Grand-Am, Roar Before The Rolex 24, Daytona – Sunday Round Up
The Pace Hottens

The three-day Daytona test session came to a close on Sunday afternoon, with 30 of the 46 cars participating finding extra pace on the final day.

2010 winner Ryan Dalziel left it until the final session to set an unofficial lap record, by dipping below the 1:40 barrier – 1:39.973 – in the #8 Starworks Motorsport Riley Ford; "We are contenders, and we've proven that this weekend," said the Florida-based Scot. "We do the best we can with what we've got. I think we could have gone faster. I didn't put together a perfect lap, and we didn't have a qualifying setup on the car. We know we've got more."

Dalziel was testing with Mike Forest and Jim Lowe – the New Jersey-based neurosurgeon moving up to the DP class for the first time – and these three will call upon the services of Colin Braun and Tomas Enge for the race itself; "Having the fastest time in the test is pretty exciting," said Team Principal Peter Baron. "We've put in a lot of hard work since last fall, and Ryan's a phenomenal driver, and you can’t say enough about Bill Riley's engineering. Our car came off the trailer awesome, and got even better."

Sunday was also a productive day for Level 5 Motorsports, whose brace of Riley BMWs moved up to third and fourth fastest overall; splitting the two Chip Ganassi versions of the same car in the process.

The #01 Ganassi Riley also bettered the track record, but Scott Pruett wasn't getting carried away with the statistic; "Running a fast time was not necessarily our intention," said the two-time Rolex 24 race winner. "We are focused on going racing and getting to the checkered flag first."

Just under one second off Dalziel’s pace – but only 14th fastest – was the #99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Riley Chevrolet; “We got a lot of work done today,” said Alex Gurney.  “We did improve the car and it seemed like we closed in on it a little bit, but there’s still more homework to do.  It seems like on all-out pace we are lacking, so we would like to figure that out before the race, but that isn’t what necessarily wins the races. Everything else we feel pretty good about.”

One place further up the timing screen was the #23 United Autosport/Michael Shank Racing Riley Ford; it’s fastest time of 1:40.904 having been set by Mark Blundell. “I drove in to the Speedway for the first time in my life on Thursday morning and it was an awesome sight – let’s face it the venue and race is known worldwide,” said the 1992 Le Mans 24 Hours winner. “I drove on ‘ovals’ in my IndyCar career and I never found it to be a big deal but the banking here at Daytona is over 30 degrees. Problems can arise coming off the banking in to the infield section which makes life interesting. There are no references at Turn 1 while the high-speed chicane, called the ‘bus-stop’, can also be tricky due to the same problem, but after three-days, I’ve gradually got to know my way around and I now feel comfortable. The #23 Riley worked well and I firmly believe our race prospects are promising. I’ve not contested the Rolex 24 previously but having raced and been successful in 24 hour races at Le Mans, and at Spa with United Autosports last year, it’s all about working towards the race as opposed to one lap ‘fliers’ in that the car is useable and predicable for all four drivers for the entire duration.”

But while this will be Blundell’s debut in the Rolex 24, teammate Martin Brundle has tasted victory in the great race - although that was a while ago now; “Pulling on my race suit, putting on my helmet, and jumping in a race car again, I did feel a little anxious. It’s 10 years really since I raced professionally and so it’s natural to have self doubts initially. But once out on to the track, everything comes back to you, it’s natural – just like swimming or riding a bike, you never forget how to do it. I quickly shook off the rust and dropped back in to the groove. We progressively improved the car between us each day and my times came down. It was the first time I’d driven a DP and nothing was a big surprise to me. They don’t have much downforce and are much heavier than a Formula One car for example but I was pleasantly surprised. The last time I was here was in 1990 and the track is now in great condition in terms of the quality of the surface, kerbs and run-off areas – the entire venue looks a million dollars.”

Flying Lizard Motorsports’ DP debut also got off to a satisfying start, with the #45 Riley Porsche ending the test tenth fastest; "This is our first time running a Daytona Prototype so there is a lot that's new,” said chief engineer Craig Watkins. “It took some time at the beginning for us to get to know the car and to integrate the new crew that we have for this race. We got off to a slow start, but once we got our arms around the car, we progressed steadily over the sessions. We're thrilled to be here." 

