Campbell takes Qatar WEC pole for Porsche

Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 5 963 will start tomorrow’s FIA World Endurance Championship season opener in Qatar from pole position, after Matt Campbell set a rapid 1m39.347s in the debut of the revised 2024 Hyperpole qualifying format. For …

Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 5 963 will start tomorrow’s FIA World Endurance Championship season opener in Qatar from pole position, after Matt Campbell set a rapid 1m39.347s in the debut of the revised 2024 Hyperpole qualifying format.

For Campbell, who has transitioned from Penske’s Hypercar team from IMSA GTP this season, it was a battle. His flyer came at the end of the 10-minute Hypercar class shootout, after trading fast times with the No. 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 HYBRID of Nyck de Vries in the closing minutes.

De Vries came close to a shock pole for Toyota, with a 1m39.511s on his penultimate tour of the circuit that initially put the No. 7 at the top of the timing screens. But Campbell found that little bit extra and delivered the first Hypercar pole for Porsche and an LMDh chassis.

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While the TGR team will likely be disappointed that it missed out on pole by such a slim margin, this was a promising flash of pace from the Japanese marque, which believed it would struggle for pace prior to the session.

“It’s fantastic to get our first pole with the 963. We’ve made some really good tuning before qualifying and it’s paid off. I struggled in my qualifying simulation yesterday but we turned it around,” Campbell said.

Off the front row, the No. 12 Hertz Team JOTA Porsche will start third after Callum Illot’s 1m39.622s, which ensured he was one of the five drivers to set a time under 1m40s.

“It’s fantastic to see that the LMDh platform can compete with Hypercar. It’s a big day for the team and our WEC program,” Jonathan Diuguid, the managing director of Team Penske, told RACER.

The fastest of the two Ferrari AF Corse 499Ps — the No. 50 — ended up fourth, while the sister Penske 963 claimed fifth spot on the grid.

Further back, the Cadillac which topped Free Practice 3 slotted in seventh, and the two Peugeot 9X8s qualified well for the final race of the current iteration of the car, finishing up sixth and 10th.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, none of the brand-new LMDh chassis to the WEC, nor the Isotta Fraschini Tipo6-C, made the Hyperpole shootout. The biggest surprise was that the No. 8 Toyota GR010 HYBRID of Brendon Hartley didn’t either, it will start 11th after a 1m40.586s was all the Kiwi could muster.

The first session for Hypercar saw the top 17 set times within two seconds of the No. 5 Porsche which topped the times. The Lamborghini Iron Lynx SC63 ended up 2.5s off in 18th ahead of the Isotta which was 19th with a 1m43.189s.

TF Sport’s Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R took the first LMGT3 pole. JEP/Motorsport Images

Before Hypercar Hyperpole, Tom Van Rompuy stole the show in the GT ranks, setting an astonishing 1m54.372s time in the No. 81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R to take the first-ever pole in LMGT3 class history by eight-tenths.

“It’s a good thing this is on the screens because I otherwise I wouldn’t believe it!” enthused Van Rompuy. “It’s my first qualifying session in WEC. We’ve worked really hard this week to improve the car and improve ourselves. The team did a mega job, as did the guys at Corvette and Pratt Miller. In the end, we made it all work so this is a team effort. I could put a really good lap together, and I’m really amazed with this result. “That’s what everyone wants from qualifying — drivers pushing flat out for pole.”

It was a hugely impressive showing in Hyperpole from the Belgian driver in what is a very new car, scoring its first pole position globally. His fast time came with two minutes remaining and although the other contenders in the session had time to respond, there were no significant improvements in the final seconds.

Lithuanian team Pure Rxcing’s Manthey Porsche 911 LMGT3 R 992 will start alongside the brand-new Corvette after Alex Malykhin set a 1m55.179s in the team’s first WEC qualifying appearance.

One of the two Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3s ended up taking third after an impressive run from Thomas Flohr. His time was just 0.003s off Malykhin in the No. 54, which has looked fast all week.

The top five was completed by the two new Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3s, with the D’Station example set to start fourth ahead of the car fielded by U.S. team Heart of Racing.

Prior to the shootout, Heart of Racing’s Aston topped qualifying, with a 1m55.251s from Ian James in the final moments of the first 12-minute qualifying session to decide which teams made the cut for LMGT3 Hyperpole.

Of the teams that failed to make it to phase two, TF Sport’s No. 82 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R came closest and ended up missing out by two-tenths. Hiroshi Koizumi will start 11th tomorrow.

