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.
Six cars are on the lead lap, including all four Porsches in the race and the No. 40 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06.
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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.
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.
Class leaders after 19 hours:
GTP: Felipe Nasr, No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsports 963
LMP2: Colin Braun, No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA 07
GTD PRO: Madison Snow, No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3
GTD: Riccardo Agostini, No. 023 Triarsi Racing Ferrari 296 GT3