[ad_1]
Dominating victories, the same old dose of late-race drama, and a uncommon double Run Group successful duo have been among the many highlights of a aggressive ninth operating of the Historic Sportscar Racing Traditional Daytona introduced by IMSA 24 Hour race Saturday and Sunday at Daytona Worldwide Speedway.
The HSR Traditional Daytona options seven completely different Run Teams — A by way of G — competing in succession for a full 24 hours on the three.56-mile Daytona highway course. Every Run Group — with C and D sharing the monitor whereas competing for respective group honors — ran 4 instances Saturday and Sunday and all of it added as much as 24 straight hours of historic and classic sports activities automotive competitors with the winners of every Run Group introduced with HSR Traditional 24 version B.R.M. Chronographes luxurious watches.
This yr’s large winners have been Iconic Racing (most important picture) and crew co-drivers Gerard Lopez and former skilled sports activities automotive racing World Endurance champion Marcel Fassler who secured the general victories in each Run Group A and Run Group F. Lopez and Fassler, making his HSR debut, put in a pair of aggressive and managed runs, main all 4 race segments in each Run Teams to present Lopez his first HSR Traditional Daytona Group A triumph since 2017.
Lopez co-drove to a Run Group D victory in final yr’s Traditional 24 however was thwarted by mechanical points in return visits in Group A in 2019 and 2022. Each victories this weekend, nevertheless, seemed to be hassle free. He and Fassler crossed the road within the Iconic Racing 1969 No. 60 Lola T70 Mk III with a snug Group A margin of victory regardless of a aggressive group of challengers that included former “HSR Classics” winner Toni Seiler within the 1969 No. 17 Lola T165 and the facility duo of Adrian Newey and Jim Farley in Newey’s 1965 No. 5 Ford GT40 Mk I (above). Seiler crossed the end line in second whereas Newey, the Chief Technical Officer of Pink Bull Racing Formulation 1, and Farley, the CEO of Ford Motor Firm, co-drove to a third-place Group A displaying.
Mirroring Run Group A’s successful drive, Lopez and Fassler turned in an equally stellar efficiency within the crew’s debut in Run Group F, which is house to trendy Prototype machines retired from energetic competitors. Iconic ran a former JDC Motorsports 2019 No. 5 Cadillac DPi that Lopez and Fassler wheeled to a different clear and managed win, ending on the identical lap however securely forward of the same Matador Motorsports 2017 No. 02 Cadillac DPi of Pierce Marshall and Eric Foss.
Lopez, Fassler and Iconic are the primary crew to attain a Traditional 24 Run Group total double victory since Paul Reisman and his son John Reisman completed the feat with Hudson Historics within the inaugural Traditional Daytona race in 2014. The Reismans drove a Lola B2K/40 to the primary Run Group D win and backed it up with a 2014 Run Group F win — which is now Run Group G — in a fast Porsche Boxster.
John Reisman and Hudson are nonetheless energetic rivals in HSR competitors in the present day however, sadly, fell sufferer for the second-straight yr to among the late drama that all the time appears to look within the closing phases of each Traditional 24.
Co-driving with two-time IMSA Prototype champion Eric Curran, Reisman swept the primary three segments in Run Group E in his 2014 No. 33 Corvette Daytona Prototype solely to have the automotive retire midway by way of the finale with gearbox failure. The 2010 No. 95 BMW Z4/GTD of Robby Foley and Vin Barletta stepped up for the win simply because the co-drivers and the Turner Motorsports crew did in final yr’s Traditional 24 when the No. 33 suffered an overheating engine and dropped from successful rivalry within the race’s closing phases.
A dominating drive much like Reisman’s and Curran’s was turned in by Run Group C winner Lars Erik Nielsen who prevented close to catastrophe in his race’s remaining section after main from Saturday’s first inexperienced flag in his immaculate 1990 No. 90 Porsche 962C (above). Nielsen was effectively in management midway by way of the final spherical when he felt the fitting rear tire on the 962 begin to go down exiting the high-banked NASCAR Flip 2. Nielsen slowly nursed the stricken Porsche again to the pits, minus some right-rear bodywork, and returned to the race with a contemporary tire and the dedication to get again to first total by the end. Nielsen retook the lead within the section’s remaining minutes to assert his first HSR Classics victory.
Sharing the monitor with Run Group D, Nielsen’s delay within the remaining section let D-division entrance runners Mike Jordan and his son Andrew Jordan remarkably transfer into the general mixed group lead for a spell. Nielsen retook the highest total spot and the Run Group C crown, however the Jordans capped an ideal race with second total and a powerful Run Group D victory of their JRT Racing 2003 No. 177 Porsche 996 GT3 Supercup automotive pushed in its prime by Wolf Henzler.
The Group D triumph by the Jordans and JRT continued a latest pattern of production-based GT automobiles stepping as much as win total honors within the division lately, and this weekend’s race noticed the identical factor occur in Run Group B.
In one other one of many race’s sturdy performances, the 1979 No. 35 De Tomaso Pantera (above), piloted by veteran top-tier sports activities automotive driver and Le Man class winner Ralf Kelleners, took management of the category from the very first inexperienced flag for a decisive victory that supported the winged, wide-bodied and flame- throwing GT machine’s prompt standing as a fan and paddock favourite.
Kelleners and firm proved they meant enterprise by ending forward of all-time HSR Classics race winners Grey Gregory and his 1974 No. 26 Chevron B26 teammates in Saturday’s opening race, setting the stage for a Run Group B battle royale for the subsequent 24 hours.
Automotive proprietor Gregory and his co-drivers Randy Buck and Ethan Shippert have mixed for a document seven HSR Classics victories through the years and got here into this weekend’s 24 hour using a three-race win streak relationship again to final yr’s Traditional Daytona.
The bid for one more race win and a battle with the Pantera was lower quick, nevertheless, when a rear suspension element on the Chevron failed within the second Group B race Saturday evening with Shippert on the wheel. At full pace on NASCAR Flip 4, the Chevron was despatched into the wall after which flipped and skidded on its roll bar earlier than coming to a cease. Shippert escaped the incident and the closely broken Chevron with solely a damaged wrist.
Run Group G was sometimes aggressive all through the Traditional 24 however the household crew of Louis-Phillipe Montour and Olivier Montour set the chief’s tempo all through the race to seal the victory of their GT Racing No. 45 Volkswagen GTI/TCR. The outcomes present the Montours successful solely two of Group G’s 4 segments, however they tactfully trailed the fourth and remaining race winner to the road carefully in second to seal the victory with none undue danger.
Subsequent up on the HSR calendar is the season-ending HSR Traditional Sebring 12 Hour, Pistons and Props, and the HSR Sebring Historics at Sebring Worldwide Raceway, November 29 – December 3.
[ad_2]
Source link
