Tag: IMSA Weather Tech Championship

Bourdais Leads Final Practice; Wickens Shines in Return

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UPDATE: Mark Wilkins took over for To dry Wickens and finished third in the TCR class. Wickens gets a podium in his first race back.

Sebastien Bourdais led a Cadillac parade in the 01 for Chip Ganassi Racing with the fastest lap in this morning’s final practice. The session was run under cool, cloudy conditions and there was a brief light rain shower. The Cadillacs were ahead of the Acuras, the reverse of how practice has gone to date.

In LMP2 Phil Hanson led the way in the number 22 United Autosport Oreca. Rasmus Lindh was fastest in LMP3 in the Andretti Autosport number 36.

Mirko Bortolotti kept the number 63 Lamborghini (bottom photo) at the top of GTD Pro, and the 79 Porsche (top) driven by Julien Andlauer had the fastest GT. time.

Wickens Competitive in Return Race

Robert Wickens drove in his first competition since his accident at Pocono in 2018 in the BMW M Challenge for the Michelin Pilot Series. Wickens started seventh in the Hyundai Elantra, and moved fourth place early in the first hour of the four hour event. He ran as high as third. Near the end of his stint he had a spirited battle with a Bryan Herta Autosport teammate. Wickens drove for just a bit more than two hours. He showed that the talent which made him a star in Indycar is still there. This will be a fun series tom watch this year.

Wickens heads to turn four during the Michelin Pilot Challenge Race.

Rolex 24 Notes

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Photo by Jake Galstad. You can’t miss this LMP2 car, driven by Indycar title contenders Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward along with rookie Devlin DeFrancesco.

Andy Blackmore has his Rolex 24 spotter’s guide. Andy does great work with these guides, and this one is one of his best. Right click the link to open it in a new tab.

Click to access SG_22_DAY_ONLINE_V1.pdf

Thursday’s Schedule

Thursday

8 AM GEICO Park West Tent & Infield Tent Camping Open

8:00 AM Parking Lot 4 Opens

8:30 AM UNOH Fanzone Gates Open

9:00 AM Parking Lot 1 Opens

9:00 AM – 8:00 PM Infield Midway Open

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Motorsports Hall of Fame Open in DAYTONA Ticket and Tours Building

9:00 AM – 9:30 AM Mazda MX-5 Practice

9:45 AM – 10:45 AM IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Practice

11:05 AM – 12:35 PM IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Challenge Practice

12:55 PM – 1:25 PM Mazda MX-5 Qualifying

2:25 PM – 3:00 PM IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Qualifying

3:20 PM – 5:05 PM IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Challenge Practice

5:30 PM – 6:15 PM Mazda MX-5 Race #1

7:15 PM – 9:00 PM IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Challenge Practice

The highlight of tomorrow is the IMSA Weather Tech night practice. This will probably be my only chance to see race cars under the lights this year since Indycar has no night races planned.

I will also be watching the Michelin Pilot Challenge qualifying to see where Robert Wickens starts Friday’s race. Friday’s four hour race begins at 1:35 and will be on Peacock.

Weather Watch

Thursday looks like day of off and on rain, but it will be the warmest day of the weekend. Friday appears to be a dry day with a high of 64. Saturday- sunny with a high of 47, which is the usual nighttime low for the Rolex, dropping to 32 at night. Sunday-sunny with a high of 53.

If you are coming to Daytona for the first time, bring every coat you have. The ocean breeze intensifies the chill.

Get Your Daytona Tickets Now- For Next Year?

Yesterday and today, Daytona International Speedway has called me twice and emailed me about renewing my Rolex tickets for 2023. Seriously? This year’s race doesn’t begin for 68 hours and they want renewals now? A little pushy, I think.

Vautier Puts Cadillac on Pole for Qualifying Race

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Image from IMSA website

Race: 100 minutes. Green flag 2:05 pm EST Peacock

Acuras dominated the practices, but a Cadillac took the pole for today’s qualifying race. The 100 minute event will set the grid for next Saturday’s 60th Rolex 24 Hour race at Daytona international Speedway.

Tristan Vautier set the fastest lap in the JDC-Miller number 5 Mustang Sampling car. The number 10 Acura from Wayne Taylor Racing will start second. Felipe Albuquerque was just 0.122 seconds behind Vautier. The 01 Ganassi Cadillac driven by Renger van der Zande looked on track to take the pole, but crashed in turn five near the end of the session. The red flag cost him his best lap. The car will start 10th.

