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Rolex 24 – Starting Drivers Utterly asinine—that’s the only way to describe what it’s like here. As one wag put it, there’s the right way, the wrong way, and the speed way. It’s pissing rain in the hours leading up to the start, and the World Center of Racing—in their infinitesimal wisdom, are enforcing a rule of no umbrellas—furled or open through the “Fan Zone”—the centrally located corridor that is necessary to traverse. Common sense is an attribute long since dissipated from the minds of the self-important. The Speedway is worse than most governmental agencies. Please, please—keep me from coming back …. By the way, the weather forecast is for rain starting mid-afternoon and lasting through the morning. The drivers don’t particularly like the wet weather rubber—stay tuned. Mr. McNish had his hand hanging down during test days, wiggled them a bit more positively the other day—what about this time tomorrow? The GTs do not have intermediates—more fun. Returning to the specter of a 24-hour race, I am not alone in having been at two such enduros in the span of two weeks. Here are the drivers who have been both to Dubai and are preparing to run at Daytona. Pierre Kaffer, 6th overall in the Lechner Porsche in the wet desert, here in the No. 88 Farnbacher Loles Porsche. Mirko Schultis, 44th overall, 2nd in class with the Lotus, will drive the Chase—assuming it lasts long enough. Damien Faulkner was a late Dubai retirement in the other Lechner Porsche. He’s with Synergy here—No. 80. Richard Westbrook will drive the No. 66 Racer’s Group Porsche and was aboard the Proton car at Dubai. Jim Michaelian crashed Miro Konopka’s Porsche there and is here with the Gotham Competition car. The team owner is aboard the Chase. Starting drivers for the 24 Hours are the same as those who set the qualifying time, in typical Grand-Am fashion. Also in typical Grand-Am fashion there has been an ongoing snafu about the qualifying procedure. There was a time when teams were told that the fastest time from either session would be registered, while the top 30 positions were to be locked in on day one. After various levels of confusion, the end starting grid has the cars in order of day one, with those who went out both days having their day one times cancelled in favor of day two times and have been gridded accordingly. Did you follow that? That comes from the series that is trying to simplify sports car racing. Starting Drivers |