Rolex 24 Hours 3 & 4
Settling Down
© Janos Wimpffen

Richard Lietz has taken over the very well running No. 81 Synergy Porsche. The No. 12 family Bell has stopped with a brake problem. The No. 88 Porsche is another Farnbacher entry to have encountered trouble—a spin out on the course.

The No. 03’s vision of victory has dissipated as the Crawford-Porsche has been pushed behind the wall.

At 2-1/2 hours the standings are Dixon-Friselle-Long as the No. 01 Ganassi Riley-Lexus has stopped for Juan Pablo Montoya to take over. The top 3 seem fairly stable as the pace begins to settle a tad. As soon as that’s typed, Long bobbles a bit in the infield and Zonta gets past, then Gavin (down a lap) also scoots past. Later in the lap the No. 99 car of Alex Gurney takes fourth spot from the Porsche powered Crawford.

Gurney ends his long stint—nearly 3 hours in, and hands over to NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson.

The new caution system does seem to have worked (apart from that group of DPs being held at pit exit in the first hour) insofar as there are 10 cars on the lead lap in DP and 10 in GT.

Hour 3 Positions
1 61 DP 1 Brian Frisselle 90 1:47.142 119.616 1:43.020 124.403 71 7 AIM Autosport Ford / Riley
2 60 DP 2 Justin Wilson 90 34.129 34.129 1:44.270 122.911 1:43.155 124.240 25 9 Michael Shank Racing Ford / Riley
3 23 DP 3 Patrick Long 89 1 LAP 1 LAP 1:44.073 123.144 1:43.472 123.859 85 0 Alex Job Racing Porsche / Crawford
4 9 DP 4 Ryan Briscoe 89 1 LAP 37.834 1:44.973 122.088 1:43.526 123.794 36 0 Penske-Taylor Racing Pontiac / Riley 5 6 DP 5 Ian James 89 1 LAP 0.225 1:44.922 122.147 1:43.071 124.341 36 10 Michael Shank Racing Ford / Riley
6 91 DP 6 Jim Matthews 89 1 LAP 9.046 1:48.859 117.730 1:43.425 123.915 25 2 Bob Stallings/ Riley-Matthews Pontiac / Riley
7 10 DP 7 Ricky Taylor 89 1 LAP 0.545 1:47.598 119.110 1:43.232 124.147 26 7 SunTrust Racing Pontiac / Riley
8 76 DP 8 Ricardo Zonta 89 1 LAP 7.395 2:49.366 75.670 1:43.414 123.929 83 0 Krohn Racing Pontiac / Riley
9 02 DP 9 Dan Wheldon 89 1 LAP 1.356 1:46.438 120.408 1:42.802 124.666 75 34 Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Lexus / Riley
10 01 DP 10 Juan Pablo Montoya 89 1 LAP 12.789 1:44.723 122.379 1:43.540 123.778 25 0 Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Lexus / Riley
11 99 DP 11 Jimmie Johnson 89 1 LAP 20.364 1:48.871 117.717 1:43.577 123.734 26 3 GAINSCO/ Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac / Riley
12 59 DP 12 Joao Barbosa 89 1 LAP 20.408 1:46.054 120.844 1:43.724 123.558 72 0 Brumos Racing Porsche / Riley
13 2 DP 13 Allan McNish 88 2 LAPS 1 LAP 1:44.907 122.165 1:43.335 124.023 9 0 SAMAX Pontiac / Riley
14 09 DP 14 Michael McDowell 88 2 LAPS 2:11.962 1:46.463 120.379 1:45.380 121.617 87 0 Spirit of Daytona Racing
Porsche / FABCAR
15 75 DP 15 Eric van de Poele 88 2 LAPS 29.442 3:01.270 70.701 1:43.492 123.835 80 0 Krohn Racing Pontiac / Riley
16 58 DP 16 Darren Law 88 2 LAPS 38.984 1:42.860 124.596 1:42.860 124.596 88 0 Brumos Racing Porsche / Riley
17 3 DP 17 Ted Christopher 87 3 LAPS 1 LAP 1:49.543 116.995 1:44.932 122.136 25 0 Southard Motorsports Lexus / Riley
18 11 DP 18 Tomas Enge 86 4 LAPS 1 LAP 1:56.306 110.192 1:43.865 123.390 33 0 SAMAX Pontiac / Riley
19 86 GT 1 Jorg Bergmeister 84 6 LAPS 2 LAPS 1:52.186 114.238 1:51.658 114.779 40 0 Farnbacher Loles Porsche GT3 Cup
20 07 GT 2 Kelly Collins 84 6 LAPS 37.980 1:53.594 112.822 1:52.225 114.199 41 0 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R
21 81 GT 3 Richard Lietz 84 6 LAPS 19.865 1:52.369 114.052 1:52.027 114.400 23 0 Synergy Racing Porsche GT3 Cup
22 66 GT 4 Ted Ballou 84 6 LAPS 12.154 1:55.550 110.913 1:52.171 114.254 43 0 TRG Porsche GT3 Cup
23 70 GT 5 David Haskell 84 6 LAPS 22.356 1:55.288 111.165 1:51.783 114.650 43 0 SpeedSource Mazda RX-8
24 06 GT 6 Robert Nearn 84 6 LAPS 0.965 1:54.486 111.943 1:52.857 113.559 42 0 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R
25 34 GT 7 Mike Fitzgerald 84 6 LAPS 10.852 2:23.301 89.434 1:52.714 113.703 9 0 Orbit Porsche GT3 Cup
26 64 GT 8 Jim Lowe 84 6 LAPS 9.191 1:57.554 109.022 1:52.431 113.989 39 0 TRG Porsche GT3 Cup
27 67 GT 9 Tim George Jr 84 6 LAPS 0.666 1:57.215 109.337 1:52.054 114.373 72 0 TRG Porsche GT3 Cup
28 31 DP 19 Miro Konopka 84 6 LAPS 13.276 1:53.334 113.081 1:48.813 117.780 23 0 Matt Connolly Motorsports Pontiac / Chase
