2020 24 Hours of Daytona
This event was the 58th running of the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the first of 12 races across multiple classes in the 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as well as the first of four rounds in the 2020 Michelin Endurance Cup.
[1] Four months prior to the event, on September 19, 2019, Scott Atherton announced retirement from his position as the President of the International Motor Sports Association at the end of 2019.
[6] One month following that announcement, then-director of Mazda's motorsports program in North America, John Doonan, was confirmed to be Atherton's replacement.
The #12 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 set the best time in GTD with a 1:46.754, followed by the #86 Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 at a 1:46.873.
Second in the DPi class was Helio Castroneves in the #7 Team Penske Acura, which recovered well, sustaining its speed from its earlier sessions despite crashing in qualifying the previous day.
In GTD, only three cars participated in the final practice, with the #11 GRT Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini setting a best class time of 1:46.308, driven by Franck Perera.
[19] Oliver Jarvis placed the #77 Mazda RT-24P on the pole position for the 58th 24 Hours of Daytona, with a time of 1:33.711, besting the rest of the field by four tenths, but failing to beat the track record he set last year by .026 thousandths.
The sister #7 Team Penske Acura driven by Ricky Taylor would cause a red flag at the bus stop chicane which would shorten the session slightly.
The #911 Porsche 911 RSR 19 besting its sister #912, driven by Nick Tandy to first place in class as well as beating the GTLM lap record at Daytona set by himself.
The #96 BMW M6 GT3 was followed by the #11 GRT Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo and #88 WRT Speedstar Audi R8 LMS, who were fifth and sixth respectfully.
Early on the first lap, Oliver Jarvis, opening driver for the #77 car, stretched out his lead to 1.5 seconds over the #7 Team Penske Acura ARX-05c and the #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R.
Forty-five minutes into the hour, the #10 Cadillac with WEC regular Kamui Kobayashi at the wheel was able to get on the inside of turn one to pass the #77 white Mazda of Tristan Nunez.
However, the #77 Mazda would eventually pass the #6 Acura on pace, and the #10 Cadillac was only twenty seconds behind, as Renger van der Zande recovered time quickly after the penalty.
Toni Vilander, driving the #63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo passed the #48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini for the lead in GTD.
In the last ten minutes of the hour, Pedro Lamy's #98 Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT3 made contact with the #3 Corvette after spinning under braking at turn one.
Seven minutes before the hour ended, the #77 has regained some of its lost positioning was a half-second behind second place, being occupied by the #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac, thanks to a solid stint by Olivier Pla.
The #9 Pfaff Motorsport Porsche, lost track position, and was then tenth in class, with an issue refueling, about twenty minutes into the hour.
[40][41] Hour 13 The fourth place #12 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 was delayed, preventing Shan Van Gisbergen from quickly entering the race.
More mistakes in GTD would come as the class leading #48 Paul Miller Racing car was forced to serve a drive through penalty for illegal wheel rotation during a pit stop.
His pace has been very quick ever since he entered the car, and twelve minutes before the end of the hour, he would lap the #6 Acura which was bottoming out at high speeds.
Fifteen minutes before the end of the hour, the leading #912 Porsche in the hands of Laurens Vanthoor was passed by Jesse Krohn in the #24 BMW in the international horseshoe.
The #9 Pfaff Porsche, which was running well earlier in the race, returned to the action back on track, at current being out of contention for class honors of any sort.
Five minutes before the end of the hour, the #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac, which was moving on the apron of the speedway slowly came into the pit to replace a flat tire.
The #912 which had the lead entering green flag conditions was under pressure once again from the #24 BMW M8 GTE, driven by John Edwards, coming close to making contact at a time.
Thirteen minutes into the green flag stint, the sixth full course caution would come out, with the #47 Precision Performance Lamborghini stopped in the infield.
Fifteen minutes after noon on Sunday, the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari driven by James Calado suffered a rear tire puncture.
[57] Final Hour Although the #24 BMW sat in second, it had ten more laps of fuel in contrast to the #911 Porsche, which meant it had a chance of a quicker last pit stop.
The GTD category was won by the #48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo's driver lineup of Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow, Corey Lewis, and Andrea Caldarelli.
Second place was the #44 GRT Magnus Racing team of Andy Lally, Marco Mapelli, John Potter, and Spencer Pumpelly.
Sellers, Snow, lewis, and Caldarelli led the GTD Drivers' Championship, followed by the second-placed Lally, Potter, Pumpelly, and Mapelli.