Both AKKODIS ASP Lexus RC F GT3s and Proton Ford Mustangs (the No. 77 didn’t make it out) also failed to break into the top 10.

Another notable omission was WRT’s No. 31 M4 GT3. It will start 13th in class after Darren Leung’s efforts, while the sister No. 46 will line up ninth.

The Qatar 1812Km race is set to get underway at 11:00am local time.

RESULTS

Rolex 24, Hour 24: After 55 years, Penske triumphs at Daytona again

The first caution in four hours set up a 30m sprint to the finish of the 62nd Rolex 24 at Daytona, rapidly changing the fortunes of several competitors. Vasser Sullivan Racing’s hopes for a GTD victory went up in flames, literally, in the final …

The first caution in four hours set up a 30m sprint to the finish of the 62nd Rolex 24 at Daytona, rapidly changing the fortunes of several competitors.

Vasser Sullivan Racing’s hopes for a GTD victory went up in flames, literally, in the final hour. Leaving the pits, Parker Thompson pulled the No. 12 Lexus RC F over with flames spitting out of the engine compartment. Team principal Jimmy Vasser expected the cause was a plenum fire.

 

The ensuing caution, though, erased big leads in LMP2 and GTD, and set up a four-way battle to the finish in GTP. Tom Blomqvist had held the lead in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, but Felipe Nasr in the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsports 963 beat him out of the pits as both took short fills. The top four GTP competitors were nose to tail for the restart, Louis Deletraz holding third in the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06.

Blomqvist did all he could, including setting the fastest lap of race at 1m35.554s with 23m left, but he couldn’t make a move on Nasr while the Porsche got better breaks in traffic. When the checker fell right after 1:40 p.m. with 1m35s left on the race clock, Nasr took the victory for he, Dane Cameron, Matt Campbell and Josef Newgarden. It was the first Rolex 24 at Daytona victory for each driver, and the first for Penske since 1969 when he won the race with a Lola T70.

Blomqvist took the Cadillac across the line to score second for Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken. Jordan Taylor, Louis Deletraz, Colton Herta and Jenson Button finished third in the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06.

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Christian Rasmussen held his lead in the No. 18 Era Motorsports ORECA O7 Gibson to take victory for he, Dwight Merriman, Ryan Dalziel and Connor Zilisch. The No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA of George Kurtz, Colin Braun, Malthe Jakobsen and Toby Sowery, ahead of Gar Robinson, Felipe Fraga, Josh Burdon and Felipe Massa in the No, 74 Riley Motorsports ORECA.

Daniel Serra had a lap on second place Laurin Heinrich in the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche that was erased with the caution, but the Porsche had nothing for Serra’s No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrrari 296 GT3. Serra held on for Risi’s first victory in its Ferrari era, and second victory after an SRP2 win in 2002. Serra, Davide Rigon, Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado’s win was also the second 24-hour race victory for the 296 GT3, the first coming in the 2023 24 Hours of the Nürburgring with Frikadelli Racing.

Polesitters AO Racing with Seb Priaulx, Laurin Heinrich and Michael Christensen ended up second. The No. 1 Paul Miller Racing, which had looked to have a chance at victory going into the final hours, fell victim to a brake problem and the team scored a third-place finish for Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow, Neil Verhagen and Sheldon van der Linde.

Winward Racing took its second Rolex 24 victory in four years after Daniel Morad held off a pair of charging Ferraris. The No. 57 Mercedes AMG was third overall for a 2.731s margin of victory for Morad, Russell Ward, Philip Ellis and Indy Dontje. It was Ferrari 296 GT3 in second and third, Miguel Molina, Simon Mann, Francois Heriau and Alessio Rovera taking second for AF Corse and Conquest Racing’s Manny Franco, Alberto Costa Balboa, Alessandro Balzan and Cedric Sbirrazzuoli taking third.

Full reports to follow.

RESULTS

USC defensive coordinator search was a wild ride — and similar to 2021 head coaching search

There are real parallels between 2021 and 2023 at USC.

The USC head coaching search of 2021, if you remember it, was a wild ride. Roughly 48 hours before Lincoln Riley was announced as the Trojans’ new head coach, the industry speculation centered around Iowa State’s Matt Campbell as the guy who was closing in on becoming USC’s head coach. That turned out to be a smokescreen, as did the rumors that Lincoln Riley might be interested in the LSU job.

This year, Jen Cohen referred to Saturday’s conference championship games as a possible factor in USC’s defensive coordinator search. That comment turned out to be a smokescreen, since USC hired its man — D’Anton Lynn of UCLA — on Friday night, before Saturday’s college football games.

