Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona Preview

The final weekend of January has finally arrived, and it is almost time for the stars and cars of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to take to the high banks of Daytona for the annual twice-around-the-clock classic.  This year could be as exciting as any, with several factors that could factor in to not only the overall winner of the race, but also the respective class winners.  Here's what we think could happen this weekend.

Prototype

The prototype class consists of 12 DPis and P2s that will be fighting for the overall win.  ESM returns to Daytona this year running the Nissan DPi program, with two cars entered, featuring Pipo Derani, Bruno Senna, and Brendon Hartley, among others.  Mazda also have brought two Riley-based DPis, with a relatively unchanged driver lineup that features IndyCar stars Spencer Pigot and James Hinchcliffe.  Three Cadillac DPis are running this weekend, two by Action Express and one by Wayne Taylor Racing.  The Cadillacs have shown great pace this weekend, and it is quite clear the BOP has fallen in their favor.  Rounding out the class are the unmodified P2s.  Rebellion, DragonSpeed, and JDC-Miller Motorsports are running Oreca 07s, PR1/Mathiasen is running the lone Ligier in the field, and Visit Florida has the lone Riley in the field.  The Orecas have proven to be the fastest out of these three P2s, and could possibly compete for the win.

What to Watch For: Electronic issues in the Cosworth steering wheels have plagued the prototypes for the entire year.  If they play a role in the race, the Mazdas could possibly be in the best position, as they are using a different and more robust system.  Otherwise, expect the Cadillacs to dominate.  It is quite possible that any of the three could win overall, and it is my opinion that it will come down to the third and fourth drivers.  If that is the case, Action Express seems to the favorite, specifically the #5 car, featuring Christian Fittipaldi, Joao Barbosa, and Filipe Albuquerque.  The Rebellion Oreca could also put up a fight with their star-studded lineup, but it may not mean much if the Caddys can just drive away on the straights.  The DragonSpeed team destroyed their primary tub in a wreck on Thursday, so just finishing on the podium could possibly be considered a success for the ELMS regulars.

Prototype Challenge

The PC class consists of only five cars this year, with two entries each from Starworks and BAR1 Motorsports, with Performance Tech adding an additional car.

What to Watch For: This class really is up in the air.  With a class this small, it is quite possible just one or two (or even possibly none) will be running at the end.  Each lineup has some pretty big names to it: Ben Keating, Robert Wickens, Chris Cumming (#8 Starworks), Buddy Rice, Gustavo Yacaman (#20 BAR1), Johnny Mowlem (#26 BAR1), James French, Pato O'Ward (#38 Performance Tech), Alex Popow, Conor Daly (#88 Starworks).  It will be the team that is involved in the last mistakes that will win this one.

 GT Le Mans

The GTLM field once again consists of five teams, with Chip Ganassi bringing all four Ford GT teams this year, Corvette bringing their usual two cars, Porsche with two 991s, BMW Team Rahal with two M3s, and Risi with a lone Ferrari 488.  

What to Watch For: The BMWs, Ferrari, and, to a lesser extent, the Porsches have been off-pace since the Roar compared to the Fords and Corvettes.  With this race down to a two team-race, the Fords will have an advantage, with the Corvettes have exactly half of the chance of winning as the Fords.  This same scenario played out at Le Mans last year, and we all know how that ended.  Expect one of the four Fords to be in victory lane come Sunday afternoon.

GT Daytona

The GTD field is wide open this year, with entries coming from all around the world and in all sorts of cars.

