Daytona 24 Hours: fifth position for best placed Porsche
The 51st Daytona 24-hour race made for a compelling watch as Magnus Racing eventually ensured Porsche representation in the top five of the hotly-contested GT Class.
The Magnus Racing team, including works driver Richard Lietz, Nicolas Armindo, Andy Lally and John Potter, even looked likely to snatch a podium finish until the closing laps, when a need to conserve enough fuel took precedence over a final push at the prestigious event.
Last year’s event winner Lietz even led the field for a total of 43 laps – more than any of his opponents – but the race plan ultimately cost the team in the closing stages. After the race, Lietz said: “Right up until fifteen minutes before the flag everything was running to plan, but unfortunately our strategy didn’t quite work. We didn’t have a choice [to conserve fuel]. we did everything we could but it wasn’t quite enough.”
Another Porsche works driver, Nick Tandy, had claimed pole in his inaugural Daytona event, but his Konrad Motorsport/Orbit team had little to celebrate thereafter, with the Brit suffering suspension damage after only eight laps.
A full report of the event can be found in an upcoming issue of Total 911.
Race result
GT class
1. Albuquerque/Jarvis/Mortara/von Moltke (MEX/GB/MEX/USA), Audi R8, 678 laps
2. Bass/Basseng/Rast/Stippler (USA/D/D/D), Audi R8, 678
3. Wilkens/Assentato/Cosmo/Lazzaro (USA/USA/USA/USA), Ferrari 458, 678
4. Balzan/Frezza/Pier Guidi (I/I/I/), Ferrari 458, 678
5. Lietz/Lally/Armindo/Potter (A/USA/F/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 678
6. Holzer/Bleekemolen/Faulkner/MacNeil (D/NL/IRL/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 678
10. Farnbacher/Baldwin/Burtin/Ragginger/Renauer (D/USA/USA/A/D), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 671
11. Bachler/Maassen/Seefried/Snow/Snow (A/D/D/USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 668
13. Lieb/Sellers/Davis/Keen (D/USA/USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 663
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