Bourdais seethes after IMSA strips team of class victory at Rolex 24 at Daytona
The Tower entry driven by John Farano, Sebastien Bourdais, Sebastian Alvarez and Job van Uitert won its class at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday when the twice-round-the-clock endurance classic ended. The Rolex 24 was won overall for the second consecutive year by Porsche Penske Motorsport.
IMSA said the Tower entry exceeded the maximum allowable wear to the regulated area of the skid block on the underside of the car during post-race inspection. Tower protested the penalty, but it was denied by IMSA.
'Racing can be cruel but governing bodies can be far worse,' Bourdais wrote on social media. He explained a damper that controls ride height failed and it lowered the rear of the car, thus overwearing the skid block.
'In recent memory, IMSA always used common sense when enforcing rules that were breached by technical failure,' Bourdais seethed, particularly over the treatment of Tower.
'Making them look like cheaters makes me sick as they always operate by the book,' he wrote.
The penalty promoted Daniel Goldburg, Paul di Resta, Rasmus Lindh and James Allen to first place. It was the first Rolex win for all but Allen.
'We came to Daytona with one very clear goal and we have achieved it,' said United Autosports co-owner Richard Dean, 'To win the Rolex 24 at Daytona any year is pretty special, but to win it only a few months after celebrating victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours makes it an extra special moment.
'Zak and I would like to thank the entire team for their dedication and commitment. We can all be very proud of what we have achieved.'
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Business News
a day ago
- Time Business News
How to Choose the Best Rolex Dealers in Houston
Buying a Rolex is a big investment, so choosing the right Rolex dealers in Houston is very important. The dealer you choose will determine the authenticity, quality, and value of your purchase. Houston has many places where you can buy both new and pre owned Rolex Houston TX models, but not all dealers offer the same level of trust and service. To make a smart purchase, you need to know what to look for in a reliable seller. This guide will help you choose the right dealer for your luxury watch needs. When looking for Rolex dealers in Houston, the first thing to check is whether they are an authorized Rolex retailer. Authorized dealers are certified by Rolex to sell and service their watches, which means you can trust the authenticity of the products. Official Rolex certification displayed in the store Guaranteed genuine watches with proper documentation Access to the latest Rolex collections Professional service and maintenance options The best Rolex dealers in Houston have a proven track record and years of experience in the luxury watch business. Reputation matters, especially when buying a high-value item like a Rolex. Read online reviews and ratings from past customers Ask for recommendations from friends or collectors Check how long the dealer has been in business Look for consistent positive feedback Many trusted Rolex dealers in Houston also sell pre owned Rolex Houston TX watches. Pre-owned models can offer great value and access to rare or discontinued designs. Always make sure pre-owned watches are fully inspected and come with authenticity papers. Access to vintage and rare Rolex models Lower prices compared to brand-new watches Verified authenticity and condition reports Warranty included for peace of mind Prices can vary among Rolex dealers in Houston, especially when it comes to pre owned Rolex Houston TX selections. Comparing prices will help you find the best deal without sacrificing quality or service. Customer service is an important factor when choosing a Rolex dealer. A good dealer will answer your questions, guide you through the buying process, and provide after-sales support for your watch. Friendly and knowledgeable staff Clear explanations about watch features Assistance with sizing and adjustments After-sale maintenance and servicing options The best Rolex dealers in Houston offer clear return policies and warranties for both new and pre owned Rolex Houston TX watches. This ensures that you are protected in case of any issues after purchase. Finding the right Rolex dealers in Houston requires research, comparison, and attention to detail. Whether you're buying new or exploring pre owned Rolex Houston TX models, choose a dealer that offers authenticity, fair pricing, and excellent customer service. A trusted dealer will not only help you find the perfect Rolex but also ensure it remains a valuable part of your collection for years to come. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Indianapolis Star
2 days ago
- Indianapolis Star
IndyCar 'committed' to Toronto for 2026, but race may land at new venue, time. What we know
