This is the time, and this is the hour. One race. Ten hours, specifically, to determine the champions in the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, with the 26th annual running of the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, in the red clay hills of northern Georgia, just outside of "Hot 'Lanta" in the city of Braselton, at this legendary, twisting, climbing, diving ribbon of asphalt that has been around since 1970. Michelin tires have recently become the official sponsor of the track, so, the name has been updated to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. On the pole, it is the defending, 2023 WeatherTech champions, Action Express Racing with Jack Aitken putting the #31 Whelen Cadillac V Series.R in P1, sharing with Pipo Derani and Tom Blomqvist.
For Action Express, it has been announced there will be a new driver team for the 2025 season. This is the final chance for the current trio of Jack Aitken, Pipo Derani, and Tom Blomqvist, to make their mark. Derani is moving on in 2025 and so is Tom Blomqvist. So, Action Express will do everything possible to be at the front today, everything, to capitalize on the pole position spot. On the LMP2 pole, it will be the #2 United Autosports USA Oreca 07 being shared by Ben Keating, Ben Hanley, and Nico Pino, having qualified 11th overall. Keating, the American, has said this may be his final drive in an LMP2 car as he shares once again with Hanley from England and Pino, from Chile.
The top slot in GT Daytona Pro is filled by "Rexy" the dinosaur, the #77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3R (992). Germany's Laurin Heinrich put the dinosaur themed Porsche on top, sharing with Julien Andlauer of France, and the Dane, Michael Christensen, qualifying in 22nd spot on the overall grid which includes a grand total of 53 cars. The GT Daytona pole position goes to the #80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 to be driven by Australian Scott Andrews, Angolan driver Rui Andrade, and Turkish driver Salih Yoluc.
Let's have a quick look at the class-by-class breakdown within the field. 53 cars total consisting of 11 GTP cars, ten LMP2's, 13 GT Daytona Pro cars, and 19 GT Daytona cars. Another, large, healthy, high-quality entry for an IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship race, and an endurance race to boot. No surprises there. For ten hours today, a small Georgia town stands atop the world stage. A record crowd of fans is back and a list of drivers and teams that is a who's who of motorsports no matter the discipline. The journey is always epic for participants and fans alike. Petit Le Mans is the toughest sports car race in the world to win.
Today is championship day. The weather is perfect, and this race will amazing. The rollercoaster is about to leave the station. Lock in your HANS Device, cinch down the belts. There will be chaos and mayhem all day and, in the darkness, is going to go absolutely bananas. GTP with such brands as Cadillac, Porsche, BMW, Acura, and Lamborghini, with a racing who's who of drivers. IndyCar winners and champions such as Colton Herta, Sebastien Bourdais, and Scott Dixon. Formula 1 veterans like Felipe Nasr, and sports car aces such as Ricky and Jordan Taylor.
We also have the GT cars, the GT Daytona Pro and GT Daytona cars, the supercars that everyone dreams about and are purebred race cars. GT Daytona Pro is an all-pro driver lineup, and GT Daytona includes Pro and Am drivers. We have Dillon Welch, Ryan Myrehn, Ryan Myrehn, and Georgia Henneberry reporting from pit lane and around the circuit and the fans are ready and already cheering on their favorite teams and drivers. In the broadcast booth we have Brian Till, Calvin Fish, and Townsend Bell.
Over 27 years ago, Dr. Don Panoz dreamed up a miniature Le Mans style endurance race right here at Road Atlanta and this is it. All four drivers' championships in GTP, LMP2, GTD Pro, and GTD are open currently, and some teams are dealing with razor thin points margins. It is very hard to protect the points lead. Road Atlanta is to sports cars what Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama is to stock cars because there is traffic all over and one wrong move can lead to "the big one", the massive crash that could take out many contenders all at once. This is like Pac Man at 180 miles an hour. One bad decision eliminates a driver in the fight. 123 drivers do not have skin in the game. 53 cars worth a combined grand total of $63 million stuffed into the confines of a two-and-a-half-mile circuit.
Last year's race was bananas in the daylight hours and even more so at night. Ready or not, here we come. The GTP class title comes down to the two Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963's, the #7 of Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr joined by Matt Campbell today, they must finish ninth or better to claim the crown. The sister #6 car of Matthieu Jaminet and Nick Tandy, teamed up today with Kevin Estre, they can claim the title if they win the race, and the sister #7 cars finishes tenth or worse. The titles are also on the line in GT Daytona Pro and GT Daytona. Laurin Heinrich at the wheel of the #77 AO Racing "Rexy" the dinosaur Porsche, to be the champ he must finish sixth or better, and is being assisted today by Michael Christensen and Julien Andlauer.