Lamborghini Huracan GT3

#11 & #61 GRT Grasser Racing Team

#16 Change Racing

#18 DAC Motorsports

#21 Konrad Motorsport

#27 Dream Racing

#46 EbiMotors

#48 Paul Miller Racing

Lexus RC F GT3

#14 & #15 3GT Racing

Audi R8 LMS GT3

#23 Alex Job Racing

#29 Montaplast by Land-Motorsport

#57 Stevenson Motorsports

Porsche 991 GT3

#28 Alegra Motorsports

#54 CORE Autosport

#59 Manthey Racing

#73 Park Place Motorsports

#991 TRG

Mercedes GT GT3

#33 Riley Motorsports Team AMG

#50 Riley Motorsports WeatherTech Racing

#75 SunEnergy1 Racing

Ferrari 488 GT3

#51 Spirit of Race/AF Corse

#63 Scuderia Corsa

Acura NSX GT3

#86 & #93 Michael Shank Racing

BMW M3 GT3

#96 Turner Motorsport

Aston Martin Vantage GT3

#98 Aston Martin Racing

What to Watch For: I have been eyeing this team since they first tested at Daytona, and I still feel that the Land-Motorsport team are the team to beat in the race, with a lineup including Christopher Mies and Connor De Phillippi.  The Alegra Motorsports Porsche is also worth a watch, as they have had their moments at the top of the charts in testing.  In fact, the vast majority of the field seemingly has a shot at this race.  However, do not expect to see the new Lexus and Acura cars at the front.  They, as one would expect, have had trouble with getting a good setup on their cars as they learn them, so it seems highly unlikely that any of the four combined cars between the two manufacturers will be competitive.  It could be seen as similar to the Ford GT last year, as they struggled at Daytona, but were competitive by the end of the year.

With Aleshin Possibly Out, Who Moves In To Second SPM Seat?

It has been reported by RACER that Mikhail Aleshin's seat in the #7 SPM entry for the 2017 IndyCar season has been cast in doubt over, once again, issues in getting his SMP Bank sponsorship to America due to sanctioning placed on Russia.  Obviously, this deals a huge blow to the Russian, who, in the minds of many, was set for a killer of a season this year, especially on the ovals, which he performed very well on last year.  His on-the-edge qualifying run at Indy to get into the Fast Nine had myself and many others holding our collective breath as he ran centimeters away from the wall.  What this means, however, is that a competitive seat opens up, and there are many possible options for the drive.

Jack Harvey - The former Indy Lights driver has been spending his time nowadays looking into possible IndyCar rides.  As of yet, he has failed to get one.  He certainly holds potential, however his lack of seat time in the past year (and untimely wreck of an SPM car in a test) means he is a rather long shot for the seat.

Zach Veach - This longtime-Lights stalwart impressed many with his pace in his test with Ed Carpenter Racing at Sonoma, outpacing Spencer Pigot.  He was in a battle with Pigot for the road-only #20 seat, but lost out as Pigot was confirmed today.  If he can find sponsorship, expect Veach to be in the hunt for the seat.

Luis Michael Dorrbecker - The young Mexican Auto GP Formula Open champion has a test set up with SPM in March.  He also could carry sponsorship from Carlos Slim, who has sponsored many a Mexican in motorsport, including Sergio Perez, Esteban Gutierrez, and Adrian Fernandez.  However, Dorrbecker's test comes just days before the opener at St. Pete.  It is conceivable that he could test earlier, but that remains to be seen.  If Dorrbecker gets an earlier test, his sponsorship from Slim could win him the seat.

Gabby Chaves - Chaves has been searching for a seat for over a year now, and the young driver certainly deserves it.  However, Chaves seems to have went off to sunnier horizons in sportscars, evidenced by his test with Starworks at the Roar Before the 24.  It is plausible he could run with SPM, who put him in the seat when Aleshin couldn't make the Phoenix test due to visa issues, but it remains unlikely.


There are several others whose names might pop up in this discussion.  Jack Hawksworth, R.C. Enerson, Sage Karam, and others all might seem like options, but they either have preexisting commitments or, in Enerson's case, legal trouble with Sam Schmidt, so they are very, very unlikely.  It is also possible the seat could be split between several of these drivers, similar to the way Dale Coyne did it back in the day.  One thing remains certain, though:  this will be a very interesting end to the IndyCar silly season.

Hankook 24 Hours of Dubai Wrapup

This year's 24 Hours of Dubai was, with an almost 100 car grid that made sure there was very little clean air, possibly the most action-packed endurance race, albeit not a very clean one, in history.  Nearly six hours of the race were run under code 60, but when the cars were racing, it sure made for some exciting action.

A6 Pro

A6 Pro once again provided the overall winner, with Porsche taking a 1-2 with Herberth Motorsport and Manthey Racing, who will be now crossing the pond for their Daytona GTD campaign.  The #3 Black Falcon Mercedes rounded out the podium in class.  Teams that saw trouble included the #4 Belgian Audi Club Audi R8 and the #21 Konrad Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan, both of whom were among my favorites to win the race.  DNFs from the class included the #2 Black Falcon Mercedes, who wrecked out with the #963 Grasser Lamborghini, the Forch Racing Porsche, who I am sure would've pushed for a Porsche podium sweep had they not retired, the #28 GP Extreme Renault RS01 that featured Jean-Eric Vergne in their lineup, and the #964 Grasser Lamborghini.

