Latest news with #AORacing
NBC Sports
13-04-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
IMSA Long Beach results, points: Nasr, Tandy stay perfect for Porsche Penske in 2025 season
The No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 scored its third consecutive victory to open the 2025 season as Porsche swept both IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship categories in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Leap-frogging the pole-sitting No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 with an early pit stop, Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr remained unbeaten in the Grand Touring Prototype class after their endurance victories in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and Twelve Hours of Sebring. 'It feels incredible and that's thanks to the team we have and another amazing weekend,' Nasr told NBC Sports pit reporter Dave Burns. 'It's hard to put the words to say. We're just there working hard, giving everything we have and it's paying off. And another 1-2 for the team, so incredible day for Porsche Penske Motorsport. IMSA LONG BEACH GP RESULTS: Click here for overall l By class With No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsports teammates Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell finishing runnner-up in the 100-minute race, it was the second consecutive 1-2 finish for the Porsche Penske cars, replicating the results at Sebring. Through three of nine races, Nasr and Tandy have a 123-point lead on Jaminet and Campbell as the No. 7 team defends its 2024 championship in Grand Touring Prototype. 'One page at a time,' Nasr said. 'It's incredible to put our name in history that we started the championship this way. It's a unique moment for everybody on board, and we just want to continue this way. There's a long way to go.' It's the first time in eight years that a team in IMSA's premier prototype category has won three consecutive to start the season. In 2017, Jordan and Ricky Taylor won the first five races in Daytona Prototype International for Wayne Taylor Racing. Porsche also won in the GTD category at Long Beach as the No. 177 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) of Laurens Vanthoor and Jonny Edgar outdueled the No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 of Vasser Sullivan Racing on pit strategy. It's the second consecutive victory for AO Racing, which normally competes in GTD Pro and was running a one-off in GTD. After teaming with Nasr and Tandy to win the Rolex 24 and Sebring in GTP, Vanthoor moved into GTD at Long Beach to earn his 13th career victory with Edgar, who won in his debut on the streets of Long Beach and in GTD. 'When they asked me about being at Long Beach, I love the cars, and this iconic car, and my daughter was very happy about it,' Vanthoor told NBC Sports' Kevin Lee. 'So everything was there to do this race. Three wins in a row, but then Felipe and Nick as well in the GTP cars, it's pretty cool. It seems like we can keep winning.' IMSA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH RESULTS Race results Results by class Fastest laps by driver Fastest laps by driver after race (over the weekend) Fastest laps by driver and class after race Lap chart Best sector times Leader sequence Race distance and average speed Fastest lap sequence Race analysis by lap Stint analysis Time cards Pit stop time cards Flag analysis Weather report NEXT RACE The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will race May 11 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (3 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock). For Laurens Vanthoor, his GTD class win in Long Beach extends his streak to three on the IMSA season, and Jonny Edgar discusses the experience racing alongside him.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Porsche Penske Motorsport scores one-two victory at 12 Hours of Sebring
Race, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Round 2, Sebring (USA) Porsche Penske Motorsport scores one-two victory at 12 Hours of Sebring Porsche Penske Motorsport scores one-two victory at 12 Hours of Sebring Atlanta., March 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Porsche has clinched first and second place at round two of this year's IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Brazilian Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy from Great Britain, and Laurens Vanthoor from Belgium swept to victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring at the wheel of their No. 7 Porsche 963. This victory comes after the trio's triumph at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January. Matt Campbell from Australia and the two Frenchmen Mathieu Jaminet and Kévin Estre rounded