The #23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 is their title rival. Ross Gunn is their driver with a shot at the crown. Gunn, the Englishman, sharing with Spaniard Alex Riberas, and Canadian Roman De Angelis. To earn the title, the #23 must win the race and the #77 Porsche must finish seventh or worse. The math in GT Daytona is simpler. Winward Racing have won four times in 2024. Philip Ellis and Russell Ward, joined for today's race by Dutchman Indy Dontje, they need to finish 18th or better to claim the title. Their rivals are the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 driven by Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher, assisted today by Jake Walker. Gallagher, Foley, and Walker must win the race and have the #57 car finish dead last in class to claim the crown.
19 cars in the GT Daytona field. #96 must win. Now we look at the LMP2 championship picture and this is a three-way fight for the smaller prototype class crown. Tom Dillmann and Nick Boulle in the #52 Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca, are assisted today by Jakub Smiechowski of Poland, son of the team boss, the owner of the Polish commercial bakery that is the bankroll behind this team. They must finish sixth or better to win the title. Second place is the #74 Riley Motorsports Oreca 07 of Felipe Fraga, and Gar Robinson, sharing with Aussie Josh Burdon.
To claim the title, #74 must win the race and the #52 car must finish seventh or worse. The third title contender is Scotsman Ryan Dalziel, the lead driver in the #18 Era Motorsports Oreca 07 LMP2 racing alongside America drivers Dwight Merriman and Connor Zilisch. Ryan Dalziel must win today in LMP2 and see the #52 finish ninth or worse, or the #74 finish second or worse, and the title is his. Just finishing Petit Le Mans is a big deal. P2 pandemonium can happen. The cars are lined up down the backstretch behind the safety car. Qualifying matters, in this race, even though it is an endurance race. Points are paid for qualifying.
Push hard, cross your fingers. Attack, go on offense, stay on your toes. Safety Car lights off. Jack Aitken in the #31 Whelen Engineering Action Express Cadillac leads the field down. This is Aitken's first pole and the fourth pole of the year for my pals at Action Express. OK. Are you ready? I'm ready! Let's go! Green flag! Aitken goes to the top and the BMW of Connor De Philippi takes second from Matt Campbell in the first factory Porsche. In the early moments, slight contact between the second Porsche Penske factory car and one of the privateer Porsche 963's. That is the yellow "Banana Boat" #85 JDC-Miller Motorsports car with Phil Hanson from England at the wheel of it.
The GTD Pro and GTD field spreads its wings, taking the start. Sharing the #85 with Phil Hanson are Dutchman Tijmen van der Helm, and fellow Englishman, Richard Westbrook. We believe this will be Westbrook's final sports car race and that he is set to call time on his career and retire from driving. Heinrich had a great jump aboard the #77 Porsche, "Rexy", but the two yellow Corvettes are on the hunt early doors. Car #3 shared by Spaniard Antonio "The King of Spain" Garcia, Britain's Alexander Sims, and Garcia's fellow Spaniard, Daniel Juncadella. The #4 sister car has American Tommy Milner as the starting driver alongside Dutchman Nicky Catsburg, and another New Zealander, Earl Bamber.
It will take a few laps before the tires are fully up to temperature. Don't forget about the championships as we see some argy bargy mid pack in GTD and there are four Ferrari 296 GT3's scrambling for position. Jack Aitken has jumped into the lead. Cadillac have won here before at the Petit Le Mans and right now they are being harried by BMW. Traffic will be prevalent here at Road Atlanta from here on out, walking on a tightrope for nine hours and 58 minutes. Last time we saw the WeatherTech Championship race, it was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Battle on the Bricks and BMW scored a 1-2 finish at "The Brickyard".
