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Nunez fitting in quickly at AXR

Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images
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emailBy Marshall Pruett | January 22, 2022 4:14 PM ET

Of all the driver changes that took place during the offseason in IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, one came with more pressure than the others as former Mazda factory driver Tristan Nunez was signed to replace two-time DPi champion Felipe Nasr at Action Express Racing.

With Nasr off to join Porsche’s new LMDh program, the vacancy created alongside Pipo Derani in the No. 31 AXR Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R meant whomever they hired would be expected to maintain the same performance level that delivered the 2021 DPi title to the North Carolina-based team.

Filling the Brazilian’s big shoes would be the first task for the Florida native, and after his first few official outings in the No. 31 entry with Derani and endurance event teammate Mike Conway, Nunez says there are no butterflies in sight.

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“Honestly, I haven’t been this relaxed in a long time, and I know that sounds weird,” he told RACER. “Just because the pressure comes from inside me, and the team’s really good about really not adding unnecessary pressure. They really understand that if we’re calm, we’re just focusing on the driving part, just know what to do, and we’re performing the best. So the whole transition was really seamless, and they welcomed me with open arms. I really do feel like I belong here and that my talent is noticed.”

Through three sessions so far at the Roar Before The 24 test weekend, Nunez holds the second-fastest lap in the red and white Cadillac DPi-V.R, nestled between Conway (1m35.351s) and Derani (1m35.638s) with a best of 1m35.433s. Building chemistry with his new co-pilots has been a big priority for the 26-year-old as they search for the best chassis setup to complement their respective handling needs.

“It’s been great getting to know Mike, and Pipo has been really great as well,” Nunez said. “When the news came out about me joining Pipo for the year, my fiance and I went and had dinner with Pipo and his wife just get to know each other on a personal level and, and he’s been really full smart insights and getting me to learn the needs of the Cadillac DPi very well.”

After years of racing the lightweight Mazda RT24-P DPi with its tiny four-cylinder turbo engine, Nunez is adapting to the big 5.5-liter naturally-aspirated Cadillac V8 powerplant and the added mass the Dallara-built chassis is required to carry. Motor smaller than 3 two liter soda bottles and IMSA makes him carry extra weight. Lets go Brandon, F IMSA!......and F Joe Biden.

“The Cadillac brakes extremely well, and coming from my former chassis, the balance is a little bit different to get used to, but I’ve gotten used to that and it feels pretty natural,” he added. “The car just behaves really well to what you give it. The traction is really good — fits my driving style. But the biggest adjustment is the torque!

“The torque of this Cadillac is surreal, but also just the traction you have with a lot more usable torque is very different for me, but it’s rewarding. You can really you can drive it hard and you’re rewarded for it. So it’s really it’s a really fun car to drive, and I’m really enjoying myself with my new team.”

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Gradient in crash fightback at the Roar

Images courtesy of Gradient/Halston Pitman
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emailBy Marshall Pruett | January 22, 2022 3:36 PM ET

Whether it’s the Roar Before The 24 or the race-week sessions prior to the Rolex 24 At Daytona, there’s always at least one team that’s thrust into a major crash recovery. The Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 outfit from Texas wasn’t looking to become to become that team, but it’s precisely where the program finds itself with the No. 66 GT Daytona entry after rookie driver Kyffin Simpson had a hard meeting with the infield barriers during Saturday morning’s practice session.

Fortunately, the 17-year-old was unhurt in the crash, and according to co-driver and team principal Marc Miller, the Acura is definitely repairable. The question Gradient’s crew is looking to answer is how long the No. 66 NSX GT3 will sit idly in the garage as the rest of their WeatherTech SportsCar Championship rivals continue lapping and preparing for next weekend’s big race.

“First off, we have two drivers that have not competed at this event before with Till Bechtolsheimer and Kyffin Simpson, and certainly there was nothing that he did that was really wrong,” Miller (pictured at left, above, with Simpson) told RACER. “It was just a situation where there were damp track conditions and cooled-off tires when he got to the Kink, the rear kicked out and there was a slide backwards and contact with the outer barrier with the right-rear corner a couple times. Unfortunately, when it hits at the angle it did and it gets into the wheel and tire, it creates a lot more damage to fix with all the other stuff that gets pushed around on the car.

