Rolex 24, Hour 15: Porsche and BMW battle over podium places, Dalziel takes Era to the top in LMP2
The race got underway again 10 minutes into the hour after the FCY called for the Inter Europol ORECA stopping and it was another frantic (...)
The race got underway again 10 minutes into the hour after the FCY called for the Inter Europol ORECA stopping and it was another frantic restart with Mathieu Jaminet leading the train across the line in the No. 6 Penske Porsche.
BMW Team RLL’s Raffaele Marciello immediately got on the gas and powered past Tom Blomqvist for second. The Swiss driver’s time that high up the order wouldn’t last though as the Briton fought back to reclaim the place a lap later.
Marciello then fell back and Laurens Vanthoor in the sister No. 7 Porsche snuck by for third.
The lead battle then came alive halfway through the hour, with Blomqvist utilising the traffic to his advantage in catching Jaminet. It was close on the banking multiple times between the two, but Jaminet successfully defended the place, allowing Vanthoor to catch up.
The Belgian then put in a spirited effort and made a daring move stick around the outside into Turn 1 to make it a 1-2 for Porsche again.
Meanwhile, in LMP2, it was all change up front when the green flags waved. Ryan Dalziel was on a mission for Era Motorsport and caught Malthe Jakobsen’s Crowdstrike ORECA napping up the inside at Turn 1.
Sebastien Bourdais in the No. 8 Tower example later followed in Dalziel’s footsteps, also finding a way by the Dane, then past the Scotsman for the lead.
There was a change at the top of the timing screens too in GTD, as Stevan McAleer went backwards in the No. 021 Triarsi 296 GT3. Casper Stevenson then briefly led for Heart of Racing before being tapped into a spin by Tom Sargent in the No. 120 Wright Porsche.
Sargent then pitted to hand over the car to Adam Adelson. AWA’s Marvin Kirchhöfer inherited the lead as a pit cycle began at the turn of the hour.
Behind, Winward Racing’s No. 57 Mercedes, which fell seven laps down after a throttle issue way back in the third hour, is now lurking. The AMG GT3 is back on the lead lap and now, remarkably, second with Philip Ellis. Don’t count out the defending champions!
Daniel Morad in the No. 32 Korthoff Competition Mercedes sits third.
In GTD PRO AO Racing’s “Rexy” Porsche and the No. 4 Pratt Miller Corvette held station for the entire 60 minutes in first and second, but there was movement behind.
Fabien Schiller and Connor De Phillippi made progress, climbing to third and fourth for GetSpeed and Paul Miller respectively.
At Gradient Racing, work is ongoing on its Mustang GT3 after a long-standing clutch problem. The team has had to take the car behind the wall for attention.
Two cars were confirmed as retirements during the hour due to mechanical woes, the first being the Inception Ferrari, the second the Inter Europol ORECA. We count 13 retirements now with nine hours to go.
