Daytona 24h: Porsche triumphs after epic duel with Cadillac

It was Porsche’s 19^th overall win here – it has four more as an engine supplier – and Penske’s first triumph here since 1969.

The race boiled down to a straight duel between the #31 Cadillac V-Series.R – run by reigning series champions Action Express Racing – of Pipo Derani, Jack Aitken and Tom Blomqvist and the #7 factory Porsche 963 of Dane Cameron, Matt Campbell, Josef Newgarden and Felipe Nasr.

Blomqvist, who was on warmer tires after pitting three laps earlier, passed Nasr for the lead with 72 minutes remaining in a three-wide move around a GTD Ferrari.

Nasr then reported a “massive vibration” over the radio, and he fell back by 3.7s before Blomqvist suffered a major moment at the International Horseshoe cost him 1.3s – which proved how hard the leaders were pushing as the race entered its final hour.

Blomqvist then caught the #6 Penske Porsche of Mathieu Jaminet, which was running fourth, to put it a lap down that allowed Nasr to catch up again.

But just as their duel was heating up again, a fire aboard the GTD class #12 Lexus RC F at pit out led to a restart with just over 30 minutes remaining. Nasr jumped ahead of Blomqvist in the final pitstops, as he needed less fuel – and the Porsche’s bugbear of slow tire warm-up was negated by a handful of laps behind the safety car.

Nasr pulled away at the final green, swerving to break to tow to Blomqvist, to keep the lead. Blomqvist hovered within a second of Nasr, appearing to wait for his chance in traffic to strike.

With 20 minutes to go, Blomqvist increased the pressure as they got into the GTD stragglers but Nasr held his nerve. The gap was half a second with five minutes to go, with Nasr visibly on the ragged edge at Turn 1 especially, but the backmarkers fell kindly for him on the last lap.

Confusion reigned when the white flag, signalling the final lap, was shown in error with three minutes of the 24 hours still remaining.

The winning margin was 2.112s.

#7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Dane Cameron, Felipe Nasr, Matt Campbell, Josef Newgarden (Photo by: Art Fleischmann)

Behind them, the #40 Acura ARX-06 took up the reins for Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti when the #10 sister car suffered an electrical issue as darkness descended on Saturday evening, after leading the opening hour, that required some rewiring.

Louis Deletraz, who shared with Jordan Taylor, Colton Herta and Jenson Button, hit Jaminet at the first corner of the restart, but was squeezed at the apex so got away with it and claimed third.

The #6 Porsche – which had led for a while on Sunday morning – bounced back from multiple penalties for failing to adhere to its powertrain parameters caused by a software issue. Kevin Estre then suffered a time-consuming off at the International Horseshoe on his out lap with four hours remaining, which happened just after a nose change.

BMW’s challenge faltered on Sunday morning, as both of its cars were struck by gremlins just when it was emerging as a serious contender for a podium finish.

The #24 M Hybrid V8 stopped at the exit of Turn 3 just before the 14-hour mark with a power steering issue and needed a flatbed to recover it back to the garage (after a failed attempt at towing it), where it was joined by the #25 sister car at the end of Hour 15 due to gearbox problems.

The #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac that ran strongly for the first half of the race fell out of the race at end of Hour 14 with powertrain problems that caused Renger van der Zande to park up at Turn 1.

The car had got back up to fourth place at that point, but its problems began when Sebastien Bourdais went off having struck some debris that punctured a tire just before half distance.

#18 Era Motorsport ORECA LMP2-Gibson: Dwight Merriman, Ryan Dalziel, Christian Rasmussen (Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images)

Era Motorsport triumphs after wild LMP2 battles

The secondary prototype class produced some of the best racing and most messy moments of the entire race.

Five cars were in the hunt for victory: Era Motorsport, Crowdstrike by APR, Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen, Riley and Tower Motorsports.

Era’s Christian Rasmussen put in some stellar stints in the closing stages, chased by Malthe Jakobsen (Crowdstrike – who punted a BMW GTP into a spin after the final restart but escaped a penalty), Tom Dillmann (Europol), Felipe Fraga (Riley) and Scott McLaughlin (Tower) in the closing shootout.

Fraga took third in the closing stages, as Rasmussen pulled well clear to seal an emphatic victory from Jakobsen. Dillmann finished fourth, winning a battle with McLaughlin.

