pedal. Alexander Rossi, tenth in GTD Pro aboard the #9 Pfaff Motorsports McLaren. Nick Tandy out of the #6 Porsche 963. Matthieu Jaminet, "Jam Jam", is back in the car. Porsche Penske have had penalties and engineers at Porsche's base in Weissach, their competitoon base, are keeping an eye on things along with their pit crews.
They have had to take performance out of the car to stay within the hybrid parameters. The Cadillac might still be strong but Porsche will not give up and neither with the boys at Action Express. Trust me. GTP cars have a battery unit and an internal combustion engine using a torque sensor in the axle. Battery vs. combustion in the axle must be 1+1 = 2. Not 1+1 = 3. The Porsche blokes are bewildered. It has been OK through the night but if they have a problem in the closing hours... well. We'll see. But Nick Tandy is reeling in Pipo Derani.
Pipo Derani doing all he knows to hold off the challenge of Matthieu Jaminet. Pipo Derani got stymied behind an LMP2 car and is doing all he can to stay ahead of the Porsche. Derani hanging on as the sun rises. Porsche have had eight minutes more in the pit lane than the Action Express Cadillac. These GTP cars are so incredibly complex including the steering wheel. IMSA does a good job with the technical side including Simon Hodgson and the other technical delegates. Pipo Derani really trusts the Cadillac. That is good on the side of Action Express. AXR has picked up where the Ganassi car left off when it retired.
Of course, our boys at AXR are trying to win this race for themselves. Let's not count any chickens. The dew point has gone up and the track could get slick. Let's see about strategy as the track changes when the sun officially rises. The weather forecast will be cooler today. The #6 Porsche got penalized as the weather cooled off. They have to watch their engine parameters and maybe the issues will resolve with the temperatures increase. Six and a half hours to go as the official sunrise has come at 7:30 A.M. Eastern Time, 6:30 A.M. Central Time.
One other issue for Pfaff Motorsports McLaren, they have everyone up and about in the pit box and there is energy. They need a backup generator for the espresso machine. The espresso machine conked out. A tight scrap in LMP2. This is a humdinger! Zilisch vs. Malthe Jakobsen in the trioval! Zilisch makes his move, look. Jakobsen massively experienced in an LMP2. Jakobsen crawling all over Zilisch like a cheap suit and to the inside he goes! Blimey! Jakobsen makes his move but there is a GTD car in the way. Connor Zilisch says, "no way, sunbeam."
Zilisch played that perfectly, especially on the oval, holding the middle lane. GTP cars go by this battle with six hours and 25 minutes left on the board. The #45 Lamborghini from Wayne Taylor Racing and Andretti Global was in the way. Twoo young drivers, scrapping, fidgeting, fighting, before Jakobsen realizes discretion is the better part of valor. These two blokes have come to the pit lane. Okie dokie then. Both of them having to aovid the stranded #96 BMW M4 GT3, the Turner Motorsports automonile, Robby Foley at the wheel of it and they are pushing the car behind the wall. Patrick Gallagher was suited and booted for his stint.
Zilisch was wriggling back and forth on cold tires. Poor old Robby Foley must have run out of gas. This is getting bonkers as the Turner Motorsports boys go behind the wall. A tough road now for the drivers and for team owner Will Turner and strategist Don Salama and the whole rest of their effort. We will easily make it to Fresno, California, on our 24 hour road trip here. Jaminet reeling in Derani in a big hurry. Connor Zilisch, rehydrating after handing the car to Ryan Dalziel. It is a lot. Ryan Dalziel now driving at Era Motorsports.
Six and a quarter hours to go. The Corvette is holding station, venting oil and the breeze is flowing steadily while the sun is coming up quick. The drivers' vision will be blurred by oil. Jack Aitken will get into the #31 Whelen Cadillac. Pipo "The Dynamo" Derani, he has been pushing hard. AXR are low on windscreen tear offs. Getting close to the end of another racing hour. Action Express prepared for a pit stop bringing the Porsche with him. Driver change, four tires, fuel. Pipo Derani out, Jack Aitken in. Pipo ran a quadruple stint. Cleaning the windscreen. Porsche nips the Cadillac out of the lane! Oy!
Matt Campbell now leads. Stone cold tires for Porsche #6 and Cadillac #31. Just over six hours to go. Malthe Jakobsen leading LMP2. The sun is officially up with a little cloudcover. Campbell to the lane in Porsche #7. Jack Aitken now third behind both Porsche's. Sparks from the Porsche's with the tires not up to pressure. Ice cold Michelin's vs. hot ones. A brake lockup for Jack Aitken. Rats. Jack Aitken will be pushing hard. Aitken passes Campbell for third. Neel Jani now fourth in the #5 Proton Competition Mustang Sampling Porsche. Pipo Derani did two quad stints overnight.
Tom Blomqvist will be the fresh bullet for the end. Pipo and Jack doing the legwork. The car looks fine but the Porsche has the pace. They might have more in the tank and we'll see how things work out. Team Manager Gary Nelson says the three driver team might work better for planning driver stints. Seven hours and 48 minutes. Jack Aitken told that the #6 Porsche will be on the pit lane and they have electrical control powertrain parameter penalties and the fourth violation. This will allow Action Express to come back.
Porsche #6 in the penalty box stopping and holding for ten seconds with the energy burn.
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