Notebook: Porsche wins Continental Tire race; Rolex re-ups
Photo courtesy of IMSA
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Once again, the Honda-powered Ligier JS P2 of Michael Shank Racing was at the top of the time sheets after Friday morning practice for the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Having already won the pole, the No. 60 car was again fastest with NASCAR regular AJ Allmendinger behind the wheel, clocking a lap of 1 minute, 40.877 seconds, just ahead of IndyCar star Scott Dixon in the No. 02 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Ford Ecoboost-powered Riley, 0.327 seconds back.
In the Prototype Challenge class, Jack Hawksworth led the field in his No. 11 Chevrolet-powered ORECA. In GT Le Mans, Giancarlo Fisichella was quickest in the No. 62 Ferrari F458 Italia. And in GT Daytona, Kuba Giermaziak was led the class in his No. 81 Porsche 911 GT America.
Broadcast coverage of the 2015 Rolex 24 At Daytona begins at 2 p.m. Saturday on the FOX Network. At 4 p.m., it moves to FOX Sports 2, and at 8 p.m., back to FOX Sports 1. From 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., it will be broadcast live in IMSA.com, before returning to FOX Sports 1 Sunday morning at 7 a.m., where coverage will continue for the remainder of the race, concluding at 2:30 p.m. All times are Eastern. For additional information, log onto IMSA.com.
PORSCHE SWEEPS CLASSES IN CONTINENTAL TIRE
Porsche won both classes in the BMW Performance 200, the kickoff for the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge at Daytona International Speedway.
It was, as usual, an action-packed event, to be expected when you put 51 cars, for two and a half hours, on a legendary 3.56-mile track with a bunch of drivers who can’t wait to get the sports car racing season started. And when you add in slightly damp conditions late in the race, it just gets that much more exciting.
Taking the Grand Sport (GS) class and the overall win were brothers Matt and Hugh Plumb in the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche 911, followed by Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell in the No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R. Stevenson teammates Lawson Aschenbach and Matt Bell were third in their No. 9 Camaro Z/28.R.
In the Street Tuner (ST) class, Spencer Pumpelly and Luis Rodriguez, Jr. took the victory in their No. 17 Rennsport One Porsche Cayman. In second was Eric Foss and polesitter Justin Piscitell in the No. 56 Murillo Racing Porsche Cayman, followed by David Murry and Ted Giovanis in the No. 64 Team TGM BMW 328i.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was the pre-race withdrawal of the defending race winner, the No. 48 Fall-Line BMW M3, after co-driver Corey Lewis crashed during the morning warm-up.
GS winner Matt Plumb said that it was “business as usual for our guys,” noting that the Joe Varde-led Rum Bum team is among the best prepared in the paddock. “They are winners, and they deserve to win.”
In ST, the race turned out to be a fuel-mileage challenge for several of the top teams, as Adam Isman’s Porsche Cayman, a sister car to the race-winning RS1 Porsche, apparently ran out of gas while contending for the lead.
Aside from fuel conservation, ST winner Pumpelly said that a key to victory in his class was hooking up with at least one other car in the draft — “It was good for 10 to 12 miles per hour,” he said.
The next stop for the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series is Sebring International Raceway on March 20, a companion event for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida.
HALL OF FAME
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, which is in the process of moving from its home in Novi, Michigan to Daytona International Speedway, announced its 27th class of inductees.
The announcement was made at Daytona International Speedway as part of the Rolex 24 At Daytona weekend. The honorees: Open wheel racers Lloyd Ruby and Duke Nalon; sports car racer Tommy Kendall; NASCAR star Mark Martin; motocross racer Ricky Carmichael; NHRA Pro Stock drag racer Warren Johnson, and off-road legend Walker Evans.
Carmichael, along with Kendall, was present for the announcement. “As a kid growing up racing dirt bikes, I never would have thought something like this was possible for me. To be in the company of some of the greatest names in motorsports is surreal.”
ROLEX RE-UPS WITH SPEEDWAY
Daytona International Speedway and Rolex announced that they were extending the premium watch brand’s sponsorship of the Rolex 24 At Daytona sports car race, and its role as official timepiece of DIS.
The expanded partnership also includes naming rights for the new front stretch lounge and suite level associated with the ongoing DAYTONA Rising redevelopment project, as well as enhanced branding opportunities through the Speedway.
Rolex has been connected to Daytona history since 1963, when it began dedicating its Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona to winning drivers. It has sponsored the Rolex 24 for 23 years.
MANUFACTURERS IN GOOD COMPANY
The old adage from NASCAR racing — “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” — suggests one of the marketing philosophies that has kept auto manufacturers involved in motorsports for more than a century.
In no form of motorsports are manufacturers more involved than in sports car racing. And this weekend, the number of manufacturers represented in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, and/or in the TUDOR United Sports Car Championship, numbers an astounding 13.
In alphabetical order, the following manufacturers have cars on the track in one or both series: Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan, Porsche and Subaru.
“The Daytona race is a sports car classic with fans all over the world,” said Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, head of Porsche Motorsport. “Porsche has celebrated some of its greatest victories at this famous race. To continue this streak of unforgettable successes is truly motivating for our drivers and teams.”