off the stellar performance of the Porsche Penske Motorsport works team with second place. In the GTD Pro class, the AO Racing customer team notched up its first victory at an endurance race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series with the Porsche 911 GT3 R dubbed 'Rexy'. Daytona winners Nasr/Tandy/Vanthoor triumph again at second IMSA round Campbell/Jaminet/Estre finish second in the Porsche 963 Record Sebring winner Porsche extends record to 19 outright wins AO Racing's 'Rexy' Porsche 911 GT3 R victorious in the GTD Pro class Atlanta. In summer temperatures reaching 88 degrees Fahrenheit, a fierce battle among the top GTP contenders unfolded as soon as the green flag waved at 10:10 a.m. Eastern Time. Felipe Nasr swept to the front at the wheel of the No. 7 Porsche 963 just 15 minutes into the race after starting third. While the Brazilian and his teammates Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor relinquished the lead around an hour later, they ultimately fought their way up the order to regain the lead in the evening after overcoming difficult conditions on the extremely hot track at the Sebring International Raceway. The decisive moment came after the ninth and final full course caution when the field went head-to-head in a thrilling sprint during the final 31 minutes of the race. Nasr fought off his attacking rivals to bring home Porsche Penske Motorsport's second victory of the young season. The win marked Porsche's 19th overall victory at the endurance classic in Florida, and the first since 2008. For Nick Tandy, who earned himself the nickname 'Mister 24 Hours' after his victory in Daytona, this latest triumph was another dream come true: The UK ace is just the tenth racing driver in the world to achieve the so-called Triple Crown of endurance racing after scoring overall victories at Sebring and the 24-hour races in Le Mans and Daytona. The No. 6 sister car also ran among the frontrunners for much of the 12-hour race. Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet, and Kévin Estre ultimately crossed the finish line just 2.239 seconds behind their victorious teammates. Thanks to the one-two finish at Sebring, Porsche has extended its lead in the manufacturers' championship while the two driver crews now hold the top two positions in the drivers' championship. 'Congratulations to the whole team for a flawless performance,' Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President of Porsche Motorsport, said. 'As expected, the 12 Hours of Sebring delivered some fierce competition. Drivers, mechanics, and engineers – everyone did an absolutely perfect job today. It couldn't have gone better. The Porsche 963 has again upheld its reputation as the most successful LMDh car since the regulations were introduced. This is something we can all be very proud of. Thanks to everyone who contributed to these successes. I'd also like to congratulate our customer team AO Racing. They scored a well-deserved class victory with the Porsche 911 GT3 R.' 'Victory at Daytona, and now Sebring: We've won the 36 Hours of Florida,' said a delighted Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Racing LMDh. 'That was one of our most outstanding races, absolutely flawless. I'm ecstatic. All the drivers and the entire team put in an incredibly strong effort: pit stops, strategy, car – everything went perfectly.''A superb performance from all six drivers and the whole team,' declared Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director of Porsche Penske Motorsport. 'Just two seconds separated our two cars after twelve hours. This underlines just how perfectly and smoothly everything went for us. We were able to set a strong pace, especially in the dark when temperatures got cooler. Several other team members and I witnessed the last overall victory for Porsche at Sebring in 2008, so it's simply wonderful to be at the front together again now.' The customer teams in the top GTP class also showcased the prowess of the Porsche 963 at times. Proton Competition finished the race in sixth overall, with JDC-Miller MotorSports's identical hybrid prototype crossing the finish line in eighth place. In the No. 85 car, Porsche works driver Nico Müller celebrated his debut in the Porsche 963. The Swiss driver, who also contests Formula E for the Andretti customer team, put in some strong stints. GT classes: AO Racing's Porsche 911 GT3 R triumphs after fierce battleIn the GTD Pro class, customer racing team AO Racing celebrated its first-ever victory in one of the major endurance races of the IMSA series with the Porsche 911 GT3 R. At the wheel of the fan favourite 'Rexy', two former Porsche Juniors in Laurin Heinrich from Germany and Klaus Bachler from Austria joined forces with Belgian