Matt Campbell, leading the GTP title fight. Campbell qualified the car and of course he races the Porsche 963 in the FIA World Endurance Championship as well, where they are called Hypercars but are the same car both here and across the pond. It is a runaway freight train down the hill to turn five. The GTP cars of course race with hybrid power in addition to the internal combustion engines. The braking is crucial on the GTP machines. The rear brakes are electronic, and the front brakes are mechanical. Drivers are being smart, not using the curbs the way they did in qualifying. The battle is now raging for second in LMP2 as Nick Boulle is chasing Steven Thomas. Thomas starting the #11 TDS Racing Oreca 07. The American driver, sharing with Danish racer Mikkel Jensen, and Australian Hunter McElrea.
Ben Keating qualified on the LMP2 pole and set a record across all classes earning his 16th IMSA WeatherTech Championship pole position. Keating in the purple and orange #2 Oreca 07 for United Autosports USA. His co-drivers are Britain's Ben Hanley, and Nico Pino of Chile. Keating, the Texas car dealer and car dealership entrepreneur is also one heck of a racing driver. Keating leads Thomas by 2.1 seconds currently. He is not distracted by the turbulence like Nick Boulle is who is right on Stephen Thomas' six. Back up front, it remains Cadillac, BMW, Porsche as we are just underway with lots more coming and many more stories to tell.
Now, the GTP cars are beginning to lap the GT3 machines. Jack Aitken leads from the pole. Here are the keys to the race presented by WeatherTech, here at Road Atlanta. Survive the Atlanta traffic just like on the highways and byways of the city. Just like I-285. 53 cars = a car every 250 feet. Find your night owl because the last quarter of Petit Le Mans will be in the darkness. A driver must be able to see the racetrack in faint light conditions with a dark sky overhead. Have total commitment, cross your fingers, and hope everything works out. Send it and let the chips fall where they may.
Nick Tandy, speaking of sending it, screams past Phil Hanson. The same car but with two different teams. Porsche #6 has to win to keep the title fight alive until the bitter end. The reality is what we are seeing for the GTP boys and the GTD drivers alike. The LMP2 cars get it both ways. If you are a starting driver, you have a $3 million baton, and your job is to keep it clean for your co-drivers. There is no way to win unless you are in the top three or four. We have a warning from the technical stewards at IMSA to the #01 pink Cadillac V Series.R of Sebastien Bourdais, the Chip Ganassi Racing car, for being outside of the powertrain parameters set by the sanctioning body.
The "pink Cadillac" is being observed, to make sure you are not outside the numbers including total power output at the torque sensors on the half shaft, or hybrid system usage, because IMSA can collect the exact data of how much power these cars are making. This is balancing between all the different engines used in GTP, the Cadillac naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8, the twin turbo 2.4-liter V6 in the Acura, the 4.6-liter twin turbo V8 in the Porsche, the 4-liter twin turbo V8 in the BMW, and the 3.8-liter twin turbo V8 in the Lamborghini. Of course, next year, adding to that will be the sonorous shriek of the Aston Martin Valkyrie with it's 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 set to race sans the hybrid power of the rest.
Fuel will also come into play. Fuel saving is already on the minds of a few GTP and GTD teams to shorten the pit stops and the tire allocation is limited and they will have to run multiple sets at least twice. Be patient. In the #7 camp at Porsche Penske, Cameron, Nasr, and Campbell are fully focused on the drivers' championship. The #6 of Tandy, Jaminet, and Estre, they are trophy hunting. We also see warnings on tire pressures set forth by Michelin. You must adhere to a minimum starting tire pressure.
Here are the points in GTP, early.
1. #7 Cameron/Nasr Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963 2,982 points
2. #6 Jaminet/Tandy Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963 2,799 points -183
3. #01 van der Zande/Bourdais Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R 2,794 points -188
The tires are definitely on everyone's minds. Cooling your tires can drop the pressures which messes with the parameters. Plus, we have heard a ton about tire degradation and time loss in performance by a second and a half as we watch the #80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 leading in class with Aussie Scott Andrews at the controls. A.J. Peterson who runs Lone Star Racing tunes a fast race car. Andrews sharing with Turkish driver Salih Yoluc, and Angolan driver Rui Andrade. Rui Pinto de Andrade is his full name. The #77 "Rexy" AO Racing Porsche has the GTD Pro class lead by five seconds over the two Corvette's. Laurin Heinrich has had to work with several different co-drivers this year. He is sharing today with Julien Andlauer and Michael Christensen of course.
Here are the GTD Pro points, early doors.
