Joao Barbosa(L), Sebastien Bourdais(C) and Christian Fittipaldi(R) drivers of the # 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP celebrate on the podium after winning the ROLEX 24 at Daytona International Speedway on January 26, 2014
Photo – Getty Images
Action Express Racing is no stranger to victory lane at Daytona, as the No. 5 team took the overall victory in the 52nd running of the Rolex 24.
The team consists of Joao Barbosa, IndyCar driver Sebastain Bourdais, Christian Fittipaldi, and Burt Frisselle.
With around ten minutes to go, a caution bunched up the field after a long day of racing, with the No. 5 team continuing to lead and the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing team lurking in second.
Barbosa put the pedal to the metal and finished 1.461 seconds ahead of Max Angelelli.
It was also the first win for Chevrolet.
Taking the win in the GTLM class was the No. 911 Porsche team of Patrick Pilet, Nick Tandy, and Richard Lietz.
The No. 54 Core Autosport team with drivers Colin Braun, Mark Wilkins, Jon Bennett, and James Gue claimed the victory in the PC class.
An exciting last-lap pass for the win in the GTD class sparked controversy.
Alessandro Pier Guidi, driving the No. 555 Ferrari, and Markus Winkelhock in the No. 45 Audi was side-by-side, until they came up on a kink, forcing Winkelhock to go in the grass and lose valuable time to Guidi.
The Ferrari crossed the finish line first, but officials assessed the No. 555 team a stop-and-hold plus a 75-second penalty. Outraged, the team stated the replay shows the drivers made no contact.
Amidst controversy, the No. 45 Flying Lizard team, made up of Winkelhock, former ARCA competitor Nelson Canache, Tim Pappas, and Spencer Pumpelly were awarded for the win.
Then, several hours after the race, Scot Elkins, IMSA Vice President, Competition and Technical Regulations made the following statement reversing the original assessment.
“A full post-race review of the incident on the last lap of the 52nd Rolex 24 At Daytona was completed by IMSA Supervisory Officials. The decision has been made to reverse the decision by the race director, rescind the penalty against the No. 555 Level 5 Motorsports Ferrari 458 Italia team, and reinstate drivers Scott Tucker, Bill Sweedler, Townsend Bell, Jeff Segal and Alessandro Pier Giuidi as the GT Daytona class winners. We regret the confusion following the race, and appreciate the patience by our fans, drivers, teams and the media so we could properly review and subsequently report this decision.”
Perhaps the scariest moment during this year’s edition of the Rolex 24 happened less than three hours into the race.
GAINSCO Racing driver Memo Gidley slammed into the Ferrari driven by Matteo Malucelli.
Malucelli was slowing down; as he reported to his crew he was without power and pulled over to the left, before Gidley came along at full-speed and smashed into Malucelli’s car.
Following is IMSA’s statement made on Saturday about both drivers:
“Memo Gidley, driver of the No. 99 GAINSCO Corvette DP, and Matteo Malucelli, driver of the No. 62 Risi Ferrari, have been admitted to Halifax Health. They are awake and communicating, and are undergoing further observation. We will provide updates as they become available.”
Then on Sunday, IMSA made the following statements:
“Memo Gidley, driver of the No. 99 GAINSCO / Bob Stallings Racing Corvette DP, underwent surgical procedures on both his left arm and left leg at Halifax Health in Daytona Beach, Florida. Gidley also has an unstable fracture in his back which will require additional surgery before he can be released from the hospital. He continues to be evaluated.
“Matteo Malucelli, driver of the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia, remained at Halifax Health overnight for further evaluation. He continues to rest comfortably. An update on his condition will be provided later today.”
IMSA announced on Sunday evening that Matteo Malucelli was released from Halifax Health and going home to his family.
The glare from the sun may have caused visibility issues leading up to the wreck.
Next on the schedule is the Sebring Test February 20-21 at Sebring International Raceway with the Mobile1 Twelve Hours of Sebring race at the track on March 12-15.