Porsche Penske take third consecutive victory

Felipe Nasr got here below strain within the closing levels by Jack Aitken, however held agency en path to guiding Porsche Penske Motorsport to victory within the Rolex 24 At Daytona. It was the third consecutive general win for staff proprietor Roger Penske and Porsche, together with Nasr.

The Brazilian, piloting the No. 7 Porsche 963, was left pulling off a repeat of final 12 months’s heroics, however this time the rival being fended off was Aitken within the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac. Nasr crossed the end line 1.569s forward of the UK driver. 

Dries Vanthoor wheeled BMW M Crew WRT’s No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 to the ultimate step of the rostrum.

Run to the End…

After pit stops with slightly below six hours to go, the No. 6 Porsche, with Matt Campbell driving, jumped to the lead over the sister automobile of Nasr. Uniquely, the windshield wiper of the No. 6 was taped down throughout its pit cease. Campbell maintained a 2.9s benefit over his teammate because the clock ticked over to 5 hours remaining, with Kevin Magnussen (No. 25 BMW M Crew WRT) in third and 23s behind.

When pit stops commenced 12 minutes later, the No. 6 swapped drivers from Campbell to Kevin Estre. The warning flew a couple of minutes later for the No. 18 Period Motorsport LMP2 of Logan Sargeant stopped in Flip 1, which cut up the sector as Estre and Nasr pitted and moved the No. 25 BMW of Marco Wittmann (who changed Magnussen on a earlier cease) as much as the race lead. Jordan Taylor (Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing) and Will Stevens (Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing) rotated as much as second and third, respectively, on the restart.

The No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing entry (Jordan Taylor) and No. 10 Cadillac WTR The No. 3 Corvette of Garcia slowed with 5h12m left with RR suspension failure GTD Professional – was working second on the time Wittman defended nicely when the race resumed with 4 hours, 19 minutes left, holding off a charging Nasr till pitting after holding the lead for almost the subsequent 40 minutes.

Wittman’s transfer to pit put Porsche working 1-2 and cycled to a big lead following their pit stops 10 minutes later. Estre, using heat tires after going for the undercut on the No. 7 Porsche (with Julien Andlauer in for Nasr after the pit cease), managed to go his teammate and take over the lead with 3 hours, 32 minutes to go.

Though the sector was spreading out, it was introduced nearer collectively as soon as extra after one other warning when Mike Rockenfeller’s No. 64 Ford Mustang GT3 suffered an engine problem and spewed fluids in speedway Flip 3. Estre gave technique to Vanthoor, who restarted close to the again of the GTP class after pitting two laps later than nearly all of the category, with Andlauer main the sector to the inexperienced.

It was elbows out by Vanthoor as push by the sector featured an intense battle with Renger van der Zande within the No. 93 Acura ARX-06 (Meyer Shank Racing). Vanthoor dove below the Cadillac in Flip 1 for sixth, however van der Zande fought again the subsequent lap.

The 2 ran side-by-side till van der Zande was squeezed off Flip 3, which allowed Vanthoor to safe the place. Then, with 2 hours, 4 minutes remaining, Jordan Taylor’s Cadillac started smoking off speedway Flip 3. He introduced it down pit lane as a fireplace started to roar close to the again of the automobile, however was capable of evacuate safely. There have been seen indicators of the rear bodywork melted, with the staff’s probabilities for a podium going, actually, up in smoke.

Vanthoor short-pitted from fifth with 1 hour, 38 minutes left, aiming for clear monitor and a warning to leap the monitor place sport. Andlauer pitted with 1 hour, half-hour left, and was swapped out for Nasr within the No. 7 machine. Aitken took over for Bamber, who pitted on the identical time. As the whole lot cycled, it was Nasr out entrance forward of teammate Vanthoor, with Aitken in third forward of Tom Blomqvist within the No. 60 Acura.

Nasr’s lead was 2.4s. Aitken was greater than 6s again when he started his stint however clawed that to 2.4s after simply 13 minutes.

Last pit stops for the frontrunners started with 48 minutes left, with Vanthoor the primary amongst them and swapping seats with Estre within the No. 6. Aitken adopted the subsequent lap, with Nasr in with 45 minutes to go. Nasr got here out simply forward of Aitken as the 2 had been inside 0.3s of one another whereas battling by visitors. Estre settled out fourth, behind the No. 25 BMW of Wittman in third, who carried out the undercut as the ultimate hour started.

With 20 minutes to go, Aitken tried an inside transfer on Nasr alongside the frontstretch however was squeezed out from finishing the transfer. Nasr held the spot and put just a few automobile lengths between himself and Aitken.

Aitken clawed nearer as soon as extra with lower than eight minutes to go as Nasr carved by visitors. Unfazed, Nasr saved management and finally sped off to a repeat victory.

LMP2, GTD Professional and GTD class

In LMP2, a livid combat that featured almost everybody at school at one level or one other all through the 24 hours ended with Alex Quinn guiding the No. 04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR to victory. Tom Dillmann, driving Inter Europol’s No. 43, completed a distant second, forward of teammate Nick Cassidy within the No. 343 LMP2 ORECA 07 in third. 

Though Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports had been accountable for the GTD Professional class for almost all of the race, they discovered hassle. Whereas working 1-2, the No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT.3R of Antonio Garcia suffered a right-rear suspension failure and was compelled to the storage. After 46 minutes of intensive repairs, the entry returned with 4 hours, 21 minutes remaining; 23 laps down. The No. 4, with Tommy Milner on the helm, led usually however the warning involving Rockenfeller left the Corvette restarting fourth at school. After being compelled off by the Ferrari of James Calado, the No. 4 Corvette fell to seventh.

#4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Nico Varrone

Photograph by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen by way of Getty Photographs

Manthey’s No. 911 Porsche of Thomas Preining assumed management of the category, forward of the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW of Max Hesse. The No. 75 Specific Racing Mercedes of Maro Engel opted for an prolonged run, which paid dividends after the pit sequence as they vaulted to guide, simply forward of Preining.

Dan Harper took over the No. 1 from Hesse and took the lead over Engel after the final spherical of pit stops with below an hour to go. The highest two remained that means by the end, with Winward Racing’s Maxime Martine taking the ultimate step of the rostrum. 

Turner Motorsport had its No. 96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO out entrance usually within the GTD class, however was chasing the win because the clock continued to tick away. Mattia Drudi managed the race with 1 hour, half-hour to go within the No. 27 Coronary heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, with Magnus Racing’s Nicki Thiim in second and Turner’s Robby Foley third. Thiim took the lead with a robust transfer on Drudi in Flip 3 with 1 hour, 14 minutes left.

Regardless of a warning by race management, the 2 continued to lean on one another over the subsequent a number of laps. Foley’s hopes took an enormous hit with 55 minutes to go after receiving a drive-thru penalty following contact with the 13 Autosport Corvette of Matt Bell. The battle for the win ended up a fender rubbing affair between Thiim and Winward Racing’s Philip Ellis, who discovered his means within the combine after the ultimate pit cease cycle.

The pair leaned on one another till Ellis’s No. 57 Mercedes pressed his well beyond Thiim with 20 minutes to go. Thiim fought again and the 2 touched as they battled on the frontstretch, with Ellis almost shedding the nostril and the spot earlier than gathering it again up into Flip 1. The 2 remained locked collectively as Thiim tried a last-gasp outdoors go in Flip 1 with 1 minute to go, however was unsuccessful.

Ellis earned the hard-fought win, adopted by Thiim in second and Drudi taking third.

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– The Motorsport.com Crew