1. #77 Laurin Heinrich AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3R (992) 3,272 points
2. #23 Ross Gunn Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage
AMR GT3 Evo 3,098 points -174
3. #3 Garcia/Sims Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R 2,974 points -298
Heinrich has won three races in 2024 even with different co-drivers and after 15 minutes he is ahead by five seconds which is soul crushing for the rest of the GTD Pro field! Well, well, well. Action Express Cadillac, looking for their first win since Sebring 2023. Can they get it today? Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken sharing with Tom Blomqvist. Trouble early for the #01 Cadillac in the pit lane. This is the car of Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais, and Scott Dixon. The Dutchman, the Frenchman, and the Kiwi. They are working out their powertrain issues. Ben Keating leads LMP2 and is being told to take things easy. Keep your nose clean. Pit stops coming in LMP2 and we have a car off the road and in the gravel at the bottom of the hill.
Ah. We were just talking about the #80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 and now we see Scott Andrews is off the road! The commentator's curse strikes again! Full Course Yellow. We are under Full Course Yellow. Andrews is off in turn five again at the bottom of the hill. Some cars are heading for the pit lane, and this might be a closed pit lane. The #44 Magnus Racing Flex Box liveried Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 was slow on track, looking to take what would be considered emergency service. This is the all-American driving trio of course with Andy Lally, Spencer Pumpelly, and John Potter. Meanwhile, Andrews is beached. You can see the skid marks where the Mercedes went off the road.
The approach curbing, sometimes you hit that, get twitchy, and lose the tail of the car, sending you spinning. Richard Westbrook is in his 12th Petit Le Mans race. It is a holding pattern in GTP right now and people will really begin pushing for the last two hours. The traffic is bonkers with 53 cars on such a short track and a long way to go. This is Westbrook's final race, the man from Chelmsford, England. He feels it is the right time to stop and focus on life from here on out. He says he has had a wonderful career and met lots of great people who are friends for life. He has raced now for a decade. He has had a stellar career and had to reinvent himself, out of racing for five years, mortgaging his house and reviving his career.
He is a three-time IMSA runner-up. He won the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2018 in the old GT Le Mans class with the Ford GT which was run by Chip Ganassi Racing back in those days. Alright. Under yellow, we have wholesale GTP pit stops happening now. Action Express, one of the two RLL BMWs, both Penske Porsche's, the JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche, the Proton Competition Mustang Sampling Porsche, and the Iron Lynx Lamborghini SC63. How much energy did everyone use on the short first stint? Take the energy readings to plan out the remainder of the event. No tire changes necessary yet. Just 40% of fuel.
The #31 Cadillac for Action Express is in, and so is the #7 Penske Porsche. Everyone is at the end of the pit lane waiting for the light. The safety car is coming down the frontstretch. Pay attention to the red light just like in traffic on the street. Before we keep racing, here is a description of Road Atlanta. We are in Braselton, Georgia, 50 miles northeast of Atlanta. Road Atlanta is just over two and a half miles long with a dozen corners. Such a flowing circuit with lots of elevation change. This is an old school, high grip track. Turn one is really quick, braking just a tad, back to power before the apex to climb the hill to turn three. Chew up the apex curb like devouring a cookie because the more you take the faster you go and the sweeter it is.
Turn seven is the slowest corner on the circuit. 55-60 miles an hour, so, slow the car down for that braking zone from top speed, to around highway speed. Get the power down into the braking zone, screaming downhill to turn ten. Watch out for the brakes on a GTP car with the brake by wire system on the rear. But in a GT3 spec car in GTD Pro and GTD you've got antilock brakes. You can mash the pedal and go hero deep into a turn to psych out your rival under braking. Gather it up for the downhill in turns 11 and 12. What a gorgeous day we have for racing. Here are some more facts about Road Atlanta before we keep chatting about the race.
Road Atlanta is a multi-purpose track situated on 750 acres of land. It is a permanent circuit, 2.540 miles around, with 12 corners. Doyle-Risi Racing won the first Petit Le Mans in 1998 with their Ferrari 333SP open cockpit sports car, driven to victory that day by Eric van de Poele of Belgium, Wayne Taylor, from South Africa, who owns Wayne Taylor Racing and the two Acura's competing in today's race, and French sports car racing veteran Emmanuel Collard. Road Atlanta has hosted several championships over the decades including IMSA, Can Am, Formula 5000, NASCAR, and Trans Am.
