A brand-new season of Michelin Pilot Challenge is once again about to commence at the traditional starting point. The high banks and flat and featureless infield road course of Daytona International Speedway are playing host to an annual tradition, the lid lifter of the season, the BMW M Endurance Challenge. In today's race there is a 45-car entry, including 28 Grand Sport machines, GT4 cars, and 17 TCR touring cars, ready to go. On the overall and Grand Sport pole, it is the #39 CarBahn with Peregrine Racing BMW M4 GT4 put on the pole by Sean McAlister, co-driving with Jeff Westphal. In the TCR class, Hyundai earn their first pole of the 2024 season, at the opener. Harry Gottsacker, sharing the #33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR, with co-driver Robert Wickens, are at the top of the shop.
There will be plenty of fabulous racing and plenty of stories to tell as this motor race gets underway here at Daytona Beach this afternoon, and as a reminder, I hope you all have had plenty of sleep and have plenty of coffee, caffeinated drinks, and snacks on hand when we go racing twice around the clock tomorrow in the Rolex 24 at Daytona opening the new season for the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, my favorite race of the IMSA calendar. New hopes and dreams and a new drive to win. Robert Wickens' title defense begins now. Luca Mars and Bubba Wallace, they are ready to win as well. Wallace, testing his road course skills to prepare for the NASCAR season.
Two classes, 104 drivers. All of them want to win. This is going to be hot! It is the Michelin Pilot Challenge, today at Daytona! Brian Till, Calvin Fish, and Steve Letarte will call the action. Don't go anyplace. The racing in Michelin Pilot Challenge is incredible! We have a dozen Rolex 24 winners and 18 drivers who have a Michelin Pilot Challenge championship. Daytona International Speedway is one of the greatest tracks in the whole world. It is called the World Center of Racing, for a reason. We have Dillon Welch and Matt Yocum.
NASCAR racers Bubba Wallace, Corey Heim, and John Hunter Nemechek share a GT4 class Toyota Supra in GS today for Smooge Racing. Don't forget Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker in TCR aboard the #33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR. Francis Selldorff and Robby Foley at Turner Motorsports, last year's Grand Sport champions. Here comes the field for the green. Safety car dropping to the pit lane. The GS field is underway! Green flag! A clean start, and let's see what will happen. McAllister gets a good start and here come the TCR cars.
Harry Gottsacker leading and going for it. The TCR cars have yellow banners on the windscreen with blue ones on the GS cars. TGM Aston Martin have swapped lineups and now, here comes Jack Hawksworth in the #50 Hattori Motorsports Toyota Supra. The slipstream is very important. Owen Trinkler had a fire in testing in December here at Daytona and his whole left arm and hand got burned. He is going to go for it even through the pain come hell or high water. Two or three driver lineups in this field.
So, Owen Trinkler gets the draft through the Le Mans chicane and is beginning to pull ahead of the BMW M4 GT4 and Jack Hawksworth, too, looks like he has good speed. The boot lid is loose on the #39 BMW M4 GT4. Deary me. That is going to squish the downforce for poor old Chris McAlister. That will be a massive parachute, like a dragster, or a toy parachute we played with as kids. Blimey! I think there was a failure on the boot. F1 fans, this is not a DRS device. It is not killing the speed of the car but they are hitting the lane to fix the boot.
Pit lane delta is 30 seconds-45 secods give or take. Latch the trunk down and get the car back underway. Take your medicine and then just keep on trucking. The mechanics are aggravated. "Tape it down! Tape it down!" they are telling each other, and now, McAllister is back underway. The BMW is back in the motor race. Owen Trinkler leading the motor race. McAlister needs to stay on the lead lap. There are three trunk latches on the boot. The third latc failed and of course, the fuel cell is in the boot. Maybe the marshals could have told the team to come in. This is a 4 hour event, and it is just like the Rolex 24 tomorrow. Take advantage of Full Course Yellows to get back in the race.
The TGM Aston Martin's have swapped driver lineups. Owen Trinkler now sharing with Hugh Plumb and Ted Giovanis with Matt Plumb. The two brothers do not drive together anymore. So, Jack Hawksworth chasing Owen Trinkler. I remember Owen Trinkler competing in Rolex 24's in years past. But he is not a household name. Joe Varde is a former driver and the team strategist for TGM. He is one of those experiencing taciticians. Now, in the TCR class, poor old Harry Gottsacker is going backwards. Nothing wrong with the car and he maybe did not get a clean exit off turn six or off the Le Mans chicane.
Eduardo Gou in the #55 Audi RS3 LMS TCR really motored right by. Gottsacker had to check up through the turn and lost speed. Good scrap, look, for second in TCR. Lalo Gou, is Eddie's father, and "Lalo" is his nickname. Father and son driving together for the first time. Lalo is buddies with former Rolex 24 winner Memo Rojas. Hyundai and BHA have owned the manufacturers' trophy in TCR and this is a battle, look, between #80 and #93. Harry Gottsacker is going for it, as these TCR cars fly through the corners. Front wheel drive.
Oh no. Trouble for the #94 car in turn six, spinning into the tires. That is a BMW M4 GT4. Blimey! Smoke out of the #55 Audi! Is that tire smoke or engine smoke? Eddie Gou is in trouble. I think the engine in the Audi went bang. Smoke billowing out the back. Now, #94, we'll get to it in a moment. Harry Gottsacker has oil all over the windscreen. Gavin Ernstone has put himself into the lead. Road Shagger Racing are two-time winners, he and Jon Morley, in this car. I saw Ernstone and Morley win this race at Daytona in 2020.