Alessio Picariello to drive a flawless race. After an intense fight for the lead, the trio ultimately won by a margin of 4.371 seconds. Proton Competition's No. 20 Porsche 911 GT3 R finished eighth. In the GTD class, the Wright Motorsports customer team was plagued by a raft of setbacks despite the pace to contest for the win. The Ohio-based team was at times in contention for the lead with the 911 GT3 R, only to have two penalties during pit stops cost them crucial ground. The No. 120 Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by full-season American drivers Adam Adelson and Eliott Skeer, along with Austrialian Tom Sargent, took the flag fifth in its class. The Iron Dames team, complete with a full female driver line-up of Michelle Gatting, Rahel Frye and Sarah Bovy, wrapped up their second IMSA outing of 2025 with the in 11th place. The famed Long Beach street race hosts round three of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season April 11-12. The spectacular Southern California street race is a 100-minute long sprint, a stark contrast to the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring to open the season. Drivers' comments after the raceNick Tandy (Porsche 963 #7): 'It feels amazing to win two races in a row. But winning the 36 Hours of Florida in Daytona and Sebring is hard to believe. And to top it off, both Porsche 963 finished both races on the podium. Given the fierce competition, that's incredible. No mistakes, no penalties, no damage – today was simply a dream in endurance racing.' Matt Campbell (Porsche 963 #6): 'The one-two finish is obviously a banner result for Porsche Penske Motorsport. Congratulations to our victorious sister car. Today was incredibly long and tough for us; the race went back and forth. We experienced some difficulties in the intense heat of the early afternoon, but our Porsche was incredibly strong in the cooler evening. It's terrific to score the maximum number of points together.' Nico Müller (Porsche 963 #85): 'What a fantastic weekend! I had great fun with the team, my teammates, and in the paddock – especially in my first race laps in the Porsche 963. I quickly adapted to the prototype; there was great synergy. At times the performance was super strong. But at the end of the day, the race could have gone a bit better for us. We had to change a brake disc, and we lost a lap in the process. It's a great honour to get the chance to drive the car over the finish line during the Sebring night.' Tristan Vautier (Porsche 963 #5): 'We're a little disappointed. After some initial setbacks, we managed to fight our way up the field only to have a puncture throw us out of the fight for the top five. Still, in the end, we made it back into a promising position, and we performed particularly well in the dark. However, with just two laps left, we had to refuel again – what a shame, because it prevented us from bringing home the result was wanted.' Klaus Bachler (Porsche 911 GT3 R #77): 'I'm so proud of the team! Laurin did an exceptional job in the last two hours of the race, and Alessio was also incredibly strong. It's simply cool to share the car with two great guys. We've finally won one of the biggest races with 'Rexy'. Now it's time to celebrate. I'm already looking forward to all the remaining races this season – I hope it continues like this.'Adam Adelson (Porsche 911 GT3 R #120): 'We're championship oriented, so we wanted to do anything we could to maximize that. As a team, we persevered and put our best foot forward. Unforunately it wasn't enough. But as a team, with all of the adversity we faced today, we can be really proud of our result and we're going to be shooting for higher than that in every race from here on out.' Race resultGTP class:1. Nasr/Tandy/L. Vanthoor (BRA/GBR/BEL), Porsche 963 #7, 353 laps2. Jaminet/Campbell/Estre (FRA/AUS/FRA), Porsche 963 #6, + 2.239 laps3. Van der Zande/Yelloly/Palou (NLD/GBR/ESP), Acura #93, + 5.017 laps6. Jani/Pino/Vautier (SUI/CHL/FRA), Porsche 963 #5, + 1:02.670 minutes8. Van der Helm/Bruni/Müller (NLD/ITA/SUI), Porsche 963 #85, + 1 lap GTD Pro class:1. Heinrich/Bachler/Picariello (DEU/AUT/BEL), Porsche 911 GT3 R #77, 329 laps2. Hesse/Harper/Krohn (DEU/GBR/FIN), BMW #48, + 4.371 seconds3. Snow/Verhagen/De Phillippi (USA/USA/USA), BMW #1, + 5.027 seconds8. Schiavoni/Cressoni/Lietz (ITA/ITA/AUT), Porsche 911 GT3 R #20, + 1 lap GTD class:1. Ward/Ellis/Dontje (USA/GBR/NLD), Mercedes-AMG #57, 327 laps2. Hawksworth/Thompson/Montecalvo (GBR/CAN/USA), Lexus #12, + 3.265 seconds3. Gamble/Stevenson/Robichon (GBR/GBR/CAN), Aston Martin #27, + 6.720 seconds5. Adelson/Skeer/Sargent (USA/USA/AUS), Porsche 911 GT3 R #120, 1:43.593 minutes11. Bovy/Frey/Gatting (BEL/SUI/DNK), Porsche 911 GT3 R #83, + 1 lap Full results and championship standings: Attachments Porsche Penske Motorsport scores one-two victory at 12 Hours of Sebring Porsche Penske Motorsport scores one-two victory at 12 Hours of Sebring CONTACT: Luke Vandezande Porsche Cars North America, Inc. 470.363.5001 Reece White Porsche Cars North America, Inc. 831.383.9426 reece@ in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Sebring 12 Hours: Penske Sweeps GTP, Tandy Secures ‘Triple Crown'
