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Sunday at Daytona - the 61st annual Rolex 24 at Daytona is over!..
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…and in one way it was particularly similar to the 2022 event, as Meyer Shank Racing took the WIN in the top class and overall, with closer Tom Blomqvist, and IndyCar drivers Simon Pagenaud and Helio Castroneves in the team’s # 60 Acura. The only differences are the fourth driver - Colin Braun instead of Oliver Jarvis - and of course, the car itself. This is the first race and the first WIN for the new GTP class Acura ARX-06 LMDh car. It is also Castroneves’ 3rd Rolex 24 WIN in a row. Coming in P2 - also the same as last year - was the # 10 Konica Minolta Acura for Wayne Taylor Racing, this year driven by closer Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor (both the same) and Louis Deletraz and Brendan Hartley. The cars were separated by a relatively safe 4+ seconds at the line. Third place was again taken by a Cadillac, but this year it was the # 01 Caddy for Corvette Racing instead of the JDC MIller car. In the new Cadillac V-LMDh were IndyCar drivers Scott Dixon and Sebastien Bourdais and closer Renger van der Zande. The 4th place # 02 Caddy for Cadillac Racing was the only other GTP on the lead lap at the end, as the Whelen Caddy, both Porsches and both BMWs suffered mechanicals that eventually put them out of contention, with the # 6 Porsche being the only GTP of the 9 starters unable to finish.
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The WINNING Acura ARX-06 for Meyer Shank Racing and drivers (left to right) Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud:
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The LMP2 class was the real heart-stopper of the day, as the # 55 Proton Competition ORECA 07 Gibson, driven by James Allen at the time, passed the # 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA driven by IndyCar driver Ben Hanley at the finish line and WON by a mere 0.016 seconds in a photo finish. Allen’s co-drivers were Fred Poordad, Giammaria Bruni and Francesco Pizzi while Ben shared the # 04 with George Kurtz, Matt McMurry and former IndyCar driver Esteban Gutierez. Coming in P3 was the # 88 ORECA for AF Corse driven by Francois Perrodo, Matthieu Vaxiviere, Julien Canal and Nicklas Nielsen some 5+ seconds back.
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The closest finish of the race - James Alllen WINS for Proton
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The LMP3 class was easily the surest thing at the end, with the # 17 AWA Duqueine D08 Nissan of Anthony Mantella, Wayne Boyd, Nico Varrone and Thomas Merrill finishing 1st as the lone class entrant to not face any issues during the 24 hours and ending the race 12 laps clear of its nearest competition. Gear box issues for the # 33 Sean Creech Motorsport Ligier JS P320 Nissan, which had enjoyed a 2-lap controlling class lead until five hours to go, set the pole-sitting car to finish P2 with Joao Barbosa, Lance Willsey, Nico Pino and last-minute addition and Indy NXT driver Nolan Siegel. Performance Tech Motorsports’ John DeAngelis, Christopher Allen, Connor Bloum and Road to Indy alum Cameron Shields completed the class podium, 16 laps down.
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The # 17 AWA Duqueine D08 Nissan - easy WIN for the stout car.
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GTD Pro class was WON by closer Maro Engel and co-drivers Cooper MacNeil, Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon in the # 79 Mercedes-AMG GT3 for WeatherTech Racing, after an intense hour-long battle between that car and the # 3 Corvette C8.R GTD for Corvette Racing driven by Jordan Taylor, Antonio Garcia and Tommy Milner (P2 at the end) and the # 14 Lexus RCF GT3 for Vasser Sullivan, driven by IndyCar driver Jack Hawksworth with co-drivers Ben Barnicoat and IndyCar driver Mike Conway. In that last hour all three cars held the lead, at one point or another. Engel beat Garcia to the line by almost 4 seconds at the end, with Hawksworth crossing 7 seconds after that. Making the battling even more intense were all the GTD class cars that were mixed up with the GTD Pros, as there is no mechanical difference or advantage to the GTD Pro class cars. This is Cooper MacNeil’s first Rolex WIN in what he claims is his last professional SportsCar race, as he retires to help run WeatherTech Floorliners.
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The # 79 Mercedes-AMG GT3 for WeatherTech Racing, mixing it up with the Vasser Sullivan Lexus
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In GTD class the WINNER was the # 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3, which crossed the line FIRST of all GT cars in the race, driven by closer Marco Sorensen and co-drivers Ian James, Darren Turner and Roman De Angelis. Sorensen fought hard to keep several GTD Pro cars between him and the # 44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin driven by Andy Lally, John Potter, Spencer Pumpelly and Nicki Thiim and it worked, crossing the line some 5+ seconds ahead of the Magnus Aston Martin. P3 went to the # 70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 of Brendan Iribe, Frederik Schandorff, Ollie Millroy and Marvin Kirchhöfer, some 11 seconds back.
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The # 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 - WIN in GTD class and first GT car across the line.
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Posting P4 in GTD class was the # 66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 of Sheena Monk, Mario Farnbacher, Marc Miller and IndyCar driver Katherine Legge. Katherine has been in the wilderness for a few years in substandard equipment, so it’s great to see her back in a competitive car with a full season ride.
Katherine Legge
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That’s it for another fantastic Rolex 24 at Daytona. This race never fails to be great as one can tune in at any time in the 24 hours and see great racing going on. With the new GTP class the excitement level was ramped up even more than usual and the class performed better than expected, with several of the new cars exceeding expectations for performance and durability.
A HUGE congrats to Mike Shank and his IndyCar drivers Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud for another WIN. Congrats also for the podiums for IndyCar guys Sebastien Bourdais and Scott Dixon, Ben Hanley and Esteban Gutierez, Nolan Siegel and Cameron Shields, Jack Hawksworth and Mike Conway.
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Next up for the Weathertech SportsCar Championship will be the 2nd Michelin Endurance Cup race of the season, the Mobil One 12 Hours of Sebring - March 15-18, with support from the Michelin Pilot Challenge and Porsche Carrera Cup North America.
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