Rolex 24 Hour 12: The field stabilizes – for now

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | January 31, 2021 1:02 AM ET

Filipe Albuquerque and the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura remain in control of the Rolex 24 At Daytona as the clock hits 12 hours.

Albuquerque kept Simon Pagenaud at bay through the most recent stretch of racing. Pagenaud tried his hardest to put the No. 48 AXR Cadillac back out of the field by hounding Albuquerque and even getting this outside in Turn 1 at the 11 hour, 23-minute mark, but the door quickly closed.

A few minutes later, Pagenaud’s hard-fought shift came to an end when he turned the car over to Mike Rockenfeller, who now runs second and was looming in the leader’s mirrors as the clock ticked toward the 12 hour mark. Kevin

Chase Elliott is back in the No. 31 AXR Cadillac and runs fourth. Another driver change saw Juan Pablo Montoya get back in the No. 60 Meyer Shank racing Acura, taking over from Olivier Pla. Montoya runs fifth.

Aside from the brief battle between the DPis and driver changes throughout the field, the hour passed relatively calmly.

The No. 47 Cetilar Dallara continues to lead in LMP2, main image, but it is now piloted by Roberto Lacorte. Running second is Matthieu Vaxiviere, who is back in the No. 8 Tower Motorsport ORECA. They are one lap ahead of third place Christopher Mies in the No. 82 DragonSpeed USA ORECA.

Scott Andrews still leads in LMP3 with his No. 74 Ligier and now enjoys a three-lap advantage over the No. 6 Muehlner Motorsports America Duqueine which is currently has Kenton Koch behind the wheel.

In GTLM, the Corvettes remain in control. Nick Tandy is still behind the wheel of the No. 4 Corvette and Jordan Taylor continues his stint in the No. 3 Corvette. Jesse Krohn is running third in the No. 24 BMW.

Maro Engel is still the leader in GTD with his No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG, but it is over new second-place driver Daniel Serra. Serra, in the No. 21 Ferrari, has overtaken Mikael Grenier in the No. 75 Mercedes-AMG.
------------------------------------------------------------Rolex 24, Halfway: More electrical oddities for WTR Acura. Lots of other cars are stalling out for no reason and yellow flags popping out.

Does IMSA have an electronic device to kill engines instead of holding up cars in the pits to drop them from contention like they used to do? Jake Galstad/IMSA
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emailBy Cody Globig | January 28, 2024 1:56 AM ET

Halfway at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The eery stillness of full course yellow reared its ugly head once again for the bulk of the twelfth hour, this time at the hands of yet more drama for Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport.

Just over 20 minutes into the hour, the circuit drew quiet for heaps of debris on track near Turn 5, potentially from the No. 40 Acura of Louis Deletraz, ceasing Jack Aitken’s deft use of traffic to keep Dane Cameron’s Porsche 963 1.2s behind the Whelen Cadillac not long after Aitken executed a masterful pass for the overall lead.

Come time for the pits to open for leaders, the Rahal Letterman Lanigan BMW team made good use of the unseasonably warm weather, taking no tires are firing both cars away ahead of the two Penske Porsches, relegating Cameron and teammate Laurens Vanthoor to P4 and P5 respectively. WTR swapped a new nose onto the No. 40 before a spot of drama as the No. 78 GTD Lamborghini attempted to leave pitlane with the fuel hose still attached, causing a small fire which was mercifully brief but would eventually yield a penalty for leaving the box with equipment still attached. Never mind that the thing caught on fire. That may turn out to be a screw-you-later-penalty from IMSA officiuals.

Green returned with just 15 minutes remaining before half distance, the threatening rain having still not arrived. Almost instantly, Vanthoor muscled back past both RLL BMWs to move back to second overall.

The action lasted only briefly, though. Only minutes later WTR’s woes returned once again in almost the same manner suffered earlier by the No. 10 Acura. As Deletraz approached the infield exit, the No. 40 went dark and coasted to a stop, bringing a full course yellow out once again. Oddly, Deletraz managed to restart the car minutes later while the AMR Safety Team attended and made his way, at speed, back around the field readying to claw time back.

