Two cars penalized following Rolex 24 Hours
Two GT Daytona-class cars – including a podium finisher – have been moved to the bottom of the results of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, after IMSA’s examination of timing and scoring data.
The 2019 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opener saw the #11 Grasser Racing Team’s Lamborghini Huracan win the GTD class by 5.2sec ahead of the #29 Montaplast by Land Motorsport Audi R8.
However, the latter car, driven by Daniel Morad, Christopher Mies, Ricky Feller and Dries Vanthoor, is judged to have fallen foul of regulation 12.13.2 regarding Minimum and Base Drive-Time.
That rule states, “Two drivers rated silver and/or bronze must individually achieve the minimum drive-time and each other driver (regardless of Driver rating) must individually drive the car for a base drive-time as listed in the SR or Car penalized in the drive-time penalty order priority.”
Minimum drive-time for the GTD class at the Rolex 24 was 4hrs45mins and base drive-time was 3hrs30mins (although both times were reduced by a percentage owing to time lost during red flag periods).
According to IMSA, Feller did not meet the minimum time for a bronze or silver-rated driver and thus the Land team's superb runner-up finish has turned into a desultory 22nd place.
Thus AIM Vasser Sullivan’s #12 Lexus – piloted by Townsend Bell, Jeff Segal, Frankie Montecalvo and Aaron Telitz – is elevated to second on the team’s debut, while the #88 WRT Speedstar Audi of Frederic Vervisch, Kelvin van der Linde, Ian James and Roman De Angelis gains third.
The other car hit by the penalty is the #63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488, in which Toni Vilander has been judged to have not met the so-called 'base-time' minimum.
That car, which he shared with Cooper MacNeil, Dominik Farnbacher and Jeff Westphal, had posted a retirement in the torrential conditions that ended the Rolex 24 early. However, it had still been classified 14th but has now been moved back to 23rd.
Previous article
Fittipaldi feels “peace” after tough final Rolex 24
Next article
Risi eyes Le Mans return, no further IMSA plans in 2019
About this article
| Series | IMSA |
| Event | Daytona 24 |
| Teams | Scuderia Corsa , Land Motorsport |
| Author | David Malsher-Lopez |
24 Hours of Daytona Video Recap
24 Hours of Daytona: Fourth Place for Ferrari
Watch the entire Rolex 24 in just over a minute
Why a Mazda IMSA Prototype title would bring bitter joy
Can Mazda win this year’s IMSA Prototype championship? Undoubtedly. But it will be the culmination of an achingly hard struggle, after which the brand has decided to quit. David Malsher-Lopez tells the story of a bizarre blend of heartache and positivity.
The GTE dilemma that IMSA has created for the WEC
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s decision to scrap its GT Le Mans class for 2022 raises the question of whether the FIA World Endurance Championship should phase out GTE cars. But it's a much harder decision than it appears on the surface.
Nine things to watch at the 2021 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona
After a 100-minute sprint race to whet the appetite, the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship gets underway properly this weekend. With plenty of significant changes during the winter, here are the key points you need to keep an eye on
Why Magnussen is relishing a fresh start in sportscars
Having gone over seven years without a race win through spells with McLaren, Renault and Haas, Kevin Magnussen's departure from Formula 1 for IMSA with big-hitters Chip Ganassi Racing could give him what he craves most - a chance of success
Oliver Gavin's Corvette Racing highlights
Oliver Gavin has stepped down from the full-time Corvette Racing line-up after a stellar career with the team spanning nearly 20 years. He looks back on a stint that encompassed, among other successes, five Le Mans 24 Hours victories.
How Tandy joined an exclusive club of endurance legends
Victory at last year's Spa 24 Hours meant Nick Tandy had completed the unofficial sextuple crown of the world's six biggest endurance races, becoming the first Briton to do so. Ahead of his fresh start with Corvette Racing, he explains how he did it…
The 12 greatest Sebring 12 Hours ranked
The 2020 edition of the Florida sportscar classic is finally taking place this weekend, eight months after its traditional date in March. That meant there was plenty of time for Motorsport.com to pour over its previous 67 races and select the best.
Tony Kanaan’s top 10 races – in his own words
The 2004 IndyCar champion and 2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan probably hasn’t yet driven his final IndyCar race, but we still asked him for the 10 most significant races of his career. He explained his choices to David Malsher-Lopez.