“It’s a lot of work for the crew, but when we got the car back to the garage, they didn’t waste any time in the disassembly process. They’ve got the wheels, off, gearbox out, engine’s coming out, and they’re sparing no effort to make sure that when they get this car back together we have nothing to worry about we can carry on, business as usual.”

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With a need to inspect the Acura’s rear subframe for any kinks or twists, the extra effort to ensure the chassis is straight and the time needed to re-install the undamaged parts and fit the replacement pieces will happen at whatever natural pace is required from the No. 66’s mechanics.

“That’s the upside to our approach,” Miller said. “We’re not trying to scramble to make night practice right now, as much as we all like to get some time on track tonight, the big picture is we need a car that’s gonna race for 24 hours, plus all the hours beforehand. And no matter where we start, we have to have a nice clean race, so this is the time to get the car into that shape, regardless of the time it takes.

“This is definitely a setback, but with a setback, it gives you an opportunity to spring forward and have everyone’s eye on that prize. Starting, tomorrow, hopefully, we’ll get both Kiffin and Till some quality time in the car at pace and in traffic. Then we’ll start all over for next week and get some practice under our belt and hopefully have a decent starting position for the race.

“It really doesn’t matter where you start for this race; what matters is being able to get through the first 16 to 20 hours unscathed and hopefully on the lead lap without too much fanfare to race to the end. So now, we’re getting everything all sorted and back to where we’re all comfortable again.”

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NASCAR’s Briscoe, Burton, Cindric and Deegan teaming for MPC at Daytona

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emailBy IMSA Wire Service | January 22, 2022 1:25 PM ET

A quartet of NASCAR young guns will leave their stock cars at home to compete in upcoming IMSA sports car events at Daytona International Speedway to open the 2022 season.

Austin Cindric, Harrison Burton, Chase Briscoe and Hailie Deegan — all part of the Ford Performance program in NASCAR — will pair up in two Ford Mustang GT4s for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season opener, the BMW M Endurance Challenge on Jan. 28. A day later, Cindric will step into the No. 15 Proton USA Mercedes-AMG GT3 and race in the new GTD Pro class at the 60th Rolex 24 At Daytona, which tips off the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship calendar.

Cindric and Burton will share the No. 41 PF Racing Mustang for the Michelin Pilot Challenge race, with Briscoe and Deegan in the No. 42 Mustang from the same stable. The goal for all four drivers is to gain valuable road course experience prior to embarking on their NASCAR seasons – the Camping World Truck Series for Deegan and the Cup Series for other three.

Cindric, the NASCAR Xfinity Series champion in 2020 who’ll be a Cup Series rookie this year with Team Penske, is no stranger to IMSA racing. The 22-year-old has been in 16 Michelin Pilot Challenge races with two wins and has six WeatherTech Championship races under his belt.

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For Burton, 21-year-old driver of the Wood Brothers Racing Ford in NASCAR and the son of former NASCAR driver and current NBC Sports race analyst Jeff Burton, it will be a new experience on Daytona’s 3.56-mile course.

“I’ve had these conversations with my friends at Ford and at the Wood Brothers and at Penske. The one thing I wanted to work on to be better was (to) be a better road racer,” Harrison Burton said. “To have an opportunity to do that right off the bat is awesome and credit to them for being committed to helping me get better. That’s really all a driver can ask for.”

The drivers have the blessings of their teams to venture out of their regular workspace to compete at Daytona.

“We want to be flexible,” said Walter Czarnecki, vice chairman, Team Penske. “We want to give them opportunities to expand their skill set.”

The foursome will get plenty of seat time at Daytona to do so. It began Friday with three days of testing for both IMSA series at the Roar Before the Rolex 24. In Friday’s second session, Cindric was seventh fastest among the 30 cars in the Grand Sport (GS) class with a lap of 1 minute, 54.027 seconds (112.394 mph), while Briscoe was 12th at 1:54.367 (112.060 mph).