29 80 GT 10 Damien Faulkner 84 6 LAPS 0.896 1:52.886 113.530 1:52.194 114.230 7 0 Synergy Racing Porsche GT3 Cup
30 72 GT 11 Max Papis 83 7 LAPS 1 LAP 1:54.680 111.754 1:52.989 113.426 75 0 Autohaus Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R
31 74 GT 12 Derek Skea 83 7 LAPS 0.651 1:55.647 110.819 1:52.251 114.172 21 0 Autometrics Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup
32 22 GT 13 Patrick Pilet 83 7 LAPS 9.270 1:53.768 112.650 1:52.277 114.146 6 0 Alegra Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup
33 57 GT 14 Andrew Davis 83 7 LAPS 0.574 1:53.914 112.505 1:52.322 114.100 24 0 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R
34 7 DP 20 Stephan Gregoire 83 7 LAPS 32.767 1:48.831 117.760 1:43.746 123.532 24 16 Sigalsport BMW / Riley
35 62 GT 15 Jack Baldwin 83 7 LAPS 12.297 3:37.701 58.869 1:51.803 114.630 22 0 TRG Porsche GT3 Cup
36 84 GT 16 Chris Pennington 83 7 LAPS 13.990 1:57.921 108.682 1:54.843 111.595 22 0 Farnbacher Loles Porsche GT3 Cup
37 30 GT 17 Drew Staveley 83 7 LAPS 8.317 1:54.317 112.109 1:51.796 114.637 7 0 Racers Edge Motorsports Mazda RX-8
38 89 GT 18 Raffael Giammaria 83 7 LAPS 2.380 1:53.557 112.859 1:52.208 114.216 10 0 Farnbacher Loles Porsche GT3 Cup
39 44 GT 19 Zach Arnold 83 7 LAPS 7.566 1:57.489 109.082 1:55.901 110.577 36 0 Bullet Racing Porsche GT3 Cup
40 69 GT 20 Lonnie Pechnik 83 7 LAPS 3.378 1:53.718 112.699 1:52.885 113.531 25 0 SpeedSource Mazda RX-8
41 85 GT 21 Don Kitch Jr 82 8 LAPS 1 LAP 1:59.075 107.629 1:53.552 112.864 7 0 Farnbacher Loles Porsche GT3 Cup
42 27 GT 22 O'Connell/ Roush/ Plumb/ Wilson 82 8 LAPS 27.863 3:54.011 54.766 1:51.930 114.500 30 0 O'Connell Racing Porsche GT3 Cup
43 15 GT 23 Jean-Francois Dumoulin 82 8 LAPS 2.574 3:26.789 61.976 1:53.168 113.247 24 0 Blackforest Motorsports Ford Mustang
44 88 GT 24 Greg Wilkins 82 8 LAPS 1:11.881 1:59.882 106.905 1:52.293 114.129 7 0 Farnbacher Loles Porsche GT3 Cup
45 43 GT 25 Will Nonnamaker 81 9 LAPS 1 LAP 1:57.501 109.071 1:55.586 110.878 32 0 Team Sahlen Corvette
46 52 GT 26 Ma Chi Min 80 10 LAPS 1 LAP 2:05.017 102.514 1:53.095 113.320 25 0 Mastercar Ferrari 430 Challenge
47 26 GT 27 Jim Michaelian 79 11 LAPS 1 LAP 2:07.165 100.782 1:56.084 110.402 34 0 Gotham Competition Porsche GT3 Cup
48 90 GT 28 Tom Long 78 12 LAPS 1 LAP 1:53.676 112.741 1:52.818 113.598 22 0 Automatic Racing BMW M6 / Riley 49 77 DP 21 Fabrizio Gollin 78 12 LAPS 1:05.457 1:46.009 120.895 1:43.613 123.691 39 2 Doran Racing Ford / Doran
50 87 GT 29 Dominik Farnbacher 78 12 LAPS 27.430 1:53.377 113.038 1:51.791 114.642 7 0 Farnbacher Loles Porsche GT3 Cup
51 50 GT 30 James Bradley 77 13 LAPS 1 LAP 2:04.046 103.316 1:53.796 112.622 5 0 Blackforest Motorsports Ford Mustang
52 03 DP 22 Ed Carpenter 77 13 LAPS 11.688 1:49.838 116.680 1:44.711 122.394 41 0 Vision Racing Porsche / Crawford
53 17 GT 31 Gary Jensen 76 14 LAPS 1 LAP 2:09.424 99.023 1:53.983 112.437 32 0 Terra Firma Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup
54 16 DP 23 Fabio Babini 75 15 LAPS 1 LAP 1:45.749 121.192 1:43.980 123.254 34 0 Cheever Racing Pontiac / FABCAR
55 08 GT 32 Keith Goldin 74 16 LAPS 1 LAP 2:14.243 95.468 1:59.850 106.933 21 0 Goldin Brothers Racing Mazda RX-8
56 65 GT 33 Jason Daskalos 72 18 LAPS 2 LAPS 1:55.149 111.299 1:52.672 113.746 24 0 TRG Porsche GT3 Cup
57 14 GT 34 Cory Friedman 67 23 LAPS 5 LAPS 1:54.369 112.058 1:53.045 113.370 20 0 Autometrics Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup
58 83 GT 35 Peter Ludwig 66 24 LAPS 1 LAP 1:55.296 111.157 1:54.334 112.092 21 0 Farnbacher Loles Porsche GT3 Cup
59 12 DP 24 Justin Bell 65 25 LAPS 1 LAP 3:12.117 66.709 1:44.492 122.650 44 0 RVO Motorsports Pontiac / Riley
60 68 GT 36 Scott Schroeder 64 26 LAPS 1 LAP 2:04.997 102.530 1:54.599 111.833 4 0 TRG Porsche GT3 Cup
61 21 GT 37 Karl Reindler 61 29 LAPS 3 LAPS 1:54.262 112.163 1:52.484 113.936 7 0 Matt Connolly Motorsports Pontiac GTO.R
62 56 GT 38 Matthew Marsh 55 35 LAPS 6 LAPS 1:58.901 107.787 1:52.853 113.563 4 0 Mastercar Ferrari 430 Challenge
63 51 DP 25 Tommy Erdos 45 45 LAPS 10 LAPS 2:12.141 96.987 1:46.290 120.575 44 0 Cheever Racing Pontiac / FABCAR
64 40 GT 39 Charles Espenlaub 44 46 LAPS 1 LAP 1:54.129 112.293 1:53.276 113.139 8 0 Hyper Sport Mazda RX-8
65 29 GT 40 Louis-Philippe Dumoulin 35 55 LAPS 9 LAPS 1:55.781 110.691 1:54.617 111.815 25 0 Alegra Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup

The actual positions have been regularly shuffling as the stops continue. Os Negri has commented that there was ample water on the transition areas during the early laps, but that it has dried. Alex Gurney did not think that the penalty of starting late had much effect on the team’s pace.

The No. 2 Samax car is having problems with one of the wheels during the stops – the nut jammed. The No. 88 Farnbacher Loles Porsche has made another trip to the garage.

Ricardo Zonta leads at the 100-lap mark, while at the other end of the spectrum the slow No. 08 Mazda has stopped.

Patrick Dempsey taps the pit wall on his out lap and spins in the grass with the movie star No. 40 Mazda. There is light rain reported at Turn 7 (NASCAR 2). The No. 63 TRG Porsche appears to have retired with a bad gearbox.

The No. 12 RVO entry has retired. The front brake rotor exploded and took the suspension with it. Grandpa Derek never drove. The once fast No. 56 Ferrari has retired after its tire-shredding incident. The No. 21 Pontiac has stopped with a flat at the horseshoe. GA has reported a record gazillion lead changes since the start. We’re thrilled.

Andrew Ranger brings the leading No. 61 AIM entry in at the four-hour mark, and Ryan Briscoe takes over the top spot—great recovery for the No. 9 car, having vaulted past the pole Riley (Rahal) and the AJR Cawford (Wallace). Jan Magnussen leads GT with the No. 07 Pontiac, although the #86 Farnbacher Porsche had been ahead until Bergmeister stopped.

Rileys fill 13 of the top 15 positions, just a Crawford (AJR) and a Fabcar (Spirit of Daytona) as the interlopers. But then as the #09 car fades, the top 17, the DPs ahead of the GTs, comprise 16 Rileys and the AJR Crawford.

Poor old Gary is not well, and has gone for a lie-down.