THE LINE - JANUARY 29, 2014
Monday, January 27, 2014 at 10:26AM
Editor-in-Chief's Note: After enduring another wave of F1 teams unveiling their new machines - this time for the upcoming 2014 season - I can safely say that the current crop of F1 machines are the least attractive, okay, the flat-out ugliest racing machines of all time. And the hopes that this will change anytime soon are slim and none. It's a giant, heaping, steaming bowl of Not Good too. - PMD
(John Thawley ~ Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com ~ 248.227.011)
The No. 5 Action Express Racing "Corvette" Daytona Prototype driven by Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi and Sebastian Bourdais was the dominant car in the 52nd Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. The winning DP completed 695 laps on the 3.56-mile circuit, covering 2,474.2 miles for the team owned by Daytona Beach businessman Bob Johnson. “Bob was convincingly, absolutely dead sure we were going to win it,” Bourdais said. “He was right. The guys were prepared. Everybody knew exactly what to do and how to do it, and the execution was perfect. What can I say? It’s a dream come true.” It was Barbosa's second overall victory at Daytona in five years for Action Express (he also won won in class in 2003), while Fittipaldi took his second (overall in 2004) and Bourdais – a four-time Champ Car World Series champion – won the event for the first time. The race had a somber tone throughout because of the devastating crash of Memo Gidley – driving the pole-winning No. 99 GAINSCO "Corvette" DP – who rear-ended the disabled No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia driven by Matteo Malucelli. Both drivers were taken to nearby Halifax Hospital, with Gidley having serious injuries to his left arm, left leg, and back. The race was red-flagged for 55:45 minutes due to the incident. See John Thawley's scintillating images from the race here.
(John Thawley ~ Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com ~ 248.227.011)
Patrick Pilet beat BMW Team RLL’s Joey Hand (No. 55 BMW Z4 GTE) to the checkered flag by 2.838 seconds in the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR, coming back after briefly falling behind Hand with two laps remaining. Richard Lietz and Nick Tandy were the other drivers of the winning Porsche. It was Porsche’s 76th class victory in the history of the Rolex 24, and the 40th triumph for a 911-based Porsche.
(John Thawley ~ Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com ~ 248.227.011)
Three months after setting the all-time speed record on the 2.5-mile Daytona tri-oval, Colin Braun took his first Rolex 24 victory in Prototype Challenge. Braun swept to a one-lap triumph in the No. 54 CORE autosport ORECA FLM09 with co-drivers Jon Bennett, Mark Wilkins and James Gue. "We worked really, really hard to come up with a plan that we wanted to stick with,” Braun said. “We came prepared this weekend and executed our plan, down to being fastest in the opening two practice sessions, winning the pole and I think we led the most laps.”
(John Thawley ~ Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com ~ 248.227.011)
Alessandro Pier Guidi (No. 555 Level 5 Motorsports Ferrari 458 Italia) raced hard with Markus Winkelhock (No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi R8 LMS) at the end of the race for the GT Daytona class victory. Guidi finished 1.293 seconds ahead at the checkered flag, but was immediately penalized for his aggressive driving and the race initially was awarded to the Flying Lizard Motorsports machine. Upon further review by IMSA Supervisory Officials, the decision was reversed and Level 5 Motorsports was declared the winning team. “It’s bittersweet not to be part of the podium, but we are pleased that IMSA took a second look at the decision,” said Bill Sweedler, who joined Scott Tucker, Jeff Segal, Townsend Bell and Guidi on the winning lineup. “The fact is that IMSA took time to right a wrong and now the winning team is now declared the winner. That’s what matters.” It was Ferrari’s first Rolex 24 triumph since Gianpiero Moretti’s MOMO Ferrari 333SP won overall in 1998. “It was an exciting last two laps,” Guidi said. “After 24 hours, we were so tired. But we didn’t give up.” Winkelhock was joined by Nelson Canache Jr., Spencer Pumpelly and Tim Pappas in the Flying Lizard Audi.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: If you want to know the depths of major league road racing's despair here in the U.S., check out Gordon Kirby's deep dive into the problems that define the Tudor United SportsCar Championship. - PMD
(BMW/newspressUSA)
Bill Auberlen and Paul Dalla Lana (No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3), shown above winning overall in Friday’s BMW Performance 200 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race, were then excluded from the results following a post-race technical inspection. This handed the victory to Shelby Blackstock and Ashley Frieberg in the No. 48 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3. Freiberg became the first woman to win overall in Continental Tire Challenge history. It also was the first Continental Tire Challenge victory for Blackstock, the son of singer/actor Reba McEntire. Blackstock and Freiberg led what turned out to be a 1-2 sweep for Fall-Line Motorsports, as John Edwards and 18-year-old Trent Hindman took second in the No. 46 Trim-Tex/Criocco Ozzimo/Atlas Acon/DFL Interiors BMW M3.
(BMW/newspressUSA)
The Eric Foss/Jeff Mosing No. 56 Mosler Motorcars BMW 328i won the ST class in the BMW Performance 200, the first for Murillo Racing. The next race for the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge will be its debut at Sebring International Raceway on Friday, March 14.