Porsche Penske Motorsport secured a dominant 1-2 finish at the 73rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, with Nick Tandy joining an elite group by completing endurance racing's "Triple Crown." In LMP2, Tom Dillmann led the No. 43 Inter Europol ORECA to victory, while AO Racing's Porsche "Rexy" triumphed in GTD PRO for its first major endurance win. Winward Racing's Mercedes-AMG went back-to-back in GTD after a dramatic late-race pass, capping an action-packed event across all Penske Motorsport is clearly on a roll in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class, and Nick Tandy is reaping the benefits in historic fashion. By co-driving the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 with Felipe Nasr and Laurens Vanthoor to victory in the 73rd running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Tandy became the 10th driver to claim overall wins in international sports car racing's three most prestigious endurance races – Sebring, the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Nasr crossed the line 2.239 seconds ahead of Mathieu Jaminet in the No. 6 Porsche he shared with Matt Campbell and Kevin Estre as Porsche Penske Motorsport earned its 22nd 1-2 finish in IMSA competition and first since Road America last August. The result gives the No. 7 - the 2024 GTP class champions with a driver lineup consisting of Nasr and Dane Cameron - a solid 91-point lead over the No. 6 in the GTP standings early in the new season. Porsche's Saturday joy at Sebring also included a win in the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class for the No. 77 911 GT3 R (992) fielded by AO Racing. But the major story was Tandy's historic feat. Over the last seven weeks, the 40-year-old Englishman added crown jewel race wins at Daytona and Sebring to accompany his overall triumph at Le Mans in 2015. All were achieved with Porsche. 'You rarely see a sports team or operation that does a single event without any faults or mistakes, and we've just celebrated with 40 people who have flawlessly run a car for 36 hours at Daytona and Sebring combined,' said Tandy. 'Just a testament to what Porsche and Penske have put together to allow us to go racing. It's just incredible that we've had this run the last two events. 'The 'Triple Crown' is probably one of the more historic accomplishments or accolades,' he added. 'You look at the names of the people on that list that you are linked with, and that's an unbelievable thing.' At Sebring, Nasr qualified the No. 7 Porsche third fastest, then led most of the first hour after BMW Team RLL's Motul Pole Award winning No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 incurred a start procedure penalty. Nasr was in the No. 7 when it took control of the race just before the halfway mark. From that point, its chief competition came from the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Racing Cadillac V-Series.R, which paced most of the 10th hour. But Tandy made an aggressive overtake on Frederik Vesti for the lead, and the Cadillac's speed faded in the cooler night conditions, allowing the No. 6 Porsche and the No. 93 Acura to claim the final two podium positions. 'It was incredible to get the job done once again,' exclaimed Nasr after his 13th career IMSA race win. 'After the Rolex 24 At Daytona, we spoke among ourselves and said, 'What a dream it would be to win Sebring if we can.' And here we are. It's just sinking in.' Acura's sister No. 60 car, the No. 31 Cadillac and the pair of BMW M Hybrid V8 cars also factored but all faded from the podium due to some issues in-race. The debuting Aston Martin Valkyrie also ran consistently on debut to finish in ninth place. Porsche doubled up victories with the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class with the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 R GT3 (992), shared by Laurin Heinrich, Klaus Bachler and Alessio Picariello. They beat the pair of BMW M4 GT3 EVOs fielded by Paul Miller Racing, the No. 48 car finishing ahead of the No. 1 car. Winward Racing repeated its 2025 GTD class win with the same trio of Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, Indy Dontje in the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3. A forceful pass by Ellis on last year's GTD PRO winner, Jack Hawksworth, netted the Winward Mercedes-AMG the top spot. 