United Autosport’s #2 car was very strong early on but lost a lap around the halfway point.

Expected frontrunner Steven Thomas (TDS Racing) suffered a massive head-on crash into the SAFER barrier at the exit of the Bus Stop (aka: Le Mans) Chicane and was the first official retirement of the race after 58 laps.

The #33 Sean Creech Motorsports Ligier – the only non-ORECA in the class – was responsible for four cautions before its retirement after 510 laps.

#62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3: Daniel Serra, Davide Rigon, Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado (Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images)

Risi Ferrari wins GTD  

The GTD classes provided a revolving cast of frontrunners throughout the 24 hours, with the Pro category turning into a straight fight between the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 of Daniel Serra, Davide Rigon, Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado and the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 of Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow, Neil Verhagen and Sheldon van der Linde.

Sellers reported a long brake pedal with two hours remaining, so the team replaced the rotors and calipers. But the right-front rotor didn’t seat into the hub properly, and van der Linde returned to the pits with the wheel almost coming adrift.

The car returned to the track three laps down, handing second in GTD Pro to the pole-winning AO Racing Porsche 911 of Laurin Heinrich, Seb Priaulx and Michael Christensen.

Beyond that trio, everyone else suffered all kinds of major problems.

One of the first casualties of the race was the GTD Pro Lexus, which had to undergo lengthy radiator repairs after striking a wayward LMP2 car while leading in Mike Conway’s hands in the opening hour.

The Pfaff Motorsports McLaren suffered a litany of issues, which began with a front-right upright problem while leading at the start of Hour 4.

The Corvettes ran strongly until the #3 (fire) and #4 hit trouble and joined it in the garage for some time.

Ford’s new Mustang also featured near the front at times but fell away with mechanical problems that included a rear decklid issue, while the #65 Multimatic car required a new rear wing with three hours to go.

In the pro-am category, the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 emerged as the dominant force during the night-time hours, in the hands of Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, Indy Dontje and Daniel Morad – and the latter brought it home.

Lexus lost a likely second placed finish when Parker Thompson’s car suffered a plenum fire in its engine with just 50 minutes to go.

Miguel Molina took the fight to Morad in the closing laps in his #21 AF Corse Ferrari 296 he shared with Simon Mann, Francois Heriau and Kei Cozzolino but had to settle for second by 3s.

Main Information Additional Data Additional Data Driver Info

       

