Tag: Rolex 24

United Autosports drivers find a lot to savor in belated Rolex 24 win

Rasmus Lindh woke up Tuesday morning after the Rolex 24 At Daytona to a pair of missed calls – one from co-driver Dan Goldburg, the other from CEO and co-owner of United Autosports Richard Dean. They were trying to tell Lindh that he and the rest of …

Rasmus Lindh woke up Tuesday morning after the Rolex 24 At Daytona to a pair of missed calls — one from co-driver Dan Goldburg, the other from CEO and co-owner of United Autosports Richard Dean.

They were trying to tell Lindh that he and the rest of the No. 22 United Autosports USA crew had won LMP2 when it was found that Tower Motorsports’ car had failed post-race inspection, bumping them up from a bittersweet second place. In 48 hours’ time, Goldburg, Lindh, Paul di Resta and James Allen were all gathered for a press call after the results had been declared official.

“We just kind of set about doing what our plan was, just knocking off the [drive] time and prepping everything to be in the fight at the end. And really, everything was going great,” Goldburg recalled. “A couple things happened, and a penalty at the end kind of set us back, and we ended up second..

“It was a tough second for us, in a weird way. We knew we should be pleased because we executed well. But we really felt we should be in that fight at the end, and didn’t get that opportunity.

“So we went home somewhat pleased and ready to go on with the season… And then finding out about the penalty, absorbing the win — it’s just been crazy. I mean, we’re really happy about it.”

When looking back on it, they’d driven one of the cleanest races in an LMP2 field that was littered with attrition. The No. 22’s race was only compromised by a flat tire at the halfway mark, and a drive-through penalty in the final hour for leaving pit equipment in the path of another car during their last stop in a congested pit lane — which both Goldburg and di Resta felt was a particularly harsh decision.

While they had to watch Tower Motorsports’ drivers partying hardest on the podium at Daytona, the United Autosports quartet would get the last laugh. Michael Levitt/Lumen

The original second-place result would have already been a big turnaround from last year, when the No. 22 led by Goldburg and di Resta only put together a single podium finish, and started the year with Goldburg crashing out early in the race.

“I had a pretty disastrous [Rolex] 24 last year,” he admitted. “There was a lot of thinking from there through the rest of last year and coming into this year.”

A significant keystone in Goldburg’s development came in qualifying when he bested his former United teammate Ben Keating, widely considered to be the premier bronze-graded driver in major endurance racing, to win the pole position in LMP2 and end Keating’s run of five straight Rolex 24 class pole positions.

Pole position was the start of Daniel Goldburg’s Rolex 24 turnaround. Michael Levitt/Lumen

“Coming into the event, I said, I wanted to give everything I had in qualy, and then take it to a different notch for the race — and just stay clean, stay consistent, stay at a certain pace that the team and I wanted,” Goldburg said. “When I got out of the car at about 11 o’clock on Saturday night, I had a very big sense of relief at that moment that I had done my job — done exactly what I came there to do. And I was pleased that I did my part in that.”

Goldburg also said he’d taken his fitness up a level going into his second season of driving LMP2s in IMSA, and also reshaped his mental approach, being more calm behind the wheel of his ORECA 07.

“I’m just so much calmer and it just allows me to drive in a calm and controlled way, as compared to a little more on edge last year,” he said. “Last year was very painful. I had pretty high expectations for myself. But in retrospect, I just didn’t come into it thinking everything through and having the right mindset.

“In the prior year, two of our four drivers never even got in the car, and it’s a strange pain you feel in that circumstances. With how much goes into these events, the preparation, the teams, the money, everybody’s efforts — and then to lose it early and let everyone down is huge. It’s just an amazing sense of accomplishment to make that kind of turnaround and be here where we are now.”

A construction company leader during the work week and ambitious racing driver on the weekends, Goldburg has excellent chemistry with di Resta as well as Lindh, whom he’d previously raced with in LMP3 before reuniting this year.

Di Resta certainly has the pedigree and recognition through his time in Formula 1, DTM and now in the WEC as a Peugeot Sport factory driver, but this race also represents a significant turning point for Lindh, who’s spent time bouncing between the American single-seater ladder and the Pro-Am categories of prototype racing to little fanfare.

“I first started driving with Dan in 2020 — the COVID year,” Lindh recalls. “I’d signed with Indy NXT then, but they closed that championship down for the COVID season and I got the opportunity to race with Dan. We went racing on and off a little bit since 2021; we did quite a few races in both IMSA Prototype Challenge and a few races in WeatherTech together.

“I’ve been coaching him and creating a very good relationship, and it means a lot to share this with Dan, this big win — and also with both James and Paul. It’s a great team, us four.

“We came back pretty strong and pretty quick on the lead lap again,” he noted. “The last hour and a half of the race, I had not been looking at the timing and scoring so hard in my life, I think. To win the race in this way feels a little different, but I mean, I’ll take it!”

“Frankly, I wasn’t taking my racing career as serious until he showed up with our team in 2020, and I realized I had a really good co-driver for the first time in my life, and it really amped me up,” Goldburg said of the young Swede. “It really just lit a fire under my butt to take it seriously, take my fitness seriously, and it started a pretty big ramp-up in my driving.”

