The #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 has just pitted from the lead, meaning that the sister No.6 Porsche is scored as the GTP leader with three hours left in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Porsche’s Mathieu Jaminet re-took the advantage over BMW M Team RLL’s #24 car and has stayed in front. Philipp Eng is currently second in the #24 BMW, and Colin Braun is third in the #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06.
They owe pit stops soon and that would cycle the #7 Porsche, now driven by Nick Tandy, back to the overall lead barring a disaster.
And, from now on, GTP teams can no longer use their allotment of soft tyres.
There’s been a big swing in the LMP2 lead battle after the #99 AO Racing ORECA 07 picked up a drive-through penalty for not meeting yire operational requirements. IMSA detected the minimum tyre pressures of the No.99 were not compliant and asked Dane Cameron to come through pit lane.
That’s given the advantage to AF Corse and Nicklas Nielsen. The blue #88 ORECA leads the orange #8 Tower Motorsports machine of Job van Uitert. Cameron has dropped back to third ahead of Paul di Resta in the #22 United Autosports USA car.
A well-executed up-and-under move from Tommy Milner at turn six has put the #4 Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the lead of GTD PRO, getting past the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Connor De Phillippi who’s now second.
The top two in GTD PRO have built a significant gap to the third-placed #65 Ford Multimatic Mustang GT3 of Chris Mies, who’s just passed the #69 GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Luca Stolz.
We have two more GTD retirements to report – the #12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3, and the #023 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3, are both out. However, the #78 Forte Racing Lamborghini has returned to the race.
Marvin Kirchhöfer’s masterful job in the #13 AWA Corvette has kept him in the lead in GTD, though Elliott Skeer (#120 Wright Motorsports Porsche) and Philip Ellis (#57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG) are not far off in second and third.
Mattia Drudi is also in podium contention in the #27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin, down in fourth.
Feature image © Jake Galstad / IMSA / LAT
