Rolex 24 At Daytona: Porsche Leads After Two Hours of Racing
Daytona Beach, FL – After two hours of the 64th Rolex 24 At Daytona, the Porsche Penske Motorsport 963s continue to dominate, with Kévin Estre initially surging from fifth to second before successfully overtaking Felipe Nasr in the #7 Porsche. Following a round of energy replenishment, Estre’s #6 Penske Porsche reclaimed the lead, establishing a three-second gap over Nasr’s car.
As both Porsches completed their first stints, Laurens Vanthoor in the #6 car emerged as the new leader, with Julien Andlauer in the #7 trailing closely. The #93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing ARX-06, now driven by Álex Palou, holds a competitive third position.
In the LMP2 class, PJ Hyett in the #99 AO Racing ORECA 07-Gibson has built an impressive lead of approximately 40 seconds, though this may tighten as teams incorporate their Silver-rated drivers. Jakub Śmiechowski and Grégoirce Saucy represent the competition in second and third, respectively.
The GTD Pro category witnessed a strategic battle between the two Corvette Racing Z06 GT3.Rs. Nicky Catsburg, in the #4 Corvette, executed a successful overcut to leap ahead of teammate Alexander Sims in the #3 Corvette, who is now in second place. The duo is closely followed by Frédéric Vervisch in the #65 Ford Mustang GT3, with Dean MacDonald in the #59 McLaren GT3 EVO and drivers from Paul Miller Racing and Risi Competizione challenging for top positions.
In the GTD division, Russell Ward has extended the advantage of the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG over Patrick Gallagher’s #96 Turner Motorsport BMW to nearly ten seconds, although Gallagher has begun to narrow the gap. Co-driver Philip Ellis noted, “We’re managing the tyres better than others in the first stint,” emphasizing the program’s early potential with the new Michelin Pilot Sport GT tire compound.
Notably, several teams faced penalties during the opening hours for various infractions, including drive-through penalties for improper pit entries and pit lane speeding.
The event continues to unfold, with tactics and driver changes expected to play critical roles in the race’s outcome.