Right front flat on the #70 Deily Motorsports Hyundai. Gavin Ernstone and wife Kelly have a new baby at home. Don't put the baby's milk in the racing drink bottle! Jack Hawksworth leads the motor race over Own Trinkler and Francis Selldorff. Daytona is the biggest race of the year. You want success and there are times if you don't do well, you have a year to fix the situation. Karl Wittmer now being chased by Julian Santero in car #80. The #17 JDC-Miller Unitronic Audi RS3 LMS TCR, waiting for an ECU from Mexico coming from Orlando Airport. Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor, the South African, from Pretoria, South Africa.
It came up from Mexico landing at 11AM Eastern Time. Mikey Taylor picked it up from customs, installing the part and starting the car with only 15 minutes to spare before the race! My heavens! So stressful! We have been racing for 18 minutes. We are still having a Captain Cook at the TCR field. Now back t the Grand Sport leaders. Hawksworth eking a gap on Owen Trinkler and we have the two Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4's third and fourth. Dillon Machavern in #95 and Francis Selldorff in #96. Machavern sharing with Cameron Lawrence and Selldorff with Robby Foley. It is warm this weekend and keep the engine temp in a sweet spot because these are production cars.
They are not full-fledged race cars. The Toyota Supra has a standard road car gearbox. It is paddle shift, but it is a slower ratio box. Meanwhile, the #94 car we saw in trouble earlier is the Team ACP by Random Vandals BMW M4 GT4 being shared by Catesby Jones, Ken Goldburg, and Terry Borcheller, a two-time former winner at the Rolex 24, one of those wins, coming in 2010, with my pals at Action Express Racing under team boss, Bob Johnson. Jack Hawksworth making the best of his race so far with a planted, good handling race car.
He cleared Owen Trinkler, easy peasy. Big move too for the #55 Audi in TCR before the engine went kaput. So, we are watching the Turner Motorsports BMW battle. Selldorff and Machavern third and fourth. McAlister and company at CarBahn with Peregrine Racing, is back on track. Francis Selldorff, we talked about him a lot in the VP Sports Car Challenge races covered here on the blog last year. Bubba Wallace, in he meantime, is running well, and CarBahn with Peregine and the Bmw #39 in big, big trouble! A broken right front suspension!
Criminy! From bad to worse here for the CarBahn boys. What a horrible deal for the polesitters! Full Course Yellow. Steve Dinan, synonymous with BMW, back with Bavarian Motorwerks after running different brands through the years. NASCAR drivers want to be trained for road racing with the stock cars doing more of that especially with the Gen 7 Cup car. Think back to Le Mans last year and Garage 56. John Hunter Nemechek should get in and then Corey Heim and he is doing very well. Corey Heim has five wins in the NASCAR truck series and will be a reserve driver for Toyota in the Cup Series.
Pit stop time for GS cars. Jack Hawksworth in the lane and so is Bubba Wallace. He has to get to 40 minutes minimum drive time, for a double stint or a triple stint. Tyler Maxson is Hawksworth's co-driver. A host of Grand Sport cars have pitted. Bubba Wallace just wants to get laps. He looks relaxed and he is getting used to this GT4 Toyota. The NASCAR playoffs will have both Watkins Glen and the Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. Zane Smith and Harrison Burton won for Ford Performance in Pilot Challenge here last year at Daytona.
Put your ego in check in a sports car and be willing to learn how to race these cars. It is 80 degrees. Hot stuff at Daytona Beach, but Chamber of Commerce, too. TCR cars in the lane including the leading Hyundai #33 of Robert Wickens, cleaning the windscreen with the oil smudged all over it. TCR leader, the #61 Road Shagger Racing Audi have been leading and are going to push. Routine service for this new race car. Good stuff. Maybe Ernstone overshot the pit exit. Fortunately, Ernstone had a way to get back on track and the #5 KMW with TMR Engineering Alfa Romeo Giulietta was off the road, too. Tim Lewis Jr. and William Tally.
Robert Wickens when he gets into this car, is using hand controls, relearning how to race with the hand controls after becoming fit again through physical therapy after his massive 2018 IndyCar crash. We have been racing for 35 minutes. A long, long way to go. There are four Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra's led by Herta and team manager Phil Howard. Alex Zanardi with hand controls, finished his laps at the Lausitzring Eurospeedway after his horrid crash there in 2001. Racing brings techology to the manufacturers and Michelin tires. These hand control systems could benefit people with disabilities. It is happening for all the right reasons. Where else does it spread to?
We are set for the restart. Leading the motor race is the #91 Kellymoss Porsche Cayman with Michael McCarthy at the wheel of it leading Sean Quinlan in the #43 Steve Cameron Racing BMW M4 GT4 and two Aston Martin's off the road. Todd Coleman and Rory van der Steur, both on cold tires. Oy yoy yoy! That was target fixation going off the road with the ABS numbing the front end. Trouble in paradise, too, look, for the #5 Alfa Romeo and the #77 Hyundai Elantra and the #5 Alfa Romeo Giulietta spun and tagged the Hyundai.
A big clonk has caused damaged. Bubba Wallace in the #23 Toyota Supra also has a flat right front tire! Oh gosh! He may have had some argy bargy on the car. A slow puncture on the right front? I think so. Blimey O'Reilly! Disaster now for Taylor Hagler, the two-time champions. Michael Lewis is still recovering from a crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Bryson Morris is Taylor Hagler's co-driver. In the lead battle it remains Owen Trinkler in the lead. Toyota #23, in the lane for new tires. John Hunter Nemechek takes over from Bubba Wallace. He stalls the car, cannot find a gear, and has to go for it. Go, buddy, go!