Post pit cycle, Tom Dillman now leads LMP2 in the No. 52 ORECA ahead of Connor Zilisch (No. 1 and Malthe Jakobsen (No. 04) with previous leader Ben Keating having slid to fifth in class.

Alessandro Pier Guidi remains in the GTD PRO lead in the No. 62 Risi Ferrari with Alexander Sims still stalking just 1.5s behind.

GTD is led by Frederik Schandorff in the No. 70 McLaren 720S Evo.


Too many cars having "unknown" electrical problems........

HOUR 12 STANDINGS

 

Rolex 24, Hour 13: Porsche, Cadillac trading overall lead in heated nighttime strategy battle

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emailBy Cody Globig | January 28, 2024 2:53 AM ET

As the second half of the Rolex 24 at Daytona met its cool, dark genesis, Porsche Penske Motorsports found itself back in the overall lead at the hands of Laurens Vanthoor in the No. 6 963.

With the race having gone green once again after Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport’s electrical hiccup, Vanthoor used the clean air to great effect to pull out a 15s lead over Maxime Martin’s No. 25 RLL BMW in just 30 minutes.

Previous leader Jack Aitken handed the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac over to teammate Tom Blomqvist during the FCY in the previous hour, the car falling to P4 after pitting.

“I was working a bit harder than usual,” Aitken told IMSA Radio after he exited the car. “There were a few nice on-track battles with the other guys. There’s a lot of traffic out there, so it’s keeping you on your toes.

“Now that it’s night and a bit cooler, we’ll try and extend the stints a little bit so we have a bit more time out of the car as well. I think we’ve got three capable guys, so it’s not too bad. …We all feel pretty comfortable in the car.”

Blomqvist went on a tear from 80s behind leader Vanthoor, clawing time back under green — just 0.5s off the tail of the Porsche with 17 minutes remaining in the hour. A powerful slipstream and Cadillac V8 torque allowed the No. 31 to sail past the Porsche on the outside along the backstretch heading into the Le Mans Chicane. Within two laps, Blomqvist had already pulled out a 1.5s lead.

Deadstick drama came again, though, this time for the No. 24 RLL BMW of Dries Vanthoor. With 10 minutes left in the hour, the car — just like both WTR Acuras — went dark and rolled to a stop, bringing out another FCY. As the AMR Safety Team arrived on scene, Vanthoor’s lights were seen alight once again, but the car unmoved and later towed away from the infield.

Leading GTP crews pitted, most taking fuel only save for the No. 31 which dropped down the order to P4 after changing rubber. This left both Penske Porsches cycling through back to first and second overall, the No. 7 of Matt Campbell ahead of Vanthoor. Rene Rast’s RLL BMW moved to third, with Renger van der Zande following everyone else in the No. 01 Cadillac in P5. If Penske wins it IMSA is expected to penalize him to move him back out of contention.

LMP2 remained steady and drama-free, with the only significant change coming in the form of Formula 1 veteran Felipe Massa taking over the third-place No. 74 ORECA. Tom Dillman still leads in the No. 52.

The No. 3 Corvette of Alexander Sims pitted and handed the car over to Daniel Juncadella after moving into the GTD PRO lead over the Risi Ferrari just prior to the FCY, traffic having facilitated an immensely close fight.

Winward Mercedes’ No. 57 led GTD on the hour.

HOUR 13 STANDINGS

 

Rolex 24, Hour 14: Class by class, still anyone's game

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emailBy Cody Globig | January 28, 2024 3:51 AM ET

With more than half the 24 hours now gone in the 2024 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, regular full course yellows have played into the hands of nearly every team in every class. At the close of hour 14, the overall battle for the lead in GTP sees the top four together on the lead lap, led by Tom Blomqvist yet again in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac.

Perhaps the most miraculous standout is P4 — the No. 40 WTR Acura, having rebounded solidly from electrical gremlins not long ago. Colton Herta currently sits just 2.9s behind Blomqvist, still solidly in contention so long as the car stays solid.

In LMP2, the top five has gone through a major shakeup through the hour, with Colin Braun leading in the No. 04 as the hour closes in the midst of another pit cycle. The No. 52, having previously held a commanding class lead in the double digits of seconds, has slipped completely out of the top five — now down to P7 in class at the hands of Jakub Smiechowski.