When the checkered flag fell and Pato O'Ward, Zak Brown, Tony Kanaan and Co. celebrated in the Indy Toronto pit lane, IndyCar and Green Savoree Racing Promotions, which for years has served as the promoter for the series' annual trip north of the border, were yet again on the clock to strike a new deal with city officials for the renewal of a race weekend that in recent years has operated on a series of one-year contracts. As the paddock cleared that afternoon, several series sources noted that despite the uncertainty of the event's future contractually, combined with the novelty of the soccer stadium a stone's throw from pit lane hosting tens of thousands of rowdy soccer fans six times from June 12 to July 2, 2026 for the men's FIFA World Cup and Penske Entertainment putting a major refresh on IndyCar's calendar for next season, they felt a hunch the series would return. They just didn't know how or when. The viability of the race's future is no longer in question, with GSRP co-owners Kim Green and Kevin Savoree telling members of the paddock in recent weeks that plans for an IndyCar return in 2026 are a go. In a statement to IndyStar, a representative with GSRP said that 'IndyCar and Green Savoree Toronto are committed to the market.' But increasingly, the belief, according to multiple sources, is the race is likely to see a venue swap for 2026 from Exhibition Place, which has hosted 39 major American open-wheel races since its first in 1986. The most likely option to hold the race remains within Toronto's city limits, though. That spot? The now-defunct Downsview Airport, which decades ago served as an air base during World War II and which more recently was owned and operated by Bombardier Aerospace until it was sold in 2018 to a development company that a year ago closed the airport operations for the single-runway facility with plans to overhaul the facility and the surrounding area over the next 30 years into a self-sufficient residential community. Downsview is located nearly 10 miles north of Exhibition Place and can be accessed by a 20-to-30-minute trip on public transit from downtown Toronto's Union Station to Downsview Park Station connected by the "1 Line." It's existence within Toronto city limits would allow the city to continue to provide the funds and assistance necessary to put on the event in ways it has for nearly four decades — compared to running at another local out-of-use airstrip like Buttonville, which is 20 miles outside of downtown Toronto in Markham. Since the airport formally ceased operations a little more than a year ago, Northcrest Developments, the airport's new owner, has hosted community events on the airstrip, and the park area surrounding the airport has seen the creation of temporary concert venue, Rogers Stadium, which this summer has or will play host to Coldplay, Oasis, Chris Brown, Hozier and System of a Down from late June until mid September. The venue can host roughly 50,000 fans as Toronto's largest purpose-built music venue. The area around the airport has hosted massive events in the past, including the country's papal visits in 1984 and 2002, as well as a Rolling Stones benefit concert in 2003 — the Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto. The area also includes the training grounds for Toronto FC, the Major League Soccer team whose home matches are played at BMO Field in downtown Toronto. IndyCar uncertainty for Mexico City: Penske 'very confident' to land new race, but negotiations complicated Complications around continuing to host the annual IndyCar race in downtown Toronto — beyond the city's insistence to strike rolling one-year deals of late — comes with BMO Field hosting five group stage men's FIFA World Cup matches next year, as well as an elimination round match July 2, as North America plays host to the tournament. In recent years, the race has been held the third weekend in July, and the process of building the temporary street circuit takes more than 30 days to complete, meaning the construction process would need to begin somewhere around the 1.786-mile circuit just as the run of World Cup matches began next summer, if Exhibition Place were to host a race in a similar timeframe. Last month, IndyStar learned of Fox and Penske Entertainment's aims for Laguna Seca to run the third weekend in July as a way for the IndyCar race that Sunday to use the World Cup championship match on Fox's airwaves as a lead-in event that could significantly help boost its audience. In December 2022, Fox's broadcast of the Argentina-France men's FIFA World Cup final averaged an audience of nearly 18 million viewers for a Sunday morning broadcast. Next year's World Cup final is reportedly scheduled to air at 3 p.m. July 19 on Fox, which could allow for a 6 p.m. broadcast start time for a West Coast IndyCar race. Insider: Loss of Iowa, negotiations around Mexico City preparing to transform 2026 IndyCar schedule At that time, plans were also for IndyCar's prospective return to Mexico City to immediately follow Laguna Seca on July 26, with an off weekend likely to follow, meaning the earliest the next race on the calendar could be held would be Aug. 9. That weekend, or those that would immediately follow, would seem to prove problematic for Exhibition Place to host tens of thousands of race fans, followed by track workers taking the better part of three weeks to deconstruct the temporary venue. Each August, Exhibition Place plays host to the Canadian National Exhibition, an annual end-of-summer tradition akin to a massive U.S. state fair that annually is visited by more than 1.5 million people over 18 days starting the third Friday in August. CNE's annual spot on the calendar would seem to mean an IndyCar race anywhere in the greater Toronto area would need to be held by Aug. 16, so as not to run into direct conflict with the massive fair downtown. Holding the race any time once the World Cup kicks off would seem untenable, too, highlighting those early August weekends and a locale outside of downtown Toronto as a likely (albeit potentially temporary) landing spot for IndyCar's next trip north of the border.