Brandon Badraoui/Lumen

Goldburg wanted Lindh to be part of United Autosports last year but couldn’t make it work financially. So when Bijoy Garg moved on to be the new “designated silver” driver at Inter Europol Competition, it opened up a spot for Lindh to rejoin him for the first time since the Swede left for Andretti Autosport in 2022.

“I know personally what Rasmus can do, but he hasn’t really had the exposure in the paddock, so I was pushing to help him find a spot,” Goldburg related. “When the spot opened up in our car, I tried very hard to make sure he would be in it. Richard and Max [Gregory, managing director] and the team, we brought Rasmus to a couple tests. He performed really well and then they saw what I was seeing — and they worked to get him in the seat. It’s pretty awesome how it all came together and I’m excited to share it with him.

“I started driving with Paul last year, and the two of them have just pushed me along quite a bit, each in their own way. I credit very much where I am as a driver to the coaching from the two of them.”

The drivers are all awaiting the delivery of their Rolex timepieces for winning their class, and United Autosports plans to get together ahead of the Sebring 12 Hours to celebrate as a team. UA intends to fly Allen out to be part of the festivities, even if Daytona was his only planned start of the IMSA season.

“I’m really proud to have been a part of it. I won’t be joining them for the rest of the season, but I wish them all the best — and they deserve to have all the success for this year as well,” said Allen, who won his second Rolex in three years, albeit in much different circumstances to the way he won LMP2 in 2023, in his famous photo finish over Ben Hanley.

“It’s not quite as exciting as the first time I won,” he admitted, “but it still doesn’t take anything away from the effort from everyone at United, and Dan, Paul, and Rasmus. All the hard work they’ve put together since the end of last year, and even leading up to now, has been really incredible.”

Tower Motorsports ‘deeply disappointed’ by Rolex 24 penalty

Following Wednesday’s announcement that Tower Motorsports has been stripped of its LMP2 class win at the Rolex 24 At Daytona,, team manager Rick Capone contends that it did not willingly violate IMSA’s technical regulations. “Tower Motorsports is …

Following Wednesday’s announcement that Tower Motorsports has been stripped of its LMP2 class win at the Rolex 24 At Daytona,, team manager Rick Capone contends that it did not willingly violate IMSA’s technical regulations.

“Tower Motorsports is deeply disappointed by IMSA’s decision to penalize our No. 8 LMP2 entry following post-race technical inspection at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Our team strongly contests this ruling and maintains that we did not intentionally violate any technical regulations,” Capone said in a statement.

“The infraction cited by IMSA relates to excessive wear on the skid block, an issue that can naturally occur over the course of an intense endurance race due to variables outside of a team’s direct control. The No. 8 car has consistently passed technical inspection throughout the event and in previous competitions without issue. We firmly believe that this outcome does not reflect any wrongdoing or competitive advantage on our part.”

Post-race inspections by IMSA found that the skid block underneath the No. 8 ORECA 07 had worn beyond the maximum allowable rate of five millimeters as stated in the FIA Technical Regulations, demoting Tower Motorsports to last in its class a little more than 48 hours after taking the checkered flag at Daytona.

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“We filed a formal protest, which IMSA has denied. While we respect the regulatory process, we are extremely disheartened by this decision. We are incredibly proud of this team, and it does not discount the tremendous effort and dedication of our drivers, engineers, and crew, who performed flawlessly over 24 hours of competition,” Capone said.

“We also understand that this was a difficult decision for IMSA to make, and we appreciate their communication and insight throughout this process. While we may not agree with the outcome, we recognize the complexity of their role in enforcing regulations.

“We remain committed to upholding the integrity of the sport and will review all possible options in response to this penalty. We extend our gratitude to our fans, partners, and supporters, who continue to stand by us as we navigate this challenging situation.”

It means that Sebastien Bourdais will not get to keep his third Rolex 24 victory, after coming back from being involved in a multi-car accident on Saturday night.

“Racing can be cruel but governing bodies can be far worse,” Bourdais wrote in a post on social media. “Tower Motorsports won the Rolex 24 LMP2 class.

Bourdais attributed the results of technical inspection to a failed suspension component.

“The rear third damper that controls rear ride height failed allowing the rear to come down too much, subsequently over wearing the rear skid. In recent memory, IMSA always used common sense when enforcing rules that were breached by technical failure. Unfortunately, not today,” he wrote.

“I want to thank everyone in the team for their flawless execution and dedication. Making them look like cheaters makes me sick as they always operate by the book. I sure hope we get a chance to win more races in the future!”

 

United Autosports declared LMP2 winner at Rolex 24 after penalty to Tower Motorsports

United Autosports USA has inherited the LMP2 class win in the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona after Tower Motorsports’ car was penalized due to a technical violation. After a lengthy-post-race inspection found that the skid block underneath the car had …

United Autosports USA has inherited the LMP2 class win in the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona after Tower Motorsports’ car was penalized due to a technical violation.

After a lengthy-post-race inspection found that the skid block underneath the car had exceeded the maximum allowable wear of five millimeters, As a result, Tower Motorsports and drivers John Farano, Sebastien Bourdais, Sebastian Alvarez, and Job van Uitert have been demoted to 12th and last in LMP2.

A subsequent protest by Tower Motorsports was filed and later denied by IMSA.

The No. 22 United Autosports ORECA 07 of Daniel Goldburg, Paul di Resta, Rasmus Lindh and James Allen originally finished 44.697s behind the No. 8 Tower Motorsports car, and are now elevated to first place in LMP2 and eighth place overall.