“That’s one thing that I’ve really buckled down and said for this 2022 year, that I just need to get as much seat time as I can, whether it’s in dirt, circle track stuff, whatever I can drive,” said Deegan, 20, who returns to David Gilliland Racing for a second trucks season in ’22. “I just want to get in and get more experience and I feel like one thing I could improve on — I can improve on a lot of things but I feel like one thing that really is coming up more in the NASCAR world is road course races. I feel like being able to race any type of road course is, I think, just going to better me as a driver.”

It will be a reunion for Deegan and Briscoe, who shared a Mustang for the Daytona race in 2020. Briscoe, driving for Stewart-Haas Racing in the Cup Series this season, is looking forward to the seat time and to seeing how Deegan has improved in the two years since they drove together.

“The last time we were there was the first time she’d ever ran anything on a road course,” Briscoe, 27, said. “Now to go back with her, she’s probably ran three or four truck races now (on road courses) and has run some other IMSA stuff, so it’ll be fun to see her improvement as a race car driver.

“She does a really good job in a lot of different disciplines, and it’ll be fun to go down there and do a totally fairly new discipline to both of us and go down there and just have a good time.”
Proton USA Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Dirk Mueller, Patrick Assenheimer and Austin Cindric. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images

When the Michelin Pilot Challenge race is over, the racing will end for three of the drivers. Not so for Cindric, who will make his fourth start in the Rolex 24, this time co-driving the No. 15 Mercedes with Dirk Mueller and Patrick Assenheimer. Cindric has a clear goal in mind.

“I have a very strong desire to win the Rolex 24 and that’s my motivating factor to do this race,” he said. “I’ve worked really hard every offseason to try and make something happen, not to get in a five-driver lineup just to go do the race and experience it. I’ve kind of done all that.

“I’d say the Rolex is probably the most realistic race I can look at and say I would like to win that race. I think this is a great opportunity for me to do that or at least establish my capabilities to do so and, like I said, against a group of drivers that are incredibly talented, incredibly experienced all in their cars.”

GTD Pro is just that — a class based on professional drivers. Most of the cars have factory backing. In a way, Cindric says, this Rolex 24 will mirror what he will face as a NASCAR Cup Series rookie — going head-to-head with the best pro drivers.

“Being in GTD Pro, you look at the entry list and my jaw kind of dropped,” Cindric said, “so I’m excited for that challenge.”

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Acuras top opening Roar practice

Image courtesy of WTR
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emailBy Richard S. James | January 21, 2022 1:36 PM ET

The Acuras may be outnumbered 5-2 by the Cadillacs in this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona, but the two Acura DPis topped the time sheets at the end of the first session in the prelude weekend, the Roar before the 24, as teams began to refine their setups for the 24-hour race next weekend. The No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing car was the quickest by just under 0.3s over the Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian No. 60 car. Ricky Taylor had the fast time in the No. 10, which turned the most laps during the 75-minute session, with a 1m35.309s.

The No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing machine was the quickest of the Cadillacs, 0.034s back of the No. 60, with Sebastien Bourdais turning the quickest lap for the team, just 0.02s ahead of Kevin Magnussen in the No. 02, making it third and fourth for Ganassi. The No. 48 (Kamui Kobayashi), No. 5 (Tristan Vautier) and No. 31 (Pipo Derani) Cadillacs filled out the DPi field.
Oh, how we missed these sights and sounds…𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗥𝗢𝗔𝗥😏#IMSA / #Roar24 pic.twitter.com/Uz0ZBOcZBm

— #IMSA (@IMSA)

The No. 29 Racing Team Nederland Oreca topped the LMP2 field with Giedo van der Garde at the wheel, just off the tail end of the DPi field with a 1:36.262. Garett Grist was quickest in LMP3 in the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports Ligier at 1m43.413s.

Jan Heylen stole a bit of the thunder from the new GTD Pro class by turning the quickest time (1m46.483s) of all the GTD cars in the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R to top the GT Daytona class, more than 0.3s ahead of GTD Pro leader Marco Mapelli in the No. 63 TR3 Racing Lamborghini Huracan. Mapelli turned a 1m46.829s.

TR3 teammate John Megrue was just shy of Mapelli, with a 1m46.882s to follow up Heylen in GTD. Klaus Bachler in the No. 34 GMG Racing Porsche was third (1m47.006s), and the No. 75 Mercedes-AMG (Luca Stolz) and No. 64 TeamTGM Porsche (Owen Trinkler) filled out the top five in GTD.