'It feels super to win the 12 Hours of Sebring, such a legendary race,' remarked Dillman. 'When you race in IMSA you have the chance to compete for the win in some amazing events like Daytona, Sebring, and Petit Le Mans. 'We had a plan; we wanted a quick car in the night, so we had to suffer a bit with the balance in the afternoon. But it worked out well. A mega job by everyone with the team.' The No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA that Steven Thomas drove to the LMP2 Motul Pole Award finished third in class. The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship's Rolex 24 At Daytona GT class season-opener featured a classic battle among American manufacturers Ford and Chevrolet. Its follow-up, Saturday's 73rd running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring added Germany's finest from Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-AMG into the mix, with a pinch of Italian flair from Ferrari to create an exciting and eclectic mix. The Porsche better known as 'Rexy' secured its first traditional IMSA endurance race win, and second IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup win in its team history. After Heinrich and Michael Christensen won last September's six-hour Battle on the Bricks in Indianapolis, Heinrich, Austrian Klaus Bachler and Belgian Alessio Picariello secured the win in one of the three longest IMSA races tonight at Sebring. 'Unbelievable result, I'm so proud of the team,' Bachler said. 'They did an amazing job. And honestly, Laurin in the end in the last two hours, was incredible. 'Somehow during the last three hours, I thought maybe we had a chance to go for the victory, but you never know. Honestly, I'm so proud of the team and also for sure my teammate Alessio. 'We finally won something together really big, the Twelve Hours of Sebring in GTD PRO! I won it two years ago, but I'm so happy that we managed this today again. And I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.' The victory was Heinrich's fourth in the series. It was the second IMSA victory for Bachler and the first career win for Picariello. The No. 48 Paul Miller BMW, driven by German Max Hesse, Brit Dan Harper and Finn Jesse Krohn finished runner-up in the GTD PRO Class by a slight 4.907 seconds followed by the team's No. 1 BMW co-driven by the American trio of Madison Snow, Neil Verhagen and Connor De Phillippi. Meanwhile in Grand Touring Daytona (GTD), Swiss driver Phillip Ellis pulled off perhaps the most dramatic move of the race to victory in the closing laps, his No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 passing Brit Jack Hawksworth in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 with less than 15 minutes remaining in the race. The GTD class provided one of the more dramatic race outcomes with Ellis invoking a NASCAR-style 'bump-and-run,' bumper tap on the leading No. 12 Lexus. The contact in Turn 5 was enough to allow him to maneuver around and pull away from what was a tight chase all day. Ellis described the maneuver: 'I mean, it was just a good battle I think with the Ferrari and the Lexus for probably the last two hours. Was very tough, but that's what this racing is, especially in IMSA,' he said. 'I think the drivers like it, I think the spectators like it. I think that's what we should keep doing, as well. 'Obviously there was some rubbing here and there. That's part of good racing. Nothing was over the limit. Just used whatever I had to use.' Even then, the podium order was not fully decided until the very final seconds. The No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus ended second with the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo in third. It marked the ninth IMSA victory for Ellis and Ward, and fifth for Dontje. Most have come in Michelin Endurance Cup races. Ellis laughed off any controversy over his pass. 'Yeah, I wouldn't be happy if I lost first place either,' he said. 'I understand that he's not super happy with it. 'To be honest, I just gave him back what he gave me a couple laps before in Turn 7. He we all know Jack. I have a lot of respect for him. He's a great guy. But that's how he races, as well. You reap what you sow.' After opening 2025 with a pair of iconic events counting toward the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship resumes April 11-12 with the first sprint race of the 2025 season - the 50th anniversary Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, for GTP competitors. The LMP2 field has an extended break until the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen, June 19-22.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Behind the Scenes at Lightning Lap 2025