Driver Info			Main Information Additional Data
Cla	Drivers	#		Chassis	Laps	Time	Interval	Pits	Points	Retirement
1	D. Cameron F. Nasr M. Campbell J. Newgarden Porsche Penske Motorsport	7		Porsche 963	791	23:58'24.723		32
2	P. Derani J. Aitken T. Blomqvist Whelen Cadillac Racing	31		Cadillac V-Series.R	791	+2.112 23:58'26.835	2.112	33
3	J. Taylor L. Deletraz C. Herta J. Button Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti	40		Acura ARX-06	791	+14.989 23:58'39.712	12.877	32
4	N. Tandy M. Jaminet K. Estre L. Vanthoor Porsche Penske Motorsport	6		Porsche 963	791	+15.387 23:58'40.110	0.398	39
5	G. Bruni N. Jani A. Picariello R. Dumas Proton Competition	5		Porsche 963	791	+44.479 23:59'09.202	29.092	32
6	T. van der Helm R. Westbrook P. Hanson B. Keating JDC/Miller Motorsports	85		Porsche 963	789	+2 Laps 23:59'19.406	2 Laps	33
7	C. de Phillippi N. Yelloly M. Martin R. Rast BMW M Team RLL	25		BMW M Hybrid V8	778	+13 Laps 23:59'03.365	11 Laps	33
8	J. Krohn P. Eng A. Farfus D. Vanthoor BMW M Team RLL	24		BMW M Hybrid V8	776	+15 Laps 23:59'20.969	2 Laps	33
9	D. Merriman R. Dalziel C. Zilisch C. Rasmussen Era Motorsport	18		ORECA 07	767	+24 Laps 23:59'46.247	9 Laps	37
10	G. Kurtz C. Braun T. Sowery M. Jakobsen Crowdstrike Racing by APR	04		ORECA 07	767	+24 Laps 23:59'53.047	6.800	36
11	G. Robinson F. Fraga J. Burdon F. Massa Riley	74		ORECA 07	767	+24 Laps 24:00'04.187	11.140	40
12	J. Smiechowski N. Boulle T. Dillmann C. Novalak Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports	52		ORECA 07	767	+24 Laps 24:00'04.480	0.293	37
13	J. Farano M. Dinan F. Habsburg S. McLaughlin Tower Motorsports	8		ORECA 07	767	+24 Laps 24:00'05.285	0.805	37
14	B. Keating N. Pino B. Hanley P. O'Ward United Autosports USA	2		ORECA 07	765	+26 Laps 23:58'42.515	2 Laps	39
15	E. Lux K. Simpson J. Allen S. Alvarez DragonSpeed	81		ORECA 07	764	+27 Laps 23:59'50.022	1 Lap	39
16	P. Hyett P. Chatin M. Brabham A. Quinn AO Racing	99		ORECA 07	753	+38 Laps 23:59'28.160	11 Laps	37
17	D. Serra D. Rigon A. Pier Guidi J. Calado Risi Competizione	62		Ferrari 296 GT3	733	+58 Laps 24:00'03.261	20 Laps	31
18	L. Heinrich S. Priaulx M. Christensen AO Racing	77		Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	732	+59 Laps 23:58'48.041	1 Lap	28
19	R. Ward P. Ellis I. Dontje D. Morad Winward Racing	57		Mercedes AMG GT3	731	+60 Laps 24:00'01.790	1 Lap	30
20	S. Mann F. Heriau M. Molina K. Cozzolino Af Corse	21		Ferrari 296 GT3	731	+60 Laps 24:00'04.521	2.731	31
21	B. Sellers M. Snow N. Verhagen S. Van Der Linde Paul Miller Racing	1		BMW M4 GT3	730	+61 Laps 23:58'27.560	1 Lap	33
22	M. Franco A. Costa A. Balzan C. Sbirrazzuoli Conquest Racing	34		Ferrari 296 GT3	730	+61 Laps 23:58'29.162	1.602	33
23	O. Triarsi C. Scardina R. Agostini A. Rovera Triarsi Competizione	023		Ferrari 296 GT3	730	+61 Laps 23:58'29.338	0.176	33
24	M. Skeen M. Grenier K. Koch M. Goetz Korthoff/Preston Motorsports	32		Mercedes AMG GT3	730	+61 Laps 23:58'36.129	6.791	29
25	R. Frey M. Gatting S. Bovy D. Pin Iron Dames	83		Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	730	+61 Laps 23:59'09.629	33.500	30
26	A. Adelson E. Skeer J. Heylen F. Makowiecki Wright Motorsports	120		Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	729	+62 Laps 23:58'49.765	1 Lap	30
27	S. Yoluc R. Andrade S. Andrews A. Christodoulou Lone Star Racing	80		Mercedes AMG GT3	729	+62 Laps 23:59'13.626	23.861	36
28	J. Andretti G. Chaves S. Hargrove T. Preining Andretti Motorsports	43		Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	728	+63 Laps 23:58'45.431	1 Lap	33
29	R. Gunn A. Riberas M. Farnbacher Heart Of Racing Team	23		Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo	727	+64 Laps 23:59'01.874	1 Lap	31
30	A. Garcia A. Sims D. Juncadella Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports	3		Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R	726	+65 Laps 23:58'26.939	1 Lap	28
31	H. Tincknell M. Rockenfeller C. Mies Ford Multimatic Motorsports	64		Ford Mustang GT3	726	+65 Laps 23:58'44.829	17.890	27
32	R. Lacorte G. Sernagiotto A. Fuoco E. Cheever Cetilar Racing	47		Ferrari 296 GT3	722	+69 Laps 23:58'30.558	4 Laps	33