Poor old John Hunter Nemechek will need to play catch up! Jeepers creepers! The driver change was find but he could not find a gear in the transmission, revving the motor. In replay, we see Todd Coleman and Rory van der Steur running off the road. Bubba Wallace sent it down the inside and clattered into Jesse Webb in the #34 Mercedes-AMG GT4, the JMF car. So, we are 45 minutes into the race now. More trouble at Aston Mattin! A loose wheel! What the... The #88 and the #71. Drive through penalty for Rebel Rock Racing and the Aston Martin and the #88 Todd Coleman driven entry, an Aston for Archangel Motorsports, in big, big trouble too.
Coleman sharing with Aaron Telitz. For the Archangel Aston, it is three wheels on me wagon. This has been a calamity filled Friday so far! Reigning GTD Pro WeatherTech Championship champion, he is running extremely well. They will keep digging. Hawksworth is also a driver coach in this situation. He is coaching Tyler Maxson. Owen Trinkler now leading Dillon Machavern in the overall in GS by a a second and a half. At Winward Racing, Bryce Ward has started ad Daniel Morad will take over soon as we are getting close to the end of hour one.
They have simulated every scenario on iRacing that they have seen today. Bryce Ward is keeping the #57 car out of trouble. Daniel Morad is linking real world racing with sim racing. We join Marty Snider and Jeff Burton atop the Peacock pit box. Pay attention to your job as a driver. Don't let your teammate down. This is a long race, four hours. A lot of these Pilot Challenge events are only half that, at two hours. Trinkler leading GS over Machavern and Gottsacker in TCR over Ernstone. Adapt to what is happening in these races. You never know what is going to happen.
Gottsacker and Ernstone are scrapping hammer and tongs and now, Ernstone is back out front. The Alfa Romeo has more off corner acceleration and the Audi has the top end speed. Ernstone bck in the fight with engineer Eric Peterson. The Audi is doing everything to stay with the Hyundai through the Le Mans chicane. Stay on the rumble strips. At hour 12 of the Rolex 24 there will be potholes down there. Road Shagger Racing has won here at Daytona at least twice. He and his teammate Jon Morley are a great duo.
In the #33 Hyundai of Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker, they won the title but no races in 2023. They are staying where they are at here at Daytona. Next time out the car could be better. Racing for wins week in and week out are what drivers want. #33 is staying in touch and is closing on the #61 Audi. We are just an hour into the motor race. Gavin Ernstone is doing all he can. Tire trouble for the #67 car of Sebastian Carazo. Did he tag someone? This is the Porsche Cayman, through turn two on the road course. He gets loose and has a flat right rear tire. This is the Czabok Simpson Motorsports Porsche Cayman with Sebastian Carazo, the Puerto Rican driver, sharing with Nikita Lastochkin and Gordon Scully.
Now, Dillon Machavern continues leading but Owen Trinkler is not far away. Machavern gets a good run past Trinkler. The Aston Martin stalls out on terminal speed. At Turner Motorsports, Robert Megennis is looking on before his stint. It is a crazy out there and everyone is jazzed up to go for it. Finish this race to avoid being in a hole insofar as the points. Survival is the key. Gavin Ernstone still in the #61 Road Shagger Racing Audi. Jon Morley says that Ernstone is at one with the car. He is in the zone, loving his stint and the car is running flawlessly.
A quiet driver is a happy driver. Gavin Ernstone's newborn son George is his focus beyond racing. Some drivers focus fully on racing but others will go play golf in the morning before coming to the track, refreshed, getting ready to race. Some guys sit on the pit box all the time and others are preparing to go for it by slugging down two candy bars and getting set for the race. John Hunter Nemechek muscles his way past the #19 Aston Martin, the van der Steur Racing car. That was a crunch! Oh dear! Dominic Starkweather at the controls of the #19 van der Steur Racing Aston Martin.
In sports car racing, sometimes you just give the place up without roughing up the other bloke or other lady. In road racing, if someone is quicker, you settle down. In NASCAR, it is a fist fight. Bubba Wallace tells us that it has been exciting racing the Michelin Pilot Challenge and the Toyota GR Supra with ABS brakes and traction control as well as less horsepower. The ABS can help maximize. BoP, Balance of Performance is bonkers. He is enjoying his time with Smooge Racing. He is getting more seat time for road racing on the NASCAR Cup side.
Trouble in paradise, look, for one of the Porsche Cayman's. I think that is the #44 car for Baby Bull Racing. Moisey Uretsky sharing with Michael Cooper. Bubba Wallace says he is hard on himself but is gaining confidence with the sports car racing. He has no expectations until he is going through the data after a session. Machavern and Selldorff are having a great ding dong scrap at the top of the shop, currently. Machavern has half a second on Selldorff currently. In TCR, Ernstone leads Gottsacker by 1.7 seconds. We have been racing now for a tad over an hour and 15 minutes. For Bubba Wallace, race craft has been a big deal driving the sports car.
Road racing is completely different. The contact broke the wheel and the sideview mirror on drivers' right, drinking through a firehose. That was a massive crunch. Seat time helps in whatever series and whatever car. Second place GS car in the lane, the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4. Tires and fuel and it should be a double stint for Francis Selldorff. The car is in it's sweet spot but the track is changing with the cloud cover, and the breeze is picking up just slightly. We've got two hours and 40 minutes to go, a standard sprint duration for the WeatherTech Championship.
