By: Chris Medland | 5 hours ago
Last year saw Lamborghini get its first endurance victory in the United States — and first in a 24-hour race — and 2019 remarkably saw GRT Grasser Racing defend its Rolex24 crown.This time it only officially took 23 hours and 50 minutes for the No. 11 Huracan GT3 — driven by Rolf Ineichen, Mirko Bortolotti, Christian Engelhart and Rik Breukers — to secure the GTD win, having started from fourth in the 23-car field in the class on Saturday. The opening hour saw the No. 86 Acura setting the pace, but the lead was changing hands between the 11 and the No. 29 Montaplast Audi R8.The No. 12 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus — driven by Frank Montecalvo, Townsend Bell, Aaron Telitz and Jeff Segal — also had a turn at the front, while the Team Riley Motorsports No. 33 Mercedes-AMG GT3 led a number of laps through the night and was well-placed in the wet.However, the closing hours became a bit of a lottery, with numerous podium contenders hitting trouble and going off as the rain intensified.Related

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Engelhart took over the wheel of the No. 11 one lap down, with the 12 leading the No. 88 WRT Speedstar Audi and the 33 Mercedes going into what would prove to be the final hour of racing. Amid numerous caution periods, it was the Riley Motorsports car that was at the head of the class battle when Luca Stolz spun, handing Engelhart the lead just a few laps before the race was red-flagged and didn’t resume.“I managed to overtake the leaders so that when the yellow came out we got a wave-by and rejoined the pack but we were a long way behind,” Engelhart said of his final stint. “At this point I asked what position we were in and I was told on the radio I was P8 or P9.“After that I never got any more information, I was just pushing and when the red flag I didn’t know I was first. I was told then I was first, I thought we were still fighting and I was giving everything to come to the front — I didn’t expect that we were there already. So it was a bit of a surprise — albeit a positive one, of course!”

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By: IMSA January 31, 2019 12:10 PM Relive all the action from the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the first race of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season and Round 1 of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, in this four-part race replay.=center

By: Marshall Pruett | January 29, 2019 12:52 PM Alex Zanardi’s finishing position at the Rolex 24 At Daytona was rather unrewarding after early electrical issues forced a trip to the garage and the replacement of his BMW M8 GTE’s steering column. Last in the nine-car GT LE Mans field, Zanardi’s Rolex 24 debut with BMW Team RLL lacked the ending he sought, but the Italian certainly accomplished something greater during his trip to Florida.As a focal point across television, print, web, and radio coverage, the story surrounding Zanardi’s first time competing in North American motor racing as a double amputee might be remembered — more than two decades after thrilling fans with back-to-back CART IndyCar titles — as the biggest impact he made.

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Zanardi went to Daytona to win, and based on how you define success, it wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest his efforts in the BMW could have a lasting ability to inspire those who face similar physical obstacles.“I bump into a lot of people who had to overcome adversity and who did not have the same opportunity that I luckily have,” he said shortly after the conclusion of Sunday’s race. “Who their name is not Zanardi. But, believe me, I’ve seen a lot of people who were surprised, sadly surprised by life, having to face and to overcome some sort of adversity, but nevertheless, reacting with a lot of tenacity, with a lot of enthusiasm, with a lot of love and affection for life itself.“Because life is a great opportunity and theoretically, you wouldn’t want to waste any second of it. Then, when something like this shakes you, it’s kind of normal that you have a period of time where you say, ‘Boy, why me? What am I going to do now?’ And this may take longer to end, person to person.”Zanardi’s irrepressible nature has been his greatest ally since losing a major portion of both legs from a IndyCar crash in Germany that took place in 2001. His ability to inspire is well known, which made the 52-year-old’s addition to the factory BMW IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship program for Daytona such a welcome decision.Having Zanardi up close, sharing his story on IMSA’s pre-event media tour in New York and through numerous outlets, brought his gregarious personality and fighting spirit up close for many to see and feel for the first time. Give it a few years, and by then, we’ll have a better idea of how many people were moved to follow similar pursuits in sports as a result of Zanardi’s motivating ways.“Personally, I was very lucky because I’m a guy who was very optimistic, who had the right opportunity, who had the right people,” he continued. “I had the right people around me because even my wife, when everybody back in Germany were using her shoulder to lean on and to cry instead of supporting, she decided to call BMW to order a car with hand controls. And I tell you, it was quite important for me when I got home to have my car there ready, so I could focus on something and start immediately. Never stop.“But again, I used what I had and I think that’s what you have to do. So the type of advice I can give is, do what you can, it’s as simple as this. Because it’s true that being named Alex Zanardi makes a big difference. But there was a day where being named Alex Zanardi was simply being the son of Dino and Anna, two great parents who gave me the greatest gift they could give me, the education I received.“And my Dad always told me, ‘Hey, son, you know what? If you are dreaming your life, well treat it as a dream, but also try to move towards it because there may one day where you become so close, where you can turn that dream into a realistic objective. And the only way you’re going to do that is, do in every given day what you can. And one day it’s going to be a big thing, one day it’s going to be a small one but, you take a step forward.’ So this is the advice I can give them.”Zanardi hopes more of his brothers and sisters who’ve lost limbs, or deal with other physical challenges, will join him in living their dreams.“Of course, it may be seen from people as a great, I wouldn’t say inspiration because it’s too much, it’s not up to me to say this, but for sure, a great reference point. Where you say, ‘Boy, if they did that, I can do that, me also,’ he added.“And it doesn’t necessarily have to be motorsports, you just may take this to say, ‘If that guy had an interest in going back racing, in spite of what happened, and he achieved that? Wow. I have an interest for doing something else and at least I can try to organize things in a way where I can forecast whether it’s possible or not. And if it is technically possible, why shouldn’t I try?’ It’s as simple as this.”