You've heard the expression, "It takes a village." This is the 18th year we've made the trek from our editorial headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan for a week of fast lap times around the 4.1-mile Grand Course at Virginia International Raceway. This year, we entered 13 performance cars into the gauntlet. Nobody wants to work from home during Lightning Lap, and it takes a lot of GoPros, lap timers, tires, and snacks to get the job done. Here's a look at the people and machines behind the scenes of this year's annual track test. BACK TO LIGHTNING LAP 2025 Each car has a checklist before it leaves the paddock: Are the GoPros running? Is the SD card pushed into the Racelogic VBOX lap timer? Are the tire pressures set? And please honk the horn to sync the video! There are two GoPros mounted to each vehicle to capture every curb-eating attempt at a good time. Although the quickest laps are completed in just a few minutes, after three track days, there are terabytes of footage. The 771-hp Bentley Continental GT Speed suckling from the teat of VIR's electrical grid. Pit lane runs parallel to VIR's front straightaway. Automakers who send engineers and PR folks use the stairwell from the paddock garage above to get to the pits, where they will often adjust tire pressures and run a stopwatch of their own. Our social media team worked feverishly to answer every question posted by our Instagram followers. If you're a grilled-cheese sandwich and managing testing editor David Beard is giving you this look: run. Our video and photo crew work out of the same paddock garages IMSA's race teams do. Sometimes, there is tape left on the concrete from engineers of race weekends past. This year, we found a green dinosaur sticker from AO Racing's "Rexy" Porsche 911 GT3 team. Fitting, because there was no shortage of green cars this year. Photographers are required to wear a harness while strapped into the photo vehicle during car-to-car photography. It's there to prevent them from accidentally falling out. But if staff photographer Marc Urbano wants to wear it casually as a fashion accessory, we won't stop him. Associate testing editor Gannon Burgett (left) and video editor Alex Malburg (right) have mounted enough GoPros to Lightning Lap cars to know that putting the camera on the roof—and out of the travel of the windshield wipers—is the right way to do it. There's more than 6500 horsepower among the cars in this image. And that's without including the 266-hp Subaru Ascent rental car in the background. The 276-hp Hyundai Elantra N rests on a set of QuickJack portable car lifts as it awaits a new set of rubber. Editor-in-chief Tony Quiroga refers to Lightning Lap as "employee retention week." Just before technical editor Austin Irwin was about to pursue his dream of becoming the world's greatest (and potentially largest) tap dancer, the opportunity to set a hot lap steered him back. Yet, he still got to dance. That moment when someone says, "Lunch is ready." If "Guys Being Dudes" were a band, this would be the album cover. Buyer's Guide director Rich Ceppos has spent a lifetime in cars. He competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1987. He wrote the tested review of the $400,000 Ferrari F40 in 1991. And he's had his name on the Car and Driver masthead for more than 20 years. What does a guy like Rich think about when he's waiting to set a fast lap in fast cars? "Did I really lock my hotel key in my room?!" We use toy cars to help set up and practice the giant group shot for the magazine cover. Not even joking, that's how we do it. Road warrior Jacob Kurowicki cheeses for the camera after forcefully declaring, "Cars are more exciting on two wheels, damn it!" Editor-in-chief Tony Quiroga's first Lightning Lap was in 2008. Then, he set a time in a Chevrolet Cobalt SS. Today, he's helping a new driver get up to speed around VIR's daunting road course. Towers of Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tires waiting to be scrubbed beneath the 5319-pound Lucid Air Sapphire. There are 24 turns to tackle within VIR's Grand Course layout. They lay within five sectors and have names like NASCAR Bend, Climbing Esses, Oak Tree, Bitch, and Roller Coaster. Getting a car through each of these without a mistake can be nerve-racking. These frenemies shared a rented generator and DC fast-charger to keep topped up on energy. The Lucid Air Sapphire would later set a time that put it into the all-time top 10. The Porsche Taycan Turbo GT would slice 13.4 seconds off the last Taycan we ran here. Vehicle testing director Dave VanderWerp, chatting up the Porsche team about attacking VIR—er, about when to pull the right paddle to unleash the Taycan Turbo GT's 10-second blast of 937 horsepower. Drivers go out. Drivers burn rubber. Drivers come in. Drivers pore over track