Races are calculated on fuel mileage from the moment the famous words Gentlemen, start your engines, is said. So, Selldorff is now back on track and his teammate Dillon Machavern is in the lane and so is Owen Trinkler in the #46 Aston Martin in second and so is John Geesbreght in the #68 Smooge Racing Toyota Supra. Geesbreght sharing with Kevin Conway and Corey Lewis. On the GT4 and TCR cars there are five lugnuts on each wheel, not a central locking wheel nut like on the GTP, LMP2, and GT Daytona cars or on the Gen 7 NASCAR Cup cars. Look at the competition, and the key people, who have a feel for the pulse of the motor race, instead of just scanning the banks of computers.
Passes going on in Grand Sport in the top half of the top ten. Trying to get a read on who is going where. Currently, the #13 Mustang GT4 is running well with Chad McCumbee at the wheel of it. He is sharing the car with Jenson Altzman, and they are getting good fuel mileage. Now, in the lane it is Harry Gottsacker, doing a front tire change. It is very warm in the cockpit. Use the extra fan if you need it. He is holding the clutch lever which Robert Wickens also uses. The TCR cars are front wheel drive so they accelerate and turn with the front end only. Two rear tire changes and four front tire changes.
We'll be halfway home in 33 minutes. It is a full fuel load even with two tires. The weight will shift. Pit stop time too for the #43 Stephen Cameron Racing BMW M4 GT4 with Sean Quinlan and Greg Liefooghe. In the driver change it is like, you will not like me because I flatspotted the tires. You did what?! Oy! My goose is cooked! The Turner Motorsports BMW's are back to running in tandem. Chad McCumbee and Bob Michaelian have their Ford Mustang GT4's 1-2. McCumbee McAleer Racig ahead of KohR. Michelin Pilot Challenge is thriving as a series currently.
Wickens mentions that Harry Gottsacker knows what he wants and stays within his limits. He has great race craft as well. Great one lap pace, too. I wonder if the Turner Motorsports BMW's are fuel saving through drafting? I wonder if they are taking turns with leading and following. A game of follow my leader at 200 miles an hour. More pit stops in TCR as we continue watching the Turner BMW's at the front. The #13 Mustang is on a different strategy and Chad McCumbee brings the car to the lane. His mMustang receives service and Jenson Altzman will get in as we continue telling the story of this race. The whole novel is yet to be written. There's plenty more to say. Plenty more words to be put on paper to describe this motor race for you.
Oh my! The TCR leader is in trouble! The #61 Road Shagger Racing Audi is off the pace! I think he could be out of gas. He is not on full power through the International Horseshoe. Is the fuel pickup not working? He is sloshng the fuel around in the fuel cell. So he is coasting. He has been out for 29 laps and over an hour. They did a top up but did they get the car loaded up? It sounds like it is a fuel pressure issue. Jeepers creepers! So, we should be dealing with a Full Course Yellow and we do. Pit lane is closed for now.
Ernstone has fire but it is short lived. Can he run on the reserve tank? Ernstone is trying to turn left to get assisted to the pit lane. You can get back in the race and find a safe haven if you are in trouble. This is the second Full Course Yellow. He has fired the car up but I think it is more than fuel. The car is under full power again. Criminy. What could be the trouble? He has low fuel but the engine is still running. They are headed for the lane. Was it a reset? Was it an electrical gremlin? He can take emergency service.
They will do a five second splash and a dash. So, Ernstone has to come back in and now, the #5 KMW TMR Alfa Romeo is on the back of the tow truck and William Tally is in big, big trouble. They will not win the motor race this afternoon. Game over. We have a normal sprint race and change remaining. I wonder if there is a backup fuel pump on the Audi RS3 LMS TCR. Is it fuel quantity or fuel pressure? The car was power cycled three times. There's still petrol in the tank for now. These gremlins are so hard to diagnose especially in a race. It never happens in testing.
You never go into the race with a plan. You must just play the race as it comes and now, we have a 2 hour and 17-minute race left to run. Do the Turner BMW's follow each other? Or do they have options? Can they do a split strategy? Is pit lane closed? No. Someone passed on the pit exit light and you cannot do that. That was Kevin Conway in the Smooge Racing Toyota Supra over Jenson Altzman in the McCumbee McAleer Mustang. Dillon Machavern leading. BMW, BMW, Aston Martin, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Aston Martin.
TCR cars in the lane now. Hyundai, Hyundai, Audi, Hyundai. Both BHA cars in the lane but #33 had to back up. Robert Wickens will replace Harry Gottsacker being helped by crewman Enrqiue Carini and not his trainer Jim Leo. Four new Michelin tires with a driver change getting closer to the halfway mark. JDC-Miller/Unitronic Audi also in the lane and back out. I just stepped out, and we are now back to green, and have been watching the new TCR leader, Dai Yoshihara in the #93 Montreal Motorsport Group Honda Civic FL5 TCR sharing with Karl Wittmer but he has a penalty for a yellow flag infraction.
It is hard to go two wide through the kink. There are tire marbles offline. Be on your toes so the front end of the car does not wash out. The halfway mark coming up. Sean McAlister is back out after being in the garage for CarBahn with Peregrine Racing fixing the car. The BMW is a new car to this team, who have raced Porsche Cayman's in the past. Steve Dinan is in his happy place. Jeff Westphal, the co-driver, won the title with this team in an Audi, five years ago in 2019. Three Hyundai's third, fourth, and fifth in the order. Robert Wickens, Mason Filippi, and Nick Looijmans. The mirrors are in different colors but it is hard to see which car is which.
