Hyett takes AO Racing to the top of the timesheet in final Roar session despite late spin

Testing for the 64th Rolex 24 At Daytona concluded Sunday afternoon with a 90-minute session exclusively for amateur drivers.

To close out the Roar Before The 24 test days, AO Racing’s PJ Hyett set the fastest time in LMP2 in the gold-scaled No. 99 ORECA 07-Gibson, a 1m40.634s. Of the GT drivers, Brendon Iribe of Inception Racing set a 1m50.019s in his No. 70 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, the top time in GTD.

Nineteen cars turned laps around a wet Daytona International Speedway following rain showers in the afternoon. After 30 minutes of running, the rain relented and the track began to dry out, leading to constant changes in the running order.

Still, conditions were treacherous for several drivers, who spun out and went off course – thankfully, there were no major incidents.

However, there were two red flags for minor incidents: Giorgios “George” Kolovos brought out the first with a little over 15 minutes to go when he went off at the International Horseshoe and put his No. 343 Inter Europol Competition ORECA into the tire barrier. Then, with less than five minutes left, Hyett spun out seconds after setting the fastest lap of the session and got stuck at Turn 1.

After three days of testing, Porsche Penske Motorsport finished with the top time in GTP this weekend. It was a 1m36.327s, set by the No. 7 Porsche 963 of Felipe Nasr in the very first session on Friday.

Charles Milesi also set an unbeatable benchmark in LMP2 from the outset, turning in a 1m38.935s in the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA 07-Gibson. He was the only LMP2 driver to breach the 1m39s barrier this weekend.

Spencer Pumpelly, preparing for his 25th Rolex 24, was the fastest GTD driver for Magnus Racing. He set a 1m47.304s in the No. 44 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, also in the opening session.

75 Express’ No. 75 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO has been the quickest car in GTD PRO so far. Star drivers like Will Power and Chaz Mostert have topped the timing sheets, and the car’s best time of 1m47.530s – credited to team owner Kenny Habul, according to timing and scoring – was set in this morning’s one-hour test session.

The 64th Rolex 24 At Daytona weekend will officially begin Thursday morning at 10:05 AM ET (local time).

RESULTS