We can see fans out there enjoying the race, but they look like they have borrowed some hotel furniture for the race. Did they borrow it or buy it at an antique shop? Yesterday for the Michelin Pilot Challenge race we saw two armchairs. The armchairs are there but now there is also a matching tan colored couch in that setup. That looks like Hamilton Collection furniture. However, I wouldn't know. My late father, his job, was selling in the wholesale furniture business. OK. No more furniture moving to worry about. We've got something much more fun and entertaining to look at. Let's get back to the motor racing. Green flag! Away we go again!
A few cars that didn't pit are now at the top of the shop along with others who did, in GTP. Jordan Taylor has poked his nose in front of Jack Aitken for the time being, the #40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06 Taylor is sharing with Louis Deletraz and Colton Herta. The top five is Taylor, Aitken, Alessio Picariello in the #5 Proton Competition Mustang Sampling Porsche 963, and then, the two Penske Porsche's of Matt Campbell and Nick Tandy. The second WTR Andretti Acura is behind the two Porsche's. This is the #10 car of Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque with New Zealand's Brendon Hartley, the third driver.
Hartley of course, is one of the drivers for the rival Japanese brand, Toyota, and Toyota's factory effort with Toyota Gazoo Racing and the GR010 Hybrid Hypercar in the FIA World Endurance Championship. 2024 has been a much tougher year for WTR Andretti. A drive through penalty has been called for the #20 High Class Racing Oreca 07 in LMP2. This is the MDK by High Class Racing car shared by Danish racer Dennis Andersen and the two American drivers on the team, Seth Lucas, and Scott Huffaker. Pit lane speed violation for that car. Most of the GTP cars took fuel only on their first pit stops. WTR and Acura are splitting their strategy with the #40 staying out and the #10 pitting.
WTR Andretti are here to race and are trophy hunting. Next year, they are moving back to exclusively being a family run team and returning to the GM and Cadillac fold where they were for many years. Next year, the rivalry will certainly be renewed at Cadillac, between Wayne Taylor Racing, and my pals currently running in second, at Action Express. Ross Gunn in the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3, he is putting a pass on an out of class car. That is the GT Daytona class blue Ferrari 296 GT3, the Cetilar Racing car from Italy. That is an all-Italian trio in that car with Roberto Lacorte, Giorgio Sernagiotto, and Ferrari WEC Hypercar driver and Le Mans winner this year, the Monaco licensed and domiciled Italian, Antonio Fuoco.
In this replay, the GT3 cars are flying through turns 10A and 10B. It appears the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 went off the road and back on. Madison Snow at the wheel of it, got an assist from the #9 Pfaff Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 driven by Oliver Jarvis. Jarvis really had nothing to do with it. Trundling off the road and into the gravel trap like that could do damage later in the race. The #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 is being shared by Madison Snow along with Bryan Sellers and Neil Verhagen. This is Sellers' final race for the Paul Miller BMW team before he takes on a management role with DXDT Racing and Corvette next year. The #9 Pfaff Motorsports McLaren, Oliver Jarvis, the British former Mazda DPi prototype racer, is sharing with Switzerland's Marvin Kirchofer and Canadian former IndyCar turned sports car racer and NBC Sports racing commentator, James Hinchcliffe.
Yikes! The two Mercedes' get together in GTD and the #57 is the championship leader with Russell Ward driving, and the #32 is the Korthoff Preston Motorsports Mercedes of Mike Skeen. Ward sharing with British domiciled German racer Philip Ellis and with Dutchman Indy Dontje. Mike Skeen, the American driver, sharing with fellow American sports car racing veteran Kenton Koch, and Canadian Mercedes GT3 ace Mikael Grenier. In the Pro classes, the minimum drive time requirement is 45 minutes while it is two and a half hours for the Pro-Am classes.
We have a report that the #44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin is in the garage being fixed. Also, the #80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes has lost two laps after being recovered from the gravel trap. They are two laps down because of the recovery taking so long, but they are back in the race. The #44 Aston Martin has a suspected broken half shaft, and we could unfortunately see the dynamic trio of Andy Lally, Spencer Pumpelly, and John Potter, headed for the house, for an early bath. The #01 Cadillac was black flagged for one sensor on the car not cooperating properly. They were falling beind because of that. They are pushing foeward. The sensor is the torque sensor.
