IMSA | Daytona, 21st Hour: Porsche and Ferrari try to push forward

We enter the last 180' of a 24h of Daytona which doesn't seem to want to give any idea of ​​who could come out on top, and the weather which could further shuffle the cards in this first round of the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship.

While very threatening clouds obscured the rays of the sun in the early hours of the morning, another neutralization with Full Course Yellow was necessary to recover the bonnet of the disastrous Ligier #33 of Sean Creech Motorsport, which flew away right in the fast section of ' Banking' and therefore in a dangerous position.

Here too, a good part of the competitors took the opportunity to make another pit stop, with the resumption of hostilities 4h28' before the checkered flag.

Last hours to forget for the Corvettes: the already retired #13 of the AWA was joined by its sister #17, but the worst was suffered by the two official #3 and #4 of the Pratt Miller Motorsports, both forced to return to the pits to resolve engine and power steering pump problems.

Another penalty after the stops was inflicted on the Mercedes #80 (acceleration with car raised), serving a Drive Through, while Neil Verhagen inexplicably got away with a warning on the BMW #1, involved in a collision against Onofrio Triarsi causing Ferrari #023 to spin.

In the GTP Class it's all to be decided between Porsche and Cadillac: the 963 #7 of Team Penske is making a brief push to +5″ on the V-Series.R #31 of Action Express Racing, while the Porsche #6, which already had previously had to serve the Drive Trough, he saw Kévin Estre end up in the grass with cold tires after the last stop.

This allowed the Acura #40 of WTR Andretti to take the third step of the podium, followed at a distance by the private Porsches of Proton Competition #5 and JDC-Miller Motorsports #85, with Estre falling to sixth.

The objective of the BMW #24 and #25 of Team RLL is now to see the checkered flag without running into further trouble, as is the case for the Acura #10 of WTR Andretti still ninth in the category, but at the rear of the overall.

Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images

#18 Era Motorsport ORECA LMP2-Gibson: Dwight Merriman, Ryan Dalziel, Christian Rasmussen

In the LMP2 Class, an attempt to escape for the Oreca #18 of Era Motorsport which brings the margin over the APR #04 to +15″. Third remains the #52 of Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen which is however not far from the second place, but also having to watch their backs from the resurfacing of Riley #74 and Tower Motorsports #8.

The United Autosports #2 dropped to sixth, but has a different strategy in the stops, the DragonSpeed ​​#81 remains behind, with the 'Spike' #99 of AO Racing behind. Stop the Ligier #33.

In the GTD PRO Class, the problems with the Corvettes were a godsend for the #62 Ferrari of Risi Competizione, which returned to the lead with about ten seconds to manage over the #1 BMW of Paul Miller Racing.

The only one that could still have something at stake, and with its wheels on the podium, remains the Porsche-'Rexy' #77 of AO Racing, given that all its pursuers accumulated several laps behind.

The #65 Ford Mustang of Multimatic Motorsports remains fourth, +3 laps from the top, followed by the #23 Aston Martin of Heart of Racing and the #64 Mustang, with the #3 Corvette slipping ahead of the #19 Lamborghini of Iron Lynx, eighth and in the grip of the Z06s as the #4 is ninth.

The #9 McLaren of Pfaff Motorsports has also been permanently retired.

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images

#23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo: Ross Gunn, Alex Riberas, Mario Farnbacher, #57 WINWARD Racing Mercedes AMG GT3: Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, Indy Dontje, Daniel Morad, #43 Andretti Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R: Jarett Andretti, Gabby Chaves, Scott Hargrove, Thomas Preining

The tussle for the top of the GTD Class was also excellent, again the prerogative of the Mercedes #57 of Winward Racing with 10″ on the Lexus #12 of VasserSullivan.

The blow received by the BMW #1 caused the Ferrari #023 of Triarsi Competizione to lose a position, still third, but chased by the returning Mercedes #32 of Korthoff/Preston Motorsports and also by the Ferraris #21 of AF Corse and #34 of Conquest Racing .

Also worth mentioning is a beautiful duel between Triarsi and Indy Dontje, won by the latter's Mercedes #32 after an excellent and strenuous defense by the American of the 296, a few laps before he took the blow to Verhagen.

Seventh we find the Mercedes #80 of Lone Star Racing, while the Porsche #120 of Wright Motorsports overtook the Lamborghini #83 of the Iron Dames in the duel for eighth place.

The #43 Porsche of Andretti Motorsport closes out the top 10, comfortably ahead of the #47 Ferrari of Cetilar Racing which is several laps behind.