A6 Am

A6 Am saw a dominating performance from Hofor-Racing that saw them finish sixth overall to take the class win.  Second was the #27 GP Extreme Renault, and rounding out the podium was the #34 Car Collection Motorsport Audi R8.  Only one car from the class was not classified, that being the #33 Car Collection Audi, in what was a relatively clean race from a class generally considered less experienced than A6 Pro.

991

991 also featured a nice race, with the lead in class being exchanged several times in the early hours.  It ended up being the #68 Black Falcon car that took the class win.  It was joined on the podium by the #85 PROsport Performance car and the #63 race:pro motorsport car.  DNFs in the class consisted of the #80 APO Sport car, the #95 Memac Ogilvy Duel Racing car, the #90 MRS GT-Racing car, the #93 MSG Motorsport car, the #73 HRT Performance car, and the #81 Olimp Racing car.

SPX

SPX was, as I expected, a Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo showcase, with a Lambo in the lead in class pretty much from flag to flag.  The GDL Racing Middle East Lambo took top honors, followed by the Leipert Motorsport Lambo that came from the back of the grid to finish 19th overall, and the FACH Auto Tech Porsche 991.  DNF'ing in the class was the #204 Vortex V8 Vortex, the #24 Cool Racing Vortex, and the #19 Eurotrac Dodge Viper.

SP2

SP2 was won by the Bovi Motorsport Silver Sting.  The class podium was rounded out by the #247 Reiter Engineering KTM X-Bow and the #58 VDS Racing Adventures MARC Focus.  

SP3-GT4

SP3-GT4 saw a Ginetta-dominated race, with the examples from Century Motorsport and Optimum Motorsport running away in the race.  

Podium:

1. #231 Optimum Motorsport Ginetta G55

2. #229 Century Motorsport Ginetta G55

3. #267 GDL Racing Team Asia Porsche Cayman

TCR

TCR was most notable for its winner, the Cadspeed Audi RS3 LMS in its first race.  An impressive debut from Audi's latest in its successful line of racers.

Podium:

1. #108 Cadspeed Racing Audi RS3 LMS

2. #216 Modena Motorsports Seat Leon

3. #105 Zest Racecar Engineering Seat Leon

A3

Podium:

1. #308 Team Altran Peugeot Peugeot 208

2. #908 Team Altran Peugeot Peugeot 208

3. #133 PB Racing Lotus Elise

CUP1

Podium:

1. #151 Sorg Rennsport

2. #152 Sorg Rennsport

3. #146 Bonk Motorsport

A2

Podium:

1. #171 Team Eva Solo Peugeot RCZ

2. #172 Team Cooksport Renault Clio Cup

3. #52 Team Sally Racing Renault Clio Cup

Hankook 24 Hours of Dubai Preview

The month of January means the beginning of the 2017 racing season, with two twice-around-the-clock races set for this month, those of course being Daytona and Dubai.  The first of these starts tomorrow, with the 24 Hours of Dubai set for Friday and Saturday.

A6-Pro

The A6-Pro class is well set with quality GT3 entries.  2 Entries come from Black Falcon, with big names Jeroen Bleekemolen and Maro Engel in separate cars.  WRT puts one Audi R8 in, with an all-star lineup that includes Enzo Ide, who many rate to be one of the best gentleman drivers in the world, Christopher Mies, and Robin Frijns.  The Optimum Motorsport team that saw some success at the Gulf 12 Hours brings their R8 to Dubai, with their usual consistent lineup that also sees Christopher Haase in the car.  Konrad is back for another shot with their Huracan this year after their unfortunate end in the race last year while leading.  GP Extreme brings a Renault RS 01 to the race, with a strong lineup that features Jean-Eric Vergne and Nicky Pastorelli.  Herberth Motorsport is also in Dubai with a Porsche 991 that will feature the brothers Renauer and Brendon Hartley, among others.  Grasser brings two of their Huracans to the 24H Dubai this year, and both feature equally potent lineups.  Otherwise, HB Racing brings a Huracan, Manthey Racing is in Dubai with a Porsche 991, SPS Automotive Automotive Performance has a Mercedes, and IMSA Performance brings their usual all-French lineup in their Porsche.  

