Grand Am Rolex 24 Four-Hour Update

Buddy Rice in the #5 Action Express Racing Riley Porsche led after four hours of racing at the Grand Am Rolex 24. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Four hours into the 47th Grand Am Rolex 24, Ricky Taylor led in the #10 SunTrust Dallara Chevrolet, four seconds ahead of Buddy Rice in the #5 Action Express Riley Porsche.

At the three-and-a-half hour mark, Christophe Bouchut pitted, leading to a ferocious battle between David Donahue and Ryan Briscoe. Briscoe in the SunTrust Dallara Chevrolet shadowed Donohue’s Action Express Riley Porsche, testing at every turn.  

The Action express might have had the slightest edge in top end, but the SunTrust Machine caught up under breaking.

On lap 118, Michael Valiante in the #60 Shank car blew a right rear tire; apparently they hadn’t gotten the camber change memo.

On that same lap, Donahue and Briscoe pitted for driver changes. Buddy Rice and Ricky Taylor took over, Taylor beat Rice out of the pits and took the lead.
 
NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson finished his stint in the #99 Gainsco Riley Chevrolet, and came in complaining of brake troubles. “I was going into a few situations with the brakes on the floor, just hoping I’d get stopped,” he told SPEED TV.

The Gainsco car headed for the garasge after Johnson’s stint to repair or replace the entire brake system.

In GT, Paul Dalla Lana took over from Bill Auberlen in the Turner BMW with a one-lap lead over Max Hyatt in the PR1 BMW M6. Patrick Pilet spun his TRG/Black Swan/GMG Porsche, dropping to ninth in class.