Red, blue, and yellow mirrors. None of the cars are painted or decaled differently. Turner Motorsports running 1-2. Dillon Machavern and Francis Selldorff. Matt Plumb in third spot. Dai Yoshihara has a penalty in his future and will lose the TCR lead. Fuel saving mode at Turner Motorsports. Greg Liefooghe can go full bore without fuel saving, for now. That is the #43 Stephen Cameron Racing BMW M4 GT4. A wonderful scrap here with the #23 Smooge Racing Toyota Supra of Corey Heim right now and John Hunter Nemechek can get back in. The car would not start when he tried leaving the pit lane but he is extremely happy to be in this race.
John Hunter Nemechek has completed his drive time and could do a little more. Again, Corey Heim is now driving. Antilock brakes, traction control, and lighter weight are what these GT4 cars are all about. John Hunter Nemechek is very happy. NASCAR has become a lot more emphasized on studying data race to race just like endurance racing. These three NASCAR drivers at Smooge Racing are having a fun time, getting more seat time and for the road races. Jimmie Johnson, too, drove sports cars and drove a IndyCar for a while. He had a great attitude. There is half the IndyCar field in the Rolex 24 tomorrow, too.
Last year in Michelin Pilot Challenge here at Daytona, Harrison Burton and Zane Smith, two NASCAR drivers, won this race, in a Ford Mustang GT4. Kyle Larson, NASCAR champion, will be racing an IndyCar in the Indianapolis 500. The Turner Motorsports BMW's are managing their fuel and track position with an hour and 50 minutes left on the board using the alternate strategy of lighter fuel loads and tire strategies as Kenton Koch, an ace driver, in the #92 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 sharing with Paul Sparta. Koch will take part in the Rolex 24 tomorrow as well.
Francis Selldorff, Will Turner tells us, is cool as a cucumber in his first Michelin Pilot Challenge race after racing VP Challenge with the single driver GT4 class there, last year, the GSX class. The Honda #93 has served the penalty, Dai Yoshihara, and I thought we saw the #44 Baby Bull Racing Porsche Cayman in trouble. Maybe I am wrong. Nope. I'm right. Flat right rear tire on that Porsche as one of the Hyundai's spins at the International Horseshoe as well, look.
Another spin! van der Steur around again in the apex of turn one! Yikes! In replay, he gets tagged on the inside by the #64 TGM Aston Martin. Turn one on the road course here at Daytona is just an odd corner inviting overcomittment. We saw it dramatically in the 2017 Rolex 24 between current Acura co-drivers Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque. Back then, Ricky Taylor was driving for his dad's team and Filipe Albuquerque was driving for Action Express. Pass under review. The decision is processed by the stewards' committee of two or three people, being IMSA marshals and two former drivers, Johannes van Overbeek, and David Donohue.
The Race Director has final judgment. IndyCar is the same way. NASCAR is the same way. Oh no! Oil trouble for Robert Wickens! An oil seal or line has come off and puked oil all over the windscreen! Blech! Such a terrible break for the defending champions, stranded on the side of the road. This is a mechanical problem. The car is just slowing. No smoke. An oil line came off or an oil cooler ruptured. The car just slows down and you see an oil trail spewing on the windscreen. The engine was still running and he physical shut it down. You did not hear the metallic sound like silverware in a blender.
Grand Sport contenders dive for the lane and Turner Motorsports stay out, both cars. There could be a miscue on the radio. Both TGM Aston Martin's in the lane bottled up with both of them. Drivers on the wall at Turner Motorsports. We have 98 minutes of racing left to go. The Grand Sport cars have all pitted and the TCR's are coming in next time by. Well, this is interesting. The #61 Road Shagger Racing Audi is back in the picture. Gavin Ernstone says he thinks they ran low on gas but weren't out entirely. Ernstone, the American domiciled Brit. In TCR, the #17 JDC-Miller Motorsports Audi in the lead of the motor race.
They of course changed the ECU before the race this morning that was shipped in from Mexico. The four hour race at Mid-Ohio will be amazing but maybe do a smaller fuel capacity for the two-hour races. It is hot here in Daytona Beach. Andrew Davis in the #71 Rebel Rock Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4 Evo, he knows the car, sharing with Frank DePew and Robin Liddell. Davis tells us that there was a cockpit cooling issue in the car with heat blowing in his face. It is warmer in Daytona Beach in January, than usual, and trust me, I know. I was there in 2020 for these races and it was nice on the day of Michelin Pilot but chilly the rest of the weekend.
Turner Motorsports both in. Robert Megennis will get into the #95 and there is a change in #96 too with Robby Foley taking over from Francis Selldorff. Foley and Megennis are both down and away. A quick spin there for the #80 Hyundai Elantra N TCR, Morgan Burkhard at the wheel of it. That is the Victor Gonzalez Racing Team entry the American is sharing with Julian Santero, from Argentina. There is an hour and a half left in this race. Under yellow, Michai Stephens is the erstwhile leader in the JMF Mercedes-AMG GT4. Stephens sharing with Jesse Webb.
This race will come down to the final hour in half an hour from now. Jon Morley should get back on the lead lap and already has with the class split between GS and TCR. A flat tire and more damage for the #70 Deily Motorsports Hyundai which has had a fraught race today. Road Shagger Racing is back on the lead lap and a tire rolls off a TCR car and I think it is that Deily Motorsports Hyundai which has one square wheel and three round ones. We are seeing a massive amount of yellow in the race thus far. Now, Road Shagger Racing ought to be back in the game.