Prediction: This class is really up for grabs, and literally anyone has a shot to win this.  The two car teams of Black Falcon and Grasser give them a huge advantage.  I expect their doubled chances to result in either a Grasser or Black Falcon win.  However, barring issues, expect Herberth, Manthey, WRT, Konrad, Optimum, and GP Extreme to compete.

A6-Am

A6-Am features several competitive entries.  Defending champs Hofor-Racing are back with the #1-placarded Mercedes.  Another Mercedes is being run by IDEC Sport Racing, with a lineup that includes Nicolas Minassian.  The Forch Racing Porsche looks to be a strong entry, with Santiago Creel, Robert Kubica, and Wolf Henzler all set to drive the car, among others.  Also running in the Am class is a WRT Audi R8 supported by the Saudi drivers, V8 Racing with an all-Dutch lineup in a Corvette C6, Gravity Racing International in an older-gen Mercedes SLS, HTP Motorsport in a Mercedes AMG GT3, GP Extreme with another Renault RS01, Car Collection with two R8s, and Attempto Racing with a Porsche 991. 

Prediction: The Forch Racing team's strong group of drivers will help them to the win.

SPX

SPX features the other GT-esque cars that really don't fit into the A6 class, such as the Huracan Super Trofeo.  The class features entries from Leipert Motorsport (Huracan Super Trofeo), Eurotrac (Dodge Viper CC Series 2), Cool Racing by GPC Motorsport (Vortex 1.0), FACH Auto Tech (Porsche 991 Cup MR), GDL Racing (2 Huracan Super Trofeos), Vortex V8 (Vortex 1.0), and Schubert Motorsport (BMW M4 GT4).  

Prediction: Leipert Motorsport has been outpacing everyone else in class in practice thanks to a lineup that includes Oliver Webb.  If they can keep their nose clean, expect them to be on top at the end of the race.

991

991 features the Porsche 991 GT3 Cup cars.  Entries in this class includes race:pro motorsport, Black Falcon Team TMD Friction (2 Cars), HRT Performance, APO Sport, Olimp Racing by Lukas Motorsport, PROsport Performance, MRS GT-Racing, MSG Motorsport (2 Cars), and Memac Ogilvy Duel Racing.  No big names really feature in this class, with the exception of Andy Pilgrim.

Prediction: Pilgrim's seat in the PROsport Performance car makes them my favorite to win the class.

SP2

SP2 includes a wide array of cars and manufacturers.  Entries in this class consist of VDS Racing Adventures (MARC Focus V8), Speed Lover (Porsche 991 Cup), Vortex V8 (GC Automobile GC 10 V8), Bovi Motorsport (Brokernet Silver Sting), Besaplast Racing (Audi TTRS), Reiter Engineering (KTM X-Bow).  Brett Sandberg, the defending GTS champion in PWC, is in the Reiter X-Bow.

Prediction: The Vortex V8 GC 10 has been noticeably quick.  If they stay clean, look for them to battle with the Reiter X-Bow for the class win.

SP3-GT4

SP3-GT4 includes, as its name suggests, the GT4 cars in the field.  The class entries include, PROsport Performance (Porsche Cayman), track-club (Lotus Evora GT4), JR Motorsport (BMW E90), Nissan GT Academy Team RJN (Nissan 370Z GT4), CWS (Ginetta G55 GT4), Optimum Motorsport (G55), Century Motorsport (G55), FACH Auto Tech (Cayman), ALFAB Racing (Cayman), Manthey Racing (Cayman), Black Falcon Team TMD Friction (Cayman), Slidesports Pallex (Cayman), Reiter Engineering (KTM X-Bow GT4), Newbridge Motorsport - OCC Lasik Racing (Cayman), Rotek Racing (Cayman), GDL Racing Team Asia (Cayman), Bucketlist Racing (BMW F30 340i), Schwede Motorsport (Cayman).  Among the names in this class are Ian James (Rotek Racing) and Ricardo Sanchez (Nissan).

Prediction: This class seems up for grabs.  Expect close racing between the three Ginetta teams and the Nissan factory team, who's relative youth and inexperience could play a major role in their level of success this weekend.