33	F. Perera J. Pepper A. Caldarelli M. Bortolotti Iron Lynx	19		Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	721	+70 Laps 23:58'42.964	1 Lap	34
34	D. Brule A. Udell T. Hindman J. Andlauer Kellymoss with Riley	92		Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	719	+72 Laps 23:59'01.205	2 Laps	32
35	K. Li A. Fjordbach L. ten Voorde K. Bachler MDK Motorsports	86		Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	718	+73 Laps 23:59'19.517	1 Lap	32
36	B. Iribe F. Schandorff O. Millroy T. Gamble Inception Racing	70		McLaren 720S GT3 EVO	716	+75 Laps 23:58'36.519	2 Laps	30
37	T. Milner N. Catsburg E. Bamber Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports	4		Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R	715	+76 Laps 23:58'36.868	1 Lap	30
38	R. Foley P. Gallagher J. Walker J. Klingmann Turner Motorsport	96		BMW M4 GT3	711	+80 Laps 23:59'08.980	4 Laps	34
dnf	F. Montecalvo P. Thompson A. Telitz R. Miyata Vasser Sullivan	12		Lexus RC F GT3	705	+86 Laps 23:07'21.053	6 Laps	27		Retirement
40	M. Goikhberg L. Spinelli D. DeFrancesco S. Mitchell Forte Racing	78		Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	676	+115 Laps 23:59'41.758	29 Laps	33
dnf	J. Hand D. Muller F. Vervisch Ford Multimatic Motorsports	65		Ford Mustang GT3	650	+141 Laps 21:31'26.313	26 Laps	28		Retirement
42	K. Marcelli D. Formal G. Doyle A. Harrison Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti	45		Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	643	+148 Laps 24:00'17.685	7 Laps	30
dnf	R. Taylor F. Albuquerque B. Hartley M. Ericsson Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti	10		Acura ARX-06	601	+190 Laps 21:35'22.036	42 Laps	30		Retirement
dnf	M. Kirchhofer O. Jarvis J. Hinchcliffe A. Rossi Pfaff Motorsports	9		McLaren 720S GT3 EVO	532	+259 Laps 19:15'18.956	69 Laps	24		Retirement
dnf	L. Willsey J. Barbosa N. Siegel J. Edgar Sean Creech Motorsport	33		Ligier JS P217	510	+281 Laps 19:05'20.029	22 Laps	28		Retirement
dnf	A. Mantella N. Varrone T. Merrill C. Eastwood AWA	17		Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD	508	+283 Laps 17:11'03.635	2 Laps	26		Retirement
dnf	R. van der Zande S. Bourdais S. Dixon A. Palou Cadillac Racing	01		Cadillac V-Series.R	423	+368 Laps 13:14'45.769	85 Laps	22		Retirement
dnf	J. Hawksworth B. Barnicoat K. Kirkwood M. Conway Vasser Sullivan	14		Lexus RC F GT3	397	+394 Laps 14:37'42.602	26 Laps	17		Retirement
dnf	S. Monk K. Legge T. Calderon S. McAleer Gradient Racing	66		Acura NSX GT3	368	+423 Laps 12:59'03.989	29 Laps	20		Retirement
dnf	R. Hardwick D. Olsen G. Levorato C. Lewis Proton Competition	55		Ford Mustang GT3	367	+424 Laps 12:53'39.804	1 Lap	19		Retirement
dnf	O. Fidani M. Bell L. Kern A. Lynn AWA	13		Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD	308	+483 Laps 13:14'03.111	59 Laps	21		Retirement
dnf	R. De Angelis Z. Robichon I. James M. Sorensen Heart Of Racing Team	27		Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo	303	+488 Laps 10:18'53.225	5 Laps	13		Retirement
dnf	J. Potter A. Lally S. Pumpelly N. Thiim Magnus Racing	44		Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo	294	+497 Laps 11:01'45.753	9 Laps	19		Retirement
dnf	C. Schiavoni M. Cressoni R. Grosjean M. Cairoli Iron Lynx	60		Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	293	+498 Laps 10:41'24.861	1 Lap	18		Retirement
dnf	K. Habul J. Gounon L. Stolz M. Engel Sun Energy 1	75		Mercedes AMG GT3	193	+598 Laps 7:08'03.112	100 Laps	13		Retirement
dnf	D. Andersen S. Lucas L. Hörr S. Huffaker MDK by High Class Racing	20		ORECA 07	185	+606 Laps 10:14'06.271	8 Laps	19		Retirement
dnf	D. Goldburg P. di Resta B. Garg F. Rosenqvist United Autosports USA	22		ORECA 07	128	+663 Laps 4:57'40.916	57 Laps	9		Retirement
dnf	L. Perez Companc N. Nielsen L. Wadoux M. Vaxiviere Richard Mille AF Corse	88		ORECA 07	107	+684 Laps 3:34'07.984	21 Laps	7		Retirement
dnf	S. Thomas M. Jensen H. McElrea C. Milesi TDS Racing	11		ORECA 07	58	+733 Laps 1:55'14.732	49 Laps	4		Retirement
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