Colin Braun leads the field at the top of GTP with six hours to go in the 61st running of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. The sun has risen, and the end is in sight for the 52 cars who survived the night.
It’s been an eventful night on Daytona Beach, the cream has risen to the top in GTP, and we know have a better picture of who is truly in contention for a race victory in the inaugural race for the formula. The #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura has dominated the race so far, seeming to find their way to the front with every passing stint.
Other contenders in the top class are the works Cadillacs, the #10 sister Acura and the #6 Porsche. The #10 and #6 didn’t have the easiest nights around the World Center of Racing, the #10 had some mechanical issues that brought it back to the garage briefly during the night when replacing engine oil. The #6 had an off in the horseshoe and had to replace bodywork, putting them two laps down.
The BMW machines have had nights to forget as well. The #25 has been in and out of the garage for almost the entire race, falling victim to the often spoken about mechanical bugs that plagued that car in development. The #24 has stayed on track more than its teammate, but it’s very clear that the BMW is the slowest car in the GTP field.
The Porsche #7 was plagued with technical issues early in the night and has never been able to gain the time spent in the garage back, running 18 laps behind with six hours to go. The same could be said for the #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac.
The field is keeping it clean as we run into the early morning. All weekend teams have been speaking on the importance of keeping it clean and making a push in the last two hours and with how mundane the race is running right now, that feel like the mindset throughout the paddock. When two hours remain the fireworks will really kick off and the proper story of the race will finally unfold.
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