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Whelen Engineering Cadillac wins Motul 100, Rolex 24 Pole

Sunday’s Motul Pole Award 100 set the starting order for next weekend’s Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. The Action Express Racing (AXR) Whelen Engineering No. 31 Cadillac won overall in the 100-minute shootout for the Motul Pole position with Pipo Derani guiding the Daytona Prototype International to the win.

DPi

The seven-car Daytona Prototype International (DPi) class saw the newest team on the grid, Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing, lead early on with ex-Formula One driver Kevin Magnussen lead his very first sports car laps on a wet surface as the race cycled through early yellows.


Unfortunately for the Ganassi crew, the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway course dried up from early showers quicker than they prepared, losing major track position in the changing conditions. As they fumbled behind, the driver change to Renger van der Zande didn’t save the team, finishing last in-class and 74-seconds behind.

After that, the win went to the Whelen Engineering Cadillac of Felipe Nasr and Pipo Derani. Another key fact is that with the win in the 51-lap race, Nasr, Derani, Mike Conway and Chase Elliott hold the overall pole position for the 59th Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Daytona, Rolex 24 Hours, Motul Pole Award

The No. 31 AXR Cadillac drives through the bus stop Saturday at Daytona. (Picture Credit: IMSA via Twitter)

The Mustang Sampling JDC-Miller MotorSports Cadillac showed strong pace early with Tristan Vautier behind the wheel. Vautier outdueled several drivers in the opening turn in wet conditions on multiple restarts. Ultimately the team finished third.

Jimmie Johnson in his Rolex return drove the AXR Ally Cadillac in the first 70 minutes of Sunday’s race, using the time for more practice. Kamui Kobayashi, who has driven to victory the last two years in the Rolex 24, took over the DPi for the final half-hour. Kobayashi set the fastest lap in the race, however, only managed a sixth-place finish.

LMP2

The 10-car class in Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) saw Ben Keating and Mikkel Jensen take the win. On the pace lap, Keating spun the No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA, however, the team rebounded throughout intense battles in the class throughout the session and came away with the pole position for next week’s race. With the win, Keating and Jensen take the Motul Pole in LMP2.

Daytona, Rolex 24 Hours, Motul Pole Award

The PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA drives through the banking at Daytona. (Picture Credit: PR1 Mathiasen via Twitter)

LMP3

The newest class in WTSC competition, Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) was won by Mortiz Kranz and Laurents Horr in the Muehlner Motorsports Nissan-powered Duqueine. The duo also won on Saturday in the LMP3-only IMSA Prototype Challenge series at Daytona.

The No. 6 LMP3 drives through the kink in the infield at Daytona. (Picture Credit: IMSA via Twitter)

The seven-car class saw Duqueine entered P3s finish 1-2, with the Ligier JS P320 entered cars rounding out the field. Core Motorsports’ Jon Bennett and George Kurtz finished third, the best of the Ligier-chassis competitors.

The Rolex 24, which is a non-points race for the LMP2 and LMP3 classes, is the first race that the P3 class is competing in WTSC competition.

Gar Robinson and Spencer Pigot were entered to compete in the No. 74 Riley Motorsports Ligier, however, failed to start. The team likely skipped the event to avoid carnage.

The sister Riley car, the No. 91 of Jim Cox and Dylan Murray, crashed after eight laps. Additionally, the Sean Creech Motorsport No. 33 and Performance Tech Motorsports No. 38 also failed to finish.

GTLM

Corvette-Corvette-Porsche-Ferrari-BMW-BMW was the final rundown Sunday in GT Le Mans (GTLM). The factory-backed Corvette C8.R’s ended Sunday’s qualifications 1-2 with Nick Tandy and Nicky Catsburg bringing the Chevrolets across the line first, securing the first Rolex 24 pole for the C8.R.

Daytona, Rolex 24 Hours, Motul Pole Award

The No. 4 Corvette crosses the finish line at Daytona. (Picture Credit: IMSA via Twitter)

The Porsche 911 RSR – 19 fielded by WeatherTech Racing ended their unofficial debut in third. The Risi Competizione Ferrari followed in fourth with Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s factory-backed BMW M8’s rounding out the grid. The BMW’s have won the last two times at the Rolex 24, however, were both lapped Sunday.

GTD

The dominant Bill Auberlen drove to victory lane yet again. The Turner Motorsport No. 96 won Sunday’s qualifying race with the winningest WTSC driver in history behind the wheel.

