Rolex 24 Hour 14: Whelen Cadillac takes the lead as light rain begins

Two Cadillacs put up a terrific battle up front late in the 14th hour of the Rolex 24. Jordan Taylor in the No.10 managed to hold off a pair of charges by Felipe Nasr in the No.31 before the Brazilian captured the lead with a third attack.

Significantly, light drizzle began to fall. Rain is forecast to begin before 7 a.m. and will continue throughout the remainder of the day.

Nasr led at the end of the hour in the No.31 Whelen entry, with No.7 Alexander Rossi passing No.10 Taylor for second. Dane Cameron’s No.6 Acura was also on the lead lap in fourth, followed by Taylor in the No.10.

Results

The DragonSpeed ORECAs were a close 1-2 in LMP2, with Ben Hanley (No.81) leading Roberto Gonzalez (No.18). GTLM was led by the two Porsches, No.912 Vanthoor ahead of No.911 Pilet, with six cars on the lead lap. In GTD, Fraga led in the No.33 Mercedes-AMG, with 10 cars on the lead lap.

After Mazda Team Joest worked its way back to the lead lap and fifth position, Olivier Pla encountered another problem in the No.55 Mazda DPi to bring out the event’s ninth full-course caution midway through the hour.

Pla spun in the International Horseshoe, with the car sustaining left-rear suspension damage. It was unknown if contact from behind was a factor in the incident. The car was still in the garage at the end of the hour, now 17 laps down.