DeltaWing Leads Final Rolex 24 Practice

No. 0 Panoz DeltaWing – how man minutes into the Rolex 24 before it breaks down?

The No. 0 Panoz DeltaWing Racing DWC13 Prototype made team history Friday, posting the fastest lap of today’s final practice session for the Rolex 24 At Daytona – 1 minute, 38.59 seconds/129.993 mph.

This is the first time in the team’s four-year history that the car has topped an event practice session.

On Thursday, the exotic entry completed just nine total laps in three practice sessions due to inclement weather; in the fourth and final practice session, the car completed 22 laps on the 3.56-mile road course, leading the pack in drier conditions.

“It’s not supposed to rain [for the race], so we weren’t too worried about speed in the rain," driver Katherine Legge said. “We’re just worried about getting through the race – reliability. We’re fast for sure. Hopefully we’re reliable."

Prior to Friday’s solid performance, DeltaWing – co-driven by Legge, Sean Rayhall, Andy Meyrick and Andreas Wirth – opted not to qualify for the Rolex 24 on Thursday. The team will start in the back of the pack. Legge said the team is “very disappointed" having not qualified, but Thursday was used to check over the car, emphasizing the importance of reliability for the 24-hour race.

“It’s going to be interesting for [the media], I guess," Legge said. “Our biggest nemesis [last year] was always the transmission and the gearbox but the engine always seems to be super strong. Not to jinx ourselves, but I think we’re a lot more reliable although we haven’t done any 24-hour testing [so] it remains to be seen."

A Nissan BR01 driven by Mikhail Aleshin was the fastest-qualifying Prototype on Thursday, and will lead the 54-car field to the Rolex 24 green flag Saturday at 2:40 p.m.