Jordan Taylor still has the rival Cadillac, the #31 Action Express Whelen car, of Jack Aitken, within range. A great battle down the hill through turns 11 and 12 between the Aston Martin, the Corvette, and the Lamborghini. Three different GT3 cars. Franck Perera, the rapid Frenchman at the wheel of the #19 Iron Lynx Lamborghini, he wants by Tommy Milner into turn one! Perera nearly stuffs it in but decides discretion could be the better part of valor at this point. Perera, sharing the lime green Lambo with Italian Mirko Bortolotti and South African Jordan Pepper, all three are Lamborghini factory drivers under contract to the Raging Bull from Bologna in Italy. Tommy Milner put the squeeze play on him. Corvette Racing have not won Petit Le Mans since 2010, a drought of 14 years!
We are just 40 minutes into the race and already the traffic is absolutely hellacious out there! Again, this is what happens compacting 53 cars onto a 2.54-mile circuit. We are talking almost 21 cars per mile! It is a massive scrum! Just wait until the darkness! The #40 Acura shoves his way past the #70 Inception Racing Ferrari 296 GT3! Now, that Ferrari is an obstacle for Jack Aitken in the Cadillac and for Alessio Picariello in the Porsche behind as well. Drivers in both classes need to be heads up about thid especially in the esses. GTP drivers try exercising patience and goos judgment and now, Picariello has a run against the Cadillac!
They are side by side into turn ten and the same is true behind with the two Penske Porsche's of Campbell and Tandy as well, look. Tandy moves ahead of Campbell and has enough of a head of steam to pass by Jack Aitken in the Whelen Cadillac as well! Now he is chasing down Picariello, the Belgian born Italian in the privateer Porsche. Deeper into the race with the tire marbles it will be like driving on ice. GT Daytona traffic ahead! Tandy is on the attack! He wants to pass Jack Aitken in the worst possible way. Meanwhile, Aitken knows full well he is going to defend his position with everything he's got.
Halfway down the straight, Aitken uses the lapped Ferrari as a pick! That is the #34 Conquest Racing GT Daytona class Ferrari 296 GT3! American Manny Franco, Spaniard Albert Costa Balboa, and Monegasque Cedric Sbirrazzuoli on the drivers' strength. It is like a scene out of the "Top Gun" movie with pretty much two fighter jets on wheels coming at you. That is what these GTP prototypes are. They are so technologically advanced, not to say the GT3 cars aren't. They are as well. But the GTP cars are, again, fighter jets with wheels. Phil Hanson remains at the wheel of the #85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963.
We still have well over nine hours to go yet. It is like being in a blender. Side by side action as well with Filipe Albuquerque in the #10 Acura the meat in a BMW sandwich. Connor De Philippi makes his move on Albuquerque who is now about to be mugged by the sister car. That is Philipp Eng. Matt Campbell, coasting, sailing the car into the braking zones, fuel saving. Jack Aitken is harrying Alessio Picariello, still. Sailing into the turn saves the rear tires on the GTP cars. In the heat of the day, teams will want to double stint tires early in the game. Save petrol and rear tires but the expense will be a slower lap time. In a perfect world sans any yellows, this is an 11 stint race. However, there are only nine sets of tires, only 36 tires, for teams to work with between qualifying and the race itself.
Eng is right on Albuquerque's tail. This battle is intense! Every GTP manufacturer has won a race this year. Lamborghini are not running a full season this year. They are doing four of the five enduro races and did not race at Daytona at the beginning of the year. They led the race in the rain at Indianapolis in the hands of former IndyCar and Formula 1 racer Romain Grosjean. Meanwhile, Ben Keating is trying to pass the #32 Mercedes of Mike Skeen in the Preston Korthoff car in GT Daytona now steaming right up behind Giorgio Sernagiotto, the blue #47 GTD Ferrari 296 GT3 for Cetilar Racing. Flashing the headlights lets the other driver ahead know that they are trying to pass or just trying to get inside the other drivers' mind.
It is like being a football player and in a field goal when the linebacker is messing with the place kicker. It is annoying and obnoxious, plus unnecessary. The GT Daytona cars pull over in front of the GTP cars, not here, not now. Sometimes a bloke will give you the chrome horn. The GTP cars are so fast that they can't move. Don't give up average pace. Meanwhile, Mike Skeen has gone around Giorgio Sernagiotto for the GT Daytona class lead. Nick Boulle, the jeweler who is also a racer, he threads the needle between the GTD traffic! Yikes! This stymies the #47 Ferrari. Kyle Kirkwood, the IndyCar star, ironically, for Andretti Global who have assisted with the two Wayne Taylor Acura's for the past couple years, he is in the GT battle.