Ben Keating will start from pole in LMP2. Keating will drive the number 52 and the number 5 DPi in the race, so his rides have the pole in two classes. I don’t know when Keating sleeps during this race.

Cameron Shields is on pole in LMP3 in car 26.

In GTD Pro, Alex Imperiatori leads an all Porsche front row to the green, while Kenny Habul took pole for GTD in a Mercedes. Habul was third fastest in the GTD classes. Tghe slight difference in speed between the GTD Pro and GTD cars should make for some interesting racing.

Gidley Returns

Yesterday’s Prototype Challenge race marked the return to competition of Memo Gidley, who was injured in a horrific accident at Daytona in 2014. His car rammed a stalled car, then he was hit from behind. I didn’t think he would ever race again.

Memo Gidley

Not only did Gidley return to racing, but he won the pole. His car led the majority of the race, with rookie Alexander Korbei driving the final two hours. The team finished third.

This has been an inspirational weekend with Gidley and Robert Wickens returning to action.

Sebring Preview: Derani on Pole

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Photo: Michael levitt/Motorsport Images

Pipo Derani will start on pole for the 69th running of the Sebring 12 hour race tomorrow morning. His number 31 Cadillac edged the Acura of Ricky Taylor 0.09 seconds. in LMP1 qualifying. Jimmie Johnson spun in turn 16 coming to the checkered flag of the session. Johnson was not hurt, but the car suffered damage.

In GTLM Antonio Garcia put the number 3 Corvette on the pole. The Corvettes sport shades of silver this weekend. It will be strange not seeing a yellow Corvette in an endurance race.

Antonio Garcia takes the GTLM pole

Indycar Drivers Tune Up for Season

The race will feature a smattering of Indycar drivers. The shrinking IMSA fields mean fewer Indycar drivers than in past years. Ryan Hunter-Reay, who was with the number 55 Mazda last season, does not have a ride since the team cut back to one car for 2021.

Indycar drivers participating are mainly in the DPi class. They are:

01 Cadillac- Scott Dixon

5 Cadillac- Sebastien Bourdais

10 Acura- Alexander Rossi

48 Cadillac- Simon Pagenaud; Jimmie Johnson

60 Acura- Juan Pablo Montoya

The 01 is Chip Ganassi’s entry and the 60 is a Meyer Shank entry.

Former Indycar drivers Oliver Askew and Spencer Pigot are running cars in the LMP3 class.

Indy Lights driver Kyle Kirkwood will drive the number 14 Vasser-Sullivan Lexus in GTD.

TV Schedule: Fire Up Track Pass

While the race begins and ends on NBCSN the middle seven hours are on NBC Track Pass. You can also watch on IMSA TV and I highly recommend listening to Radio LeMans. The broadcast time, all Eastern:

.I hope that unlike the Rolex 24 Hour coverage we don’t have to sit through a Jimmie Johnson interview every 10 minutes. I’d rather watch the racing.

Some Thoughts on the Rolex 24

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Photo: Nigel Cook/News-Journal

It was an all star race and it lived up to tis billing. This was a very good 24 hour race. It seemed as if every class had battles going on, several for the entire race. 807 laps completed with 10 caution periods is a substatntial lap count.

Want to win the Rolex 24? Join Wayne Taylor Racing. Yesterday’s win was the team’s third straight and fourth in five years. Taylor switched from Cadillac to Acura, hired a new pair of drivers, and still won.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s return to IMSA fell seven minutes short. The Cadillac was strong the entire race and had little problem charging to the front after pit stops and a drive through penalty. A cut tire with seven minutes left derailed the whole race for the team. They finished fifth.

Spencer Pigot and Oliver Askew had to get a lot of satisfaction winning the LMP3 class. Both drivers lost their Indycar rides in 2020. I hope their victory enhances their opportunity for an Indianapolis 500 entry.

Disappointed for Rinus Veekay. The Dragonspeed entry dropped out of the race after just 53 laps. He didn’t even get in the car.

Zach Veach’s bid for a good showing did not go well. His GTD Lexus had a host of issues and finished 13th in class, 64 laps behind the class winner.

One of the best stories of the was the GTD winner.Winward Racing, is a new entry stepping up from the Michelin Pilot series . A tremendous effort to come into the class with the biggest car count and several long time teams and win.

