Weekend Recap: Acura Kicks Off IMSA GTP Era With Rolex 24 Win & More
Catch up on results from last weekend's IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener...
Meyer Shank Racing has delivered Acura its third consecutive Rolex 24 at Daytona victory following a hard-fought first race for the new IMSA GTP hybrid era.
Tom Blomqvist took the No. 60 Acura ARX-06 to the overall win in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener, holding off Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport’s Filipe Albuquerque to give Acura a 1-2 finish in the the car’s competition debut.
It came in an up-and-down race for both Acuras, which showcased superior pace and energy efficiency yet overcame making regular engine oil flushes with the 2.4-liter twin turbo V6-powered internal combustion engine.
The winning MSR Acura also battled increased gearbox temperatures for nearly three-quarters of the race.
Blomqvist shared top honors with Colin Braun, Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud, marking the second straight Rolex 24 win for the Ohio-based squad with three of its four drivers.
Castroneves, meanwhile, becomes only the second three-time consecutive winner of the race.
Read the Full Article on Sportscar365
Allen Takes Proton to Maiden LMP2 Win in Photo Finish
James Allen gave Proton Competition its maiden LMP2 class victory following a photo finish with Ben Hanley.
The Australian driver used the slipstream of the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR Oreca 07 Gibson entering the tri-oval on the final lap to move up alongside Hanley and edge out the Englishman by 0.016 seconds at the line, marking one of the closest finishes in the race’s history.
Allen shared top class honors with Fred Poordad, Francesco Pizzi and Porsche factory driver Gianmaria Bruni.
It came in the German squad’s category debut and in a race that also saw the Proton-operated WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo pick up GTD Pro class honors.
Hanley looked set to give the Algarve Pro Racing-run CrowdStrike team a class win on debut after fending off a hard-charging Job van Uitert, who spun his No. 35 TDS Racing Oreca while battling with Hanley for the lead with 20 minutes to go.
The Dutchman held the class lead on the second-to-last restart but ended up finishing fourth in class.
Read the Full Article on Sportscar365
Heart of Racing Aston Claims GTD Honors, Beating Pro Winner
Aston Martin squad The Heart of Racing claimed victory in the GTD class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and beat the GTD Pro-winning WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo in the process.
The No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 driven by Marco Sorensen, Roman De Angelis, Darren Turner and Ian James was the highest-finishing production-based car despite being entered into the second-tier category with its driver lineup restrictions.
Sorensen crossed the line 2.3 seconds ahead of Maro Engel, who shared GTD Pro honors with Jules Gounon, Daniel Juncadella and Cooper MacNeil.
The latter reached victory lane at the end of his final IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship appearance.
A succession of late full course caution periods bunched up the GT3-based cars which had mingled throughout the twice-around-the-clock enduro.
Sorensen first overtook the GTD Pro leader before holding firm at each of the crucial restarts, keeping Engel’s Mercedes-AMG between his No. 27 Aston Martin and the chasing No. 44 Vantage GT3 of Nicki Thiim.
Thiim made up several positions at the final restart to take second place in GTD alongside his Magnus Racing co-drivers Andy Lally, Spencer Pumpelly and John Potter.
The GTD Pro podium was completed by Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Tommy Milner and the third-placed Vasser Sullivan Lexus crew of Jack Hawksworth, Ben Barnicoat and Mike Conway.
Read the Full Article on Sportscar365
Michelin delivers lasting performance as the 61-car Rolex 24 field drives a combined 140,000 miles while guiding the Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 to the first win of the new IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP era.
NASCAR Garage 56 Lineup Set
Corvette Z06 GT3.R Unveiled
WEC Considering “Rethink” of Sebring
Ford Would Give LMDh, LMH “Fair Consideration”
Salters: WEC Hypercar Program a Honda Decision