“We came to Daytona with one very clear goal and we have achieved it,” said Richard Dean, United Autosports CEO. “To win the Rolex 24 At Daytona any year is pretty special, but to win it only a few months after celebrating victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours makes it an extra-special moment. Zak [Brown] and I would like to thank the entire team for their dedication and commitment. We can all be very proud of what we have achieved.”

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“It’s massive to have another 24-hour win,” said Di Resta, who also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with United in 2020. “We’ve achieved the two big ones in LMP2 both with United Autosports in the No. 22… which is a very cool thing to say. It takes relentless dedication.

“We felt very hard done by on race day with the penalty — and after watching the video back, it does feel wrong. But we kept fighting, you fight all the way to the very end. It’s massive for the championship — Daniel Goldburg did a remarkable lap to qualify on pole, and now with what we’ve achieved… it’s just huge.”

“It’s never the way you want to win but it feels great to win the Rolex 24 at Daytona again!” said Allen. “I can’t thank my teammates enough — Daniel, Paul and Rasmus — as well as the whole team at United Autosports USA for both the opportunity and the hard work and dedication they put into this program. I’m so happy to have shared this victory with them and wish them success for the rest of the championship!”

This is United Autosports’ second 24-hour race win in the last eight months, after winning the LMP2 class at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s Allen’s second LMP2 win at Daytona in three years, following his famous photo-finish victory as part of Proton Competition in 2023. Goldburg, Di Resta, and Lindh all pick up their first career IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship wins.

“The team, the drivers and I all had a similar feeling on Sunday,” Goldburg said. “We knew we should be pleased with pole and second… but we just weren’t. We had executed the race so well, made no mistakes … and then a strange penalty took us out of the fight for the lead right at the end.

“It took about 36 hours for me to come to terms with it, and I did ultimately feel pleased. Then I got the call to say we’ve won it! Wow. Just wow. What a start to the season.”

The No. 74 Riley ORECA is second in the revised classification, and the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports car completes the podium in LMP2.

This was not the only significant post-race penalty handed down after Sunday’s finish: The No. 21 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 was moved to the rear of the GTD class (22nd) for a drive-time violation, as Stevan McAleer had driven more than the maximum four hours in a six-hour period overnight.

Daytona drew AWA Corvette’s lucky No. 13

While everyone at Pratt Miller – and Trackhouse by TF Sport, for that matter – will exit the paddock Sunday frustrated after Ford’s Mustang prevailed in GTD PRO, AWA’s achievement in the 22-car strong GTD class is still reason for the General Motors …

While everyone at Pratt Miller — and Trackhouse by TF Sport, for that matter — will exit the paddock Sunday frustrated after Ford’s Mustang prevailed in GTD PRO, AWA’s achievement in the 22-car strong GTD class is still reason for the General Motors concern to celebrate.

Mirroring the Mustang GT3, the Corvette Z06 GT3.R has a 24-hour win under its belt now, too, after enduring a tough debut marred by mechanical woes at last year’s Daytona event.

The difference is this achievement came via the efforts of a private team. For Corvette Racing’s young customer program, the win could prove to be vital for the car’s future in GT3 racing globally.

Ahead of the race, everyone at AWA was confident not only in the capabilities of their car but also in their level of preparation. The team looked entirely at ease with the car and the event this year, snatching the win in a huge 22-car field stacked with high-quality teams from nine manufacturers.

British pro driver Matt Bell was in at the end of the race and, frankly, put in the most impressive performance of his racing career, fending off attacks from multiple cars including Heart of Racing’s Aston Martin driven by the hard-charging Mattia Drudi.

“Honestly, I can’t remember a thing,” he said when asked to recall his winning move. “There were PRO cars, there were GTD cars… I don’t remember that. I’ll have to watch the video later. Every time there was a car in front of me, I was trying to overtake it. I asked the guys to stop giving me updates on the radio.

Fidani, Bell, Kern and Kirchhofer were harried at Daytona, but their victory may be a sign of what’s to come later this year. Jake Galstad/Lumen

“I just saw a GT car and wanted to pass it; that’s all I was focused on. I can’t thank my teammates and everyone enough. That’s one beat-up Chevrolet Corvette, but they make them tough in Detroit.

“This means absolutely everything,” Bell, continued. “To me, to my teammates Orey (Fidani) and Lars (Kern) and Marvin. Everybody on this team has worked so hard. To think where we were this time last year and how far we’ve come now… it’s so much hard work to do this.

“From the minute the checkered flag fell at Petit Le Mans, no one took a rest. No one took a break. It’s been 24/7 since then to get a car that is capable of winning the Daytona 24 Hours.

“AWA gave the four of us a car to do it.

“IMSA is the hardest championship in the world. Our competitors gave us a hell of a run. I had to work so hard to get on top of those guys but we managed to make it work and bring it home in the last 10 minutes.

“This all feels like a dream — a dream that we hope won’t end.”

The result is massive for the championship, the brand, the car and the team’s future. Now, as a result of its performance this weekend, AWA finds itself in with a chance to achieve something truly special in June.

“This is a huge boost for the team and myself heading to the 24 Hours Le Mans for our debut,” 2024 IMSA Bob Akin Award winner Orey Fidani said. “If we can win this one, I think Le Mans also is a possibility as well. We’ll take that energy from here and roll it forward into that.”