If Matt Campbell was the hot name late in the 2021 head coaching search, 2023 featured Nebraska’s Tony White as the hot name late in the process.

Campbell and White were smokescreens for the moves USC eventually made.

Let’s remember the Tony White speculation as one of the central markers of a wild USC defensive coordinator search in 2023:

‘You couldn’t write it up better’: Dillon Gabriel on the Sooners staying hot offensively

The Oklahoma Sooners couldn’t have scripted a better game from the offense.

There’s been one constant since [autotag]Matt Campbell[/autotag] took over as head coach of the[autotag] Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] when they play the Sooners. It’s going to be a tough, hard-fought game.

In fact, the Sooners had never beaten the Cyclones by more than 10 points in the [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] era. They also only scored 40+ one time. All of those historic offenses, with arguably the best play-caller of all time and Campbell’s defenses made them work.

Then came [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] to Norman. The Sooners have faced the Cyclones twice and in both games, the Sooners won by 14 or more points, including Saturday’s 30-point win. The Sooners also dropped their first 50-point game in that time span as well.

Dillon Gabriel talked to reporters after the game about the night.

“You couldn’t write it up better,” Gabriel said. “Putting points on the board and a night game in the palace.”

Gabriel completed 26 of 39 passes for 366 yards, three touchdowns, and only one interception. The Sooners quarterback completed passes to 10 different receivers. He also carried the ball eight times for 37 yards and two touchdowns. It was an incredible day for Oklahoma offensively, led by it’s veteran signal-caller.

“I think it’s something we go back to. It’s rhythm, creating completions, making competitive plays, and moving the chains,” Gabriel said. “I feel like as we get into that rhythm we’re able to obviously play a bunch of different guys and spread the ball around.”

For Gabriel, it was his fourth 300-yard passing day of the season. He’s completing 75.2% of his passes and has thrown for 1,593 yards and 15 touchdowns. He’s also rushed for four touchdowns on the season. He’s seventh in the nation in yards and fourth in passing touchdowns.

He’s had a fantastic start to his second season in Norman. With the running game struggling to find consistency, Gabriel’s efforts have him in the Heisman conversation.

He’s done a fantastic job spreading the ball around to Oklahoma’s incredible depth of playmakers. The Sooners will have to continue to spread the ball around with their toughest challenge of the season right around the corner in the Red River Rivalry.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

No. 14 Oklahoma Sooners vs. Iowa State Cyclones: Sooners Wire staff predictions

The Oklahoma Sooners are hoping to continue their undefeated season when they host Iowa State Saturday, and here are this week’s Sooners Wire staff predictions.

The Oklahoma Sooners (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) and the Iowa State Cyclones (2-2, 1-0) renew a matchup that dates back to a 13-0 win for the Cyclones back in 1928. Though they earned the win in the series opener, OU holds a 79-7-2 edge over Iowa State in the all-time series.

Each year is a different game, but Iowa State has played the Oklahoma Sooners tough in recent years.

2022’s win was the largest margin of victory in a win for the Oklahoma Sooners during the Matt Campbell era.

How will the Sooners perform this week? Here’s how we feel the game will go in this week’s staff predictions.

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

The Iowa State Cyclones have been a thorn in the Sooners’ side since [autotag]Matt Campbell[/autotag] took over as head coach.

They upset the Sooners in Norman in 2017 and also knocked them off in 2020. That doesn’t include the game-winning 2-point conversion stop the Sooners made in 2019 or the interception late in the game in 2021.

No matter how talented the Sooners have been, Iowa State knows how to play them close.

They do that with elite defense and by taking care of the football.

People will look at Iowa State this year and think they aren’t very good, and the Sooners will roll. Well, that’s not entirely true. They still are elite defensively and had a coming-out party on offense in their win over Oklahoma State a week ago. I wouldn’t be surprised if this game was another low-scoring game for both teams, similar to last week.

Sooners 27, Cyclones 6

Contact/Follow Jaron Spor

Up Next: More Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

No. 14 Sooners vs Iowa State Cyclones: How to Watch, key players, weather forecast for gameday

Here’s how you can watch the game, key players and the weather forecast for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. Iowa State Cyclones in Norman.

The Oklahoma Sooners return to Norman for a matchup against the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] in their [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] home opener. Oklahoma has historically dominated this rivalry, owning a 79-7-2 advantage.

But two of those wins by Iowa State have come since coach [autotag]Matt Campbell[/autotag] took over in 2016. The Cyclones have been a thorn in the Sooners’ side. A big reason is the great defense they play.

