Rolex 24: 18 Hour Report

Leading No. Michael Shank Racing Riley Ford

Of all 24-hour motorsport races, night is longest for the Rolex 24 At Daytona which, unlike the other endurance races that are scheduled during summer, is run in winter when daylight is shortest. As dawn arrived close to the 17-hour mark of the race, a little more than 13 hours of driving had taken place under the lights and the atmosphere on the track was buoyed by the sunlight filtering through the cloud cover.

As the cars appeared in the emerging daylight, it was satisfying to see how many were still running strong. It was hour 16 when Joao Barbosa led the race in the #9 Action Express Racing Porsche/Riley, followed by Max Papis in the #01 Telmex BMW/Riley, and Brian Frisselle driving the #6 Michael Shank Racing Ford/Riley in third place. By that point there had been 45 lead changes within the 1,765 miles driven. Spencer Pumpelly in the #71 TRG Porsche GT3 led the GT category, with Jorg Bergmeister in the #67 Shore Tel/Openwave Porsche GT3 in second and Sylvan Tremblay in the #70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8 in third place.

The Rolex 24 At Daytona is never uneventful – racing incidents and mechanical failures are to be expected. Around midnight the #77 McDonald's Ford/Dallara had transmission problems and was in the garage for over two hours before it rejoined the fray, while at that hour the top-four Daytona Prototypes were all within five seconds of each other. Driver changes and pit work became routine for most teams, while those cars that spun or had contact with moving or stationary objects of course lost precious time in the pits making repairs. The crew members who persevered in the pits servicing the cars – during routine stops or in performing Herculean repairs in the least possible amount of time – rarely get the share of praise and admiration which they deserve for putting aside their exhaustion to work through the night to maintain their machines.

NASCAR veteran Dario Franchitti, driving the #02 Target BMW/Riley, detailed his approach to getting rest between stints at the wheel: "It's a catch-22 situation. I want to watch the race, because it's exciting – I'm a race fan and I want to see what's happening. On the other hand you've got to distance yourself and just focus on your job. So I'll watch for a little while and sleep. I've got six hours until I get back into the car. I'll probably eat, watch some TV and sleep, then get ready for another go in the middle of the night."

Jimmie Johnson, another NASCAR veteran, expressed a similar sentiment: "I would sit there all night and watch — the only thing that helps me is when the telecast goes off.I have to do my part to rest."

At 5:30 a.m. the dense air was full with the sound of screaming engines along the front straight and the melodic and rhythmic sound of up shifting and downshifting cars as they negotiated the infield turns. Action was as intense at this hour as it would be at any point during the race. All awaited the dawn to see in detail what condition the field would be in after a torturous night. Max Papis in the #01 Telmex BMW/Riley was leading Joao Barbosa in the #09 Action Express Racing Porsche Riley followed by Mark Patterson in the #6 Michael Shank Racing Ford/Riley. Andrew Davis was leading in the #57 Stevenson Automotive Group/BryanMark Camaro GT.R with Spencer Pumpelly chasing him in the #71 TRG Porsche GT3 and Seth Neiman in the #67 Shore Tel/Openwave Porsche GT3 running in third.

At this point in the race the signs of wear and tear were showing on both machines and men: electrical issues had affected the #10 Sun Trust Ford/Dallara which was running on its fourth gearbox and replaced halfshaft; the #75 Krohn Racing Ford/Lola was running in the top five when it pitted to replace brake pads and repair the right front upright; and on lap 497 the front cowling of Burt Frisselle's #60 Crown Royal XR Ford/Riley flew off the car causing a full course yellow. Teams were concentrating on holding their positions for the later hours when they would begin their major push in the closing hours in hopes of a podium finish.

It was AJ Allmendinger leading at 8:30 a.m. in the #6 Michael Shank Racing Ford /Riley. Second was Mike Rockenfeller in the #9 Action Express Racing Porsche/Riley, which, after 528 laps, led its 140th lap — more laps than any other car at that point. Three-time champion Scott Pruett in the #1 Telmex BMW/Riley was running third. In the GT category Spencer Pumpelly in the #71 TRG Porsche GT3 led. with Jorg Bergmeister in the Shore Tel/Openwave Porsche GT3 in second and Sylvan Tremblay in the #70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8 in third.

As the clock counts down to the 3:30 p.m. finish, teams begin planning their strategy for the closing hours of the race. Preservation of the machines is paramount, but the drivers are in it to win it so patience and aggression have to find a fine balance.

Hour 18 Standings