That’s for tomorrow, though. Right now, it’s time for the team to pop the champagne corks stateside.

Ford reigns in GTD PRO, AWA Corvette wins GTD at Daytona

Two years ago, Ford announced the birth of the Mustang GT3 customer racing program. Last year, the car made its debut to lackluster results, grabbing more headlines for shedding its bodywork than for running at the front of the field at any point. …

Two years ago, Ford announced the birth of the Mustang GT3 customer racing program. Last year, the car made its debut to lackluster results, grabbing more headlines for shedding its bodywork than for running at the front of the field at any point.

What a difference a year makes — the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona was the stage for the Blue Oval’s fresh start. Ford Multimatic Motorsports’ new-look trio of Christopher Mies, Frederic Vervisch, and Dennis Olsen finally gave the Mustang GT3 its first win — anywhere in the world — after a fruitless first season across IMSA, FIA WEC, and GT World Challenge America.

Ford’s veteran stalwart Mike Rockenfeller expressed concerns that his pole lap in qualifying wouldn’t translate to real results come race time, yet at the end of a rough and tumble race, the factory-backed Mustangs were on the podium.

Olsen and Mies kept their heads cool near the end, as Olsen overtook the No. 4 Corvette of Nico Varrone on the race’s final restart and withstood pressure from the likes of Laurin Heinrich and Alexander Sims to secure that precious first win for Ford.

“It’s simply amazing,” Mies said of Ford’s dramatic turnaround. “When I saw the car for the first time online, I immediately got into contact with Ford and with Multimatic. I said, ‘I want to be part of it.’ I wanted the change, let’s say, after a long stint with another brand (Audi).

“We came here exactly a year ago, leading the race back then, which was fantastic for a new car. But like everyone, we had some little issues. We solved them over the year. Coming back one year later together with Ford Performance and Multimatic Motorsports is incredible.”

The No. 64 Ford of Rockenfeller, Sebastian Priaulx, and super-sub Austin Cindric sandwiched the No. 3 Corvette of Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, and Daniel Juncadella which finished a highly-spirited second.

And that should bring us to the biggest flashpoint of the race: Paul Miller’s two cars, versus the No. 4 Corvette. Tommy Milner and the No. 4 crew lost out on a real chance at the win after an ill-mannered exchange between the No. 48 car — which was no longer in contention after Max Hesse was swept up in the “big one” late Saturday night — became a pain in a battle for the lead between Milner and the No. 1 BMW of Connor De Phillippi.

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Augusto Farfus was the direct target of Milner’s ire. To borrow a famous Murray Walker quote, the Corvette ace told his BMW counterpart he was going for first place — and he was — but the BMW would be an impediment to Milner and it escalated into Milner and De Phillippi colliding at the exit of the International Horseshoe.

“The situation with the Corvette and our sister car was very difficult. My intention was to support my teammate in the sister car in the fight for victory. I was aware that it was hard racing. The situation that led to the collision between the Corvette and Connor De Phillippi behind me was very unfortunate, but I had nothing to do with it directly. I stayed on my inside line,” Farfus said.

In the last 15 minutes, with Kelvin van der Linde now fighting for a podium, Nico Varrone in the No. 4 Corvette ran into the No. 1 BMW and sent the South African spinning out, eventually consolidating fourth place for the new M4 GT3 EVO in its American debut.

A partnership between Bartone Bros. Racing, RealTime Racing, and Germany’s GetSpeed produced a solid first IMSA result — fifth for the black No. 69 Mercedes-AMG GT3. The quasi-defending champions at DragonSpeed would finish sixth with the No. 81 Ferrari 296 GT3.

Rexy made a stirring comeback and fought for the lead up until the final hour, but the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R suffered front-end damage in all the skirmishes, had to make an unscheduled stop, and sunk to eighth behind the No. 4 Corvette.

Trackhouse and TF Sport’s all-star effort finished ninth, but, up until the cool Connor Zilisch was spun after contact with an LMP2 car with an hour left, it looked for a moment like the No. 91 WeatherTech Corvette would reach the podium.

For the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini it was a race of unfulfilled potential, ending in the second part of that big Saturday night crash when Jordan Pepper ran into Hesse. The new partnership showed strength and resilience up to that point.

Corvette’s early customer program had issues, AWA in particular. A year later, they’re another story of overcoming teething trouble and coming out triumphant at Daytona. Jake Galstad/Lumen

Corvette may not have gotten the GTD PRO win with the works cars, but Canadian team AWA delivered in a big way as Matt Bell and Marvin Kirchhofer carried the black and yellow No. 13 Z06 GT3.R to its first GTD win, joined by Orey Fidani — the reigning Bob Akin Award winner — and Lars Kern.

Bell had to fight back after being jostled in the final restart — he was down to fourth at one stage but he eventually caught and passed Heart of Racing’s Mattia Drudi with about 16 minutes left to give AWA its second Daytona class win in three years (2023, LMP3).

“The restarts were intense as we always are in IMSA WeatherTech racing. Honestly, my brain is fried,” said a jubilant Bell after the race. “I can’t even remember what happened. It was awesome racing, I have to say. All the competitors that we were going toe to toe with today were really hard, really fair.

