2004
Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona
The 2004 Rolex was a remarkably different event than the 2003 race. The field was only 20% larger than the previous year with 53
cars taking the green, but the big difference was in the strength of the
field. Daytona Prototypes, the premier class of the Grand Am Rolex
series, led the entire race and took 3 of the top 5 positions.
Last year, the top DP missed the podium in 4th overall. 2003's
race winner finished 14th overall and 5th in class. Typically in a
24-hour event, merely finishing the race will earn you a spot in the top
half of the field. That was not the case this season, as nearly
all of the top 40 cars took the checkers. The SGS field had the
best attrition rate with all 14 competitors running in the 24th
hour. While rain tires never touched the circuit in 2003, tire
vendors sold out before daybreak in 2004. The rain lasted about as
long as it did in 2001, but
was much harder at times, causing a 3 hour full-course yellow and the
second ever red flag in the history of the Rolex 24. This was also
the slowest 24-Hours in Daytona history, with the leader's average speed
at less than 78mph.
Our efforts were in the highly competitive Super Grand Sport (SGS)
class. Driving order was Cory Friedman, Lynn Wilson, Bransen
Patch, Adam Merzon, and Mike Smith. Cory burned off a phenomenal
time in qualifying (1:58.906 at 107.8mph), placing our #14 GT3 Cup 5th
in class and 43rd overall. We sat on the grid just behind the
eventual SGS winner who finished 9th overall. The car felt great,
all drivers were comfortable, and we were in an excellent position for a
top-5 or maybe a podium.
Despite all of the intense preparation for a 24-hour race, you can never
fully anticipate the problems you might run into. In our case, we
literally ran into problems. At the first re-start, a GT Ferrari
clipped Cory's nose, and while he collected the car was tail-ended by a
Corvette. This required an unscheduled stop to replace the bent
exhaust tip and remove the bumper. This incident in the first hour
put us at an early deficit. Later, the car was hit in the right
rear by a prototype and threw the alignment way off. After a pair
of stops, the car was drivable, but certainly not 100%. We had
only one delay not caused by crash damage when there was a problem
venting the fuel cell. A few hours and a few incidents later,
Bransen took the checkered flag with both bumper covers missing, broken
headers, a mangled fender and various other cosmetic
imperfections. Finishing position is often directly proportional
to the condition of your body panels at the end of a race, and this was
no exception. Our battered Porsche found its way to a top-30
finish and 11th in class. The top cars in the class didn't have as
much as a tire mark on their fender. Truly an accomplishment
considering the horrible weather. We proved we had the speed and
reliability to run up front, but were simply not able to keep the car
circling the track enough to score the finish we had hoped for.
The SGS category should continue to be tough throughout the season, and
we are looking forward to the challenge. The next event is in
Homestead-Miami at the end of the month.
The drivers certainly had the worst end in dealing with the rain, and we
appreciate their support. We hope to have some drivers joining us
for the remainder of the season. Again, thank you Bransen, Lynn,
Adam and Mike.
We had great fan support for this race. Tons of friends came by to
show support, and everyone appreciates that. We've also had a slew
of phone calls from those who watched on TV and stayed way dryer
than we all did. We'd like to thank everyone cheering us on.
Of course, you can not give enough credit to the crew. The crew
puts in a string of 12-14 hour days culminating in the race where they
work for 36 hours straight. We had 18 dedicated and skilled people
helping us, and if any one of them were missing, the whole race would
have been significantly less pleasant.
Special
thanks to:
Tuggy,
Jim, Howard, Sascha, Gerald, Kenny, Craig,
Randy,
Dave, Katrina, Karen, Shannon, David, and Jennifer
And
Especially Hal, Doug, Paul and Jim who put in long days prior to the
event.
Click
here for more photos from the event |
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