New York Times
3 days ago
- New York Times
Hans Henken is the SailGP star who wants to become an astronaut: ‘I still have those aspirations'
Shooting for the stars and achieving the extraordinary is nothing new for elite athletes who reach the pinnacle of any sport. Hans Henken is one of the world's finest sailors; an Olympic medalist last year, a member of the U.S. SailGP team, and a Rolex Yachtsman of the Year. But he is a man whose ambitions aren't restricted to sea level. Advertisement 'If you ask a five-year-old what they want to do when they grow up, everyone says they want to become an astronaut. I still have those aspirations,' the 33-year-old Californian tells The Athletic over the phone from his home in Long Beach, south of Los Angeles, ahead of this weekend's SailGP Grand Prix in Germany. Henken's is not an idle dream. The Stanford University graduate has a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. 'I was really drawn to it, obviously, because of my childhood dream, and the astronautical engineering is one of many prerequisites that NASA looks for in terms of their application process,' Henken says. 'Part of me just wants to work on really challenging projects that require the nth degree of precision. And I think there's nothing more precise than trying to build a rocket that goes into space.' For now, however, his focus is on the current Rolex SailGP season, a high-octane close-to-shore championship, and improving his U.S. team's fortunes. The current campaign has proven heavy going for driver Taylor Canfield, team boss and strategist Mike Buckley and the rest of the crew. After a promising third place at the first event in Dubai last November, the Americans have struggled and are currently last in the 12-team standings. In the six-member crew, Henken is the flight controller, managing the ride height of the boat above the water, aiming to avoid any costly nosedives or crashes. He has in the past likened it to being a soccer goalkeeper, given that there is nowhere to hide if things go wrong. Team USA constantly reminds fans they are all working hard to get better. They have access to the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center in Santa Monica, California, where its personnel spend time going through physical and mental training programs, as well as picking up ideas from athletes in other sports. Advertisement 'I still go, minimum, once a week,' says Henken, who, along with teammate Ian Barrows, won America's sole sailing medal at the Paris Olympics last year. 'It's a bit of a long drive from my place in Long Beach, but the coolest thing about Red Bull is the diversity of their athletes and the diversity of sports. I've been asking some of the extreme-sports athletes how they train for whatever crazy thing they do, and they're like, 'Oh, we don't do a lot of training physically. We do a lot of visualization, because you only get one go at it.' 'In things like skydiving or base jumping, they only do it so often, so they have to use a lot of visualization techniques. I think there's a lot to pull from that kind of mentality and put it towards SailGP because we have a similar challenge of minimal training time.' The main question the team has to answer is how to raise performance levels when practice time is so limited. The Americans are experiencing a level of publicity and scrutiny that sailors haven't previously experienced and would probably rather do their learning away from the spotlight, but there's no avoiding it because the one thing they severely lack is time on their F50 catamarans. There's no other boat that prepares you for the high-tech, foiling F50 than the F50 itself. Access is generally limited to just one practice day before each two-day race weekend. With 12 events across the current season, plus a few extra training days, it adds up to just 42 days. 'We're talking 24 race days plus a training day before each event, plus a few extra, so you probably get 18 training days,' Henken said. The lack of training time stands in stark contrast to Henken's decade on the Olympic trail. A bronze medalist in the men's skiff competition at Paris 2024, he has taken time away from that scene to focus on SailGP, a relative newcomer in sailing in its fifth season, and is weighing up whether to compete on home waters in Los Angeles at the 2028 Games. Advertisement 'We campaigned for multiple years, spending over 250 days per year on the water to go racing for five days at the Olympics,' he says. 'Here in SailGP, we don't count days on the water, we count minutes on the water. It literally is 'Minutes matter', and if we're getting an extra 20, or even just 10, minutes at the end of a day, it really goes a long way towards learning new things about performance.' With the bulk of their time on the F50 spent racing in the heat of battle, there is little option but to try new ideas and test the limits while going full bore at up to 50 knots, side by side alongside 11 rivals. Ahead of the New York Grand Prix in June, Henken talked about using that time to 'push the envelope on performance.' 'If you're never pushing to what you think the limit is, you're just gonna get passed by boats,' he said. 'You might be beating another team because they're pushing the limits and crashing, while you're keeping it safe and consistent. You might be beating them for the first three events, but by event five, six, seven, or maybe even the next season, at some point, they're going to go past you. 'Because the time frame's so short, you have to make rapid decisions really, really quickly on how you're going to utilize that time. If you don't do it that way, you end up spending too much time not exploring your options. And then you kind of get stuck in a No-Man's Land of not really committing to one process or another, and you never really quite find out if it was a performance gain or not.' Current leaders of Season 5 are the New Zealanders, led by driver Pete Burling and his wing trimmer and long-time sidekick Blair Tuke. Together they won three Olympic medals in the 49er skiff, including gold at Rio 2016, and have helped win the past three America's Cups for their country. They are the hottest properties in sailing, but Henken points out that for all their undoubted prowess, even Burling and Tuke have had to serve their apprenticeship in SailGP. Advertisement 'Pete and Blair are the duo that everyone wants to be. Everyone wants to be exactly who they are because they are winning at the highest level and everything that they do,' says Henken, recalling the New Zealanders' difficult start in SailGP. 'They come into the league in Season Two. They push the envelope, they're learning the boat. They're not winning events. But by Season Three, Season Four, all of a sudden, they've figured it out. They've pushed hard, and they've used that time and training at every regatta to be able to find that. 'I think right now, our team is basically trying to find what that (winning formula) is in racing, and it's really, really challenging.' For Henken and his teammates, the next opportunity to test their progress comes this weekend in Sassnitz, a town on northern Germany's Baltic Sea coast. Some crew changes are in the offing for the eighth event of the 2025 season, and even Henken did not know if he would be on the boat this time. 'I imagine that will probably be announced about five minutes before the first race… We've been doing a lot of rotation (in training), a lot of changes. Not one person has been on the boat all day long,' he says. 'We're going to wake up on Saturday, the roster is going to get filled out, that's going to be the A team and they're going to go racing.' For more SailGP, follow Global Sports on The Athletic app via the Discover tab Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