“I can’t remember where [Drudi] overtook me. He got us in the pits. I just had to get my head down. If I saw a GTD car ahead of me I just tried to overtake it. I remember vaguely getting a little bit of a nose up the side coming out of Turn 5.

“We were good in the infield; we were strong in the infield. Just managed to squeeze on past and get my head down after that and try to build a gap. It was definitely fun.”

The No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche may not have been connected to the new F1 motion picture like last year, but the quartet of Elliott Skeer, Ayhancan Guven, Tom Sargent, and Adam Adelson were box-office for most of the race, culminating in Guven sprinting from fifth to second by the end.

Heart of Racing’s No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 completed the GTD podium in third, followed very closely by Winward Racing’s No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in fourth

When you consider what Winward Racing had to overcome — losing seven laps in the garage to fix a stuck throttle pedal — to get back to the lead lap and then the class lead, only to have to dig out of a hole from a pit work penalty? That is the sort of performance that made this Texas team the GTD Champions in 2024.

Turner Motorsport snuck into fifth place with the No. 96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO towards the end, putting five different makes in the top five in GTD.

Disappointments happened, of course. Quick Lamborghinis from Wayne Taylor Racing and Forte Racing were knocked out due to damage. Only one of the seven Ferrari 296 GT3s ran a clean race with no major hiccups, and, of course, a catastrophic engine failure wasn’t how anyone wanted Andy Lally to bow out of professional sports car racing as a driver.

AWA’s win was a great story in itself, given how wretched the start of their customer Corvette Racing program was last year. Early season retirements, Anthony Mantella’s infamous sale of his Corvette just two races into the year … it wasn’t ideal to say the least — and yet, look where they are now.

If there were any whispers that Ford and GM’s first customer racing efforts at this level were doomed to failure after a tough start in year one, Daytona proved them wrong this weekend.

RESULTS

A year of progress pays off for Ford’s GT3 program at Daytona

Ford Performance can take a bow after capturing the Mustang GT3’s first win globally in style on the Daytona high banks Sunday afternoon. The No. 65 was steered masterfully by factory ace Dennis Olsen at the end of the race when an all-out brawl …

Ford Performance can take a bow after capturing the Mustang GT3’s first win globally in style on the Daytona high banks Sunday afternoon.

The No. 65 was steered masterfully by factory ace Dennis Olsen at the end of the race when an all-out brawl broke out between the front running pack in GTD PRO.

Seven cars finished on the lead lap in class, with heavy-hitters from Corvette, BMW, Mercedes and Ferrari also in the mix. But it was Ford that prevailed after the frantic run to the flag, with Olsen installed in the lead car and Seb Priaulx entrusted to drive the sister No. 64, which made it a double podium with a third-place finish.

“I was watching the mirror every single corner, watching for the Chevy coming up the inside,” Olsen said. “I made sure to cover the gaps and hoped that the diffuser and the bumper wouldn’t go off and get a technical flag, but luckily didn’t.

“I think it was a faultless race by all the team, by all the drivers really.”

The turnaround for Ford’s flagship GT racer has been remarkable. A year on from the car’s rough debut in the 2024 edition of the Rolex 24, it looks like an entirely different prospect following Ford and Multimatic’s move to fix the car’s weaknesses and focus on extracting performance from its 5.4 liter V8.

“It’s simply amazing,” Mies said when asked to describe the car’s development over the past 12 months. “We came here exactly a year ago, leading the race back then, which was fantastic for a new car. But like everyone, we had some issues.

“The most obvious change is that the rear deck lid isn’t coming off anymore. We figured out quite quickly where the problem came from — obviously from side drafting. But to be honest, in development or testing, when do you ever side draft, right? It never happens.

“We had to learn the hard way in the first race, which is one of the toughest races in the world. So yeah, we had no preparation really to test that.

“But there have been things in the background and also on the team side, too. I must say this is probably the biggest improvement compared to last year. It just feels like we made another good step in terms of preparation.

“There’s still things we need to improve for the future and people are working on that, but time will tell.”

As the time ticked away, the GTD PRO fight heated up beyond boiling, allowing the sister No. 64 up into third. Ford’s hard work paying off with a double-podium was surely cause for celebration. Brandon Badraoui/Lumen

Battles in GTD PRO raged in the second half of the race. Corvette Racing vs. Paul Miller Racing stood out and will live long in memory after Augusto Farfus, Connor Di Phillippi and Tommy Milner came together while battling for the lead.

It was a fight in which Paul Miller utilized its delayed No. 48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO to block the No. 4 Corvette and allow the No. 1 to fight for the top spot. There was contact; there was damage and a post-stint war of words.

Milner described it as “dirty” and “disappointing” before Farfus defended his actions, claiming he had “nothing to do with it” (the contact between the No. 4 and No. 1 at the International Horseshoe) explaining that his intention was simply to “support” the sister car.

It didn’t end there. The fight resumed in the run to the flag, with the No. 4 Corvette of Nicolas Varrone turning the No. 1 into a spin while dicing for podium spots, which he was later penalized for.

Ford got the benefit in two ways. First, the squabbling allowed Olsen to pull a gap with time expiring and second, it helped make sure that Ford beat its rivals from General Motors.

“I think from my side it was my target to make it difficult for them and make them fight,” Olsen added when asked to describe his run at the final restart. “That was my only chance. They were quicker. Honestly, I had to defend my position and stay inside — that’s the only thing. Once they start to fight, I could try to run away, and that’s what we did.”

Frederic Vervisch, the third driver in the No. 65, joked that the team was under instruction from Ford’s CEO Jim Farley this weekend.

“He said, ‘Whatever you do, you have to be in front of Chevrolet,'” Vervisch said. “Corvette are extremely strong, and I think they hid their A-game because suddenly they were going a lot faster than yesterday.

“I am super proud that we could stay ahead and maybe out-strategy them.”

PPM’s Rolex 24 triumph is internationally monumental

Porsche Penske Motorsport’s victory in the 2025 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona Sunday afternoon was lauded as “something none of us could have dreamed of” by the team’s managing director, Jonathan Diuguid. One of the most dramatic Rolex 24s in years, …

Porsche Penske Motorsport’s victory in the 2025 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona Sunday afternoon was lauded as “something none of us could have dreamed of” by the team’s managing director, Jonathan Diuguid.

One of the most dramatic Rolex 24s in years, drama coursed up and down the order in the closing stages affecting the lead battles in every class. The battle for the overall victory was a big part of that and certainly did not disappoint in generating headlines.

The Porsche Penske vs. BMW RLL duel nearing race’s end didn’t quite go the distance, as the No. 24 M Hybrid V8 bowed out after contact caused the bodywork on the front-left corner of the car to rub with the tire, forcing Dries Vanthoor down after the final restart.

It didn’t ease the tension on the Penske pit wall, though, as the pair of factory 963s diced for the lead before Acura MSR’s Tom Blomqvist in the No. 60 powered by Matt Campbell for second.

Behind the wheel in the winning Porsche, the final hour was beyond tense for Felipe Nasr, but a lot of respect was shown between the two sides of the garage as he and Matt Campbell battled with 20 minutes remaining.

“From the driver’s seat, it’s different emotions to everyone else,” Nasr said. “All I was thinking of was that I wanted to win this race for the team. I was third at the restart, and it’s hard to know how it’ll end up, but I knew the car was capable and I knew the team behind this is great.

“There was always going to be drama with one trophy and two cars. I felt like I had the pace to go forward, though, and that’s what I did. We all get the same opportunity; I didn’t want to create any trouble so I tried a clean pass and I knew I had to move forward because the Acura was close. I had to go for it.”

The Brazillian’s performance on new tires to fight past the sister car at the end was masterful. Not only did it help capture back-to-back wins for himself, Porsche and Penske, but it also completed a remarkable “Grand Slam” of endurance wins for Nick Tandy, who has now won the Le Mans 24 Hours, Nurburgring 24 Hours, Spa 24 Hours and the Daytona 24 Hours overall — all with Porsche.

Reshuffling the driver lineups over the winter paid off for the 40-year-old Briton, who was on the outside looking in last year as part of the No. 6 crew.

Nasr, Tandy and Vanthoor quickly gelled well enough to take home some monumental hardware together. Michael Levitt/Lumen

“To be the first person ever to do something is quite unbelievable,” Tandy said. “You have to be proud you are put in a position to be able to compete in these races. It’s something I’ve wanted to check off the list. Winning Daytona is massive by itself and to win just one of these would be something special for any career, but this is different.”

For Laurens Vanthoor, it was a particularly memorable one too — his first overall win at Daytona.

“It’s always difficult to describe your feelings a couple of moments after it happened,” he said. “I’ve been wanting this badly for a long time and if I went back 10 years ago I couldn’t have dreamed of it. I couldn’t be more grateful to sit here.”

When asked by RACER to comment on BMW’s performance throughout the race and specifically his brother Dries — who dropped out of the top three in the final hour in the No. 24 — he gave an emotional response.

“It’s special from a personal point of view, to see how many laps a Vanthoor led,” he said. “He’s my younger brother and to see him up there doing a tremendous job… At the end, I was like, ‘Dries, p*** off!’ But then you feel kind of sad when it doesn’t work out.

“BMW were strong all race; they were really quick and I always saw them as a main contender. Dries is doing a very good job and I am sure his day will come.”

As for the Porsche and Penske tie-up, this is another momentous occasion. It may not have been the dream 1-2 finish in the end, but the team led 517 laps and kept the train rolling after the GTP side of the operation captured the Rolex 24 and a sweep of titles last year.

“Today was a team effort,” Diuguid concluded. “I saw the stats; we made sure we used our two-car approach so that a PPM car was out front, controlling the race whenever we could. Every car had a chance to win today and we were the ones that came out on top because we covered all these bases to cover attacks from the Acuras, BMWs and Cadillacs.”

What else lies in store for the team in 2025? The WEC campaign kicks off soon and Sebring isn’t that far away. Once again, PPM has the chance to win the Rolex 24 and Le Mans 24 in the same year. Will it find a way to make the most of this rare opportunity?

Nasr, Porsche hold off Blomqvist and Acura for Rolex 24 win

Porsche Penske Motorsport started 2025 the same way it started 2024 – with a milestone-making, closely fought and well-earned win at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Once again it was the reigning IMSA GTP champion Felipe Nasr that fought for every piece of …

Porsche Penske Motorsport started 2025 the same way it started 2024 — with a milestone-making, closely fought and well-earned win at the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Once again it was the reigning IMSA GTP champion Felipe Nasr that fought for every piece of real estate in the closing laps to drive the No. 7 Porsche 963 to the victory, with co-drivers Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor in tow.

