2003 Rolex 24
at Daytona
GT class cars completely
dominated the 2003 Rolex 24 at Daytona. Grand-Am has brought about
some distinct changes this season with the introduction of the Daytona
Prototypes. Compared to the SRP open-roof prototypes that they
replaced, the new DPs have significantly less power and downforce.
In 2002, the pole sitting prototype out-qualified the fastest GT car by
9 seconds. The DP on pole this year out-paced the GT pole-sitter
by less than 3 seconds and was actually out-qualified by the leading GTS
class car by over 1 second! Being Grand-Am's new premier category,
the 6 DPs at the event were given the first 3 rows on the grid
regardless of qualifying performance. The fastest car in the field
started in 7th position. The diminishing division between classes
in Grand-Am equalizes competitors in a way not ever seen before,
especially in the longer endurance races. While it is not uncommon
for a lower class car to win the race overall, when a GT class car took
the flag this year, it was the first time in recent years that the
lowest class car would win overall. If that were not strange
enough, all of the overall podium finishers were GT class cars, and 9 of
the 21 cars that took the checkered flag were GT competitors.
The
field for the 2003 Rolex 24 at Daytona was very small. Only 44
cars took the green flag on Saturday compared to Autometrics
Motorsports' last effort in 2001 where we faced more than 80
competitors. The smaller field had some distinct advantages.
Each team had more room for pit stops and its own tent this year.
Small things like this have significant impact on an exhausted team
throughout the 24 hours. Also helping to keep things pleasant for
the crew was the fact that while it was cold, all windshield wipers were
able to remain stationary throughout the race. Another huge
difference from 2001, where we encountered over 12 hours of rain.
Marcus
Motorsports, with significant help from PTG, brought out the same #69 M3
that qualified so well at Daytona in November. In an attempt to
save the engine for the grueling race ahead, the car ran very little
during practice sessions. Further, many suspension and driveline
components were replaced with fresh units just prior to the race.
Brain
Cunningham took the green flag in 32nd overall position and 13th in
class. His stint was followed by Craig Stanton, Cory Friedman then
Hugh Plumb. In the early hours of the race, the only problem occurred
when Cory had to be pushed down pit lane after running out of
fuel. The first major component failure occurred around the 7-hour
mark when the car came into pit lane bellowing smoke from
underneath. The differential was quickly replaced, and the car was
back on track as nighttime approached.
The
only real maintenance required during the cold night was to replace a
drive axle. And when the sun came up on Sunday morning, the car
was still running, but the drivers had lost the use of the clutch.
Non-terminal gearbox issues threatened during the closing hours of the
race, but Hugh took the checkered flag in 13th overall and 6th in class.
While
the BMW was running strong and fairly uneventful in the middle of the
field, the battle at the front of the pack was very exciting. Very
early in the race, the pole sitting Ford DP relinquished its position to
the Brumos Porsches who lead off and on for most of the race.
Always close, though, were Porsche GT3RS's. In the end, the
reliability of the production based GT cars proved to be more effective
than the DP's performance edge, and as a result, the highest finishing
prototype was the pole-sitting Ford in 4th overall behind last year's
class winner, The Racer's Group's #66 Porsche, the Risi Ferrari and the
Rennwerks Porsche, respectively.
This race was a
great accomplishment for Marcus Motorsports and everyone involved as
well as a strong start for the 2003 Grand-Am GT season.
Autometrics Motorsports would like to thank Building Cleaning Solutions,
Aaron, John for their help and support. We'd also like to
congratulate Marcus Motorsports for their well-deserved finish. |
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