Wayne Taylor Racing wins record-tying third consecutive Rolex in an Acura

 

Wayne Taylor Racing gained its history-tying 3rd consecutive Rolex 24 at Daytona, using a new auto and a new lineup to beat some of the ideal racers in the world.

Filipe Albuquerque held off Kamui Kobayashi and Renger van der Zande — both equally part of WTR’s profitable groups the past two seasons and both equally looking for to grow to be the initially winners of three consecutive Rolex races — to give the overhauled Taylor team its fourth gain in the past 5 years at Daytona International Speedway.

Albuquerque was challenged above the final twenty five minutes by van der Zande, driving a Cadillac for Chip Ganassi Racing, till the team suffered a next tire failure with 7 minutes remaining.

Kobayashi cycled into next but failed to have ample to catch Albuquerque, who shut out the initially over-all victory for Acura in the prestigious 2 times-round-the-clock stamina race.

WTR still left Basic Motors soon after 28 years at the close of past season to grow to be a manufacturing facility Acura system, and the team necessary every minute of the past two months to get its auto prepared for Daytona. Wayne Taylor changed his whole lineup for the shift to Acura and employed Albuquerque, as perfectly as his oldest son, Ricky Taylor, Helio Castroneves and Alexander Rossi. The trio all drove the Acura the past three seasons for Crew Penske but necessary new positions when Penske shut at the close of past 12 months.

Ricky Taylor and Castroneves, the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, are the reigning IMSA champions and had the familiarity with the Acura to guarantee the team was organized even with no offseason testing.

It was WTR’s fourth Rolex gain in 5 years and fifth over-all, one particular behind Ganassi’s history 6 victories. The three-straight wins tie Ganassi’s mark.

It’s the initially Rolex for Castroneves and Rossi. Albuquerque gained in 2018 driving a Cadillac, and Ricky Taylor gained in a Cadillac for his father’s team in 2017.

Ricky Taylor, who shut out the 2017 Rolex gain for WTR, was in the auto late and had the option to complete the race but decided to change it above to Albuquerque since the Portuguese driver was rested and could tackle monitor circumstances that provided increased wind speeds.

“We decided we preferred any individual as refreshing as doable in the auto,” Ricky Taylor mentioned. “He acquired in there and was an complete monster and carried it at the close.”

Cadillac acquired a next-location complete from an Motion Categorical all-star auto that provided 7-time NASCAR winner Jimmie Johnson. Kobayashi carried the load for an Motion Categorical lineup that also provided Indianapolis 500 winner Simon Pagenaud and 24 Hrs of Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller.

When Taylor switched to Acura, he launched motorists van der Zande and Ryan Briscoe, and chose a new lineup with familiarity of the auto. Ganassi snatched van der Zande, who was battling Kobayashi to grow to be the initially winner of three straight.

The Dutch driver shut on his previous team various moments in the final twenty five minutes but couldn’t make a go for the direct and was eradicated when his tire was punctured.

“I could see his eyes in my mirrors,” Albuquerque mentioned of van der Zande. “He was so hungry for this, primarily with the full story of leaving Wayne Taylor. I was fortunate that they had a puncture.”

The Ganassi team suffered a puncture considerably less than two several hours before when 6-time IndyCar winner Scott Dixon was driving, and also overcame two penalties from newcomer Kevin Magnussen, who expended the past 7 seasons in Formulation A person. The team fell to fifth.

“Absolutely gutted,” Magnussen mentioned. “Looked like we had the race gain correct there. Renger had truly superior rate catching the No. 10 auto and I think he would have had a truly superior possibility to gain the race.”

Jordan Taylor, youngest son of the profitable team owner, was also a winner in the GT Le Mans class and shut the victory for Corvette Racing. The lineup provided Nicky Catsburg and Antonio Garcia, who Basic Motors mentioned soon after the race it had pulled from the auto since Garcia analyzed positive for COVID-19 as part of his preparations to go away the United States. Garcia drove approximately eight several hours in the race and was past in the auto Sunday early morning.

“While Antonio Garcia analyzed negative in preparing for his arrival for the Rolex 24, we have been given observe that he has now analyzed positive in preparing to depart the state,” GM mentioned in a statement.

Period Motorsport gained the Le Mans Prototype two class in an Oreca LMP2 Riley Motorsports gained the Le Mans Prototype three class in Ligier JS P320 and Winward Racing in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 gained the GT Daytona class, which at twenty entries was the largest class of the 49-auto industry.

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