Rolex 24 Race Notes - Hour 1
PRE-RACE NOTES – Sixty-seven cars will take the green flag… The race will be preceded by two pace laps… Tires can be changed between the first and second pace lap, but you must start

1:00 p.m. – Grid is closed.

1:05 p.m. – Pit road is closed to non team members.

1:12 p.m. – Announcements made by track president and mayor of Daytona Beach.

1:16 p.m. – Introduction of GRAND MARSHAL DAN GURNEY.

1:18 p.m. – Invocation/National Anthem

1:22 p.m. – Command is given to start engines.

1:23 p.m. – Fly over by F-5s.

1:24 p.m. – Cars begin to roll off pit lane.

1:29 p.m. – Several cars come down pit lane to change tires. Those include, Nos. 91, 61, 11, 99, 2, 77, 03, 09, 01, 02 and 3 in Daytona Prototype and Nos. 15, 40 and 50 in GT. The front row stays intact. They will be held until after the green flag.

1:30 p.m./START/LAP 1 (00:00:00) – No. 60 OSWALDO NEGRI leads the Daytona Prototype race into Turn 1 and is trailed by No. 6 AJ ALLMENDINGER. The Daytona Prototype cars on the pit lane enter the race in front of the GT cars. No. 6 AJ ALLMENDINGER leads the first lap about three car lengths ahead of No. 10 MAX ANGELELLI. No. 56 CHRISTIAN MONTARINI leads the first lap in GT. No. 14 ANTHONY LAZZARO is involved in a first corner incident and limps back to the pits, taking the car behind the wall.

LAP 2 (00:01:53) – The lead is about 10 car lengths.

LAP 3 (00:03:40) – The top five in Daytona Prototypes are No. 6 AJ ALLMENDINGER, No. 10 MAX ANGELELLI, No. 7 MATT PLUMB, No. 60 OSWALDO NEGRI and No. 58 DAVID DONOHUE.

LAP 4 (00:05:24) – The lead gap is now about six car lengths for No. 6 AJ ALLMENDINGER.

LAP 5 (00:07:07) – No. 70 SYLVAIN TREMBLAY is now the GT race leader.

LAP 6 (00:9:50) – The lead Daytona Prototypes are beginning to catch the tail of the field.

LAP 7 (00:10:33) – No. 29 SCOOTER GABEL brings his PORSCHE GT3 behind the wall.

LAP 8 (00:12:16) – No. 6 AJ ALLMENDINGER is working his way through the tail of the field.

LAP 9 (00:13:59) – The gap between leaders No. 6 AJ ALLMENDINGER and No. 10 MAX ANGELELLI.

LAP 10 (00:15:43) – There are reports there is something dragging on No. 68 JOHN MAYES, which got off the track at one point. TRG No. 66 ANDY LALLY also has something dragging from the center rear. The top five are No. 6 AJ ALLMENDINGER, No. 10 MAX ANGELELLI, No. 7 MATT PLUMB, No. 60 OSWALDO NEGRI and No. 58 DAVID DONOHUE.

LAP 11 (00:18:16) – Nothing

LAP 12 (00:19:59) – OVERALL LEAD CHANGE as No. 10 MAX ANGELELLI has taken the lead from No. 6 AJ ALLMENDINGER heading into Turn 1.

LAP 13 (00:26:42) – The lead is 0.282 seconds for No. 10 MAX ANGELELLI.

LAP 14 (00:22:53) – The top two lead by over 10 seconds over No. 7 MATT PLUMB.

LAP 15 (00:24:37) – FULL COURSE CAUTION for No. 9 HELIO CASTRONEVES, who has a flat left front tire, which shreds bodywork around the area. Debris is strewn throughout the tri-oval. He comes into the pits to make the tire changes and have structural work done.

LAP 16 (00:26:25) – Pits are open for Daytona Prototype cars. Nos. 6, 60, 23, 10, 58, 59, 61, 12, 91, 77, 76, 09, 03, 01, 02. OVERALL LEAD CHANGE as No. 7 MATT PLUMB picks up the lead. No. 99 ALEX GURNEY is second, followed by No. 75 TRACY KROHN, No. 10 MAX ANGELELLI and No. 58 DAVID DONOHUE. There are reports of transmission problems with No. 11 RYAN DALZIEL. No. 23 JOEY HAND gets out and BILL AUBERLEN gets in. No. 16 MATTEO BOBBI also pitted and gave the car to ANTONIO GARCIA.

