Rolex 24, Hour 6: DragonSpeed Corvette drops to 18th after bodywork repairs

We’ve reached the quarter mark at Daytona, and it’s a Porsche leading, the No. 7 factory entry from Team Penske with Laurin Heinrich at the wheel.

That doesn’t tell the full story, though, as for much of the sixth hour, the privately-entered JDC-Miller Motorsport 963 found itself out front with Tijmen van der Helm installed. JDC opted for track position early in the hour when the caution came out for Matteo Cairoli in the DragonSpeed Corvette, which ended up in the barriers following contact with the No. 73 Pratt Miller ORECA. That decision to stay out vaulted the car to the top, where it stayed following the restart halfway through the sixth hour.

Van Der Helm pulled away initially, but Laurin Heinrich in the No. 7 Penske Porsche reeled him in and made a move for the lead into Turn 2 with two minutes remaining in the hour. Nick Yelloly in the No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura then followed Heinrich through, dropping the JDC car to third as the seventh hour began. The two WRT BMWs are fourth and fifth as the push to the halfway mark begins, with the No. 24 ahead of the No. 25.

In LMP2, AO Racing and Jonny Edgar continue to lead, though the team’s margin evaporated when the Corvette stopped and the yellows came out. Crowdstrike by APR is second with Quinn on board, and Inter Europol’s No. 43 ORECA is third.

Looking at the GTD ranks, Paul Miller Racing’s lone BMW M4 is out front in Pro, with the two Pratt Miller Corvettes in pursuit. GTD sees a Ferrari 1-2, with Conquest Racing’s 296 GT3 Evo ahead following a pass made by Thierry Vermeulen on Dudu Barrichello in the Heart of Racing Aston. Frederik Schandorff then found a way to take second in the Inception Racing 296.

The No. 912 Manthey Porsche briefly led by a huge margin with Ryan Hardwick at the wheel, but it was due to an improper final wave-by in the caution, which the team was heavily penalised for.

After a three-minute, 36-second hold, the team is now off the lead lap and 16th in class. It’s a worse situation for DragonSpeed, though; its Corvette is 18th, 15 laps down after rejoining following bodywork repairs.

HOUR 6 STANDINGS