Defensive coordinator [autotag]Jon Heacock[/autotag] runs a 3-3-5 defense that allows teams to throw stuff underneath but takes away the big plays. No matter if it was Lincoln Riley’s historic offenses or Jeff Lebby’s offense a year ago, Heacock has had success shutting down Oklahoma.

This year might not be any different: The Cyclones bring in the 19th-ranked defense nationally. They also rank 22nd in pass defense. So, the Sooners will have their work cut out for them again this year.

3 Offensive Keys vs. Iowa State: Sooners need to get the ground game going

Oklahoma’s offense has to put forth a more complete performance against Iowa State on Saturday. Take a look at our offensive keys to a win.

Oklahoma will host their first Big 12 opponent of the year on Saturday night when Matt Campbell’s [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] come to Norman for what should be a rocking crowd.

Oklahoma looks to go 2-0 in Big 12 play and set up a massive matchup with arch-rival Texas next week in Dallas.

This week, though, the focus is on the Cyclones. For a Sooners team that looked resilient on the road against Cincinnati, they’ll have to be better this week. Otherwise, they could be on upset watch.

Offensively, they were good, not great.

Sure, Dillon Gabriel threw for 322 yards, completed 68% of his passes, threw a touchdown, and ran for a score. However, two missed throws that would have been sure-fire touchdowns took the luster off what would’ve been a great day.

On the ground against possibly the best defensive line in the conference, they ran the ball 34 times for 103 yards. It wasn’t good in the first half, but improved to average more than four yards a carry in the second.

That efficiency level must be more consistent against an Iowa State team that will employ a defense begging Oklahoma to run against it. With that said, here are three keys to a more complete offensive showing and for the Sooners’ offense to help pull out a victory.

Up Next: Keys to the Game

The Voice of Iowa State talks about why the Cyclones have had recent success vs. the Oklahoma Sooners

Iowa State is one of the few teams that has had success vs. OU recently. The Voice of the Cyclones might have the reason for that.

Since [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] Head Coach [autotag]Matt Campbell[/autotag] took over in 2016, the Cyclones are one of the few teams in the Big 12 that have given Oklahoma fits. Whether that’s knocking off the Sooners in 2017 and 2020 in the regular season or playing them to one-score games in 2019, [autotag]2020 Big 12 championship[/autotag] or 2021.

In fact, the largest margin of victory for the Sooners during that time frame was 14 points just last season. It’s not just been in Ames, either. The Cyclones have had success in Norman as well. Campbell’s teams have made a trip to Norman three times. The margin of victory is +1 in Oklahoma’s favor.

The Voice of the Cyclones, John Walters, joined us on my podcast, Eat. Sleep. Bedlam. to talk about why that might be.

“In the history of this series, if you can avoid turnovers and playing your way right into Oklahoma’s hand and make them earn things offensively, which they’re good at doing, but make them earn it, don’t just hand them stuff, then I think you give yourself a chance,” Walter said. “That’s what Iowa State teams had a hard time doing for a lot of years. Matt’s always been about that detail-oriented stuff, the hidden yards just like how Kansas State tries to win.”

That last line is the key one because it’s not a coincidence the two toughest teams for Oklahoma in the last few years have been Iowa State and Kansas State. It’s because they play similar styles.

Will this year be any different, though?

Iowa State has struggled, especially on offense, for most of 2023. However, they’ve been great defensively. Then came last week against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Iowa State’s offense woke up, but the defense struggled.

“They feel like they have something in Rocco Becht,” Walters said. “He’s still just a redshirt freshman. He’s a very young player who played just a handful of snaps just a year ago, but I think they feel they have something there. But they’ve been trying to slowly bring him along and not put too much on his plate. Maybe add a little bit more each week. Last week they added a significant amount, and he handled it well. He had three touchdown passes, no interceptions, and wasn’t sacked.”

Becht looked very good in the win vs. Oklahoma State. Now, was that because of Oklahoma State or because of Becht? Who knows. But he still had to make the plays that were there to make, and he did. But with a young quarterback, doing that consistently is the key. So, we’ll see if he can carry over that performance to this week against the Sooners.

Ultimately, this is a game many assume Oklahoma will roll because they believe Iowa State isn’t a very good football team. But if recent history has told us anything, this will be a lot closer than many believe.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Three Iowa State Cyclones to know for Saturday’s matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners

Okahoma hosts Iowa State on Saturday and comes in with a talented cast of players. Here are three Cyclones to know.