TCR

Entries: Lap57 Motorsports (Honda Civic TCR), Team Bleekemolen (Seat Leon TCR V2 SEQ), Zest Racecar Engineering (Seat Leon), Cadspeed Racing with Atech (Audi RS3 LMS TCR), Modena Motorsports (Seat Leon), Red Camel-Jordans.nl (Seat Leon Cup Racer).

Prediction:  Cadspeed, if their new car does not fall victim to teething.

A3

Entries: Cor Euser Racing (BMW M3), RKC/TGM (Honda FD2-Civic Type-R), track-club (Seat Leon Supercopa), Hofor-Kuepper Racing (BMW E46 M3 Coupe), PB Racing (Lotus Elise Cup PB-R), Zest Racecar Engineering (Seat Leon Supercopa), Team Altran Peugeot (2 Peugeot 208 GTis).

Prediction: #308 Team Altran Peugeot

CUP1 (All BMW M235i Racing Cup)

Entries: Bonk Motorsport (2), Sorg Rennsport (2), QSR, DUWO Racing.

Prediction: #146 Bonk Motorsport

A2

Entries: ZRT Motorsport (Honda Integra DC5), Team Sally Racing (2 Renault Clio Cup IIIs), Stanco & Tanner Motorsport (Renault Clio Cup IV), Team Clio Cup France (Clio Cup IV), Team Eva Solo/K-Rejser (Peugeot RCZ), Team Cooksport (Clio Cup IV), Lap57 Motorsports (Honda Integra DC5).

Prediction: Team Eva Solo/K-Rejser

FULL ENTRY LIST: LINK

Roar Before the 24 Review

The month of January is finally here, and with it the beginning of the 2017 endurance racing campaign.  This past weekend, IMSA's teams took to the Daytona International Speedway for the annual Roar Before the 24 test.  Here's what happened and what we learned.

Friday

Friday saw two sessions of testing for the WeatherTech Championship Series teams.  Both sessions saw Neel Jani take Rebellion Racing's Oreca to the top of the charts, establishing them as a legit competitor in this year's twice-around-the-clock classic.  Other than Rebellion, the only drivers in the 1:39 bracket were Ricky Taylor in the Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac DPi and Mikhail Goikhberg in JDC-Miller Motorsports' new Oreca.  

In PC, all five cars were within 1.3 seconds of each other in Practice 1, with the two BAR1 Motorsports cars driven by Johnny Mowlem and Gustavo Yacaman falling into the 1:42 and 1:43 laptime bracket, respectively, in Practice 2.  

In GTLM, the quartet of Ganassi Ford GTs and the two Corvettes paced the field.  Both the 3 and 4 Corvettes hit into the 1:44 laptime bracket.  The GTs only managed to hit 1:45s in Practice 1, but three of the four hit into the 1:44 range in Practice 2, dominating the Corvettes.  Jan Magnussen ran the fastest time of the day, with a 1:44.760 in Practice 1.  The BMWs, Porsches, and the lone Ferrari from Risi Competizione lagged behind the the Fords and Chevrolets.  

GTD saw a very competitive field, with much of the field falling in the 1:47 and 1:48 laptimes.  Conor De Phillippi and Land Motorsport's Audi R8 led Practice 1 with a 1:47.629, and Andrew Davis took Stevenson Motorsports' Audi R8 to the top of the board in Practice 2 with a time of 1:47.553.  Also falling into the 1:47 time range was the SunEnergy1 Racing and the WeatherTech Racing Mercedes, and the CORE Autosport Porsche.

Saturday

Saturday saw the great equalizer come into play, with rain falling on Practice 3 at Daytona.  Practice 4 and 5 (the night practice), however, were dry.  

In Prototype, Neel Jani and Rebellion continued to be the class of the field, with Jani slipping into the 1:38 laptimes as night fell.  The Mazda DPis also showed their potential, with both Mazdas running 1:39 laps after being hindered with suspension issues along with Visit Florida Racing on Friday.  DragonSpeed also showed some speed on Saturday, along with VFR.  Action Express finally broke into the 1:39s in Practice 4 with Christian Fittipaldi after a quiet weekend most likely result of IMSA's BOP for the DPi.  

In PC, Mazda Road to Indy driver Pato O'Ward and Performance Tech Motorsports were the class of the small contingent on Saturday after BAR1 Motorsports' #20 car's weekend ended with engine issues.  O'Ward ran a 1:43.119.