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Matt Campbell was second in GTD Pro (1m46.942s) in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche, followed by Philipp Eng with a 1:47.065 for BMW Team RLL in the IMSA debut of the BMW M4 GT3. Mark Engel in the No. No. 97 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG and Jack Hawksworth in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus complete the GTD Pro top five.

Corvette Racing struggled in its GTD Pro debut as the adapted GTLM cars were at the end of the time sheet in their first official session as GTD cars, the No. 3 experiencing electronic issues.

RESULTS

UP NEXT: Drivers will have their first opportunity to drive into the setting sun with a 1h45m session that begin at 4:15 p.m. ET.

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MSR Acura tops Roar second practice on Friday

Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images
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emailBy Richard S. James | January 21, 2022 7:30 PM ET

For a brief moment the DPi segregation from this afternoon’s practice session of the Roar before the 24 was interrupted, with Earl Bamber splitting the two Acuras in the No. 02 Chip Ganasssi Racing Cadillac. By the end it, though, it was the two Acuras back at the top in reverse order.

Tom Blomqvist used the final 15 minutes of the session, where only DPi and GTD Pro cars were circulating, to reel off a series of ever-quicker fastest laps. He ended the session with the fastest time of the day, a 1m34.351s, in the No. 60 Myer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura over the other Acura, the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing entry with Filipe Albuquerque at the wheel, 0.336s back.

“I didn’t do the practice this morning, so I was I was getting up to speed,” explained Blomqvist, who will race his first Rolex 24 at Daytona next weekend. “I got a new set of tires there at the end, and obviously with way less traffic, you can get in the rhythm, you can get a few laps under your belt. Also the conditions; it’s getting cooler, the track was getting better. So all those factors come together to basically produce much faster lap times for us.”

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Alex Palou ended up being the quickest of the Cadillac drivers in the No. 01 Chip Ganassi entry, 0.025s behind Albuquerque and 0.034s ahead of Bamber. The top four were covered by less than four tenths.

Mirko Bortolotti put the No. 63 TR3 Racing Lamborghini Huracan at the top of the GTD fields — teammate Marco Mapelli was quickest in GTD Pro in the morning session — but Jan Heylen ended the day as the quickest of all the GTD drivers, his 1m46.483s from the first session holding as the best of the day. Bortolotti’s best time in the afternoon was 1:46.516. He was followed by Mathieu Jaminet in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche, 0.269s behind, and Laurens Vanthoor in the No. 2 KCMG Porsche another 0.135s back. Jules Gounon (No. 97 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG) and Dirk Mueller (No. 15 Proton USA Mercedes-AMG) completed the GTD Pro top five.
𝙎 𝙇 𝙊 𝙒 ⚡️𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡#IMSA / #Roar24 / @DAYTONA pic.twitter.com/dNote0WGQ3

— #IMSA (@IMSA)

The BMW Team RLL M3s – the No. 24 with Philip Eng made the top three earlier in the day – joined the Corvettes at the bottom. The privateer Turner Motorsport GTD BMW, with Bill Auberlen at the wheel, fared only slightly better. All the new BMWs and the Corvettes were in the 1m49s, compared to Bortolotti’s mid 1m46s lap.

Raffaele Marciello in the No. 75 Sun Energy 1 Mercedes-AMG was the quickest of the GTD drivers, second overall among the GT cars, with a 1:46.612. It was an all Mercedes-AMG top three, with Mikael Grenier (No. 57 Winward Racing, 1m46.851s) and Maximillian Goetz (No. 28 Alegra Motorsports) joining Marciello at the top. Jon Miller (No. 59 Crucial Motorsports McLaren 720S) and Spencer Pumpelly (No. 44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin Vantage) filled out the top five.

Different cars from this morning’s session topped the time charts in both LMP2 and and LMP3. Rene Rast was quickest in LMP2 in the No. 68 G-Drive Racing by APR Oreca with a 1m35.993s. The No. 33 Sean Creech Motorsport Ligier in the hands of Malthe Jakobsen, a late announcement for the car, topped LMP3 with a 1,43.006s.

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WTR Acura wins Rolex 24 qualifying race

Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images
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emailBy Richard S. James | January 23, 2022 5:43 PM ET

Daytona aces Wayne Taylor Racing, defending champions of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, came from last to first in the caution-free 100-minute qualifying race for next weekend’s Rolex 24 to put the No. 60 KonicaMinolta Racing Acura on pole for next weekend’s race.

Ricky Taylor in the No. 60 and Richard Westbrook, in the No. 5 JDC MillerMotorsports Cadillac that his co-driver Tristan Vautier put on pole for the qualifying race, battled for the last half hour. Traffic continually played a part as the fight compressed and expanded, with Westbrook making several attempts at Taylor in Turn 6 that leads onto the banking out of the infield, but could never make it stick. It finally came to a head on the final lap when Westbrook came from a long way back to try to stick his Cadillac into a quickly closing gap that Taylor had left on the inside entering Turn 1; Westbrook’s nose made contact with Taylor’s left rear, but it was Westbrook that got the worst of it, spinning. He recovered to keep second ahead of Kamui Kobayashi in the No. 48 Ally Cadillac that he shared with Jimmie Johnson.

“I’m really excited,” said team principal Wayne Taylor. “We had a tough weekend and the race certainly wasn’t easy. Westbrook was pushing really hard there, but Ricky kept him off and won the race, and that’s all I care about.”

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The No. 10 Acura started last in the seven-car DPi field due to a rear-wing angle out of specification. Taylor pitted early — although not as early as the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac of Pipo Derani and Tristan Nunez, which had to save fuel at the end. Taking the middle stint, Albuquerque used traffic to move toward the front. Running a long stint and making the final pit stop last helped put them out front for the final stint.

The 35 points for the pole isn’t huge in the grand scheme of things, but last year’s margin in the championship was 11 points, and it was Pipo Derani and Felipe Nasr who took the 35 points last year and won the championship over Taylor and Albuquereque.

“It doesn’t mean a whole lot in terms of the championship,” said Ricky Taylor. “It just goes to show how everybody are purely racers here and you’re going to give 100 percent; whether it’s 35 points or 350 points, the effort is the same.”
And this was the 𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙏 𝙇𝘼𝙋 pass attempt that determined the qualifying race outcome 🤯💥#IMSA / #Roar24 / #Rolex24 pic.twitter.com/5irNSZ9JdU

— #IMSA (@IMSA)

The LMP2 polesitters, the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca of Ben Keating and Mikkel Jensen, had a relatively uneventful cruise from pole for the qualifying race to pole for the 24, although Keating admitted he started the race in the wrong gear. It was a one-two for PR1 Mathiasen, as Jonathan Bomarito, in the No. 11 Oreca he was driving with Steven Thomas, fended off a late charge by Rene Rast, who set the fastest lap in the No. 68 G-Drive Racing by APR Oreca that Francois Heriau started.

Having started, Keating was left to watch the battle between Taylor and Westbrook, whom he will partner with in the No. 5 Cadillac for the 24, battle.

“It was really fun to watch,” he said. “Luckily our race was a little less exciting. We had enough of a gap that we weren’t too worried.”

The LMP3 field thinned out quickly, some through mechanicals and some apparently by choice, and three cars were lefty running somewhat competitively. Josh Burdon and Jarett Andretti brought the No. 36 Andretti Autosport Ligier home first by more than a minute over the No. 6 Muehlner Motorsports America Duqueine of Moritz Kranz and Ayrton Ori. Kuno Wittmer and Orey Fidani were third in the No. 13 AWA Duqueine, a lap down.
From 100 to 10 minutes, the Roar Before the #Rolex24 Presented by @INX_Group is closing in 🕐 pic.twitter.com/vukLf1Xpkm

— Rolex24Hours (@Rolex24Hours)

In a close contest that saw the top three often covered by a second, the new GTD Pro class put on a show in its first race, the 100-minute qualifying race to set the grid for next week’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. Andrea Caldarelli and Mirko Bortolotti took the No. 63 TR3 Racing Lamborghini Huracan to the front and the pole for GTD Pro, while Russell Ward and Lucas Auer took the race win and 24 pole for defending champions Winward Racing in the No. 57 Mercedes AMG.