Oklahoma returns home after starting their Big 12 campaign on the road against a tough Cincinnati team in a game they won 20-6. They’ll be under the lights for a primetime kick against the Iowa State Cyclones (2-2, 1-1 Big 12).

This isn’t the same Iowa State team that Oklahoma had some very close contests with a few years ago. However, Matt Campbell is an excellent coach and will have his guys ready to play hard.

Oklahoma is in a prime spot to look ahead to their monumental matchup with Texas next weekend. But for that game to mean nearly as much as it can, Oklahoma, like Texas, needs to take care of business this weekend.

Players have reiterated that they look at themselves as 0-0 every week, which must be displayed on Saturday night.

Who are some of the Iowa State names Oklahoma will need to be on the lookout for? We took the liberty of listing the three players to know below.

Up Next: Three Cyclones to Know

Campbell fast for Penske and Porsche in IMSA’s first practice at Indy

Porsche Penske Motorsport posted the top time in the first practice session for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday. Matt Campbell turned a 1m15.184s lap in the No. 7 Porsche 963, an average …

Porsche Penske Motorsport posted the top time in the first practice session for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday. Matt Campbell turned a 1m15.184s lap in the No. 7 Porsche 963, an average of 116.79mph around the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course.

“It’s the boss’s race rack, so high expectation this weekend to be able to perform very well and try and get a good result here, especially going on from our recent race in Road America,” Campbell said. “But generally, our car was quite good; we struggled a little bit at the start of the session but then towards the end we were reasonably happy, or somewhere close to it. Track is difficult – traffic is very busy out there as expected, but just goes to show, I think, how much more difficult it will be to be able to manage it in the race.”

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Campbell’s best was just a tick ahead of Filipe Albuquerque, who was only 0.022s off that top time in the No. 10  Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport Acura ARX-06. Sebastien Bourdais was third in the No. 01 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R with a 1m15.4s lap. To make it all four marques in the top four, the BMWs occupied the next two spots, with Connor De Phillippi in the No. 25 BMW M Team RLL  M Hybrid V8 besting teammate Philipp Eng in the No. 24.

Mikkel Jensen was quickest in LMP2, posting a 1m17.231s lap in the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA, with Ryan Dalziel 0.055s off in the No. 18 Era Motorsport entry. Dalziel’s best lap was just enough to claim second in the session – Ben Hanley’s best in the No. 01 Crowdstrike Racing by APR was only 0.001s slower.

Garett Grist, sharing the No. 30 Jr III Racing this weekend with Nolan Siegel instead of Ari Balogh, was quickest in LMP3 with a 1m20.737s lap. Matthew Campbell was second-quickest at 1m20.799s in the No. 13 AWA Duqueine, followed by Guilherme de Olivera in the No. 29 Jr III Racing Ligier, 0.437s back.

Jack Hawksworth, leading the GTD PRO points with Ben Barnicoat, topped the session for both GTD PRO and GTD overall, turning a 1m23.636 lap (104.98mph) in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3.

Hawksworth and the No.14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus team set the early weekend benchmark in GTD PRO. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images

“Towards the end there we put some new tires on and tried to get a feel and understanding of where the car’s at going into tomorrow,” explained Hawksworth.

“It’s really difficult to read too much into any of the lap times from anybody in that session. But it was more to get an idea of where the balance is at and then any adjustments we need to make for tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow’s practice session is pretty early in the morning, so what we had just there is probably a little bit more representative of what we’re going to have in qualifying and in the race. So it was an important session and I felt like we were in reasonable shape.”

Klaus Bachler was second in GTD PRO in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R with a 1m24.221s lap, fourth GT driver overall as the rest of the GTD PRO cars were sprinkled through the field. Jules Gounon was third, nearly a second off Hawksworth’s time in the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes AMG.

Patrick Gallagher led GTD in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, posting a 1m24.019s lap. Loris Spinelli was 0.123s off Gallagher in the No. 78 Forte Racing Powered by US RaceTronics Lamborghini Huracan, with Russell Ward third at 1m24.235s in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes AMG. Mikael Grenier (No. 32 Korthoff/Preston Motorsports Mercedes AMG) and Trent Hindman (No. 77 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R) completed the top five in GTD.

The 90-minute session was interrupted by two red flags, the first for Alan Brynjolfsson getting stuck in the gravel in the No. 77 Porsche, and another for Jarett Andretti’s No. 94 Aston Martin Vantage GT3, which slowed on the front straight, spitting flames out the right-side exhaust before coming to a stop at Turn 7.

RESULTS

UP NEXT: A 1h45m split practice session beginning at 8:55am ET on Saturday.