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Rolex 24 Race Report

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster — Sun, 11 Feb 2024 21:41:00 +0000

Winning Porsche Penske 963. [Photo by Jack Webster]

By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine

The Captain won the 24 Hours of Daytona for the second time. Roger Penske’s first time was in 1969 with a Lola Mk 3B Chevrolet with drivers Mark Donohue and Chuck Parsons. This time, the Roger Penske led Porsche Penske Team triumphed in the Rolex 24, with their Porsche 963, piloted by Dane Cameron, Filipe Nasr, Matt Campbell and Josef Newgarden besting all others in taking a 2.1 second victory. Second place overall went to the Whelen Engineering Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series R, while the final podium spot went to the #40 WTR/Andretti Acura.

Actually, it wasn’t quite a 24-hour contest, as confusion reigned at the finish, with the checkered flag being shown some one minute and 36+ seconds early. It is likely that the error did not affect the final outcome, as the Porsche seemed to have everything well in hand, but in racing you never know until it is over. IMSA admitted the error right away, and the rule book states quite clearly that when something like that happens, even if the flag was thrown in error, the results stand and are official. Regardless, no one from the Cadillac team was complaining as they were quite sure that they couldn’t have caught the Porsche in another minute and a half.

Filipe Nasr: “The race really came down to the wire at the very final stop. It was pretty much all about the fuel numbers…I just have to say that was a great call from the team, from Porsche Penske Motorsports, just to give me the opportunity to be in the lead again in that final part of the race, and then it was down to me to hit the numbers and keep the 31 behind.”

In a welcome change from past Rolex events that we have covered, the weather was perfect both all week and for the race itself. 60’s at night and high 70’s to low 80’s during the day under sunny to partly cloudy skies made for a comfortable race for crews, drivers and spectators.

Speaking of spectators, in all of our years of going to this event we have never, and we repeat, NEVER seen such a large crowd at the Rolex 24. It seemed even larger that the crowds back in the heyday of GTP racing back in the 1980’s. IMSA certainly seems to have tapped into what the public wants with the new GTP class. Not only GTP, but LMP2, GTD-Pro and GTD featured outstanding cars and drivers. There were IMSA regulars, WEC drivers, former F1 stars and current IndyCar pilots sprinkled among the starting grid of 59 cars.

Pipo Derani (always quick), put the Whelen Cadillac on Pole at the Roar before the 24 the weekend prior to the race and as usual the Cadillac was strong throughout the entire race, only losing to the Porsche Penske after the final pit stop. Fastest lap of the race was set by new Whelen Cadillac driver Tom Blomqvist, who fit in quite nicely with the Cadillac team after winning the Rolex 24 last year in the MSR Acura. Five of the GTP entries finished on the lead lap, a testament to the quality of the GTP field.

In LMP2, it was Era Motorsport taking the win in their ORECA LMP207 with Christian Rasmussen, Dwight Merriman, Ryan Dalziel and Connor Zilisch sharing the driving duties. Again, the LMP2 class was top notch, with five of those entries finishing on the same lap.

In the GTD-Pro ranks, which featured the debut of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R (four of them) and the highly anticipated Ford Mustang GT3 (three of those), it was Ferrari on top, with the popular Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3, piloted by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Daniel Serra and Davide Rigon taking the class win, with a one lap margin over AO Racing’s pole sitting Porsche 991 GT3 R in its popular “Rexy” dinosaur color scheme.

Risi driver Alessandro Pier Guidi: “Well, it’s amazing. First of all, I think we deserved this victory. We were also trying a lot of times to achieve this victory. We finished twice second, and it’s a long time partnership between Risi and Ferrari….we’ve been close many times, but never able to achieve this victory. Finally we get it. If you see in the footage after the checkered flag and the picture is amazing. Everyone was crying, happy, and I went and I gave a big hug to Giuseppe, because all the passion he put in here in this effort, he really deserves this.”

Finally, in GTD, Mercedes came out on top, with Winward Racing’s Daniel Morad, Russell Ward, Philip Ellis and Indy Dontje sharing driving duties, besting the AF Corse Ferrari, which finished on the same lap as the Mercedes.

In the land of make believe, the new Brad Pitt racing movie was filming all week at Daytona with a real Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, which ran in the race, and a duplicate “movie” version which ran with film crews several times during the week, both in daylight and in the night. There was even a “staged” victory lane celebration right after the real race winners’ overall podium was concluded, which featured three actors celebrating. We were there, right in the front row of journalists. Unlike real life, there were three takes. Who knows, we might end up in the finished movie – or more likely on the cutting room floor!

We even spotted Brad Pitt, who worked undercover as the fire extinguisher man on a real race pit stop for the Wright Motorsports team. Don’t think anyone else noticed him.

All in all, a Rolex 24 for the ages, the history books and the movie theatres.

See you all at the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring in March.