Kirkwood aboard the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 sharing with the British duo of Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat. The Mercedes is easy to drive. Some of the other cars have better braking and better cornering. Here are the performance strengths of the GT Daytona cars (Pro or regular) based on the manufacturers and models.
Car: Strong point:
Mercedes-AMG GT3 Easy to drive.
BMW M4 GT3 Top Speed
Ford Mustang GT3 Top Speed
Lexus RC F GT3 High Speed Cornering
Aston Martin Vantange AMR GT3 High Speed Cornering
McLaren 720S GT3 All Cornering
Acura NSX GT3 Braking
Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 Braking
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Braking
Ferrari 296 GT3 Braking
Porsche 911 GT3R (992) Braking
How fascinating, because we can see three of the cars have great cornering, the Lexus, Aston Martin, and McLaren. The Mercedes is a very easy to drive and manageable automobile. The BMW M4 GT3 and the Ford Mustang GT3 are the speedsters of the group. But what we can also clearly see from the chart, is that most of these GT3 cars are incredible under braking. Five of the cars have great brakes, the Acura, Lamborghini, Corvette, Ferrari, and Porsche. Braking will be a good indicator and a game of chicken. Mercedes already claimed the manufacturers' cup a race early at Indianapolis the last time we covered an IMSA race for you here on the blog.
Wow! Did you see that?! The Turner Motorsports BMW splits two of the LMP2's! Jake Walker almost got more than he bargained for there! That's the #74 Riley Motorsports Oreca and the #99 AO Racing Oreca, "Spike", the purple and orange dragon. Gar Robinson, I think he made contact after coming with a head of steam and trying to pass two cars at once! No antilock brakes in LMP2 just the same as in GTP. Gar Robinson has a lot of experience. Robinson is an LMP3 champion. LMP3 cars no longer run in the WeatherTech Championship. They do of course feature predominantly in the VP Racing Fuels Sports Car Challenge.
If you go back through the blog, you can read about both VP Sports Car Challenge races from here at Road Atlanta and go check them out if you have access to the Peacock streaming service or on the official IMSA YouTube channel as well. You will enjoy what you see! Believe me! In the replay, Jake Walker filed ahead of Gar Robinson and the GT3 car and it's driver had no idea the LMP2 car was even there! Oh, mama! Speaking of, oh mama! Jack Aitken sweeps to the outside of Alessio Picariello and makes his move! Whelen Cadillac vs. Proton Porsche for second! Jordan Taylor though, he is on a Saturday drive! He has gapped the rest of the GTP pack by 12 seconds!
The battles will continue morning, afternoon, and evening into the night before this race is over. My goodness! All four drivers' championships remain up for grabs. Let's review, in case you forgot. In the GTP championship fight it is between the two Penske Porsche 963 factory cars. Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr aboard #7 must finish ninth or better to clinch. Mathieu Jaminet and Nick Tandy in the #6 must win the race tonight and the sister #7 car must finish tenth or lower in the results. It is win or bust with #6.
In GTD Pro it is Porsche vs. Aston Martin. Laurin Heinrich must take "Rexy" the #77 dinosaur Porsche to a finish of sixth place or better in order to claim the cup. For the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo, British Aston Martin driver Ross Gunn, to take the title, he needs to win this race outright in GTD Pro and have "Rexy" have a problem and finish seventh or lower in the standings. Again, it is a Mercedes vs. BMW battle in GT Daytona. The scenario is that Russell Ward and Philip Ellis must finish 18th or better and the championship is theirs in 2024 while the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 of Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher, they need to win in class and see that the #57 car finishes plumb last.
The LMP2 class again has that complex three-car fight. Nick Boulle and Tom Dillman in the #52 PR1'Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca must finish sixth or better to win the title. The #74 Riley Motorsports Oreca 07 of Felipe Fraga and Gar Robinson must win the race and see that the #52 car finishes seventh or worse in order to clinch. The #18 Era Motorsports Oreca has just one of the three drivers that is mathematically alive for the title, the Scotsman Ryan Dalziel. Dalziel must win the race in class, and see that the #52 finishes ninth or worse, or the #74 finishes second or worse.
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