Risi Competizione is back at the head of GTD PRO with Alessandro Pier Guidi still behind the wheel of the Ferrari 296. The No. 3 Corvette of Daniel Juncadella had powered into the class lead prior to this pit cycle, and based on the math should be battling once again with the No. 62 Risi car once the cycle is complete.

The GTD top five are separated by only 12s as the hour draws to a close, still led by the No. 57 Winward Mercedes. For hours now, the class has been remarkably trouble-free, even as the prototype leaders fly past in near-constant wheel-to-wheel infighting.

HOUR 14 STANDINGS

 

Rolex 24, Hour 15: Disaster strikes for No.01 Cadillac

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emailBy RJ O’Connell | January 28, 2024 4:56 AM ET

With nine hours remaining in the 2024 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 of Kevin Estre is scored as the leader following pit stops from the No. 7 Porsche of Josef Newgarden, and the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R of Pipo Derani. Both the No.6 Porsche and No. 31 Cadillac are on different fuel strategies and have alternated in the overall lead.

Derani in the No. 31 Cadillac runs second, 6s behind Estre, while Colton Herta is third in the No. 40 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06.

However, the significant update in GTP is that the Action Express Racing-run No. 31 is now Cadillac’s sole remaining challenger following the retirement of the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R. Renger van der Zande was trying to mount a comeback from the puncture the car suffered earlier, but with 10 hours and 40 minutes to go, the gold Cadillac broke down with a terminal issue that has yet to be diagnosed by the Chip Ganassi Racing team and Cadillac.

The No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8 was running second but at its last pit stop, the engine cover had to come off the car, and the car has gone to the garage after Connor de Phillippi ran as high as second.

The lead fight in LMP2 has ignited, wherein reigning Indy NXT champion Christian Rasmussen has taken the lead of the class aboard the No. 18 Era Motorsport ORECA 07. Rasmussen overtook the No. 99 AO Racing ORECA of Matt Brabham at the Le Mans Chicane with an orthodox pass up the inside.

The No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA of Ferdinand Habsburg recently passed Brabham for second; Ben Hanley runs fourth in the No. 2 United Autosports USA ORECA.

As it was in the last hour, Risi Competizione’s No. 62 Ferrari 296 GT3 driven by Daniel Serra is scored as the leader at the top of the hour after the No. 3 Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R came in for service, about eight laps off sequence of the Ferrari.

Serra leads the No.4 Corvette of Tommy Milner by over 15s, followed closely by Sheldon van der Linde in the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3; Juncadella in the No. 3 Corvette has slotted into fourth.

And in GTD, Indy Dontje in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 continues to hold a comfortable lead, some 30s up the road of the pack.

Ollie Millroy in the No.70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 EVO has taken second after the No. 32 Korthoff Preston Motorsports Mercedes of Kenton Koch had to serve a mechanical black flag for tire operational requirements. Rui Andrade is third in the No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes.

Also in GTD, the No. 66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 is the latest official retirement. The team confirmed a terminal electrical issue, some time after Stevan McAleer struck a piece of tire debris on the road.

HOUR 15 STANDINGS

 

Rolex 24, Hour 16: Advantage swings back towards Cadillac

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emailBy RJ O’Connell | January 28, 2024 5:53 AM ET

Pipo Derani has re-taken the lead of the 2024 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, and the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R runs 3s ahead over Nick Tandy in the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963.

Both cars are still on different strategies and have been taking turns in the overall and GTP class leads. Derani passed the No. 6 Porsche, then driven by Kevin Estre, on track at 16 minutes past the hour.

Rounding out the overall top three is still the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06, which is on the same sequence as the No. 31 Cadillac and now has Jordan Taylor aboard.

BMW M Team RLL’s chances of an overall victory now appear completely sunk. The No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8 lost nine laps behind the wall for an issue that has yet to be diagnosed, and with the No. 24 down a further four laps due to an apparent issue with the steering wheel, it’s not been a good Sunday morning for the Bavarian marque.

Christian Rasmussen in the No. 18 Era Motorsport ORECA 07 continues to stretch his lead in LMP2, now about 20s over the No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA of Ferdinand Habsburg. Ben Hanley rounds out the top three in the No. 2 United Autosports USA ORECA.