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster

Jack Webster has been shooting motorsports since the early 1970’s, covering Formula One, CanAm, F5000, TransAm, GrandAm and American Le Mans races, among others. In addition to his photography, he has also worked on racing teams, both in IMSA and IndyCar, so has a complete knowledge of the inner workings of motorsport. Both his photography and writing can be seen here on racingnation.com. Eddie LePine has been involved in motorsports for over 30 years as photographer, columnist, and driver. Eddie also is now a retired racer (well, retired unless a good ride pops up). You can usually find Eddie in the paddock area, deep in conversation with a driver.

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A New IMSA Season Begins

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 15:21:19 +0000

New Porsche Penske 963 in the garage. [Photo by Eddie LePine]

By Eddie LePine & Jack Webster

The recent December IMSA test session at Daytona International Speedway marked the official beginning of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. Most of the teams we expect to see at the Rolex 24 at Daytona at the end of January were present, testing new cars, new drivers and providing IMSA with data for the calculation of BOP in 2024.

Of note, the new Lamborghini SC63, which will be campaigned by Iron Lynx Racing in the 2024 season (beginning with the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring in March), was on hand for BOP testing and was quite impressive, topping the time charts. Pilots Andrea Caldarelli, Matteo Cairoli and Romain Grojean make up the driving team which will be competing in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Championship races in 2024. Unfortunately, the new GTP Lamborghini will not be at the Rolex 24, but will be on hand for Sebring, Watkins Glen, Indianapolis and Petit Le Mans. It is a beautiful car and the US program is headed by our old friend and Audi veteran Brad Kettler (we see him as Lamborghini’s secret weapon and key to success). Look for a lot from this team and this car, right out of the box.

Of course, the other GTP teams were not resting on their laurels from last season. WTRAndretti (the new official name for the Wayne Taylor led 2 car Honda/Acura factory effort) was on hand and preparing for a full season with two all new Acura ARX-06 cars with drivers Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor, Louis Deletraz, Jordan Taylor with Colton Herta and Brendon Hartley added for the endurance championship, while Jensen Button and Marcus Ericsson have been added for the Rolex 24. Taking over the Acura program from Michael Shank for 2024, WTRAndretti has big shoes to fill. After just missing out on the overall victory in 2023 at the Rolex, you can be sure that the WTRAndretti squad will be doing everything they can to get to the top step of the podium in 2024.

Other GTP news of note: The Whelen Engineering Cadillac team has added hot shoe Tom Blomqvist to their roster for the endurance races, partnering with the very rapid duo of Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken. That’s a championship winning combo if we have ever seen one.

Ganassi Cadillac features Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande for the season, with Scott Dixon added for the endurance races in the #01 Cadillac.

In Porsche 963 GTP news, JDC-Miller teams Tijmen van der Helm and Richard Westbrook for the season, adding Phil Hanson for the endurance races and our favorite, Ironman Ben Keating, for the Rolex 24 (where Ben will also be driving the #2 United Autosports ORECA LMP2 car). Wow!

Also, in Porsche 963 GTP news, Mustang Sampling has been signed as full season sponsor for the Proton Competition Porsche 963, with championship contending drivers Gianmaria “Gimmi” Bruni and Neel Jani announced (additional pilots TBA). The Porsche looks fantastic in its black and gold paint scheme.

At Porsche Penske, they are putting forward new and updated Porsche 963s, to be piloted by Mathieu Jaminet, Nick Tandy, Dane Cameron, Felipe Nasr all season long, to be joined by Kevin Estre and Josef Newgarden for the endurance races and Matt Campbell and Laurens Vanthoor for the Rolex 24. A very strong line up in a very strong team, indeed.

At BMW, the Bobby Rahal led Team RRL group features Augusto Farfus, Jesse Krohn, Dries Vanthoor, Connor De Phillippi, Nick Yelloly and Maxime Martin as drivers. Full season vs. endurance driver assignments have yet to be determined, with the announcement of 4th drivers for the Rolex 24 to be announced as well.

Other big news, looking forward to 2024, is the head-to-head Chevrolet vs. Ford battles we will see when Corvette Z06 GT3R takes on the Ford Mustang GT3. The Ford Multimatic Mustangs and the Pratt Miller Corvettes looked outstanding at the Daytona test and we can’t wait to see them fight it out at the Rolex 24. Not only will they be battling for the GTD-PRO title, at least 2 additional Corvette Z06 GT3.R entries and at least one additional Mustang GT3 are entered in the GTD class. I think we are going to see a lot of rubbing and bumping this year in GTD-PRO and GTD competition.

As Ford factory driver Joey Hand said about the Ford vs. Corvette battles to come: “The two iconic American sports cars, head-to-head. There’s nothing better than that. What I’m most excited for is the fans. There are going to be a lot more people coming to races. They’re going to come cheer for their car, whatever car that is.”

