Wayne Taylor Racing wins record-tying third consecutive Rolex in an Acura

Wayne Taylor Racing gained its history-tying 3rd consecutive Rolex 24 at Daytona, using a new car and a new lineup to conquer some of the greatest racers in the planet.

Filipe Albuquerque held off Kamui Kobayashi and Renger van der Zande — both section of WTR’s winning teams the earlier two seasons and both trying to get to come to be the first winners of three consecutive Rolex races — to give the overhauled Taylor group its fourth acquire in the earlier 5 several years at Daytona International Speedway.

Albuquerque was challenged over the closing twenty five minutes by van der Zande, driving a Cadillac for Chip Ganassi Racing, until finally the group experienced a 2nd tire failure with 7 minutes remaining.

Kobayashi cycled into 2nd but did not have sufficient to catch Albuquerque, who closed out the first overall victory for Acura in the prestigious 2 times-round-the-clock stamina race.

WTR left Standard Motors after 28 several years at the close of previous time to come to be a manufacturing unit Acura program, and the group wanted every single moment of the previous two months to get its car completely ready for Daytona. Wayne Taylor replaced his whole lineup for the go to Acura and hired Albuquerque, as nicely as his oldest son, Ricky Taylor, Helio Castroneves and Alexander Rossi. The trio all drove the Acura the earlier three seasons for Staff Penske but wanted new work opportunities when Penske closed at the close of previous 12 months.

Ricky Taylor and Castroneves, the three-time Indianapolis five hundred winner, are the reigning IMSA champions and experienced the familiarity with the Acura to be certain the group was organized regardless of no offseason screening.

It was WTR’s fourth Rolex acquire in 5 several years and fifth overall, just one powering Ganassi’s history 6 victories. The three-straight wins tie Ganassi’s mark.

It is really the first Rolex for Castroneves and Rossi. Albuquerque gained in 2018 driving a Cadillac, and Ricky Taylor gained in a Cadillac for his father’s group in 2017.

Ricky Taylor, who closed out the 2017 Rolex acquire for WTR, was in the car late and experienced the solution to complete the race but made a decision to transform it over to Albuquerque simply because the Portuguese driver was rested and could tackle track situations that incorporated greater wind speeds.

“We made a decision we wanted any individual as new as feasible in the car,” Ricky Taylor mentioned. “He acquired in there and was an complete monster and carried it at the close.”

Cadillac acquired a 2nd-position complete from an Action Specific all-star car that incorporated 7-time NASCAR winner Jimmie Johnson. Kobayashi carried the load for an Action Specific lineup that also incorporated Indianapolis five hundred winner Simon Pagenaud and 24 Hrs of Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller.

When Taylor switched to Acura, he unveiled motorists van der Zande and Ryan Briscoe, and selected a new lineup with familiarity of the car. Ganassi snatched van der Zande, who was battling Kobayashi to come to be the first winner of three straight.

The Dutch driver closed on his previous group several occasions in the closing twenty five minutes but could not make a go for the guide and was eradicated when his tire was punctured.

“I could see his eyes in my mirrors,” Albuquerque mentioned of van der Zande. “He was so hungry for this, specially with the full tale of leaving Wayne Taylor. I was blessed that they experienced a puncture.”

The Ganassi group experienced a puncture fewer than two hours before when 6-time IndyCar winner Scott Dixon was driving, and also overcame two penalties from newcomer Kevin Magnussen, who spent the previous 7 seasons in Formulation A person. The group fell to fifth.

“Absolutely gutted,” Magnussen mentioned. “Looked like we experienced the race acquire ideal there. Renger experienced genuinely good pace catching the No. ten car and I think he would have experienced a genuinely good possibility to acquire the race.”

Jordan Taylor, youngest son of the winning group proprietor, was also a winner in the GT Le Mans course and closed the victory for Corvette Racing. The lineup incorporated Nicky Catsburg and Antonio Garcia, who Standard Motors mentioned after the race it experienced pulled from the car simply because Garcia tested beneficial for COVID-19 as section of his preparations to leave the United States. Garcia drove almost eight hours in the race and was previous in the car Sunday early morning.

“While Antonio Garcia tested detrimental in planning for his arrival for the Rolex 24, we have acquired detect that he has now tested beneficial in planning to depart the state,” GM mentioned in a statement.

Period Motorsport gained the Le Mans Prototype 2 course in an Oreca LMP2 Riley Motorsports gained the Le Mans Prototype three course in Ligier JS P320 and Winward Racing in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 gained the GT Daytona course, which at 20 entries was the major course of the 49-car subject.

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