2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona

Complete side note/off topic but I really wish the SLS GT3 was somehow legal to race. Just the sound of it alone makes it worth watching.

 

Bit torn about the end, hate to see a Ferrari lose like that but didn't mind that it was Tucker/L5. Karma is a *****.

 

Ugh, I might disavow my Audi-fandom after that GTD finish.

Anyone else note the irony that there was a WeatherTech commercial right before the WeatherTech Porsche caused the last caution? I smell conspiracy...WeatherTech wanted more airtime!

 

Well this new series is off to a pretty poor start. Just like the LeMans series Audi has the stewards in their pocket$. Sort of reminds me of WWE. At least in F1 the stewards are dickless wussies in an even handed manner.

 

Ha! Most of us in the colonies would not understand your reference to slot cars. Your point is well made.

 

The Ferrari had the line as he was on the inside at the kink and at that speed the car naturally drifts right. He was cautious enough NOT to hit the Audi. Poor choice of the stewards to do that

 

Speaking of WeatherTech...

At one point they interviewed Dan MacNeil owner and serial Road and Track advertiser. He touted that it was an American company, with American machinery, employees, sources, etc. (All good things).

Then it hit me: What brand of car do they run?

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

Ferrari could stay home and it wouldn't change this race. That would just be acting like a baby.
The Audi was run off the track. He was in the lead. Sorry.

If the Audi didn't run off he would have been spun off the track and most likely not finished. He did the right thing.

 

Were NASCAR officials running this race? If you watch a NASCAR they almost always throw the yellow flag with under 20 laps to go for that mysterious "debris" on the track. The goal of this is bunch up the field for a 4 lap sprint to the finish. In this case the flag came out for minor contact with the tire wall. A local caution should have been called. Instead they went full course caution and brought the safety car in with just enough time for a 4 lap sprint to the finish.

 

Winkelhock made a move that was never going to stick. The Ferrari had the inside line and had nowhere else to go. Winkelhock didn't have to run off the track. He could have lifted, but he choose not to. I don't mind he made the move. Very understandable, being the last lap of a 24 hour race, fighting for victory, but Pier Guidi did absolutely nothing to justify a penalty that made them loose the race.

 

except driving for level 5

 

First there is no doubt that there is a certain undercurrent of dislike on this board for the owner of the Level 5 Racing Team. While I am in this camp I also realize that fair is fair and the results of the team are the product of the hard work of many people that go way beyond Tucker and his questionable business practices that fund the organization.

On that note I will say that I feel the L5 crew was totally robbed of victory. What I saw were two top line drivers going wheel to wheel on the last lap of one of the biggest races in the world. Heck trading paint is not expected but almost REQUIRED under these circumstances and even then that did not happen. Both drivers drove very hard and I saw no indication of actual or attempted contact. It was RACING and the Audi got beat. Actually it was already beat but the mysterious last minute yellow gave it an artificial shot and the final call just handed them the win when the driver could not get it done on the track.

The new Untied Sportscar or whatever they want to call themselves have a long way to go in establishing their credibility as a fair place to race.

 

The system of a full course Yellow allowing the cars to bunch up and sprint at the end kind of negates the idea of an Endurance race. At the 24 Hours of Nurburgring there are never full course yellows. How does Le Mans deal with this?

That said pretty cool race and great job of integrating Grand Am and ALMS. Pretty good BP on the DP's. I was rooting for The Eco Boost.

Hope the drivers of the massive/DP Ferrari crash are OK.

 

I think any notion that the Ferrari driver "forced" the Audi into the grass are misplaced. One car went hot into the corner (Audi), the other came out earlier. The laws of physics practically guaranteed that their paths would merge at the exit and neither conceded any space. Something had to give either via collision or the guy on the outside going off the track.

Racing incident imo...if you can even call it that.

 

The decision has been reversed, level 5 has been reinstated with the win

 

just got home (and took a shower ), here are my thoughts, good and bad.

good:
-the on track action was amazing. huge field, low attrition, tight infield = great racing for 24 hours. it really was amazing.
-great to see the best of the best here...very few field fillers. even the GTD driver lineups were stacked. PC is the weak link IMO.
-the crowd was big and had a "buzz" to it I've never seen at a sports car race before. to be honest it reminded me of pre-CART/IRL split Indy 500s. it was great.
-Daytona knows how to put on a great event, well organized and accommodating. I was on the fence about going to the Daytona 500 but I think I'm in now.

the bad:
-the GTD finish, if it stands (rumors are its under review), was awful.
-curious end of race manipulation that, as Napolis says, ruins the spirit of endurance racing.
-too many yellows that took too long to clean up.
-FCY wave around policy that makes no sense.
-DP/P2 BoP is all out of whack.

conclusion: great product that IMSA/NASCAR is going to screw up if they're not careful.

 

update: GTD penalty rescinded, Level 5/Ferrari wins!

 

two safety cars, two groups of cars during full course yellows. Race will be stopped if necessary, as with the Rockefeller crash in 2011.

The full course yellow 'caused' by Leh Keen in the Weathertech Porsche was an absolute disaster. Unworthy of true endurance racing.

 

Agree wholeheartedly. What ever happened to the "local yellow"?

 

Sounds like someone came to his senses. This should never have been an issue.

 

I felt the yellows were used quite sensible. The many 'moments' at the busstop chicane apparently didn't warrant yellow flags, allthough dirt was thrown on the track and cars trying to rejoin were potential accidents. But the 'Weathertech'- yellow was just plain awful.

 

Correct decision. There appeared to be no other intent than for two highly-skilled drivers attempting to win for their teams. Great duel though!

 

I've watched it a couple of times. The Ferrari didn't really have anywhere else to go. He would have spun if he turned in. I agree.

Cliff notes on why people dislike Level5?