Eric Gilbert
Alex Job Racing Second and 18th at 12 Hours in Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla, (Jan. 29, 2012), Alex Job Racing (AJR) has reached the halfway point of the 50th Anniversary GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Rolex 24 At Daytona. The team is in the hunt of for the GT win at Daytona International Speedway.
The No. 23 WeatherTech/Alex Job Racing Porsche continues on its quest for the win. Drivers Cooper MacNeil, Emmanuel Collard, Marco Holzer and Butch Leitzinger are in the thick of a very strong GT battle. The guys will have the car in the lead, then pit and be relegated back to fourth or fifth and then go back to the lead. This scenario has been taking place throughout the night. At the halfway point the 23 WeatherTech Porsche is running second in GT.
"I had a good first stint," MacNeil said. "I had a moment exiting the Bus Stop Turn and had a spin, but no damage and didn't flat spot the tires. There were some moments in traffic, but nothing to crazy. I am being patient and letting people do their thing and wait for it to get worked out. We have half the race to go and things are going really good right now."
"The car is good," Collard said. "Everything is working properly, the gearbox is good. We have a little problem with our second stint on the tires, but so far so good. I adjusted my driving style in my second strint to not push too hard at the beginning to save the tires for the second fuel run and that worked better for me. At the end of the stint we are first and then when we pit we go to fourth or fifth and then back up again. It is a good fight at the front."
The No. 24 McKenna Porsche/Battery Tender/ Kensington/Koss Stereophones/Alex Job Racing GT3 Cup car driven by Cort Wagner, Bill Sweedler, Fred Poordad, Bob Faieta and Michael Avenatti is running strong in the top 15. The five drivers have not put a wheel wrong all race and are taking a measured approach to the 24 hours and running solidly in 18th at the 12 hour mark.
"The car felt really good," Faieta said. "I made a quick bar adjustment when I got in and the car. The 24 McKenna Porsche handled good throughout my stints. It took me a few laps to get going. I only have a handful of laps here at night. The guys are being extra courteous out there. I didn't have any anxious moments."
"My run was a little hairy," Avenatti said. "I got in under yellow and the restart was pretty crazy. Once I got through that it was pretty smooth sailing. The car is handling excellent. Alex and his guys prepare and run a great car."
"The car is great, not problems," Wagner said. "The gearbox is shifting nice. We just need to manage tires. When the fuel load goes down the tires are better without all of that weight on the nose. Beyond that it is great, go out and drive around. I seem to be catching everyone at the high-speed spots. You have to time those points so you don't lose time passing or letting the DPs go. It is just a matter of knowing what is going on around you at all times."
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Ranking the top 10 winless Formula 3000 drivers
Le Mans 24 Hours will be Penske’s final LMP2 entry this year
Why Penske remains ambitious for its WEC learning year
Alex Job Racing quits pro racing to focus on historics
WeatherTech Racing switches to PWC
Bomarito takes brilliant pole for Mazda
"Complete s***show" - Does the DTM test still make sense in its current form?
What the Chinese GP's highlights reveal about its first F1 race for five years
The off-track action that makes the Miami GP an F1 race like no other
F1 Chinese GP: How to watch, ESPN Formula 1 TV times in USA
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments