Rolex 24, Hour 24: Porsche Penske take third consecutive victory

Felipe Nasr held off Jack Aitken to win IMSA's endurance classic

Felipe Nasr came under pressure in the closing stages by Jack Aitken, but held firm en route to guiding Porsche Penske Motorsport to victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. It was the third consecutive overall win for team owner Roger Penske and Porsche, along with Nasr.

The Brazilian, piloting the No. 7 Porsche 963, was left pulling off a repeat of last year's heroics, but this time the rival being fended off was Aitken in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac. Nasr crossed the finish line 1.569s ahead of the UK driver.

Dries Vanthoor wheeled BMW M Team WRT's No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 to the final step of the podium.

Run to the Finish…

After pit stops with just under six hours to go, the No. 6 Porsche, with Matt Campbell driving, jumped to the lead over the sister car of Nasr. Uniquely, the windshield wiper of the No. 6 was taped down during its pit stop. Campbell maintained a 2.9s advantage over his teammate as the clock ticked over to five hours remaining, with Kevin Magnussen (No. 25 BMW M Team WRT) in third and 23s behind.

When pit stops commenced 12 minutes later, the No. 6 swapped drivers from Campbell to Kevin Estre. The caution flew a few minutes later for the No. 18 Era Motorsport LMP2 of Logan Sargeant stopped in Turn 1, which split the field as Estre and Nasr pitted and moved the No. 25 BMW of Marco Wittmann (who replaced Magnussen on a previous stop) up to the race lead. Jordan Taylor (Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing) and Will Stevens (Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing) rotated up to second and third, respectively, on the restart.

#24 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Dries Vanthoor, Sheldon van der Linde, Robin Frijns, Rene Rast

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

Wittman defended well when the race resumed with four hours, 19 minutes left, holding off a charging Nasr until pitting after holding the lead for nearly the next 40 minutes.

Wittman’s move to pit put Porsche running 1-2 and cycled to a significant lead following their pit stops 10 minutes later. Estre, utilizing warm tires after going for the undercut on the No. 7 Porsche (with Julien Andlauer in for Nasr after the pit stop), managed to pass his teammate and take over the lead with 3 hours, 32 minutes to go.

Although the field was spreading out, it was brought closer together once more after another caution when Mike Rockenfeller’s No. 64 Ford Mustang GT3 suffered an engine issue and spewed fluids in speedway Turn 3. Estre gave way to Vanthoor, who restarted near the back of the GTP class after pitting two laps later than the majority of the class, with Andlauer leading the field to the green.

It was elbows out by Vanthoor as push through the field featured an intense battle with Renger van der Zande in the No. 93 Acura ARX-06 (Meyer Shank Racing). Vanthoor dove under the Cadillac in Turn 1 for sixth, but van der Zande fought back the next lap.

The two ran side-by-side until van der Zande was squeezed off Turn 3, which allowed Vanthoor to secure the position. Then, with 2 hours, 4 minutes remaining, Jordan Taylor’s Cadillac began smoking off speedway Turn 3. He brought it down pit lane as a fire began to roar near the back of the car, but was able to evacuate safely. There were visible signs of the rear bodywork melted, with the team’s chances for a podium going, literally, up in smoke.

Vanthoor short-pitted from fifth with 1 hour, 38 minutes left, aiming for clear track and a caution to jump the track position game. Andlauer pitted with 1 hour, 30 minutes left, and was swapped out for Nasr in the No. 7 machine. Aitken took over for Bamber, who pitted at the same time. As everything cycled, it was Nasr out front ahead of teammate Vanthoor, with Aitken in third ahead of Tom Blomqvist in the No. 60 Acura.

Nasr’s lead was 2.4s. Aitken was more than 6s back when he began his stint but clawed that to 2.4s after just 13 minutes.

Final pit stops for the frontrunners began with 48 minutes left, with Vanthoor the first among them and swapping seats with Estre in the No. 6. Aitken followed the next lap, with Nasr in with 45 minutes to go. Nasr came out just ahead of Aitken as the two were within 0.3s of each other while battling through traffic. Estre settled out fourth, behind the No. 25 BMW of Wittman in third, who performed the undercut as the final hour began.

With 20 minutes to go, Aitken attempted an inside move on Nasr along the frontstretch but was squeezed out from completing the move. Nasr held the spot and put a few car lengths between himself and Aitken.

Aitken clawed closer once more with less than eight minutes to go as Nasr carved through traffic. Unfazed, Nasr kept control and eventually sped off to a repeat victory.

LMP2, GTD Pro and GTD class

In LMP2, a furious fight that featured nearly everyone in class at one point or another throughout the 24 hours ended with Alex Quinn guiding the No. 04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR to victory. Tom Dillmann, driving Inter Europol’s No. 43, finished a distant second, ahead of teammate Nick Cassidy in the No. 343 LMP2 ORECA 07 in third.

Although Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports were in control of the GTD Pro class for the majority of the race, they found trouble. While running 1-2, the No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT.3R of Antonio Garcia suffered a right-rear suspension failure and was forced to the garage. After 46 minutes of extensive repairs, the entry returned with 4 hours, 21 minutes remaining; 23 laps down. The No. 4, with Tommy Milner at the helm, led often but the caution involving Rockenfeller left the Corvette restarting fourth in class. After being forced off by the Ferrari of James Calado, the No. 4 Corvette fell to seventh.

#4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Nico Varrone

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen via Getty Images

Manthey’s No. 911 Porsche of Thomas Preining assumed control of the class, ahead of the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW of Max Hesse. The No. 75 Express Racing Mercedes of Maro Engel opted for an extended run, which paid dividends after the pit sequence as they vaulted to lead, just ahead of Preining.

Dan Harper took over the No. 1 from Hesse and took the lead over Engel after the last round of pit stops with under an hour to go. The top two remained that way through the finish, with Winward Racing’s Maxime Martine taking the final step of the podium.

Turner Motorsport had its No. 96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO out front often in the GTD class, but was chasing the win as the clock continued to tick away. Mattia Drudi controlled the race with 1 hour, 30 minutes to go in the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, with Magnus Racing’s Nicki Thiim in second and Turner’s Robby Foley third. Thiim took the lead with a strong move on Drudi in Turn 3 with 1 hour, 14 minutes left.

Despite a warning by race control, the two continued to lean on each other over the next several laps. Foley’s hopes took a massive hit with 55 minutes to go after receiving a drive-thru penalty following contact with the 13 Autosport Corvette of Matt Bell. The battle for the win ended up a fender rubbing affair between Thiim and Winward Racing’s Philip Ellis, who found his way in the mix after the final pit stop cycle.

The pair leaned on each other until Ellis’s No. 57 Mercedes pressed his way past Thiim with 20 minutes to go. Thiim fought back and the two touched as they battled on the frontstretch, with Ellis nearly losing the nose and the spot before gathering it back up into Turn 1. The two remained locked together as Thiim attempted a last-gasp outside pass in Turn 1 with 1 minute to go, but was unsuccessful.

Ellis earned the hard-fought win, followed by Thiim in second and Drudi taking third.

Photos from Rolex 24 Hours race

#7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Felipe Nasr, Julien Andlauer, Laurin Heinrich