Caldarelli started the Lamborghini in third in GTD Pro, fifth in GTD overall. Polesitters Alexandre Imperatori and Patrick Pilet in the No. 2 KCMG Porsche 911 GT3R were strong, but were waylaid by a faulty fuel rig that cost them 30 seconds in the pits. The No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche at the hands of Felipe Nasr, handed over from Mathieu Jaminet, took its turn at the front, but was soon joined by Alessio Picariello in the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Porsche, started by Julien Andlauer in ninth, and Bortolotti.

Picariello first got by Nasr, followed by Bortolotti. Bortolotti then went on the hunt, passing Picariello inside at Turn 6 with about 15 minutes left in the race. It was a bit of redemption for the No. 63 Lamborghini, which had been at the front of most sessions during the Roar, but lost out in qualifying.
Ward missed out on the GTD pole for the qualifying race, taken by Kenny Habul in the No. 75 Sun Energy 1 Mercedes AMG, but Habul faded quickly at the start. Auer was left to defend the lead in the late stages from Paul Holton in the No. 59 Crucial Racing McLaren 720S that Jon Miller started third overall. Auer held him off so that he, Ward, Philip Ellis and Mikael Grenier will have pole for the Rolex next weekend. Jan Heylen and Ryan Hardwick were third in the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche.

The new GTD Pro cars continued to struggle. The Corvettes, converted from GTLM specs, received a larger restrictor plate yesterday, but still finished mid-pack. The pair of BMW Team RLL M4s were 12th and 13th in the 13-car field.

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Roar Before the 24: Saturday news and notes

Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images
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emailBy Richard S. James | January 22, 2022 7:36 PM ET

Bamber relishes the chance to race with countryman Dixon

Earl Bamber spent years as a Porsche factory driver, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice in the 919 prototype. He also spent a lot of time racing the Porsche 911 RSR in GTE/GTLM against the Chip Ganassi-campaigned Ford GTs. Now he finds himself in the Chip Ganassi Racing fold, having joined the No. 02 Cadillac Racing squad for the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

As much as it gives him a chance to battle for victories and the championship in a top-flight DPi car, it is also an opportunity to race alongside his New Zealand countryman, and a man whose career he followed closely as his own was developing, Scott Dixon. The six-time IndyCar champion and 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner joins the sports car squad for at least the Rolex, a race he’s won three times overall and once in GTLM.

“I grew up watching Scott Dixon win IndyCar titles for [Chip Ganassi],” Bamber said. “So now to be in the same team driving for him with also Scott, you know, it’s, it’s really awesome. When you’re a young kid, and you’re driving go karts, and Formula Fords, you always sort of like a dream and aspire to these sorts of drives and roles. So then to one day join those teams, to be teammates with Scott, it’s something really special. When you step back, you’re like, ‘Wow, it is quite an amazing journey, this whole motor racing thing.'”

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So far he’s enjoying his time with Cadillac Racing and the Chip Ganassi organization.

“I love the team and the fact that they’re very welcoming,” Bamber added. “You know, they let us do what we want to do. They give us opportunity to drive great race cars and try win races. So I’m really loving their transition at something good at something fresh and new.”

As for the Cadillac DPi itself, Bamber says it’s seriously fast, not necessarily a statement one might expect from someone who has won Le Mans in an LMP car. But he also feels the sensation might come down to driving the prototype on American tracks, an opportunity he didn’t have with Porsche.

“[America] has these really hard, challenging tracks that you can’t just go and do five laps and be right on the money. You’ve got those tracks where you’ve got to take half a day to build your way up to it and with the Cadillac, it’s quick; these cars definitely get the adrenaline pumping. I can’t wait to go to Watkins Glen, I can’t wait to go to Mosport, because I think it’s gonna be insane!” he enthuses.

Bamber shares the No. 02 with another newcomer to the team, Alex Lynn, and, for the Rolex, Marcus Ericsson and Kevin Magnussen.

