The #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R will start the 2021 Rolex 24 at Daytona from pole position after winning the 100-minute qualifying race at the conclusion of the Roar Before the 24 pre-season test. It was a chaotic race that was complicated by a wet track and teething issues as teams shook off the rust of the off-season.
The Cadillac DPi-V.R. entries were quick, particularly, in the early stages of the race when the track was still wet. Kevin Magnussen had a flying start to the race, surging to the lead in the #01 Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing DPi-V.R. Magnussen led early on but the car dropped down the order as a strategy call did not fall their way.
Nasr with a nice pass on Vautier to take the overall lead. #MotulPole pic.twitter.com/gPAL7gtaOf
— Ryan Kish (@KishRM) January 24, 2021
Starting on the outside of the front row will be the #55 Mazda RT-24 P. The lone-Mazda this season in IMSA had a strong second-half and was able to break the Cadillac stronghold on the top positions. The #5 JDC-Miller Motorsports Cadillac DPi-V.R. ended the race in third. Tristan Vautier was leading the race but was passed by Felipe Nasr near halfway.
LMP2
In LMP2, the class’ most loyal proponents, the #51 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA 07 secured pole position. Mikkal Jensen made a fantastic pass on the #47 Cetilar Racing Dallara P217 to get the California-based team the top spot in the race’s waning minutes.
Excellent battle for the LMP2 lead between @PR1Motorsports and @CetilarRacing. #MotulPole pic.twitter.com/hzbg58GqlK
— Ryan Kish (@KishRM) January 24, 2021
The #20 High Class Racing ORECA 07 was second and the #8 Tower Motorsports ORECA was third. The aforementioned #47 Dallara had looked set for a second-place finish but needed to make an unscheduled pitstop for what appeared to be an electrical issue, they had run a strong race up to that point. They finished sixth in class.
LMP3
It was a rough start to the season in LMP3, the class saw one car that did not start, three cars that retired, and no cars that finished ahead of the GTLM field. The #6 Muehlner Motorsports Duqueine M30-D08 won the race by nearly fifty-seconds clear of the #7 Forty7 Motorsports Duqueine M30-D08. That meant the two Duqueine LMP3 entries secured a front-row lockout.
The #54 Core Autosport Ligier JS P320 rounded out the top three. The #74 Riley Motorsports Ligier JSP320 did not start the race.
GTLM
Corvette secured a front-row lockout with the #4 Corvette C8.R securing pole position for the race next weekend. Nick Tandy, in his Corvette debut, brought the car to the finish line and collected his first accolade with Corvette. The #3 Corvette C8.R was ten seconds behind their teammates.
The #79 WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 RSR rounded out the top three. The #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE finished in fourth. Alessandro Pier Guidi spun at pit exit while the car was leading.
BMW struggled in this one with their two cars finishing last and second-to-last, ending the race amongst the GTD cars.
GTD
The #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M6 took home the win thanks to the efforts of Bill Auberlen who drove the team to pole position with another great showing from the veteran.
The #9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R ended the race in second and the #111 GRT Grasser Racing Lamborghini Huracan was third.
There were two retirements in GTD, the #1 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 and the #42 NTE Sport Audi R8 LMS GT3, both with mechanical issues. The #88 Team Hardpoint EBM also ran into issues with Christina Nielsen getting tangled up in a gaggle of GTD cars at the bus stop. Nielsen slid off into the tyre barrier but resumed with minor damage that was repaired – she and Earl Bamber finished fourteenth in class.
Christina Nielsen in the tyre barrier at the bus stop. We're under our second FCY for this one. Just too many cars with not enough space it seems. #MotulPole pic.twitter.com/IzyBjIyQue
— Ryan Kish (@KishRM) January 24, 2021
A number of teams across the five classes were penalized for an improper pass around procedure, speeding in the pits, and other rule infringements, further complicating the race and mixing things up.
