Saturday’s qualifying session for IMSA’s GT Daytona class has been heavily revised after four of the five Lamborghini Huracan GT3s entered in the Roar Before The 24 were moved to the bottom of the category for a technical infringement.
According to IMSA, the Nos. 11, 19, and 44 Grasser Racing Team Lamborghinis, and the No. 47 Precision Performance Motorsports Huracan, ran afoul of Rule 9.11.5c, which dictates the approved gear ratios for Daytona.
This follows the 2016 penalties applied to Lamborghini and its customers after the Italian manufacturer was fined $25,000, lost all points earned at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and the five Huracans in the race were given a five-minute time penalty and an extra pit stop for sandbagging from the Roar Before The 24 until the race. At the 24-hour contest, exceptional speed was shown by the Lamborghinis, and in the post-race technical inspections performed by IMSA, incorrect air restrictors were found and swiftly banned.
In the case of the latest IMSA ruling, the fastest Lamborghini — PPM’s No. 47 driven by Brandon Gdovic — was fourth in the session. GRT’s entries were ninth, 10th, and 16th. Together, the four cars have been moved to hold positions 18-21, meaning they will be at the back of the garages and pit boxes. Unlike its stablemates, Paul Miller Racing’s No. 48 Lamborghini was found to be in full compliance with the regulations.
It’s believed the new infraction was a simple oversight, with the brand assuming the need for specific gearing to be requirement only for the race, and not the Roar.
IMSA also voided the qualifying times for Performance Tech Motorsports’ No. 38 LMP2 entry which had set the third-fastest lap in its Roar session, for having the incorrect driver (Kyle Masson) in the car. Its entry sits 22nd on the updated time sheet.
Comments