The No. 96 BMW drives into the Western Horseshoe at Daytona. (Picture Credit: Turner Motorsport via Twitter)

The Team Hardpoint/EBM Porsche crashed early in the race. Christian Nielsen was tagged off course in the bus stop in the midst of the rain, damaging the 911 GT3. They finished three laps down.

The reigning Rolex 24 GT Daytona (GTD) class champions, Paul Miller Racing. Unfortunately, after two laps the Lamborghini Huracan retired from the race.

Meanwhile, Laurens Vanthoor took the Pfaff Porsche to second on the grid while Mirko Bortolotti finished in third.

In similar fashion to the No. 74 LMP3, the TeamTGM No. 64 failed to start.

Motul Pole 100 Results

DPi
Pos.: Drivers (No.) Team – Laps
1: Nasr / Derani (31) Whelen Engineering AXR – 51
2: Jarvis / Tincknell (55) Mazda Motorsports – 51
3: Vautier / Duval (5) JDC-Miller MotorSports – 51
4: Cameron / Pla (60) Meyer Shank Racing – 51
5: R. Taylor / Albuquerque (10) Konica Minolta WTR – 51
6: Johnson / Kobayashi (48) Ally AXR – 51
7: Van der Zande / Magnussen (01) Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing – 51

LMP2

1: Keating / Jensen (52) PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports – 51

2: Andersen / Hasburg (20) High Class Racing – 50

3: Farano / Aubry (8) Tower Motorsports – 50

4: Van Erd / van der Garde (29) Racing Team Nederland – 50

5: Hodes / Grist (81) DragonSpeed USA – 50

6: Lacorte / Fuoco (47) Cetilar Racing – 50

7: Merriman / Chatin (18) Era Motorsport – 49

8: Ware / Yoluc (51) RWR-Eurasia – 49

9: Lux / Defrancesco (82) DragonSpeed USA – 48

10: Thomas / Nunez (11) WIN Autosport – 48

LMP3

1: Kranz / Hoerr (6) Muehlner Motorsports America – 48

2: Kvamme / Norman (7) Forty7 Motorsports – 47

3: Bennett / Kurtz (54) Core Motorsport – 47

4: Willsey / Barbosa (33) Sean Creech Motorsports – 30

5: Lindh / Cassels (38) Performance Tech Motorsports – 13

6: Cox / Murray (91) Riley Motorsports – 8
DNS: Robinson / Pigot (74) Riley Motorsports

 

GTLM

1: Tandy / Sims (4) Corvette Racing – 49

2: Taylor / Catsburg (3) Corvette Racing – 49

3: MacNeil / Estre (79) WeatherTech Racing – 49

4: Calado / Pier Guidi (62) Risi Competizione – 48

5: Eng / Glock (25) BMW Team RLL – 48

6: Farfus / Wittmann (24) BMW Team RLL – 47

GTD

1: Auberlen / Foley (96) Turner Motorsport – 48

2: Robichon / Vanthoor (9) Pfaff Motorsports – 48

3: Ineichen / Bortolotti (111) GRT Grasser Racing Team – 48

4: Telitz / Gavin (14) VasserSullivan – 48

5: R. Ward / Ellis (57) Winward Racing – 48

6: Goikhberg / Perera (19) GRT Grasser Racing Team – 48

7: James / De Angelis (2) Heart of Racing Team – 47

8: Jones / Curtis (63) Scuderia Corsa – 47

9: Hardwick / Long (16) Wright Motorsports – 47

10: Veach / Megennis (12) VasserSullivan – 46

11: Habul / Marciello (75) SunEnergy1 – 46

12: Potter / Lally (44) Magnus w/ Archangel – 45

13: Root / Eastwood (97) TF Sport – 45

14: C. Nielsen / Bamber (88) Team Hardpoint EBM – 45

15: Morad / de Quesada (28) Alegra Motorsports – 45

16: Mann / N. Nielsen (21) Af Corse – 44

17: Metni / Davis (42) NTE Sport – 18

18: Sellers / Snow (1) Paul Miller Racing – 2
DNS: Giovanis / Trinkler (64) TeamTGM

 

Since being 15 years old, Adam Coon has been apart of the NASCAR Media scene and has been covering racing content online since 2016. At 18 years old today, he now covers the IMSA WeatherTech Championship and IndyCar Series for The Podium Finish.

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