RACE

All Stats

Cla	Drivers	#	Chassis	Laps	Time	Interval	Pits	Retirement
1	F. Nasr J. Andlauer L. Heinrich Porsche Penske Motorsport	7	Porsche 963	705	24:01'20.108		8
2	J. Aitken E. Bamber F. Vesti C. Zilisch Whelen Cadillac Racing	31	Cadillac V-Series.R	705	+1.569 24:01'21.677	1.569	10
3	S. Van Der Linde D. Vanthoor R. Frijns R. Rast BMW M Team WRT	24	BMW M Hybrid V8	705	+21.386 24:01'41.494	19.817	11
4	L. Vanthoor K. Estre M. Campbell Porsche Penske Motorsport	6	Porsche 963	705	+31.822 24:01'51.930	10.436	9
5	R. van der Zande N. Yelloly A. Palou K. Ohta Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian	93	Acura ARX-06	705	+45.677 24:02'05.785	13.855	9
6	J. Taylor L. Deletraz C. Herta Wayne Taylor Racing	40	Cadillac V-Series.R	705	+54.017 24:02'14.125	8.340	8
7	T. van der Helm N. Pino K. Frederick B. Aron JDC/Miller Motorsports	85	Porsche 963	705	+1'10.736 24:02'30.844	16.719	10
8	R. Marciello P. Eng M. Wittmann K. Magnussen BMW M Team WRT	25	BMW M Hybrid V8	705	+1'13.443 24:02'33.551	2.707	8
9	T. Blomqvist C. Braun S. Dixon A. Allmendinger Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian	60	Acura ARX-06	705	+1'22.563 24:02'42.671	9.120	9
10	G. Kurtz A. Quinn T. Sowery M. Jakobsen Crowdstrike Racing by APR	04	ORECA LMP2 07	686	+19 Laps 24:02'51.332	19 Laps	11
11	T. Dillmann B. Garg A. Felix da Costa J. Clarke Inter Europol Competition	43	ORECA LMP2 07	686	+19 Laps 24:02'56.922	5.590	10
12	J. Smiechowski G. Kolovos N. Siegel N. Cassidy Inter Europol Competition	343	ORECA LMP2 07	685	+20 Laps 24:01'41.793	1 Lap	10
13	D. Goldburg P. di Resta R. Lindh G. Saucy United Autosports	22	ORECA LMP2 07	685	+20 Laps 24:01'51.119	9.326	10
14	P. Hyett D. Cameron J. Edgar C. Rasmussen AO Racing	99	ORECA LMP2 07	685	+20 Laps 24:01'57.883	6.764	12
15	M. Goikhberg B. Keating P. Thompson H. Tincknell PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports	52	ORECA LMP2 07	685	+20 Laps 24:02'05.297	7.414	12
16	J. Field O. Jarvis S. Lucas J. Van Uitert Intersport Racing	37	ORECA LMP2 07	684	+21 Laps 24:01'58.285	1 Lap	11
17	J. Farano S. Bourdais S. Alvarez K. Simpson Tower Motorsport	8	ORECA LMP2 07	676	+29 Laps 24:02'26.621	8 Laps	10
18	N. Rao F. Habsburg J. Abel L. Sargeant Era Motorsport	18	ORECA LMP2 07	670	+35 Laps 24:02'57.693	6 Laps	16
19	N. Verhagen C. de Phillippi M. Hesse D. Harper Paul Miller Racing	1	BMW M4 GT3 EVO	662	+43 Laps 24:01'56.314	8 Laps	7
20	K. Habul M. Engel W. Power C. Mostert 75 Express	75	Mercedes-AMG GT3	662	+43 Laps 24:01'58.537	2.223	11
21	S. Noble J. Hart M. Martin L. Stolz Winward Racing	48	Mercedes-AMG GT3	662	+43 Laps 24:02'24.674	26.137	7
22	T. Milner N. Catsburg N. Varrone M. Jakobsen Corvette Racing	4	Corvette Z06 GT3.R	662	+43 Laps 24:02'29.290	4.616	6
23	A. Güven T. Preining K. Bachler R. Feller Manthey	911	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	662	+43 Laps 24:02'41.702	12.412	7
24	A. Caldarelli S. Mitchell M. Bortolotti J. Hinchcliffe Pfaff Motorsports	9	Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	662	+43 Laps 24:02'51.970	10.268	8
25	C. Mies F. Vervisch S. Priaulx Ford Racing	65	Ford Mustang GT3	661	+44 Laps 24:01'24.773	1 Lap	9
26	J. Calado R. Agostini M. Molina A. Rovera Triarsi Competizione	033	Ferrari 296 GT3	661	+44 Laps 24:02'14.200	49.427	11
27	R. Ward P. Ellis I. Dontje L. Auer Winward Racing	57	Mercedes-AMG GT3	661	+44 Laps 24:02'25.262	11.062	10
28	J. Potter S. Pumpelly N. Thiim M. Snow Magnus Racing	44	Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo	661	+44 Laps 24:02'26.629	1.367	7
29	T. Gamble D. Barrichello Z. Robichon M. Drudi Heart Of Racing Team	27	Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo	661	+44 Laps 24:02'35.553	8.924	6
30	O. Fidani M. Bell L. Kern B. Green 13 Autosport	13	Corvette Z06 GT3.R	661	+44 Laps 24:02'47.429	11.876	7
31	R. Gunn R. De Angelis A. Riberas M. Sorensen Aston Martin THOR Team	23	Aston Martin Valkyrie	661	+44 Laps 24:02'58.699	11.270	8