Also on hand at Daytona for the test was the Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 of Alessandro Pier Guidi, Davide Rigon and Daniel Serra – fan favorites that will be cheered on at the Rolex 24 by legions of tifosi from around the world. Also on hand was FIA-WEC Ferrari 499P Hypercar driver Nicholas Nielsen, taking some laps in the GT3 Ferrari. He is not currently on the entry list for the Rolex 24 in either the GTD-PRO or GTD Risi Ferraris, but it didn’t look like he was at Daytona as a tourist!

Not present yet, but waiting for new or updated cars, were the entries of Heart of Racing, which will be campaigning Aston Martin Vantage GT3 cars in both GTD and GTD-PRO and Pfaff Motorsports, which have switched from Porsche to McLaren for 2024. Can’t wait to see if they keep the plaid livery on the McLaren!

The 2024 full season grid of cars in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is outstanding and historic. Here is the grid as of the middle of December, and includes the cars that will only contest the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races. There are 11 GTP entries – 2 from Cadillac, 2 from BMW, 2 from Acura, 4 from Porsche and 1 from Lamborghini.

In LMP2, there are 12 confirmed entries, while in GT Daytona Pro there are 12 cars and in GTD there are a staggering 26 cars. That’s a total of 61 cars! (including Endurance Cup). There is no doubt about it – we are living in the modern “golden” era of sports car racing, and have IMSA to thank for it.

World class drivers – including legends from Formula One and IndyCar, world class manufacturers and teams, world class circuits. What more could you ask for?

The 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is shaping up to be the best ever – and that includes the incredible 1980’s GTP era that we participated in and reported on. It would be safe to say that IMSA racing in 2024 will rank right up there with the best and most well-known racing series in the world – including Formula One. For sure it will feature a wider variety of winners!

It’s going to be one hell of a ride. Be sure and join us in 2024 and take in some of the best racing on the planet. Go see some of it in person – it will be well worth the trip.

See you at the races.

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster

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UPDATE: Ben Keating – Ironman

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 22:51:46 +0000

[Jack Webster Photo]

By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine

Ben Keating did what he had to do and got it done at Motul Petit Le Mans, securing the LMP2 driver’s title in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, along with taking the Team’s title for PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports. Ben, along with season long co-driver Paul-Loiup Chatin showed speed and consistency all season long in securing the title. Things got off to a blistering start at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta when Keating put his ORECA on pole on the final lap of qualifying and followed up with a podium finish to secure the championship.

We look forward to following Ben as he moves to United Autosports for the 2024 season.

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster

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Motul Petit Le Mans – Redemption

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 22:31:08 +0000

[Jack Webster Photo]

By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship started the season with the grueling Rolex 24 at Daytona, and in between that race and the season ending 10 Hour contest at Motul Petit Le Mans, there were countless stories of triumph and tragedy, victory and defeat, damnation and redemption.

This race saw the end and the beginning of several eras – the first season of GTP competition, the last season of LMP3 in the WeatherTech series, the last season for Corvette Racing as a factory team and the end of MSR’s association with Acura.

It has been a trying season for the Michael Shank led race team, which was penalized after the Rolex 24 win for rules infractions, related to reporting of tire pressure settings. No need to go into details here, the facts are well known. The team kept the win, but gave up all the prize money, lost 200 points and was fined $50,000. To make matters worse, it appeared all season long that Acura would likely abandon the team at the end of the season, regardless of their achievements after Daytona. Did the punishment fit the crime? Who can say? All we know is that MSR knuckled down and did what they needed to do all season. They were the only team to score 3 overall wins in 2023, with victories at the Rolex 24 and Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and finally capping the season off with victory at Motul Petit Le Mans. In the last hour of Petit, they literally went from last to first in GTP and held on for a fine and popular victory. The driving team of Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun and Helio Castroneves combined talents for the win. On the podium, everyone looked like the weight of the world had been lifted off their shoulders. Redemption for the team at Petit.

Michael Shank said it best: “I don’t even know what to say right now. The crap this team’s been through this year. I have to thank Acura and all the crew and drivers. It’s too much. It’s just too much. I’m so happy. So happy.”

They are stepping aside from IMSA competition for the time being, but are certain to be back in 2025. Word has it that they are having serious discussions with Alpine about a GTP program – stay tuned. MSR is a fan favorite – they will be back. “Quit” is a word that is not in Michael Shank’s vocabulary.

Here are all the class winners from Motul Petit Le Mans.

GTP: #60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06
Drivers: Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, Helio Castroneves
LMP2: #04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR ORECA 07 Gibson
Drivers: George Kurtz, Nolan Siegel, Ben Hanley
LMP3: #30 JrIII Racing Ligier JS P320
Drivers: Garett Grist, Dakota Dickerson, Bijoy Garg
GTD-PRO: #79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
Drivers: Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon, Maro Engel
GTD: #78 US RaceTrtonics Lamborghini Hurcan GT3 EVO2
Drivers: Misha Golkhberg, Loris Spinelli, Patrick Liddy

Going into Petit, any of 4 GTP manufacturers could have won the championship, but in the end, it was Cadillac and the Whelen Engineering team taking top honors, with Pipo Derani and Alexander Sims taking the driver’s title. The Porsche challenge fell by the wayside, as the Penske team tried to fight back all day from on track incidents and the Wayne Taylor Raciing #10 crashed out when Filipe Alburquerque tried to pass Derani on the outside of Turn 1 late in the race.

In other championships, in LMP2 Ben Keating (who we just did a feature story about) and Paul-Loup Chatin won the driver’s title with a solid 3rd place at Petit Le Mans. Keating once again set the pace, taking pole position in the class with a blistering lap as time expired in qualifying.

In the final season of LMP3, Gar Robinson locked up the driver’s title after a stellar performance all season long.

In GTD-PRO, this season marked the end of the Corvette factory team, as next year Corvettes will be in the hands of privateers. Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth took the championship for Vasser Sullivan and Lexus, with the WeatherTech Racing team a close second.

Finally, in GTD, Bryan Sellars and Madison Snow won the championship for BMW, with a brilliant multi-win season. The Paul Miller Racing team was flawless all season long and the championship was secured by just starting Motul Petit Le Mans.

What else is there to say? The IMSA WeatherTech Championship keeps going from strength to strength. Season long entries for next year are set, with a record 48 cars set for the full season and a capacity field of 57 have signed up for the Michelin Endurance Cup. WeatherTech and VP Racing Fuels just extended their sponsorships through 2030 and Michelin is signed up through 2028. The new Lamborghini GTP car is expected by Sebring next season and down the road, new GTP cars are coming from Aston Martin, Alpine and likely others. Under the leadership of John Doonan, IMSA has grown and continues to grow. Record crowds are showing up at the events, TV viewership is up, worldwide interest is continuing to grow. The sky seems to be the limit.

Forget longing for the past, we are right now living in the new golden era of sports car racing.

Enjoy the ride.

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster

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Ben Keating – Ironman

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 14:21:44 +0000

Ben Keating at speed in the beautiful Wynns P2 car. [photo by Jack Webster]

By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine

Motul Petit Le Mans is coming up shortly and all the different classes in IMSA will be crowning their champions. Currently lying second in points in the LMP2 class heading into the season finale is Ben Keating who is piloting the PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA 07 Gibson in his quest for the championship. The title would go nicely with his LMP2 Championship and Michelin Endurance Cup from the 2021 season.

Also, Ben Keating is the first American driver (in any class) to have won multiple World Championships. Driving in the FIA-WEC series in 2022, Keating secured the LMGTE Am Driver’s title piloting an Aston Martin for TF Sport. This year, having gotten the attention of Corvette Racing after last year’s championship run, Ben was signed by the GM squad to pilot their C8.R in this year’s FIA-WEC championship. He certainly didn’t disappoint. He proceeded to win the WEC race at Sebring, won the 6 Hours of Portimao and clinched the LMGTE Am Championship at the 6 Hours of Monza.

Now he is on the cusp of potentially another IMSA LMP2 title and at Indianapolis we had the chance to sit down with Ben to discuss his career and where he is headed next. The very popular and fan favorite Texas car dealer has been going nonstop in the world of motorsports since he was first introduced to the sport a number of years ago with a gift of a track day by his wife.

“I just think it is crazy for a 52-year-old car dealer from Texas to be the only American to have won multiple World Championships in sports car racing.”

We don’t think it is crazy at all, as without doubt, Ben Keating is the finest pro-am driver we have ever seen race. And we have seen a lot of them.

Ben is known for maximizing his track time while at the race track. Many times, he has driven two different cars in different classes in the same endurance race, like the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Even with a championship on the line, he is branching out into something completely different at Motul Petit Le Mans. He will be driving a Mazda MX-5 in their race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. “I am extremely excited to be racing in the MX-5 Cup with Saito Motorsports Group and, to be honest, quite nervous. It looks like a total blast to drive and the competition looks like a ton of fun”, Ben told IMSA.

Driving constantly both overseas in the FIA-WEC series and in IMSA certainly requires a lot of stamina and fitness and we asked Ben about how he handles it all. What is his routine, how does he stay fit?

“Riding a bicycle. I do a lot, a lot, of cycling. The hardest part of being in a sports car for a long period is the elevated heart rate. People don’t realize how high your heart rate gets. I’m somewhere around 150 beats per minute on average – for a long period when I’m in the car.”

“You know, at Daytona for example, if I’m gonna drive in two different cars, I need to be comfortable with 150 beats per minute for three hours at a time. And you still have to make good decisions, good judgement calls, be able to have your wits about you, and the only thing I’ve ever found where I can do that is on a bicycle.”

