24h Le Mans
The #60 Acura AXR-06 of Meyer Shank Racing won the 61st Rolex 24 at Daytona, the opening round of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The GTP field, the new top class in endurance – known as Hypercar in the FIA WEC – made for a spectacular race.
Not only did the striking cars live up to high expectations, they surpassed them, delivering one of the most spectacular races Daytona has ever seen. Four LMDh-compliant models composed the field: the Acura AXR-06, the Porsche 963, the Cadillac V-LMDh and the BMW M Hybrid V8. Eight out of nine cars finished, six of them ahead of competitors in other classes.
The #60 Acura AXR-06 claimed pole position and Tom Blomqvist went on to drive her to victory. The British/Swedish driver crossed the finish line 4.1 seconds ahead of the #10 Acura AXR-06 fielded by Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport. Blomqvist was teamed with Colin Braun, Helio Castroneves (his third successive win) and Simon Pagenaud (second victory in the Florida classic). The #01, #02 and #31 Cadillac V-LMDhs followed.
What an emotional rollercoaster for Proton Competition! Australian James Allen took the #55 over the line ahead of his pursuer with a mere 0.016 seconds to spare, just three days after his crew’s Oreca 07 had suffered severe damage in free practice. The Australian drafted past the #04 Oreca 07 to snatch victory from Crowdstrike Racing by APR. In the last hour, a battle had been raging between Proton Competition, Crowdstrike Racing by APR, AF Corse and TDS Racing.
The other class winners were
2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona full results (provisional)
The next round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the 12 Hours of Sebring on 15–18 March. This year’s FIA WEC season begins with the 1000 Miles of Sebring on Friday 17 March.