It is sad to see the end of the GTLM class. The Rolex 24 probably marked the highest number of entries for the soon to be extinct group. The Corvettes are the only full time entries. Their 1-2 finish in the class is a hollow victory. This class usually is the most fun to watch at the Rolex with close racing in cars fans can identify with. I understand that economics probably forced the decision, but I will miss this group.

Indycar Drivers Have Mixed Results

Alexander rossi and Helio Castroneves drove for the winning Wayne Taylor Racing Acura. Castroneves follows his 2020 IMSA championship with his first win at the Rolex24.

Rossi and Castroneves become the 14th and 15th Indianapolis 500 winners to also win the Rolex24.

Other Indycar drivers results:

Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson (Ganassi DPi) 5th overall

Sebastien Bourdais (JDC Miller DPi) 7th in class

Simon Pagenaud, Jimmie Johnson (Action Express DPi) 2nd overall

Juan Pablo Monoya (Shank DPi) 4th overall

J. R. Hildebrand (Audi GTD) 15th in class

Colton Herta (BMW GTD) 6th in class

NBC Coverage- Meh

I hope race coverage on NBC doesn’t indicate the kind of coverage we can expect for Indycar this season. I thought it was not their best effort.

There were lots of interviews with Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott. To be fair, Indycar drivers were interviewed as well, but Johnson and Elliott got more screen time than all the Indycar drivers combined. I respect what Jimmie Johnson is doing after a successful NASCAR career, taking a huge leap to Indycar and sports cars, but the coverage of him was excessive. Even after the race, he was the only runner-up driver who got an interview.

I felt the extensive focus on him slighted the full time drivers in the series, who work hard for probably little reward.

I understand that the prototypes are the big stars, but a little more time could have been spent covering the other classes. There was a great story with the winners of GTD which got only passing mentions.

A Title for Helio at Last

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It appeared to be over almost before it had begun. Helio Castroneves watched helplessly from the pit stand as Ricky Taylor had trouble leaving the pits after the Penske Acura’s first pit stop 45 minutes into the 12 Hours of Sebring. A boost issue forced the car back to the garage and cost them 11 laps on track. They would need help to win the IMSA Weather Tech championship. The help came from an unlikely source.

Wayne Taylor Racing, starting the day two points behind the Team Penske duo, looked to be in a solid position to overtake the season leaders. A collision between Scott Dixon, in the Taylor Cadillac and Oliver Jarvis in one of the Mazdas, forced dixon to pit. The team needed to replace the radiator, putting them five laps behind. While still ahead of the Penske car, the Taylor entry couldn’t make up enough positions to gain the three points they needed for the lead.

With the focus on the two cars, the Action Express entry was now in a position to jump into the series championship. hey were well underway until the 10th hour, when Pipo Derani tangled with Juan Pablo Montoya in the other Team Penske car. Derani received a drive through penalty, ending the title hopes for Action Express.

Thus Helio Castroneves, in his final race for team Penske, finally won a title for the Captain. Castroneves had finished second seven times in Indycar for Penske despite three Indianapolis 500 victories and 30 race wins overall. Castroneves begins a new Indycar chapter in 2021 when he drives in six races for Meyer Shank Racing.

Helio’s perseverance in pursuing a championship is admirable. he put in a lot of hard work. It took a little longer than he hoped to finally realize one of his goals.

Indycar Well Represented at Sebring

Indycar drivers and team owners had a good day and night at Sebring. In addition to Castroneves winning the season championship for team Penske, Ryan Hunter-Reay drove for the winning Mazda entry, and Simon Pagenaud was a part of the Team Penske Acura entry which finished second. Two time Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya also drove the runner-up car.

Meyer Shank Racing won the season championship in the GTD class with drivers Mario Farnbacher and Matt McMurry, edging Wright Motorsports by two points. meyer Shank will move to the DPi class next season, taking over one of the Acura entries. Will Castroneves be a part of this venture too?

The Michael Shank Acura, winner of the IMSA Weather Tech GTD title

Other Indycar drivers- Sebastien Bourdais finished fifth overall in his final full time ride. Bourdais will pilot the number14 for A. J. Foyt racing in Indycar in 2021.

Colton Herta ended the night fourth in class driving for RLL.