32	S. Mann L. Wadoux A. Fuoco T. Mosca Af Corse	21	Ferrari 296 GT3	661	+44 Laps 24:02'59.458	0.759	7
33	S. Andrews L. Hodenius J. Roe Jr. R. Aron Lone Star Racing	80	Mercedes-AMG GT3	661	+44 Laps 24:03'04.694	5.236	8
34	N. Tandy H. King A. Picariello AO Racing	77	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	660	+45 Laps 24:01'25.384	1 Lap	10
35	O. Triarsi K. Koch R. Megennis Y. Yifei Triarsi Competizione	023	Ferrari 296 GT3	660	+45 Laps 24:01'27.130	1.746	8
36	D. Formal T. Hindman G. Doyle M. Ericsson Wayne Taylor Racing	45	Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	660	+45 Laps 24:01'32.979	5.849	8
37	A. Telitz B. Pedersen F. Montecalvo E. Masson Vasser Sullivan Racing	12	Lexus RC F GT3	660	+45 Laps 24:01'40.523	7.544	8
38	P. Gallagher R. Foley J. Klingmann F. Selldorff Turner Motorsport	96	BMW M4 GT3 EVO	660	+45 Laps 24:02'15.219	34.696	10
39	V. Hasse-Clot R. van der Steur S. Baud C. Bennett van der Steur Racing	19	Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo	660	+45 Laps 24:02'18.367	3.148	8
40	R. Hardwick R. Pera R. Lietz M. Schuring Team Manthey	912	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	660	+45 Laps 24:03'00.379	42.012	9
41	B. Iribe F. Schandorff O. Millroy D. Fumanelli Inception Racing	70	Ferrari 296 GT3	659	+46 Laps 24:01'26.278	1 Lap	8
42	M. Franco A. Costa L. Patrese T. Vermeulen Conquest Racing	34	Ferrari 296 GT3	659	+46 Laps 24:02'09.913	43.635	10
43	J. Hawksworth B. Barnicoat K. Kirkwood T. Bell Vasser Sullivan Racing	14	Lexus RC F GT3	659	+46 Laps 24:02'22.057	12.144	8
44	A. Bartone M. Götz J. Gounon F. Schiller GetSpeed	69	Mercedes-AMG GT3	652	+53 Laps 24:02'08.840	7 Laps	8
45	P. Fayer B. Hanley H. McElrea M. Jensen United Autosports	2	ORECA LMP2 07	652	+53 Laps 24:02'19.859	11.019	11
46	D. Musial D. Musial Jr. P. Ludwig R. Yardley Muehlner Motorsports America	123	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	646	+59 Laps 24:01'24.129	6 Laps	9
47	H. Hedman G. Altoè C. Stevenson M. Cairoli DragonSpeed	81	Corvette Z06 GT3.R	643	+62 Laps 24:02'55.254	3 Laps	7
48	M. Esterson N. Johnson J. Vips D. MacDonald RLL Team McLaren	59	McLaren 720S GT3 EVO	642	+63 Laps 24:02'20.426	1 Lap	8
49	A. Garcia A. Sims M. Kirchhofer Corvette Racing	3	Corvette Z06 GT3.R	637	+68 Laps 24:01'55.031	5 Laps	7
dnf	R. Taylor F. Albuquerque W. Stevens B. Hartley Wayne Taylor Racing	10	Cadillac V-Series.R	629	+76 Laps 21:54'12.508	8 Laps	6	Retirement
dnf	P. Fittipaldi M. Espirito Santo C. Cumming E. Fittipaldi Pratt Miller Motorsports	73	ORECA LMP2 07	612	+93 Laps 23:27'14.707	17 Laps	11	Retirement
dnf	T. Lutke M. Beche D. Heinemeier Hansson C. Milesi TDS Racing	11	ORECA LMP2 07	608	+97 Laps 21:53'10.149	4 Laps	8	Retirement
dnf	B. Barker D. Olsen M. Rockenfeller Ford Racing	64	Ford Mustang GT3	580	+125 Laps 21:24'17.087	28 Laps	4	Retirement
dnf	M. Filippi C. Eastwood S. McLaughlin S. Yoluc DXDT Racing	36	Corvette Z06 GT3.R	568	+137 Laps 21:52'00.227	12 Laps	9	Retirement
dnf	J. Walker T. Bechtolsheimer C. Lewis J. Hand Gradient Racing	66	Ford Mustang GT3	518	+187 Laps 19:35'52.302	50 Laps	3	Retirement
dnf	S. Monk F. Fraga J. Altzman R. Grosjean Myers Riley Motorsports	16	Ford Mustang GT3	115	+590 Laps 3:54'41.325	403 Laps		Retirement
dnf	F. Perrodo M. Vaxiviere N. Nielsen D. Murry Af Corse	83	ORECA LMP2 07	95	+610 Laps 4:46'59.771	20 Laps		Retirement
dnf	A. Adelson E. Skeer T. Sargent C. Ilott Wright Motorsports	120	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	87	+618 Laps 2:54'52.775	8 Laps		Retirement
dnf	D. Serra D. Rigon A. Pier Guidi Risi Competizione	62	Ferrari 296 GT3	62	+643 Laps 2:02'08.156	25 Laps		Retirement
dnf	E. Zitza J. Heylen D. Machavern S. Muller RS1	28	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	5	+700 Laps 12'26.101	57 Laps		Retirement
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