GTD Pro has treated us to a fun on-track pursuit between Daniel Juncadella in the No. 3 Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, and Daniel Serra in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3. The two ran tail-to-nose for several minutes.

Both cars recently made pit stops and are now closer together in their pit sequences. At the top of the hour, the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 of Sheldon van der Linde is scored as the leader but will soon hand it back to the No. 62 Ferrari.

The No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 continues to lead GTD by nearly 30s with Philip Ellis at the wheel. Ricciardo Agostini is second in the No. 023 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3, ahead of Rui Andrade in the No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Two contenders in GTD have had trouble. The No. 70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 EVO lost 16 laps in the garage with a starter motor problem while running second.

Bizarrely, Antonio Fuoco has had two separate incidents in the No. 47 Cetilar Racing Ferrari – he hit the wall, suffered damage to the front, then went off course on his out lap upon returning to the race. He’s back in the race, but now 10 laps down. Maybe now he will quit drinking from the team's joy juice cooler.

HOUR 16 STANDINGS

 

Rolex 24, Hour 17: Paul Miller Racing to the fore in GTD PRO

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emailBy RJ O’Connell | January 28, 2024 6:51 AM ET

Pipo Derani has put in a long overnight stint to keep the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R in the lead of the 2024 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.

Matthew Brabham brought out a full course yellow at the start of the hour when he and the No. 99 AO Racing ORECA LMP2 spun off at Turn 3. “Spike the Dragon” has now dropped two laps off the lead in class. The yellow gave all the GTP class leaders the chance to pit together, and with seven hours left, Derani leads a quartet of Porsche 963s.

That trio is led by the two Porsche Penske Motorsport cars, with Nick Tandy in the No. 6 hunting down Derani, and Felipe Nasr in the No. 7 holding onto third place – ahead of the emerging privateers. Gianmaria Bruni is fourth in the No. 5 for Proton Competition, and Phil Hanson is fifth in the No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports ‘Banana Boat’. Jordan Taylor has slid to sixth in the No. 40 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06.

The Era Motorsport No. 18 ORECA continues to lead LMP2, with Connor Zilisch now driving. He’s pulled out a gap over Malthe Jakobsen in the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA in second, and as the class wraps up a pit cycle, Tom Dillmann is third in the No. 52 Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA.

In GTD PRO, a well-timed pit stop from the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 (main image) has given Neil Verhagen the lead in the class, ahead of the two Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs – the No. 4 of Nicky Catsburg leading the No. 3 of Antonio Garcia.

Meanwhile, Davide Rigon in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 lost significant ground after a drive-through penalty was assessed to the car because its fire extinguisher was not properly manned.

Winward Racing is up front in GTD – Philip Ellis continues to lead the way in the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3. Robby Foley is second in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW, and Alessio Rovera is third in the No. 023 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari.

The No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes of Scott Andrews and No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 of Parker Thompson are on different strategies but both are in contention for class honors.

HOUR 17 STANDINGS
Standings wll not be posted anymore since no body is reading them and soon we will be taking a short break, since the chick in the short skirt has been trying to get our attention.

 

Rolex 24, Hour 18: Battle tightening up at the front

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emailBy RJ O’Connell | January 28, 2024 7:52 AM ET

As the sun rises over Daytona, the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R and the two Porsche Penske Motorsport 963s are battling hard for the lead of the 2024 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.

During the hour, Pipo Derani in the No. 31 Cadillac and Mathieu Jaminet in the No. 6 Porsche were dueling for the race lead, and their battles brought Matt Campbell in the No. 7 Porsche back into the fight.

Jack Aitken has relieved Derani, but due to a delay exiting the pits, waiting for an IMSA official to finish smoking his cigarette before stepping out of the way, he had to overtake Campbell in the No. 7 Porsche to restore his effective race lead.
Rolex 24, Hour 19: Corvettes drop out of GTD PRO fightJust before the top of the hour, the No. 6 Porsche of Jaminet received another 10-second stop-and-hold penalty for a powertrain parameters infringement, (you was going too fast, boy and we gettin ready to fix you) their third penalty of the race for this infringement. and depending on the Vegas odds, you may be getting screwed back a few positions and may have to dress in ladies underwear to make a visit to the IMSA officials penalty box trailer. Gianmaria Bruni runs in fourth aboard the No. 5 Proton Competition Porsche, with six GTP cars still on the overall lead lap.