The Audi is handling beautifully here at Daytona International Speedway. Jon Morley was thrashing and now he can go for it again after regrouping as the Deily Hyundai is in the lane for a tire change of all four skins. The #17 Audi now leads TCRa with Mikey Taylor at the controls, the South African racer. Green flag! We are back to geeen and it is going to go haywire! Stephens sends it to the outside but now, Jeroen Bleekemolen uses him up and goes to the lead in the #38 BGB Motorsports Porsche Cayman which is actually a lap down!
Egad! Now, the Turner Motorsports cars will be battling through the kink and some argy bargy from Megennis while Foley is going to take the spot away. Holy cow! Three wide is going to stall this battle for second and we have five cars going for this. Some real superstars in GT4. A lockup for the Aston Martin, Matt Plumb in the TGM car. Yikes! That was a 160 mile an hour game of chicken. Luca Mars, Jenson Altzman, in the Mustang's with the new GT4 spec Mustang and we will see the new GT3 Mustang at the Rolex 24 tomorrow. Jeroen Bleekemolen is a scrapper and Michai Stephens will be feeling the heat.
Greg Liefooghe is doing all he can to make a move. Michai Stephens says the Mercedes just does not have the top speed on the banking. Now, we also have Liefooghe going for it chasing Kenton Koch. Luca Mars in the Mustang, he is beginning to push as well. Two for one, and now, the BMW makes its move, our champion, Robby Foley. Francis Selldorff has Type 1 diabetes and so he must be careful. He monitors his blood sugar and so does the team. He drinks Gatorade and water both, during the races, in his drinks bottle.
Man, oh man! This Grand Sport battle is bonkers! Jeroen Bleekemolen will not move out of the way but he needs to get out of the way. He is experienced and fast, but the Le Mans and Daytona winner, is in the way. Bleekemolen sharing the #38 BGB Motorsports Porsche Cayman with Thomas Collingwood and Spencer Pumpelly. Audi #61 has great pace too, with a 1:58.2 fastest lap. Five brands in the top six in Grand Sport. BMW, Aston Martin, Porsche, Aston Martin, McLaren, Ford. Seven brands in GS and four in TCR with Honda, Audi, Hyundai, and Alfa Romeo. Ford CEO Jim Farley believes in motorsports.
Luca Mars in the Mustang swept the weekend in VP Sports Car Challenge here at Daytona last weekend. Megennis uncorks fastest lap of the race at 1:53.9. We also see Michael de Quesada in the McLaren running very well. Michael de Quesada has great pace. McLaren were hit or miss last year and they have picked up the pace as well. McLaren scored their first win in the last race of 2023 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. In TCR, meanwhile, Mikey Taylor leads the motor race by a second and a half over Mark Wilkins and then Dennis Dupoint in two of the Hyundai's.
They were going to get the ECU either from Canada or Mexico and Mexico was chosen. Team boss Chris Miller is happy about the developments and says the car is running well. Miller is also one of the drivers. JDC-Miller of course will have one of the myriad of Porsche 963's in the Rolex 24 tomorrow. Trouble for Greg Liefooghe in the #43 BMW M4 GT4! He is doing a Control, Alt, Delete. He pulled the car down out of the way to recycle the car.
This team is fighting electronic gremlins and the car probably went into safe, or limp home mode. Stephen Cameron, team boss and owner, looking on. Cars are running through the dust at the Le Mans chicane. Full Course Yellow. The #70 Hyundai had to take evasive action against the GS cars under a local yellow. This is the fourth Full Course Yellow of the day. Pit strategy will be turned on it;s ear. What will you do? If you are down the order, you might want to fling the football over the goalposts and see if it lands.
The two previous MPC races here at Daytona have had a Full Course Yellow just before the very end. A lot of cars might still need only half a fuel load. Luca Mars and the Ford boys might be able to stay out and gain track position. The Ford Mustang has shown well but does not have the raw speed. Look in the mirror and ask, "do we have the speed?" Or, if we don't have the speed, "let's try Plan B." Kenton Koch in the lane for Random Vandals Racing. Koch taking the car to the flag. New Michelin tires and VP Racing fuel. Koch nearly won last fall at The Brickyard, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the four-hour enduro there.
At Winward Mercedes, they put all the fuel they could into the tank and changed four tires. Turner Motorsports beat out both Winward Mercedes and Random Vandals BMW. Keep the options open with an hour left on the board. GS in first, TCR's next, and then an open pit lane for topping up the tank with a wee bit to go in the motor race. Cut and paste the strategy we've seen from Turner Motorsports. Here come the TCR cars. Do not speed in the lane. The Bryan Herta Hyundai's are in and so is the JDC-Miller Audi. They had engine woes at Daytona and Sebring but won races at Road America and Indianapolis before trouble at Road Atlanta which cost them the title.
Concerns at Road Shagger Racing I think about driver communication. In TCR, have you executed a masterstroke to win this race? Or will you need to hit the lane for a final splash and a dash before we see the checkers here this evening? TCR cars are hitting the pit lane now along with a handful of GS cars and these indeed will be final stops. Time to go racing. Green flag. Liefooghe and Quinlan, game over for the #43 BMW. Now for the aggressive chess game that is track position. Clear the traffic.
Corey Lewis now leading Michai Stephens. Megennis, Foley, and Matty Plumb completing the top five. Now, the lapped BGB #38 Porsche Cayman, has to give way. Robert Megennis is charging and looking to make a move on the Mercedes Benz. The golden rule in racing, fast race cars can fix a lot of mistakes, and here comes Robin Liddell in the #71 Aston Martin, but there is a penalty for them and a penalty too for the #5 KMW TMR Alfa Romeo TCR as well! Contact between #96 and #92! Foley clonks Kenton Koch! Throw caution to the wind, now. 50 minutes left.