Balance of Performance adjustments

Before the qualifying session for Sunday’s qualifying race that will set the grid for the Rolex 24, IMSA announced some Balance of Performance adjustments for the GTD cars. Most notable, the Corvettes received a 1.5mm larger restrictor, now at 42.8mm. The Corvettes, converted to something more similar to a GT3 car from its former GTLM spec, had been struggling to find pace at Daytona, a situation apparently not improved appreciably by the bump in horsepower afforded by the larger restrictor. But if they have any sense, they will go slow in the beginning, then pour on the gas later when it counts.

Six Grand Marshals named for 60th Anniversary Rolex 24

Six notable men covering seven decades of 24 Hour history will serve as Grand Marshals for the 60th anniversary of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Shortly before the green flag flies on Saturday afternoon on Jan. 29, Mario Andretti, Hurley Haywood, Scott Pruett, Bobby Rahal, Jack Roush and Wayne Taylor will give the command to “start engines” to open the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech Championship season.

Each of these honorees has tasted victory in the Rolex 24 during different eras over the last six decades, spanning 1967 to 2005 — five as drivers, and three as team owners. Haywood and Pruett lead the drivers with five overall Rolex 24 victories from behind the wheel while Roush reeled off 10 straight triumphs as an owner. Taylor, a two-time winner as a driver in the Rolex 24, will go for an unprecedented, record fourth consecutive triumph and fifth overall as an owner in next weekend’s race. Andretti and Rahal both recorded an overall Rolex 24 win as a driver.

“What a privilege it is to have these six racing legends with us for our 60th Anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona,” said Daytona International Speedway President Frank Kelleher. “Our fans will be able to see them up close and relive their incredible success here. It’s going to be a celebration of 60 years of memorable, iconic moments, and the then once the green flag falls, a continuation of a rich legacy at The World Center of Racing.”

The legends will be recognized in pre-race ceremonies and will also participate in Saturday morning’s driver autograph session inside the UNOH Fanzone. Exactly how much time did he save
by not telling us what "UNOH" is? It's not like he will be using it in the next 20 sentences.

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MacNeil doubling his Rolex chances, with options

Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images
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emailBy Richard S. James | January 23, 2022 3:33 PM ET

Cooper MacNeil really wants that Rolex. He’s won Ferrari Challenge titles, he’s won the 12 Hours of Sebring, he’s been on the podium for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and even has an SCCA National Championship to his name. But a Rolex 24 At Daytona victory has eluded him. In an effort to rectify that, WeatherTech Racing has brought two different cars to the Rolex 24 for the GTD Pro class, and he’s driving both of them.

“I finished second here before and come close to winning it multiple times. But I have yet to get on the top of the podium here, which is one of the last things that that I’d like to accomplish in motorsports.,” MacNeil said.

MacNeil will drive the No. 79 Porsche 911 GT3R with Julien Andlauer, Matteo Cairoli and Alessio Picariello; and pilot the No. 97 Mercedes-AMG with Daniel Juncadella, Maro Engel and Jules Gounon. The quiver of two different makes within the same team may seem an odd choice, but in a Balance of Performance homologated class, there can be cases where one car is better at a given track. So far at Daytona, the Porsches and Mercedes-AMGs seem closely matched and both capable of victory.
WeatherTech Racing’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 gives MacNeil another chance at the top Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images

“Hopefully, one of the two — obviously, ideally, both would be nice but at least one of the two has a decent BOP and is in contention for the win at the end of the race. With how many GT cars we see here this weekend — forget GTD Pro and GTD being separate classes — there are so many GT3 cars that are roughly all the same speed, so it’s going to be a busy, busy race that I think is going to be one of attrition. Just staying out of trouble, staying on the racetrack, and keeping the car clean is going to be a feat of its own, and then fighting for a win at the end of the race will be will be a whole other task. But I think we have some really good drivers in the cars, some factory guys on both sides, Mercedes and Porsche. I think I think we have a good shot at fighting for a win at the end.”

The trick for MacNeil, who has to spend two hours and 15 minutes in each car minimum, is going to be being conscious of which car he’s in in terms of the differences in handling and the controls.

“They definitely handle and drive a lot differently,” he explains. “But luckily, I’ve got a fair amount of seat time in both the GT3R and the Mercedes. And we’ve a few days here to get me more seat time and, and a little bit of running next week before the race. I know the track, but it’s just about getting comfortable driving both cars. And all of the functions on the steering wheel on the dash are different between the two, so just remembering which car I’m in at any given time is going to be crucial.”