Similar to GTP, LMP2 has treated fans to fun racing between Era Motorsport’s Connor Zilisch and CrowdStrike by APR’s Malthe Jakobsen, who traded the lead back and forth before making their last pit stops.

The CrowdStrike/APR crew got the No. 04 ORECA 07 out front with Jakobsen now leading Ryan Dalziel in the No. 18 Era Motorsport Oreca. Super-sub Pietro Fittipaldi runs third in the No. 52 Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA.

Neil Verhagen is cruising along in the GTD Pro class-leading No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3, he now leads by over 20s ahead of the No. 4 Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, driven by Nicky Catsburg. Davide Rigon has got back up to third in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3.

Daniel Morad has just pitted the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 from the lead in GTD, over 10s ahead of Alessio Rovera in the No. 023 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari. Scott Andrews runs third in the No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes.

But Turner Motorsport has hit trouble after Robby Foley lost oil pressure, and the blue and yellow No. 96 BMW M4 GT3 stopped in the middle of pit lane and had to be pushed behind the wall – a tough break after Foley was running second in class. The second AWA Corvette, the green No. 17, has recently gone behind the wall to join the No. 13.

 

Rolex 24, Hour 19: Corvettes drop out of GTD PRO fight

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emailBy Richard S. James | January 28, 2024 9:08 AM ET

As teams and drivers welcome full daylight and the final stretch to the checker at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the battle at the front continues to be intense between the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 and the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing V-Series.R, with Felipe Nasr and Jack Aitken the current gladiators. The No. 6 PPM Porsche should be in the thick of that battle, but the team has received another stop-plus-10s penalty for exceeding the powertrain parameters. How many times we gotta tell you boy, if you driving faster than the officials want to let you, you gonna get it up the wazoo. We IMSA officials are the Lords of Racing Knowledge, and when we say that you are not allowed to go faster than we want, we mean it.

Six cars are on the lead lap, including all four Porsches in the race and the No. 40 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06.


The No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Z06 GT3.R spent 10 minutes in the garage with an unknown issue, mechanics working furiously in the engine bay. The car returned to the track, eight laps down to the GTD PRO leader. Just before the 19th hour came to an end, the No. 4 Corvette also headed to the garage, the crew investigating something at the front of the car. That’s left two cars fighting on the same lap in GTD PRO, the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW and the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296.

The Risi Ferrari is wearing a unique livery that harkens back to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2019 when it had a partnership with Ferrari Club of France. That livery was imagined and designed as part of a contest that brought together 21 pairs of students from different sectors of ENSAAMA Oliviers de Serres (School of Art and Design), a decorative arts school in Paris, France. A similar partnership was revised in 2021.

This year the Risi team is once again in a partnership with the Ferrari Club of France, and therefore ENSAAMA once again helped design another special livery for the team. The student who designed the graphics is Carla Mallein- Gerin, a third-year French student in Digital Design and Animation at the art school. Carla shared that her choice of stripes and the shades of colors were inspired by nighttime racing photos and particularly light trails which evoke speed and the goal of victory. For her efforts she won $500 and an overnight stay at the Motel 6.

Unmistakably a Risi Competizione Ferrari, but with a unique twist, Carla put some stripes on it and got paid $500 bucks cash.. Richard Dole/Lumen

Five LMP2 cars remain on the same lap, with the No. 2 United Autosports car a lap off the lead. Colin Braun currently has the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA in the lead, with Ryan Dalziel in pursuit in the No. 18 Era Motorsports ORECA.

GTD is currently the domain of Winward Racing’s No. 57 Mercedes AMG, Indy Dontje at the wheel. However, Triarsi Racing, Korthoff/Preston Motorsports, Lone Star Racing, the Iron Dames and Vasser Sullivan Racing remain int he hunt. Riccardo Agostini was leading in the No. 023 Triarsi Ferrari 296 as the hour ticked over.

Both AWA Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs are now officially retired.

 

Rolex 24, Hour 20: GT battles raging

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emailBy Richard S. James | January 28, 2024 10:02 AM ET

A yellow for debris brought the Rolex 24 field closer together and brought the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsports back into the fight, along with the No. 40 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06. At the front, Felipe Nasr in the No. 7 PPM 963 pulled a bit of a lead over Jack Aitken in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing V-Series.R.

However, all eyes were on the GT battles, particularly GTD. Triarsi Racing is on a different sequence than the other GTD contenders, which gave the team track position after the last yellow when the other GTD leaders pitted. The next few hours will show if the team choosing not to top off during the caution was the right call. Onofrio Triarsi held off Indy Dontje for half an hour after the last restart, the Ferrari looking absolutely planted to the asphalt and Triarsi able to put it where he wanted to keep Dontje behind him, despite tires six laps older than those on the AMG. Dontje finally took the lead with 12 minutes left in the hour.

GTD PRO was a fierce battle between James Calado in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 and Verhagen in the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3. Calado found some comfort by putting the GTD battle between his Ferrari and Verhagen’s BMW.“With four hours left, to beat the 62 car, we’re going to need some help,” lamented Verhagen’s teammate Bryan Sellers, noting the pace of the Risi Ferrari.

Just after the hour ticked over, Verhagen made contact with Triarsi, spinning the Ferrari but apparently leaving it without damage.The incident is under review by the fairest officials in the world.... IMSA's.

Christian Rasmussen had the No. 18 Era Motorsports ORECA in pursuit of Colin Braun’s No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR for the lead in LMP2. Braun pitted just before the race entered four hours to go, leaving Rasmussen at the front. Five cars are solidly in the fight for the LMP2 victory.

Kevin Estre had a scary moment as he tried to push the No. 6 ahead of Aitken’s No. 31 Cadillac heading into the Kink when, going to the right of a GT Lamborghini, he was pushed off track. Estre recovered to continue his pursuit of Aitken.

Pfaff Motorsports, whose problems began early in the race with a bad wheel bearing on the No. 9 McLaren 720S, has retired from the race. Sean Creech Motorsports has indicated with his extended middle finger as he drove by the IMSA penalty trailer that the No. 33 Ligier LMP2 car was going to be retired as well, but it was not yet official....but it will be now!

 

Rolex 24, Hour 21: Five-way fight in LMP2

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emailBy Richard S. James | January 28, 2024 11:04 AM ET

The fight for LMP2 honors in the 62nd Rolex 24 At Daytona remains a five-way contest at the front. The No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA is currently on a different pit sequence, and that has often given the team track position as the others cycle through their stops. With three hours left, though, Malthe Jakobsen in the No. 4 is chasing Connor Zilisch in the No. 18 Era Motorsports ORECA (pictured above). The other cars on the same lap are the No. 52 Inter Europol with PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports (Pietro Fittipaldi), No. 8 Tower Motorsports (Scott McLaughlin) and No. 74 Riley Motorsports (Felipe Massa).

Matt Campbell in the No. 7 PPM Porsche 963 leads GTP and overall, and has been putting distance between himself and Jack Aitken in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing V-Series.R. Both were due to stop as the hour mark changed from three to four. Colton Herta had just pitted the No. 40 WTRAndretti AcuraARX-06 out of third.

Kevin Estre had another moment in the No. 6 PPM 963, sliding off Turn 3, the International Horseshoe, on his out-lap. The Porsche stopped short of the tire wall, and Estre got the car going again without losing a lap.

Laurin Heinrich is going to need a yellow to get the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R back into the GTD fight, as he’s most of a lap behind the fight for the lead, currently held by Alessandro Pier Guidi in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296. Pier Guidi has a bit of a gap to the pursuing No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 with Sheldon van der Linde at the wheel.

Winward Racing is still at the front of GTD, the No. 57 Mercedes AMG holding about a 10-second lead in the hands of Philip Ellis. Aaron Telitz was second in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3, followed by Mike Skeen in the No. 32 Korthoff/Preston Motorsports Mercedes AMG.

The entire 21st hour was run under green. Mercy Sakes !