IMSA: Two penalties handed out after 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona
The 2019 IMSA season opener is still fresh in our memories, but bad news has been handed down to two competitors, including podium implications for one team.
In any form of racing, it is understood that regulations can override any result that you think you might have achieved, be it through intentional manipulation of the rules or a costly misunderstanding.
Post-race inspection after the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona found that two GTD competitors had run afoul and failed to satisfy the IMSA-mandated driver time qualifications.
The car most damaged by these penalties is the #29 Montaplast by Land-Motorsport Audi R8 piloted by a star-studded lineup of Daniel Morad, Christopher Mies, Ricky Feller, and Dries Vanthoor. It was found that Feller did not meet the minimum driving time of 3 hours and 30 minutes for a bronze-rated or silver-rated driver, although this was adjusted due to the rain-shortened race.
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This penalty will strip the highly competitive Audi team of a second place result and slot them all the way back into 22nd place, wiping away any semblance of a powerful result in the ultra-competitive GTD class. This penalty has elevated the #12 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 up into second and the #88 WRT Speedstar Audi Sport Audi R8 LMS GT3 up into third.
In last year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, the #29 Montaplast by Land-Motorsport team also received the long arm of the IMSA law by way of another result-striping penalty. The always strong Audi team were found to have unknowingly committed a fuel flow infraction, which increased the rate at which the car could be filled up in a normal pit stop. The team received a massive time penalty mid-race that erased a sizable lead and dropped the #29 car off the lead lap. They never fully recovered.
The second penalty from this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona went to another GTD team. The #63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 of Toni Vilander, Cooper MacNeil, Dominik Farnbacher, and Jeff Westphal was penalized for committing a similar driver penalty infraction with Vilander not reaching the “base time” requirement.
The penalty for this team serves more as a “being kicked while on the ground” penalty, as the team suffered issues during the 24-hour race and finished in 14th place. The penalty moved the WeatherTech-sponsored team all the way back to 23rd (last) in the GTD class.
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It is not uncommon to see a few penalties such as these in the first few rounds of IMSA competition as teams get back into the rhythm of satisfying driving times and simple formalities. The teams will, however, have time to think and adjust to these penalties, as the next IMSA race is not scheduled to take place until Saturday, March 16.
This race, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advanced Auto Parts, is set to take place at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida. Race coverage is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET on CNBC, CBN Sports and IMSA.tv with round-the-clock coverage set to be provided by all three networks.