The McLaren, damage on the left front, is still fast, as the sun is setting here at Daytona. #39 dropping back again, the BMW M4 GT4, the pole sitting car for CarBahn. Megennis trying again but Corey Lewis slams the door in his face. Megennis had position, he got back online and took a conservative entry and now has a head of steam. Spencer Pumpelly is a lap down but he is going for it nonetheless. Jeroen Bleekemolen took the same stand earlier in the race. Kenton Koch is now stymied in traffic as well. Jeepers creepers! Race car drivers have impressively long memories.
Corey Lewis at the top of the shop, and this motor race is not over. Argy bargy, fierce competition, that is what Michelin Pilot Challenge is all about. The battle for the lead, is nuts! Robby Foley bump drafting with Daniel Morad and Kenton Koch! Spencer Pumpelly has unlapped himself as well. Kenton Koch sends it around Daniel Morad! He is taking the fight to Corey Lewis in the #68 Toyota Supra. The Mercedes is good on the infield but as we have said before, it runs out of steam with the top speed on the high banks. Morad giving Koch all he can handle.
Onto the banking again. The BMW has the speed. Koch is attacking Lewis. Corey Lewis is in fuel woes currently as well. Another piece of the puzzle. Such incredible manufacturer involvement in GT4. Morad is trying Corey Lewis and now, Morad makes his move as Jon Morley is looking to pass Mikey Taylor, getting back on the lead lap! JDC-Miller vs. Road Shagger Racing. Dennis Dupont, the Belgian driver, in the Hyundai, he too has speed. He is third in the #76 car. Mikey Taylor is someone who will be a real scrapper. He picked up the new part in Orlando customs before the race.
Corey Heim dirt tracking the Toyota Supra through the Le Mans chicane! Kenton Koch is going to clear the lapped Porsche and now, Morad and Megennis are right on his six! This shemozzle could end in tears if these boys are not careful. #61 to the lane for a splash and a dash if this is scheduled. 41 minutes to go. Don't risk it. Stay out and cycle if there is a yellow but #61 is in trouble! Something is wrong! Oy yoy yoy! Same fuel pressure and fuel pickup woes as before!
Jeepers creepers! Koch, Foley, Megennis, Morad. Morad is thinking, "ugh! There's too many damn BMW's ahead of me!" Random Vandals are concerned about fuel, Paul Sparta especially, Kenton Kochs co-driver. He knows Morad and Mercedes are sneaky on fuel save. Road Shagger Audi in the pit lane fueling up, for the splash and the dash. The Turner Motorsports BMW's go by for the lead but Kenton Koch puts the squeeze play on Robert Megenniss. The BMW's are in the same boat on this fuel situation depending on how the drivers handle the gas pedal. What has Mercedes got left in the locker?
37 minutes to go. Morad seems to be getting the best of the BMW under braking through the Le Mans chicane and now, Mikey Taylor is being harangued by Dennis DuPont, based in Canada, originally from Belgium. This Hyundai does not have sponsorship on it yet. We are focusing on BMW, Mercedes, Aston Martin. There are Toyota's and maybe a Porsche who know they are good on fuel while everyone else is not. Robby Foley just barely ahead of Kenton Koch. Lift and coast. That is a good way to fuel save.
McLaren off and on and game over for Road Shagger Racing. They will not win another Daytona opener this year in TCR. It is feast or famine for that team at Daytona, every year, honestly. Go fast, save fuel. That is what drivers want to hear. The sun is setting here at Daytona and we have a gorgeous sunset on this Friday evening. For the #46 Aston Mattin boys to win, they need to do strategy. Matt Plumb could be able to win again, the second winningest driver in Michelin Pilot Challenge behind Billy Johnson who is now retired.
These drivers names are not household names but they are great ones. 16 Rolex 24 Hour race wins between 12 drivers. 18 drivers in this field have won 21 championships in MPC competition. In TCR it is about fuel mileage. Dupont only seven tenths behind Taylor. It will be a stretch to get home on the petrol meter here. Megennis sweeps inside Daniel Morad and he sends it deep but gets his nose chopped off by Kenton Koch as well, look. This is a great game of chess. We are winding down the clock. Half hour to go. A lot like football in the fourth quarter.
There are some other cars who could be contenders if they have the fuel. Again, a gorgeous sunset. It reminds me of a bowl of fruit. Very artistic. Well, the GS plan, the die is cast. Alea iacta est. Daniel Morad is the lone Mercedes in the top five in GS. The BMW catches Morad on the straight and has the speed in the infield. Matt Plumb rounding out the top five. You can run too hard and run out of gas or you can get beat by the bloke you think will run out of gas. Matty Plumb, in the heat, in that Aston Martin, he is going to be sweating buckets and tuckered out, but he is going for it.
Joe Varde says they cannot make it on fuel, but team managers can be really crafty with what they say. If I were team boss, I would say, "well, it is possible." The TCR class is glued together here. Taylor, Dupont, Wilkins. Dennis Dupont is really going for it, the Belgian driver. JDC-Miller Motorsports have been in the emotional wringer. They had no clue if the ECU was going to work. They had to reset that thing to get the paddle shift to work. They had an engine go boom in the race here last year. They almost got the title in 2023. The TCR cars are 14th and 15th overall and on the lead lap.