Tandy watched along the Porsche Penske pit wall as he completed an unprecedented feat in the history of endurance sports car racing: The Bedfordshire, England native became the first driver to win the 24-hour races at Daytona, Le Mans, the Nürburgring and Spa-Francorchamps overall.

Vanthoor had won every major endurance race in his career in class or overall at least once – but never Daytona, coming closest in 2022 when he came out on the wrong end of a famous GTD PRO skirmish with Mathieu Jaminet. Now, the older of the two racing brothers from Belgium finally has an overall win at Daytona.

Porsche Penske Motorsports winning trio of Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor. Brandon Badraoui/Lumen

Nasr became the first back-to-back overall winner of the Rolex 24 since a trio of Meyer Shank Racing drivers did it in 2022 and ’23 including his fellow Brazilian Helio Castroneves, who won it three times in a row.

To do it, he had to get past his former co-driver Matt Campbell with a risky but perfectly judged overtake that was set up coming out of the infield, and pulled off with a brave run to the very edge of Daytona’s backstretch and through the Le Mans (Bus Stop) chicane.

Porsche Penske dominated the race from midnight onwards and throughout the 24 hours, the two 963s led 517 laps out of the 781 completed, 307 of them led by the lucky No. 7. It was often just a matter of which car had the track position over the other. at any given stage building up to that finish – and yet it was never dull, especially towards the end.

A 1-2 finish would have been a worthy outcome…but the returning alliance of Acura and Meyer Shank Racing took advantage of the race’s final 38-minute sprint to the flag, in particular Tom Blomqvist, who drove around Campbell with five minutes left to grab second in the No. 60 Acura ARX-06.

Blomqvist and Colin Braun, together with IndyCar Series standouts Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist, seldom put a wheel wrong and drove a clean race together to make a statement in MSR’s return to IMSA competition.

And for Blomqvist it keeps his incredible run of four podiums in four starts intact a good antidote for being washed away in the struggles of an IndyCar switch that didn’t bear the fruit that his talent should have bred.

“We struggled a lot,” Blomqvist lamented. “We were relatively confident but we struggled to keep our rear tires under us. The Porsche 963s were extremely strong; we were good for the first few laps but they could pull away. We struggled with traction.

“The last stint, the car was just better. I didn’t think I’d have anything for them. I gave it everything but that was the best we could have done today. There’s a lot to learn and if you asked all of us? I’m sure we’re super happy.”

Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet, and Kevin Estre would complete the GTP podium in third. For a while, it looked like taking fuel only during the last round of yellow flag pit stops would give Campbell the track position he needed to stay in front, but ultimately the No. 7 and No. 60 would use a new set of tires to their advantage.

The No. 24 RLL BMW M Hybrid V8’s fourth-place finish, one lap down, was ultimately the consequences of a collision with a lapped GT car. The damage to the nose caused a vicious tire rub that was too much for Dries Vanthoor to drive through.

The two BMWs had some hiccups throughout the race that proved to be the difference. The No. 24 had a botched pit entry and a stacking penalty for refueling on its jacks in the second hour. The No. 25 was hit twice by other GTPs and had a planned brake change go wrong.

But the speed is there, the car is rounding into form, the drivers seem as if they’re on top of it — they’re at a point where BMW will be expected to run at the front going forward, and the Bavarian faithful should look forward to what the new-look RLL line-ups will produce.

Cadillac’s three cars could only combine for a best finish of fifth via the blue No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R — not quite the result that GM’s premium marque wanted in the first race back with WTR.

We know there were missed opportunities. At times, Action Express Racing’s Whelen-sponsored car was carrying the flag while the WTR cars took time to get up to the front of the field, and the No. 31 led laps. Any hopes of victory went to the wayside when Frederik Vesti could only hang on as the suspension broke through turn four, sending the Dane plunging into the wall at Speedway Turn 4.

It came when the shock was just wearing off from Louis Deletraz’s frightening crash in Turn 2 at the one-third mark of the race. Only moments before, Kamui Kobayashi’s incredible overtake for the lead against the walls of the 31-degree banked curves sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Deletraz spun on cold tires and was collected by two LMP2s, taking the silver No. 40 Cadillac out of the running – the Swiss driver was thankfully able to walk away.

The No. 93 MSR Acura also fell victim to a suspension problem that required intensive care, enough to take the new team out of the running for most of the day. Proton Competition’s Porsche suffered a terminal suspension failure as well — though at least JDC-Miller MotorSports’ “Banana Boat” salvaged some pride for the duo of privateer Porsche 963s in sixth.

There’s more to be said about how Lamborghini put a plan together to keep the Ligier-based, V6-powered SC63 racing in IMSA while re-organizing the team behind it, assisted by Riley. But a first-hour retirement due to overheating, without ever challenging at the front of the field, is a deflating first chapter of this fresh start — and they will hope for more at Sebring in March. Though, to be fair, anyone who’s an IMSA fan will hope for more of the sort of action we saw at Daytona.

Next page: LMP2 recap

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Rolex 24, Hour 23: A Penske Porsche duel to the finish

Porsche Penske Motorsport leads the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona with one hour to go. Which factory Porsche 963, if either, will win it? Taking fuel only on their last pit stops, the No. 6 Porsche of Matt Campbell now leads the No.24 BMW M Team RLL car …

Porsche Penske Motorsport leads the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona with one hour to go. Which factory Porsche 963, if either, will win it?