Coupled with his strict training discipline, Ben prepares his own custom nutrition for his use during a race. He doesn’t use a cool suit, cool hat or even a drink bottle in the car.

“I don’t use a drink bottle in the car because it’s distracting. Every time I come in for a pit stop, I have this funky looking plastic collapsible bottle. It’s got my mixture of calories and electrolytes and water all in there. And I know it works well for me because of cycling. Every time I come in for a pit stop, they hand it to me.”

Ben likes to race what he sells. Among his 28 dealerships he represents many brands. At his garage at home he has the Ford GT he raced at Le Mans and joining it soon will be his WEC Championship winning Corvette C8.R. His championship Aston Martin from last year, he does not have an interest in.

“I am really big about racing what I sell. I love the World Endurance Championship but I don’t sell Porsches or Aston Martins or Ferraris. I always wanted to drive a Corvette. So, the fact that I won the World Championship last year (for Aston Martin), I won Le Mans, won a bunch of Poles, I was able to get my toe in the door (with Corvette).”

The rest, as they say, is history.

And next year for Ben Keating? Well, he is leaving the FIA-WEC behind (except for Le Mans, anyway), and has signed on with United Autosports who will be fielding a two-car team in the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the P2 class. Expect to see Ben’s familiar Wynns sponsorship on his United Autosports ride next season.

“I’m spending about a third of my year at a racetrack. I need to race less. I’m done with the WEC (except for Le Mans, he says). I’m going to be full time in IMSA (next season).”

If racing less means another full season of getting to see Ben racing all the IMSA events, plus perhaps at Le Mans, we’ll take it. It wouldn’t seem like a proper race weekend if Ben Keating wasn’t racing in at least one car – or two.

We will see you, and Ben Keating, at the races.

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster

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Petit Le Mans GTP Showdown

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 17:52:29 +0000

By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine
photos by Jack Webster

All eyes will be on Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on October 14 as the inaugural season of GTP racing in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship comes to a close at Motul Petit Le Mans.

It has been an incredible season of racing so far, and going into the final round there are four manufacturers that are still in the mix for the championship. Porsche is in first, followed by Cadillac, Acura and BMW. However, it looks like Motul Petit Le Mans will be winner take all, as all four manufacturers are only separated by 64 points.

The driver’s championship in GTP is just as tight, but in a different order. Pipo Derani and Alexander Sims of the #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac share first place, followed by Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor in the #10 Wayne Taylor/Andretti Autosport Acura, with Mathiew Jaminet and Nick Tandy third for the #6 Porsche Penske and then Nick Yelloly and Connor de Phillippi in the #25 BMW Team RRL. Again, super tight points battle here with only 38 points difference among those four title contenders.

In the team’s championship, things are just as tight, but again in a different order. Leading is the #10 Wayne Taylor/Andretti team, despite not having won a race this season. Second is the #31 Whelen Engineering entry, which won Sebring. Next is the #25 Team RRL BMW – the Watkins Glen 6-Hour winner and has been getting stronger and stronger at each outing. Next is the #6 Porsche Penske, which won for the first time at Long Beach. The same car won on the track at Watkins Glen, but was disqualified for a ride height infraction after the race. The #6 Porsche Penske also won the most recent race at Indianapolis, making them the only repeat winner in 2023. Fifth in the team standings is the #60 MSR Acura, controversial Rolex 24 winner who lost the points after Acura turned themselves in for tire pressure manipulation. The team bounced back from the controversy and won Detroit later in the season. Finally, in sixth is the #01 from Cadillac Racing, which won the Laguna Seca race. These six teams are separated by only 139 points, so again, the championship will be decided at Road Atlanta.

There are a couple of ironic things to note in the team’s championship. The Wayne Taylor squad is leading the points, despite not having a race this season. The MSR Acura sits in fifth place, with a shot at the team’s title. Regardless of outcome, MSR has lost their Acura deal for 2024 and Wayne Taylor/Andretti will be taking possession of their car after Petit Le Mans. Kind of sad, really. Hard fought racing all year, a chance to win it all and no matter the outcome, MSR is out for 2024.

Anyway, that’s how things line up for the final IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race of the 2023 season, and the inaugural season of GTP. We are sure the final will be just as exciting and unpredictable as the rest of the season has been. By the end of Motul Petit Le Mans all will be decided, and it will be time to move on to 2024 and an even more competitive and exciting GTP sophomore year.

See you in Atlanta.

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster

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Gimmi Bruni – New Challenges

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 20:14:00 +0000

At speed in the Proton Porsche 963. [Photo by Jack Webster]

By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine

The last time we caught up with Gianmaria “Gimmi” Bruni was back in 2014 at the FIA-WEC race at the Circuit of the Americas, where he was driving for Ferrari. The man had quite the career driving for the Prancing Horse, before switching to Porsche in February of 2017. Just like at Ferrari, Gimmi has been consistently quick, and just like at Ferrari, he continues to win races.