"I'm pleased with the progress that we made over the weekend in tuning the car,” added Pat Long. “It's been a steep learning curve to come right into it with a brand new car, but we definitely met our test objectives. We still have more on our list to try during race week; we're leaving today feeling optimistic that we'll have a solid racecar for the 24."

Porsche’s domination of the GT class increased during the final day, which saw nine of the top ten times going to the marque. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given its heritage at the DIS, the fastest time of the test went to the #59 Brumos GT3, and its 1:49.868 was set by 2009 GT champion Leh Keen; who clearly has lost none of his affinity with the car after a season racing Mazdas and Ferraris; "We've been working hard for the past three days and really have everything together," he said.

"We had kind of a qualifying run there and track conditions were just right. I just nailed a lap. I felt really good. I'm really happy to be part of this Brumos crew. They really have their act together and squeeze every bit of speed out of these Porsches. I'm happy for this year, driving with Andrew Davis. I'm happy to be driving with Hurley Haywood and Marc Lieb in the Rolex 24 - they're two pretty big names in the Porsche world."

The newly formed Burtin Racing team claimed the second fastest class time of the weekend, while TRG saw all four of its cars end the test in the top ten places; "It was a really good weekend," said team owner Kevin Buckler.  "We unloaded the cars and got right down to business dialing them into the new surface.  I think we got there faster than everyone else.  We really had the basic set-up done during the first session and then we focused on cycling everyone through the cars and getting them comfortable.  I am very proud of all of the drivers and crew.  Our regulars worked well with our new guys and as a team we were able to get all four cars in the top seven at the end of the weekend.  It can be a daunting task to get over 60 crew members and 20 drivers on the same page.  We really have a team that resembles the make-up of the United Nations!  We have guys from around the world that have to come together for a common goal and we make that work.  We are going home with bragging rights of being the fastest in most of the practice sessions, but you don't get a Rolex watch for that feat.  Now the work really starts and our times are forgotten.  We are taking the cars up to our NASCAR shop in Mooresville, North Carolina to prepare them for the race.  No detail will be overlooked on this program.  We will be ready for the war."

The Turner Motorsport BMW M3 was the interloper amongst the Porsches, and its session one time of 1:50.377 was destined to be the fourth fastest of the entire weekend.

"What a difference a year makes," said Bill Auberlen. "We were fast right out of the box last year, but we had some teething problems in the Rolex 24. A year later, we have a new M3 and we really know the car. Turner knows how to race GT. This car is fast, it's powerful and it runs great - and reliable.

"If ever I had a chance to win the Rolex 24, it's this year. We've been sharing top times. We've been quickest, the Porsches have been quickest - but the Rolex 24 is all about reliability and not making any mistakes. I've won this race a few times, Boris (Said) has won it a few times, so let's see if we can do it again."

John Potter and Craig Stanton were pleased with their efforts behind the wheel of the #44 Magnus Racing Porsche after also finishing in the top ten; “The crew did a great job getting the car together and our engineering staff constantly improved it throughout the weekend,” said Stanton. “We learned a lot about what the car and what the tire needs on this new surface, and John and I turned a lot of laps. We feel super comfortable, I wish the race were tomorrow!”

“It was great to come back to the Roar Before the 24 for our team’s second time and have such a strong weekend,” said Potter. “Since Craig and I were the only two sharing the car this weekend, we were able to work on development as well as getting very comfortable with the new tire. Based on the times we ran, we are in a really strong position going to our second Rolex 24, and we’re all optimistic that we can improve on last year’s performance.”

Stanton and Potter will be joined by Richard Lietz and Marco Holzer for the race, meaning that this car is sure to rank as one of the favourites for class honours.

One place ahead of the Magnus car was the #18 Mühlner Racing GT3 of Mark Thomas, Peter Ludwig and Dion von Moltke; "This has been a very good test," said team owner Bernard Mühlner. "We now have a setup that all three drivers are very happy with, and the car is very well balanced. I think we are there. Our lap times are not what they could be, but that is because every time we put on new tires, we get stuck in traffic. We are running the same lap times on used tires that other teams are doing with new tires."

Mühlner, Thomas and several team members then headed for the airport to begin the long journey to Dubai, where they will contest this weekend's 24 Hours in a Mühlner Porsche Cup S.

The Mazda contingent was again a long way down the timing screens – the #41 Dempsey Racing RX-8 in 16th in class being the fastest of the eight – but this is unlikely to be the case at the end of the month in the race itself.

An estimated 5,000 spectators attended the test over the three days.