Sebring- A Race With Many Lasts Could Produce a First

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Team Penske could end their time in IMSA with a championship

The Mobil 12 Hours of Sebring, delayed from March, is on for Saturday. Normally the second race of the IMSA Weather Tech Championship, the oddities of 2020 have conspired to make it the last race of the season. Thirty-one cars in four classes will take the green just after 10 am Saturday morning.

This race might play out differently than the race would have at its normal spot in the schedule. In the spring, the race occurs just after the return of Daylight Savings Time. The race is run in just a bit more than two hours in darkness. This weekend, teams and drivers will contend with slightly less than half the race run after sunset, which is around 5:32 pm Saturday. Strange things happen at Sebring after dark, which will make the second half of the race interesting.

IMSA Farewells

Sebring will be the final race for the Team Penske Acuras in the DPi class and the Porsche 911s in the GTLM class. The Porsche team has been a popular mainstay in the IMSA series for a long time.

This weekend also sees some drivers leaving the series. Oliver Gavin is running his final race as a full time drive with the GTLM Corvette. Renger van der Zende and Ryan Briscoe take their final stints in Wayne Taylor Racing’s Cadillac. Taylor will switch to one of the Acura cars next year.

Helio’s First Title?

Helio Castroneves could win his first major series title. He and teammate Ricky Taylor lead the Wayne Taylor team of Briscoe and van der Zende by just two points heading into this weekend’s finale.

Castroneves, who finished second four times in his Indycar career, will have to fend off a familiar nemesis to secure his championship. Six time Indycar champion Scott Dixon is the third driver for Wayne Taylor Racing. Dixon edged Castroneves for the Indycar title in 2008 and 2013.

Castroneves signed with Meyer Shank Racing to run six races in Indycar in 2021, and he is likley to be the extra driver in the endurance races for Shank next season. Shank assumes control of the second Acura prototype in 2021.

Should Castroneves take the championship, at certain Indycar races the grid could feature an IMSA champion, a seven time NASCAR champion(jimmkie Johnson), a three time Australian Supercar Champion (Scott McLaughlin), a four time Indycar champion(Sebastien Bourdais), and Dixon, the newly crowned six time Indycar titlist.

Indycar Drivers in the Field

Several Indycar drivers, current and former, will be driving this weekend, most of them in the Prototype class. By car number-

5- Bourdais

6- Juan Pablo Montoya, Simon Pagenaud

7- Helio Castroneves, Alexander Rossi

10- Briscoe

55- Ryan Hunter- Reay

25- Colton Herta (GTLM BMW for Rahal)

Coverage begins on NBCSN at 10 am, switches to NBC from 3-6, then ends on NBCSN at 6.

Mazda Leads Day 1 at Roar

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Today’s IMSA Weather Tech Championship Schedule:

10:30-11:35 Practice

11:50-12:05 GTLM Qualifying

12:15-12:30 DPi Qualifying

2:45-3:45 Practice

Just like last year, Mazda Team Joest led most practice sessions at the first day of the Roar before the 24. In last night’s final practice Oliver Jarvis in the number 77 Mazda DPi had the quick time of 1:34.753. Ryan Hunter-Reay was 0.445 seconds behind in the 55 team car.

Harrison Newey led  the LMP2 class in the number 81 Dragonspeed entry with a 1:37.372 lap.  GTLM was a Porsche sweep. :

Laurens Vanthoor led in the 912 with a 1:43.513 time, followed by the 911 Porsche driven by Fred Makowecki.

Lamborghini took the top three spots in GTLM, led by Franck Perera in the number 11 GRT Grasser Orange Huracan.

Kirkwood Wins Prototype Challenge

Road to Indy Driver Kyle Kirkwood won the Prototype Challenge race yesterday. The race was run in rainy conditions as a storm hit the track just before the race began. Krikwood, who drive in Indy Lights this year, has won nearly 50% of his races since 2018.

GTD, LMP2 Qualifying

In qualifying for pit and garage stall selections, Frankie Montecalvo led the GTD class. Montecalvo drives the number 12 AIM Vasser Sullivan LexusRC-F GT3.

Ben Keating had the fastest time in the LMP2 sessioin, driving the number 52ORECA Gibson for PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports.

Notes

It was odd seeing Jordan Taylor in a Corvette driving suit.

The Roar crowd seems to get bigger every year.

Saw Sebastien Bourdais with a wrench in hand working on his DPi car.

Today will be cool with temperatures in the 50s.

The smaller numbers of cars was quite noticeable in the qualifying sessions yesterday.