Taking fuel only on their last pit stops, the No. 6 Porsche of Matt Campbell now leads the No.24 BMW M Team RLL car of Dries Vanthoor. The No. 7 Porsche of Felipe Nasr is third after taking tires and fuel on his last stop.

One lap after the green flag flew at the top of the last hour, the younger Vanthoor got a great run through Speedway Turns 3 and 4, tucked into the slipstream of Nasr, and edged ahead at the start-finish line. But he had to catch his BMW M Hybrid V8 after a massive wobble in Turn 2. It allowed Nasr to draw back level, grab the inside line at the Kink, and then retake the lead in the No. 7 Porsche!

Kevin Estre then made the move to put the No. 6 Penske Porsche up into second with a brave move out of Turn 6 onto the banking — or so it seemed. Estre had to redress after cutting too much of the inside of the Le Mans Chicane, but after letting Vanthoor ahead, he quickly drove the No. 6 Porsche back ahead to restore a Porsche 1-2.

The leaders have one more round of pit stops to go in this final hour, whether or not we get another full course yellow.

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And all that’s just in GTP — LMP2 has had another major, major swing in the battle for the lead.

A sudden mechanical problem has cropped up for Spike the LMP2 Dragon — with a flurry of AO Racing mechanics taking the engine cover off of the No. 99 ORECA 07 to address a suspected electrical problem — just as Christian Rasmussen was gearing up to take AO Racing to the checkered flag!

Spike’s heartache means that the No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA, which escaped a perilous fate in a multi-car pile-up last night, is now leading LMP2 — but not by much: Sebastien Bourdais has Paul di Resta in the No. 22 United Autosports car breathing down his neck after pitting with 73 minutes to go. And Mathias Beche isn’t far back in third for PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports.

GTD PRO has had the top seven cars in class as close as seven seconds apart. But right now it’s the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW that leads with Kelvin van der Linde aboard, just ahead of the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R of Laurin Heinrich in second, the No. 4 Pratt Miller Corvette of Nico Varrone in third, and the No. 65 Multimatic Mustang of Chris Mies in fourth, with less than two seconds covering them.

Danny Formal made one of the moves of the race, taking advantage of a stack-up of GTD rivals to sweep from sixth to second on the restart lap and put the No. 45 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini in position to challenge for the win.

Ayhancan Guven’s optimism has driven the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche to the lead in GTD, and Lucas Auer has moved back up to second in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG ahead of Formal.

HOUR 23 STANDINGS

IMSA YouTube channel exceeds 2 million live views during 63rd Rolex 24

The 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona isn’t even over yet, and the international YouTube livestream of the race has already amassed more than two million views. The 2025 season opener marks the end of the first year of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship …

The 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona isn’t even over yet, and the international YouTube livestream of the race has already amassed more than two million views.

The 2025 season opener marks the end of the first year of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races streaming live on YouTube. In that time, the channel has experienced exponential growth as new fans and viewers both domestically and globally have continued to discover the series through additional digital content.

Starting at the 2024 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with a softly launched first race stream on IMSA’s official YouTube channel, the momentum has steadily built over that period and is appearing to reach a crescendo with the first Daytona viewing on the channel.

That Sebring race provided a starting point, with 21,000 peak concurrent views and 505,000 total live views for what was essentially a trial run to see how a WeatherTech Championship race would appear on the platform.

As the anticipation built for the start of the first Rolex 24 to be streamed on IMSA’s YouTube channel to an international audience, the viewership appeared before honorary starter Koji Watanabe, President of Honda Racing Corporation, even waved the green flag to start the race (pictured).

Before the race start, 20,000 people were “waiting” before the race went live. Once the race was underway, the race hit a new peak concurrent viewership number of 72,000.

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The YouTube feed achieved a milestone number of live views by the end of Saturday with over 1,000,000. It got even better as of Sunday morning, with that number eclipsing 2,000,000 live views.

On the whole, the IMSA YouTube channel has nearly tripled in subscribers in the last 12 months and is approaching 730,000 subscribers as the Rolex 24 nears its conclusion.

The domestic broadcast continues on NBC and Peacock in the U.S. as part of a long-term partnership extended for multiple years. Alongside it, the YouTube growth on the digital front has been a remarkable success story.

Beyond the international race coverage, the channel has also grown along with the popular YouTube docuseries “Win the Weekend” Presented by Michelin. A third season of “Win the Weekend” is set to premiere shortly after the Rolex 24, with content captured during the weekend set to feature. Both series have delivered more than 15 million views to help increase the subscriber count and grow the IMSA audience.

“We tried something last year at Sebring without any promotion that has taken our YouTube channel subscribers on the IMSA YouTube channel from 250,000 subscribers to knock it on the door of 700,000 before today’s race starts,” said IMSA President John Doonan in a prerace interview session.

“At peak last year at Sebring, there was 21,000 viewers watching the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Now it’s geo-blocked in the U.S., and certain few other countries. But in France, Germany, the UK, obviously in Asia, Australia, you name it, fans around the world can take it in free, on YouTube on the IMSA YouTube channel, flag-to-flag.”

The remainder of the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona continues to stream on the official IMSA YouTube channel to the finish, alongside the NBC and Peacock feeds for domestic TV.