LAP 17 (00:30:08) – GT pits are open. Nos. 70, 67, 56, 34, 89, 66, 62, 64, 30, 21, 90, 07, 06, 15, 83, 50, 17, 84, 43, 44, 40 and 57 all pit.

LAP 18 (00:33:45) – No. 11 RYAN DALZIEL brings the SAMAX car back onto the track. Nos. 86, 88, 22, 85, 72, 63 and 68 all pit. The top 10 in Daytona Prototypes are No. 7 MATT PLUMB, No. 99 ALEX GURNEY, No. 75 TRACY KROHN, No. 10 MAX ANGELELLI, No. 58 DAVID DONOHUE, No. 61 MARK WILKINS, No. 91 MARC GOOSSENS, No. 60 OSWALDO NEGRI, No. 76 NIC JÖNSSON and No. 2 MIKE ROCKENFELLER. No. 80 JAN HEYLEN leads the GT field. No. 68 JOHN MAYES takes his car behind the wall with a punctured radiator.

LAP 19 (00:37:15) – Team will get the green flag next time by.

LAP 20 (00:40:22) – GREEN FLAG flies and the race is underway. No. 7 MATT PLUMB pulls away, taking advantage of the GT cars behind him. No. 31 SETH INGRAM will need to pit for a stop-and-go penalty plus 20 seconds for pitting out of sequence. No. 85 ROSS BENTLEY has spun but continued.

LAP 21 (00:42:22) – No. 80 JAN HEYLEN pits and gives the GT LEAD to No. 87 DIRK WERNER. No. 31 SETH INGRAM serves his penalty. The lead for No. 7 MATT PLUMB is 4.552 seconds over No. 10 MAX ANGELELLI.

LAP 22 (00:44:07) – No. 58 DAVID DONOHUE working No. 10 MAX ANGELELLI hard for third. No. 21 DIEGO ALESI pits the Pontiac GTO. No. 60 OSWALDO NEGRI takes sixth from No. 91 MARC GOOSSENS. No. 87 DIRK WERNER leads No. 81 PATRICK HUISMAN by just over a half second in GT action.

LAP 23 (00:45:51) – No. 7 MATT PLUMB continues to lead No. 99 ALEX GURNEY by almost four seconds.

LAP 24 (00:47:34) – There are reports No. 83 TIM BERGMEISTER’s car has a broken driveshaft and will bring the car in.

LAP 25 (00:49:19) – The top five are No. 7 MATT PLUMB, No. 99 ALEX GURNEY, No. 10 MAX ANGELELLI, No. 58 DAVID DONOHUE and No. 61 MARK WILKINS. All 25 Daytona Prototypes are still running.

LAP 27 (00:52:50) - No. 90 DAVID RUSSELL brings the BMW M6 into the pits. The crew pops the hood and takes a look before sending the car out moments later.

LAP 29 (00:56:16) – No. 26 JOE JACALONE will move sway bars to full soft. No. 01 SCOTT PRUETT reports he is faster than No. 91 MARC GOOSSENS; he just can’t get by him. No. 23 BILL AUBERLEN takes 10th in Daytona Prototypes.

LAP 30 (00:58:01) – No. 08 KEITH GOLDIN is reported to have contacted the wall. There appears to only be damaged to the left front tire. The lead for No. 7 MATT PLUMB is down to 2.386 seconds.

LAP 31 (00:59:47) – The top five in Daytona Prototypes are No. 7 MATT PLUMB, No. 99 ALEX GURNEY, No. 10 MAX ANGELELLI, No. 60 OSWALDO NEGRI and No. 61 MARK WILKINS. No. 58 DAVID DONOHUE has pitted for routine service and stays in the car. No. 81 PATRICK HUISMAN’s crew is contemplating keeping the same tires on for another hour.