After a career that started in go karts when he was only 10 years old (he lied about his age, saying he was 12 so he could race), he progressed through the single seater ranks through GP2 (where he won races in two seasons) and then on to Formula One with Minardi in 2004. The bitter lesson learned in Formula One was that no matter how talented the driver, if the car is not competitive, you are finished. As Gimmi told us back in 2014: “F1 is very difficult without a good car and it is difficult to prove how good you really are. It is a shame I couldn’t make a big impact in F1, but I’m lucky now. I have a good job and I really enjoy driving.”

Bruni went on to win class 2 times for Ferrari in the GT ranks at Le Mans and the European Le Mans GT Championship in 2011. Plus, in 2013 and 2014, he was FIA-WEC GT-Pro Champion. With those championships, plus a successful career in the US racing in the American Le Mans Series, it is no wonder that his achievements came to the attention of Porsche, who lured the multiple time Ferrari champion to the German marque. If you can’t beat him, hire him to drive for you.

It has been a successful transition for Bruni, who won the GT-Pro class at Le Mans in 2022 (his 3rd class win) driving for Porsche and who won the ELMS LMGTE Championship for Porsche the same year.

Now Gimmi is back in the US, taking on the challenge of piloting the all-new Porsche 963 in the GTP class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, for the remainder of this season and beyond. Having just taken delivery of their new Porsche 963 at the Monza round of the FIA-WEC race before heading to Wisconsin to compete at Road America in the IMSA series, Gimmi knows the challenge the Proton team faces – up against teams that have been racing all season with their GTP cars (from Acura, Cadillac and BMW), and the likes of Penske, who got their Porsche 963 cars first and has had all season to fine tune them.

As Gimmi told us: “It’s a new experience for me, for the team, for Proton. We just got the car a few days ago. The mechanics just finished the build on the car yesterday and they haven’t slept for two days…we just drove in the WEC race at Monza and then shipped the car directly here (to Road America).”

Actually, they did pretty good at Road America, with Gimmi and teammate Harry Tincknell taking 8th overall in the race, with a fastest lap less than one second slower than the winning Porsche Penske 963 over the 4-mile circuit.

Transitioning from the GT ranks to the space age and hi-tech Porsche 963 is challenging. “It’s completely different from what I was used to, feeling wise, how you lose the car, how you react with the car, how you work on the car – everything. But it also brings me back to my young days, you know, some of the fire. It is good.”

“The last time I was here (Road America) was six years ago in a GT – it was the first time I drove for Porsche, having just moved from Ferrari to Porsche. So yes, I have good memories here, but now I am in a car that goes 15 seconds a lap faster – so it is very different!”

We are sure that Gimmi Bruni will be a major factor in making the Proton Porsche 963 faster, and before you know it the team will be right up front, racing for wins with Acura, Cadillac, BMW, and of course, the Porsche Penske. That’s because Gimmi Bruni is fast, always has been, always will be.

See you at the races…

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster

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Rocky

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 15:10:50 +0000

The JDC-Miller Porsche 963. [Photo by Jack Webster]

by Jack Webster & Eddie LePine

We have known Mike Rockenfeller since his early days racing sports cars. He has had quite a career, winning Le Mans twice (once in the GT class in 2005 and once overall for Audi in 2010). In addition to his Le Mans success, Rocky, as he is known to everyone in racing, also won the Rolex 24 in 2010 at Daytona driving a Porsche Riley for Action Express Racing. He was also FIA GT2 Champion in 2005, 24 Hours of Nürburgring winner in 2006, 24 Hours of Spa winner in 2005 and DTM Champion in 2013. Also throw in a stint as a factory Corvette driver for GM. Quite a career, but Rocky is not nearly finished. Ever expanding his racing interests, in 2022 he drove in two NASCAR races – at Charlotte and Watkins Glen. He became instrumental in the NASCAR Garage 56 entry at Le Mans in 2023 – doing tons of testing and piloting the car at Le Mans along with NASCAR Legend Jimmy Johnson and Formula One World Champion Jensen Button.

Mike Rockenfeller certainly shows no signs of slowing down his racing career, and after that outstanding run at Le Mans, he has joined the IMSA GTP ranks piloting the brand-new JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963. In addition those drives in IMSA, he continues to pilot NASCAR hardware, running for Jimmy Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club at Indy (where he finished 24th in this weekend’s race) and will pilot the car again at the upcoming race at Watkins Glen.

We caught up with a very busy Rocky in the paddock at Road America, where he would guide the new privateer Porsche 963 to a fifth-place finish overall in the GTP class.