For GTLM, the CGR Ford GTs once again led the class, with the Corvettes and the Porsches closing in to a few tenths off the leading pace of the GTs.  IndyCar regular Scott Dixon ran the quickest time of the day with a 1:44.558, showing the open-wheel veteran has a long future ahead of him once his IndyCar career is over.  

In GTD, the field once again mostly fell within two seconds of each other, showing the competitiveness of this class in 2017.  In Practice 4, the Italian Ebimotors team topped the charts in their Lamborghini Huracan, with Jeff Segal and the #86 Acura NSX following in second.  In Practice 5, the Land Motorsport Audi once again found itself in P1, this time with Christopher Mies running the fast time.  Jack Hawksworth took the Lexus RC F to P2, as he ran the only other sub-1:48 GTD time of the day.

Sunday

As one would expect, Sunday saw most of the fast times of the test.  The final day of the Roar saw unusual cold conditions in Daytona, as Florida finally felt the wrath of winter that most of the United States had already seen at some point this year.  

In Prototype, the DragonSpeed team once again showed speed, with Ben Hanley setting the fastest time of the Roar at 1:38.343, edging Jonathan Bomarito's time in his Mazda DPi by two hundredths of a second.  Sebastian Buemi set the fastest lap of Rebellion's impressive test with a 1:38.408.  Also falling into the 1:38 bracket were PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports' Ligier, both of Action Express' Cadillac DPis, the Visit Florida Racing Riley, and the Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac DPi.  The P class was similarly grouped as in the GTDs, with the entire class falling within a 1.3 second gap.

In PC, only 2 of the 5 entries were able to run faster times on Sunday, that being the Performance Tech entry and the #8 car from Starworks.  It remains yet to be seen if Peter Baron will run his PCs at Daytona, although his presence at the Roar seems to all but confirm he will participate.

The entire GTLM class, sans the #68 Ford GT set their quickest lap of the test on Sunday.  Two IndyCar-rooted drivers brought the Ford GTs to the top of the test however, that being Ryan Briscoe and Tony Kanaan in the #67 and the #69, respectively.  All the remaining GTLM entries ran within 8 tenths of Briscoe's fast time of 1:44.380.  The highlight of the day was, of course, the fire in #4 Corvette that turned the beautiful beast into a well-cooked heap of ash.  Marcel Fassler, who was behind the wheel at the time, was uninjured.  Do remember that the same thing happened last year, and the Corvette team went on to a pretty successful year that saw them eventually win the championship.

In GTD, legendary Manthey Racing set the fast time of the test, with Porsche factory driver Sven Mueller wheeling the #59 Porsche to a 1:46.810, just under a tenth quicker than Jeroen Bleekemolen's time in his #33 Mercedes.  The GTD field was separated by 2.2 seconds at the end of the test, with a vast majority of the field falling in a closer range.

What We Learned

The Oreca's are clearly the class of the P2s right now.  For the DPis, the Cadillacs and Mazdas seem to have some speed, with the Nissan's trailing a little farther behind.  The #13 of Rebellion Racing continues to be my favorite to win the event, however it remains to be seen how IMSA will end up BOPing everyone at the end of the day.  Hopefully, politics will not play a role and IMSA will not end up ruling the P2s out of a win before race day.  

Ford and Chevrolet continue to be the class of the GTLM field.  Porsche, BMW, and Ferrari continue to lag behind on overall pace, but only by a few tenths of a second.  At the end of the day, the numbers Ford and CGR are bringing to Daytona will win them the race in my opinion, just as it did at Le Mans last year.  

GTD seems to have three main competitiors:  Porsche, Audi, and Mercedes.  There is no defending winner returning to the race this year, with John Potter and Magnus not returning this year after clashes with IMSA's rulings late last season.  It is reviving to see Porsche at the top of the boards for GTD, after a season which saw all but one of the manufacturer's entries either move to PWC or drop out of racing completely after what many ruled to be an unfair BOP on the Porsches.  To me, this class still remains up in the air as to who will win, and I expect it to stay that way until about an hour to go on January 29th.  As one might expect, the new machines from Lexus and Acura did not have much pace.  It will be interesting to see if their all-star driver lineups will able to bring the new cars to the front on race day or if the mechanical gremlins that have stemmed new programs in recent years will affect them too.

Be ready to for previews for both the Hankook 24 Hours of Dubai and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona to come out a few days before each race.