Well slick! Let me pass this on: If the steering wheel says Mercedes, it ain't whatever the other car is.

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Bamber leads Roar warm-up

Image by Graham Goodwin
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emailBy Richard S. James | January 23, 2022 11:08 AM ET

Earl Bamber threw in a late flyer to top the time sheets in the morning warm-up ahead of this afternoon’s Rolex 24 qualifying race. Bamber turned a 1m34.131s in the No. 02 Cadillac Racing Cadillac, about a tenth off Tristan Vautier’s pole time yesterday in the No. 5 JDC Miller Motorsports Cadillac. Renger van der Zande, who put the No. 02 Cadillac into the tire wall during qualifying yesterday and lost his top times as a result, posted the second-quickest time, the only other car in the 34s.

Rene Rast put up the fast time in LMP2 in the No. 68 G-Drive Racing by APR ORECA. LMP3 was topped by Josh Burdon in the No. 36 Andretti Autosport Ligier. The No. 63 TR3 Racing Lamborghini was back on top of the GTD Pro time sheets in the hands of Andrea Caldarelli, while Brendan Iribe put his No. 70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S out front in GTD.

The No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura has been moved to the back of the grid for today’s qualifying race due to the rear wing being out of compliance in yesterday’s qualifying session. Either that or IMSA was throwing their weight around again, looking for someone to screw.

More IMSA!

WTR Acura wins Rolex 24 qualifying race

MacNeil doubling his Rolex chances, with options

Ganassi Extreme E driver Leduc gets an IMSA eyeful at the Roar

Gradient Racing’s thrash to get its GTD Acura NSX back into racing condition after Kyffin Simpson’s mishap yesterday paid off, as the car has been repaired and will be ready for this afternoon’s qualifying race, although the team just barely missed the warm-up.

It was all hands on deck, especially as the team didn’t have access to the garage after 11 p.m. last night — the garages closed at 10, but the team received special dispensation to keep working. The repair involved replacing the right-rear corner, replacing and welding a frame rail and removing the engine to inspect it and replace the oil pump. The team had most of the parts on hand, but received help from fellow Acura racing team Racers Edge Motorsports, located a short distance from Daytona Beach.

GTD Pro team Risi Competizione missed the warm-up when its Ferrari 488 wouldn’t start. The full diagnosis hasn’t determined the problem, but the team believes something was loose in the bell housing. "There was a loud rattling
and we found a bunch of Toyota parts all over the ground."

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WTR Acura leads evening practice after incident

Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images
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emailBy Richard S. James | January 22, 2022 9:30 PM ET

A two-hour night session gave the teams their best shot at testing cars over a full stint, their first running in full darkness and the opportunity to get all their drivers in the car in the same session if they desired. Marked by a three red flags for incidents on track, there were still long periods of green, including the first 50 minutes of the session.

Both Acura DPi cars had issues. Ricky Taylor had contact with a GT car, took the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura to the garage for inspection and new bodywork, then proceeded to set fast time of the night with a 1m34.592s.

More IMSA!

Mazda MX-5 Cup set for epic season opener at Daytona

GTD Pro and GTD teams penalized for tire usage infractions

WTR Acura wins Rolex 24 qualifying race

The No. 60 Meyer Shank Acura had a gearbox problem, with something breaking when the car was put into car after Helio Castroneves got in the car.
Scott Dixon set a fast lap for the first time of the weekend, putting the No. 01 Cadillac Racing Cadillac in second a mere 0.019s off of Taylor’s time.

The other class leaders were: LMP2, Rene Rast, No. 68 G-Drive Racing by APR Oreca; LMP3, Trenton Estep, Forty7 Motorsports Duqueine; GTD Pro, Mirko Bortolotti, No. 63 TR3 Racing Lamborghini Huracan; and GTD, Paul Holton, No. 59 Crucial Motorsports McLaren 720S.

RESULTS

UP NEXT: The teams have a 20-minute warmup in the morning before the 100-minute qualifying race scheduled to go green at 2:05 p.m. ET. Only two drivers per car will participate in the qualifying race.