We have seen four Full Course Yellows this afternoon. The TCR cars look cool and they look like they are fun to drive. 2 liters, turbocharged, front wheel drive. The Alfa motor is a bit smaller. How will the GS field do on fuel? 23 minutes to go. Trent Hindman has two more extra laps of fuel in the tank. Hindman in the #28 RS1 Porsche Cayman he is sharing with Austin Krainz and the Scotsman, Stevan McAleer. I think everyone else is in the same boat on their fuel mileage. Wind down the clock, just like in football. Who has the petrol in the tank? 21 minutes to go. We have had 39 minutes since the most recent pit stop.
Kenton Koch is on fuel save, playing the game. Robby Foley is managing the gap from the front and he does not have as efficient a fuel save tactic being the leader. Will Turner and Don Salama crunching the numbers. They still need a yellow as does the other BMW. The Mustang's could play into this. The Aston Martin's could play into this. It is a darn shame this comes to a fuel mileage event. Hindman has two laps more gas in the tank. Hindman in the Porsche, the red, white, and black Porsche, and behind him is the Mustang, behind the beleaguered BMW for CarBahn with Peregrine Racing, the pole sitter.
Fuel capacity is such a big deal for Balance of Performance as well, with Luca Mars in the new Ford Mustang GT4 which he won with twice in both VP Sports Car Challenge races last weekend that you read about right here. Foley is balked by a TCR! Yikes! Morad on the attack sliding it between the BMW's looking outside of Kenton Koch! Koch has to find the whole and he has it. I think Morad let him in. Play this one smart. Don't make a mistake and damage the car. Koch on the defensive a wee bit.
16 minutes to go now. We are running short on time before the four hours is up. You are gambling. You will lose boatloads of track position under the green flag. Kenton Koch glued to Robby Foley's decklid. Koch has been in the draft a long time. The drivers are just sitting there now but it will get feisty here in a wee while. This is a five-horse race in GS. In TCR, they still have a fuel margin. Taylor, Dupont, Wilkins, Tom O'Gorman, and the rest. Dennis is going to go for it. When do you play your hand? Who lays the cards on the table, first?
Five laps is a lot. Hindman is losing time because he cannot get to the #46. Megennis to the lane. Oh my heavens! Foley might have the same deal. Fuel only. They need 11-12 seconds worth of VP Racing Fuel. Same deal for the #96. Foley next in line. Kenton Koch has been giving the others fits, but can he go the next ten minutes? The McLaren won't have enough? Trent Hindman and Luca Mars next. After that it is Riley Dickinson in the #91 Kellymoss with Riley Porsche Cayman. Then Chad McCumbee and then Megennis.
So, Koch stays out. #96 in the lane for Foley. They need just 9-10 seconds. He is away and back in. #28 short on gas, too! Gosh! This is bananas! Saving fuel is as impressive as driving fast. Morad is a question mark. Luca Mars might have a shot. Kenton Koch in the lead. Could the #92 cough and splutter? Aston Martin may not make it. #46 could have a fuel issue as well. BMW slower through the bankong. Is this fuel save? Morad in the lane. McLaren in the tpp three with Michael de Quesada. Seven minutes to go. Koch, Plumb, Mars, the top three. Paul Sparta says Random Vandals are not sure with as how much fuel they have saved, drafting.
Make a decision and live with it. The biggest race of the year. Again, we see the lovely sunset as this race draws to a close. Koch lifts to save fuel and Matt Plumb now leads. Just over five minutes to go. If there is a second on the clock when you cross the line, you must do another lap. Three laps to go, roughly. #99 Hyundai slow in TCR. Is this the yellow? Dennis Dupont is closing on Mikey Taylor. The team is crunching the numbers. Plumb slowing and Koch passes for the lead. Did the Aston Martin cough? Kenton Koch to the lane for a top off!
Luca Mars is coming in a hurry! #46 is in! Ford could win on debut with the new Mustang. Can Kenton Koch hold on? BMW vs. Ford. Two laps to go. Koch will be coasting letting cars by. #59 in the lane! Oh my! Koch can make it! Two laps to go. Coast, push in the clutch. Here comes Riley Dickinson in the #91 Porsche. #92 in the lane at the white flag! Who will win? Riley Dickinson? Splash and dash? Here comes Riley Dickinson in the lead at the white flag!
Where is Morad? This is going to be a nail biter! Riley Dickinson is the pro champion in the 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup North America sharing with fellow Porsche Cup racer Michael McCarthy for Kellymoss Racing. Morad has fuel now in second and here comes Morad! Can the #91 make it on gas? Final lap. Morad is coming in a big hurry. Shortest distance between two points, a straight line. Low fuel for Dickinson. Can he make it? Morad coming fast. Dickinson will make it! Kellymoss with Riley win the Michelin Pilot opener!
Riley Dickinson, Michael McCarthy, and Brady Golan win GS! Mikey Taylor and Chris Miller also in fuel save for TCR. Can they go for it? They have a ways to go. Dupont is coming and fast! What a run for the #76 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai with no sponsorship. Mikey Taylor and Chris Miller win! Dennis Dupont in fuel trouble, slowing down! Can he make it? He'll come up short and get the runner up spot.
Overall/Grand Sport: #91 Dickinson/McCarthy/Golan Kellymoss with Riley Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS
TCR: #17 Miller/Taylor JDC-Miller Motorsports Audi RS3 LMS TCR
What a race! What a race for the 2024 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season opener! Next up, round two is at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida, the Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 in mid-March as part of the fabled 12 Hours of Sebring weekend. We'll see you then. Thanks for joining us at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Enjoy your evening and get to bed early. The big one, the Rolex 24, the all-nighter, is tomorrow. Can't wait to bring it to you! For now, so long, and take care, everybody.
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