“In racing, sometimes it’s a rollercoaster. I’ve been fortunate for many years to be linked to two great, three great brands, actually. Porsche early in my career. Then I moved to Audi for 15 years after that, and then in parallel I was racing with Corvette for the long races for four years. So, I was always very happy and I appreciated it.”

Of course, in motor racing things can change, and often quite rapidly. Audi ended their factory racing program, Porsche went with a youth movement for their LMP cars and Rocky suddenly found himself looking for gainful employment as a driver.

“Audi pretty much turned everything down – except for starting up their Formula One project so here I am, looking right and left for opportunities and seeing other guys getting the drives – and for sure it made me a little sad and worried. Luckily Garage 56 happened, which was amazing. In terms of a team, working with them was probably the best I have ever worked with. I enjoyed myself, obviously with the surroundings, with the teammates I had. The whole experience was great.”

And now it is time to get into the JDC-Miller Porsche 963 and compete with the likes of Penske Porsche Racing along with factory teams from Acura, BMW and Cadillac. JDC being a privateer and getting their car late, makes the task of getting the new car up to speed quite challenging – a challenge that Rocky welcomes.

“You have to be realistic with the expectations. The car is super sensitive, very complex – hard to find the right window. So, we are not there yet, but why should we? I mean, we just do a few races now, one test now, but all the others have a lot of experience. So anyway, it’s a tight field. It’s great to be back in IMSA full time. I like the team a lot. You know, the car is cool, good fun.”

I’ve been around 20, 22 years or something now I am racing at 39, so I feel young and motivated in every way. On the other hand, I’m not 20 anymore, so yeah, the funny thing is in racing, you know, one year you have offers from three different manufacturers and the next you have nothing. And people forget about you. So that’s something I had to learn. I enjoy every moment because I know it can all be over very soon.”

We who have watched Mike Rockenfeller go from success to success throughout his career don’t see that great career slowing down anytime soon. There is too much to still do, to many things left to accomplish.

Here’s to Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV and beyond.

See you at the races.

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster

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There’s Great Grip…Until There’s Not — Observations from the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America

Pete Gorski — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 15:17:13 +0000

The DPi Acura looked pretty long, but not as long when compared to the current GTP cars. [Pete Gorski Photo]

by Pete Gorski

“Firsts” don’t happen every day at a track with sixty-eight years of history like Road America, but the IMSA weekend featured a big one and a few “first time in a long time” moments.

Of course the big “first” was the inaugural visit to Road America by IMSA’s new-for-2023 hybrid GTP class. Not to slag the previous DPi era, but there’s a palpable buzz (no hybrid pun intended) surrounding these new cars. Porsche and BMW are back in the top class which is alway a good thing for prototype racing. And so far, teething pains have been relatively light; the threat of retirements due to new technology issues haven’t really manifested. More on the GTPs later.

One of the other “firsts” is playing out over the course of the season — the first time in 28 years the track has been paved and the impact the new surface has on each series as it experiences it for the first time. As we’ve heard all season long, teams can throw out their “books” because anything they knew about the 4.048-miles of pavement no longer has any relevance. But what’s been unexpected is how each series’ perspective has changed as the season progressed.

The SVRA Spring Vintage Festival was the first “magnet” series to run on the new pavement and the reaction from drivers was almost universally positive. No bumps, consistent, very little tire wear… MotoAmerica was next, and they were setting track records while praising the new surface.

But as the heavy pro series (and that’s not a NASCAR joke) have rubbered in the track with their super sticky tires, grip that had been consistent from edge to edge has shrunk to a single groove. “It’s great on line, but off it’s a skating rink,” or words to that effect, have been heard regularly with each following visit.

Whether the development of (or reduction to) a single groove is a good thing or bad thing is a matter of personal perspective. There’s definitely a vicious circle thing happening, where the grip is so strong on line that nobody wants to run off line, which makes the current line even more grippy because everybody is running there. But there’s one aspect of the new pavement that on the surface (ha!) seems like a good thing, but is causing some trouble.

Cornering speeds are up. That’s great, right? However, because of that, cars seem to be running wide both more often and in places they never used to. More cars have had trouble exiting the Carousel during the past two events (NASCAR Xfinity and IMSA) than in the previous 10 years, or so it seems. (Not much data to be mined on that.) The clouds of dust that rise from the now-grassless area bordering the curbing at the exit of Turn 10 would seem to support the assertion, as would the number of cars hitting the barriers from the exit to the base of the bridge that leads to The Beach.

Let’s get back to the GTP class. We did a story when the cars first debuted that focused on how racecars don’t have to look good to be successful, but it’s nice when they do. After three days of watching and photographing the four models, here are my observations — your mileage may vary.

