The “Roar” has run at Daytona. The “Roar before the 24” sessions of testing and practice have run the laps and the countdown is on to the end of the month for the “ROLEX 24”. Mark your calendars for the weekend of the 28th-29th and make sure you know where SPEED is on your TV system. (You should know that, anyway…)
This is a full 24 hours of racing! Multiple drivers for each car with two classes of cars running at the same time. The big and low Daytona Prototypes and the more “street common” GT class. (more…)
735 laps. The last hour held the possibility of a win for four cars. A Lexus, two Porsches and a Ford. Ford had a rough 24 hours as the Suntrust Ford was the last one remaining even if it did shine on the lead lap. Juan Pablo Montoya had the lead up to the last pit stop when a fresh driver and tires in the #58 Brumos Porsche put him hard on the defensive. The Ganassi team with the Lexus was looking for a fourth straigh Rolex 24 win. However, the Brumos team and the #58 had history and heritage driving them as David Donahue passed Montoya shortly after the last pit. In the end, passing GT traffic and holding Montoya in the mirror, the Porsche crossed the line to victory. The #59 Brumos Porsche drove in 3rd behind Montoya.
Brumos Racing #58 Porsche driven to win the ROLEX 24
See complete results and more photos at the ROLEX / Grand-Am website.
The GT class had yet another Porsche victory with the #67 from TRG Motorsports. The GT winning drivers managed 695 laps in the 24 hours. TRG is also noted as moving somewhat out of the driver’s seat of the Porsche and running a Sprint Cup entry for 2009. Don’t worry, TRG hasn’t garaged their Porsche fleet as there is a full Grand-Am season on the way starting back in April at Virginia International Raceway. However, they will be back at Daytona in a few weeks for the Daytona 500 attempting to qualify their #71 Chevrolet with NASCAR veteran Mike Wallace at the wheel.
TRG Motorsports #67 Porsche takes first spot in the GT Class of the Rolex 24
Over the course of 24 hours their were broken engines, transmissions and brakes. Pit stop mistakes and an oil fire. A number of spins and taps and bumps. Close racing and wheel to wheel driving. Everything you would want to see in an automobile race… So why didn’t you watch? FOX and SPEED had 15 hours of live coverage. Is it too unfamiliar? A number of NASCAR drivers were in the cars including Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kyle Petty, Casey Mears and a few more. Would you watch if Gordon or Earnhardt, Jr. were in it? Are left turns all you can handle? Open up a little. These cars fast. These cars are cool and there is more variety. Pontiac, Mazda, Porsche, Lexus, Ferrari, BMW and Corvettes and Mustangs. How cool is that? Plus – the drivers aren’t known for rushing past when you want an autograph.
The Grand-Am Rolex Series presented by Crown Royal Cask no16 is off to a nice start with a full season ahead. NASCAR is cranking up to go green. Teams are in garages around the world preparing for racing. Open your horizons a little and check out some of the other series of racing. What else are you going to watch…? Baseball…? C’mon! Nobody needs to be that bored.
