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The #02 Target/Telemax BMW-Riley of Juan Pablo Montoya drives into the east horseshoe during the Grand-Am Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. (John Harrelson/Getty Images)
Richard Zonta’s Krohn Lola-Ford held the lead as the Grand Am Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway reached the ten-hour mark. Six cars remained on the lead lap, the top four with two seconds of the leader.
After ten hours of racing, thirteen different cars had held the overall lead.
Brumos Porsche, Krohn Lola, Crown Royal/NPN, and Michael Shank Racing spent most of the time up front, with the 06 Michael Shank car leading the most laps. Driven by AJ Allmendinger and then by Michael Valiante, the car led more than fifty laps. Richard Zonta in the Krohn Lola-Ford took over while the Shank car pitted for a driver change, while Richard Westbrook in the Crown Royal/NPN Racing BMW-Riley lurked a second or two behind, waiting for a chance to strike.
Butch Leitzinger, David Donahue and Darren Law kept the Brumos Porsche in the top five, Leitzinger leading some laps.
The SunTrust Dallara-Ford was seventeen laps down, after having spent time in the pits repairing a handful of different problems. First Pedro Lamy hit the pit wall, damaging the suspension. Then the gearbox failed, was replaced, and failed again.
Shortly after midnight, the 02 Telmex Ganassi car pulled into the garages with a blown engine, after having led 159 laps, more than half the race at that point.In GT the TRG Porsches and Stevenson Camaros controlled the class. Sylvain Tremblay's SpeedSource Mazda crept in among them for a few laps, but was soon purged.
The second Stevenson Motorsports Camaro, driven by Gunter Schaldach, took third for a while, but at the 10-hour mark, the GT order was Jorg Bergmeister in the TRG/Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche GT3, Andrew Davis in the Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R, Spencer Pumpelly in the TRG Porsche GT3, and Gunter Schaldach in the Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R.
Twelve Hour Update
Twelve hours in, the 01 Chip Ganassi car remains comfortably in the lead, after its sister car,which had been dominating, broke down. The lead car has covered 368 laps.
A surprise contender, the 9 Action Express Racing Porsche Riley has been holding second.IThe car’s driver line-up—Joao Barbosa, Terry Borcheller, Ryan Dalziel, Mike Rockenfeller—is first rate, and the car preparation seems to be also.
The 06 Shank machine remains in third. AJ Allmendinger, who was robbed of the win last year by mechanical problems with the Ford engine, has been driving as well as anyone on the track, looking for the win he felt he should have had in 2008.
The 99 Gainsco car holds fourth, three laps down. Two laps behind it the 60 Shank car is lapping reliably.
The 59 Brumos Porsche lost several laps with a broken halfshaft.
In GT it is Porsche, Camaro, Porsche, Camaro with the TRG/Flying Lizard car a lap ahead of the first Stevenson car, which is a lap up on the TRG Porsche, which is a lap ahead of the second Stevenson car.