data to pinpoint where they must drive faster. Tire warmers tell you just how badly Porsche wanted a good lap time out of what's likely the last gas-powered Cayman. From left to right: 9000-rpm redline, 937 horsepower, 937 horsepower again. What a 205/45R-17 tire from a Mazda MX-5 Miata Club looks like against the 345/30ZRF-21 rear artillery from a Lamborghini Revuelto. The Cayman 718 GT4 RS MR reached 1.23 g's through Turn 1. Checking in on tire pressures is key to maintaining wildly sticky grip around VIR. David Beard's live reaction after being told there were no more grilled-cheese sandwiches. Another beautiful year of Lightning Lap is in the books! You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Thefts mar tradition of souvenir hunting at Rolex 24
It's a time-honored tradition for fans of racing to take home broken car parts as the ultimate souvenirs, and last weekend's edition of the Rolex 24 At Daytona presented plenty of opportunities for memorabilia hunters to add to their collections. Brand-new IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entrant DXDT Racing was a popular source for race-used parts after its Corvette Z06 GT3.R caught fire with Charlie Eastwood onboard the No. 36 GTD entry. The resultant damage forced DXDT out of the race, and with many of the components of the rear-engine car unusable, fans were treated to a bevy of large and burnt bodywork to make their own. 'Unfortunately, I saw a bit of a flame through the second part of the road course and entering Turn 6, and by the time I got on to the banking, the flames were getting bigger,' Eastwood said. 'Thankfully the fire team here are insanely good, and they were at the car before I even got out. We're lucky we still have a car here, based on them, so thank you. They're the best in the business.' From the trash pile that accumulated in front of DXDT's garage space, fans took a crispy bumper, which left its new owner with soot-covered hands, and another, with possibly the largest piece of memorabilia to carry away, had the Corvette's roasted diffuser to transport out of the facility. Elsewhere, a fan had a broken brake disc from an unknown source in hand as they walked through the paddock, and leaving the track after the race, another was seen carrying what appeared to be an undamaged LMP2 rear wing element as they exited the Turn 4 tunnel. Many fans – including this one – obtained their souvenirs with the blessings of the relevant team. Others simply helped themselves. Photo by Marshall Pruett According to DXDT team manager Bryan Sellers, fans were invited to pick through their damaged Z06 GT3.R components and leave with whatever they wanted. The same can't be said for AO Racing, whose No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 Rawr — Rexy — and its No. 99 ORECA 07 LMP2 entry — Spike — were dealt on-track blows and had a pile of broken parts amass in their garage that fans helped themselves to without permission. With dozens of teams focused on the 24-hour race, theft-minded attendees have exploited their absence and plundered all manner of parts, tools, and sundries while crews are on pit lane. In planning for IMSA's return in 2026, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the addition of garage-based security staff, either supplied by the track or hired independently by teams, to ensure teams' belongings remain in their possession. 'Don't get me wrong, we love the exposure and the amount of fans that we've gained over the last couple of years, but people generally at the race track, seemed to be way more emboldened than they were five-10 years ago,' AO Racing team principal Gunnar Jeannette told RACER. 'At points in the night, there were people that just walked into our trailer thinking that that was okay. We had a couple of people just wander into our pit box. One guy's in the middle of the pit box, standing there, and I walked up to him and said, 'Hi, excuse me, but who are you with?' And he said, 'Oh, I've got this pit pass, I thought I could just go anywhere.' I was like, 'Sorry, we need to keep this area open for our pit crew to work.' And, he said, 'Oh, okay. Do you have any parts that I could have?' And I just looked at him with a disgusted look on my face, and was like, 'No, man, we're in the middle of a race. That's kind of a ridiculous question to ask.' 'In our situation, the track services dropped off the remnants of Rexy bumper and somebody just walked off with it. They dropped it off in our garage, and all of a sudden it just disappeared. It says a lot about humanity. It's unfortunate because with IMSA, it's great being able to give people access that doesn't exist in other series, but right now, we're absolutely seeing the negative side of that.' Story originally appeared on Racer