Sometimes seeing a car in all three dimensions provides a perspective that changes your opinion. Not this time, at least in regard to the Acura. I wasn’t a fan of the Acura ARX-05 DPi’s looks and seeing the new version up close has not swayed me. The BMW M Hybrid V8 is undeniably distinctive, but not really beautiful. That said, the taillights are a great bit of design. The Porsche 963 suffers a little bit from what I’d describe as a duck-bill front end, especially in profile. I’m sticking with my assessment that the Cadillac is the most sinister of the bunch, even in non-Galactic Empire livery. And, as the only atmo engine out there, it sounds the best. Turbos may be a great way to make power, but beyond the spooling whistle, they muffle engine sounds to a disappointing degree.

Beyond all those subjective aspects, the cars are faster and in another YMMV situation, longer. The two carry-over manufacturers’ DPis rode on wheelbases of 155.5 inches (Cadillac) and 118.3 inches (Acura). The GTPs are all pegged at 123.9 inches. But overall length is a different story. The Porsche 963 is listed at < 5,100mm (200 inches), the maximum allowed by the rules, as are the Cadillac and the Acura. The BMW is 4,991. So length is up by 12 inches or so. There has been a discussion recently about how long Formula One cars have become. The explanation is that all the extra MGU apparatus has to fit somewhere, and the engineers don’t want the cars to get wider, so they get longer. (There’s an aero incentive too.) It makes sense that with hybrid power units, the GTPs would get longer. But they look almost awkwardly long (as do current F1 cars), like turning a short bus. For reference, my personal favorite from the aforementioned “beauty” article, the Porsche 917, rolled on a 90.5 inch wheelbase with a length of 163 inches. The 962? 104.3 inch wheelbase and 189 inch length. All this extra length explains why the cars look so slow and ungainly in slow-speed corners, like Long Beach’s hairpin. But don’t misunderstand, the GTPs still put on a great show. And with the addition of the SC63 from Lamborghini next season, excitement and competition levels should remain high. While the WeatherTech Championship was the headline series, the Mazda MX-5 Cup, Lamborghini Super Trofeo series, and Michelin Pilot Challenge kept the track packed with action all weekend long. I mentioned last week how odd it is to hear a single-make series (Porsche Carrera Cup) come hustling past you when you’re used to a variety of engine notes, and here were two more! The Mazdas sound much more raspy and buzzsaw-like in race tune than you’d expect; the Huracáns make a deeper (obviously) rumble, with a cammy overlay. It’s unfortunate that TV needs necessitated running the WeatherTech race early in the morning, bumping the Michelin Pilot Challenge race to the afternoon. The fans who stayed to watch were rewarded with a diverse field of GS and TCR cars running in close contact for much of the two hour race. The last thirty minutes produced multiple position changes between the BMW M4 GT4s from Turner Motorsports and Random Vandals Racing and the Porsche 718 GT4 RS of NOLASPORT. Just when it seemed like the order was set, the pack would burst into view under the Corvette bridge led by a different car than the last time. And in case you were wondering, yes, the Hyundai traction control system still sounds like somebody is stepping on a dog toy every time it engages.

Pete Gorski

I’ve been a race fan from the first time my Dad put a slot-car controller in my hand. That was back in the 1970s, and in the intervening years, I’ve spent hours watching racing, photographing racing, and for the past seven years, writing about racing. My work has appeared in Victory Lane magazine and SpeedTour Quarterly, along with the Visors Down Motorsports Photography Facebook page.

www.gorskiphotoservices.com

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Flying Cars And Fast Times At Road America

RacingNation Crew — Sun, 06 Aug 2023 03:18:37 +0000

Nico Pino flew the Sean Creech Motorsport Ligier JS P320 out of Turn 1 at Road America during qualifying. [Pete Gorski Photo]

Elkhart Lake, WI – Speed was easy to find at the newly repaved Road America track during qualifying and the cars of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series flew around the 4.048 course, some literally.

When the session was completed, Pipo Derani who is no stranger to speed at Road America, topped the charts with a new track record of 1 minute 47.730 seconds.

The #31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac V Series.R driver beat the previous record by almost a second and out paced his closest competitor, Matt Campbell in the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963, by just .068 seconds on the 14 turn course.

“It’s been obviously a very good weekend so far for Cadillac Racing,” said Derani. “We unloaded from the truck with a very good car, but with the field so tight as we have seen in every practice, we had to keep working hard for qualifying. To prove the results we had in practice with a pole position shows we were working in the right direction.”

The LMP2 field will be led to the green flag by George Kurtz and Ben Hanley (#04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR ORECA LMP2 07). Topping LMP3 group was Nico Pino (#33 Sean Creech Motorsport Ligier JS P320).

Alex Riberas captured the Motul Pole Award in GTD PRO in the #23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3. In GTD, the 1 Paul Miller BMW driven by Madison Snow was the fastest in class.

The entire 45 car field will take to the track on Sunday starting at 11:10 am to 1:50 pm ET to race for the IMSA SportsCar Weekend win. The race will air live starting at 11:00 am on the USA Network and Peacock.

RacingNation Crew

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