Wednesday, February 1st, Daytona Beach, Florida - PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports put on a strong performance in the 61st running of the prestigious Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, with the No. 52 Wynns/Max Connect/RainX/Client Command/Apex Protect Oreca 07 LMP2 finishing in seventh place after a challenging and action-packed race.
Photo Credit: SSP
The team started from the pole position with the number No. 52 Oreca 07 LMP2 in the hands of Ben Keating, leading the race for several hours. Keating handed off to Alex Quinn, who recorded the fastest lap for the race in the LMP2 class, with a time of 1:39.205.
Later on, and after a series of yellow flags, the team dropped back to third. For the night shift, a very close battle for the lead, with a masterful drive by Paul-Loup finally put the No. 52 back in the lead of the class.
At the fifteen hour, and after almost two hours of green-flag running, a full course yellow kept the field behind the safety car for a little under 25 minutes. The No. 52 Oreca 07 LMP2 made an unscheduled pitstop after the full course yellow ended. The team was served a penalty for a full service in a closed pit, and it made the No. 52 drop to fifth place with Nicolas Lapierre behind the wheel.
Despite the setback, the team made a valiant effort to climb back up the rankings and was in third place until a spin in turn 3 with under 90 minutes remaining, cost them valuable time. The team quickly regrouped and finished the race in seventh position.
The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona is one of the most challenging endurance races in the world, and PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports has proven once again that they are a top-tier team in the sport. The team and their talented drivers will continue to strive for success in the coming races.
“We are proud of our effort at this year’s Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona,” said Bobby Oergel, team principal of PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports. “Our team showed great resilience and determination, and we will continue to work hard to improve for future races.”
Photo Credit: SSP
"The No. 52 Wynns/Max Connect/RainX/Client Command/Apex Protect Oreca 07 LMP2 performed almost perfectly for both weekends at the Roar where we qualified on the pole and at the Rolex 24 where we led the race for several hours until the later stages of the race when the gremlins struck once again,” said Ray Mathiasen, team principal.
“Two penalties and finally a spin out and stall with less than two hours to go when we were in a great position to finish on the podium and possibly win the race impacted our final result. Certainly a final seventh place finish is not indicative of the car's potential. I want to thank the drivers and crew whose efforts were simply outstanding over the two weeks in Daytona. I look forward to our next race in Sebring where the gremlins seem to stay away.”
Ben Keating, Driver
“What a race! I think working so hard at this for so many years and getting so close is part of the romance of this place. We did everything we could do. Everyone on the team, all the drivers, the pit crew, the engineers, EVERYONE did an amazing job. It was one of the best Rolex 24 races for me even though we didn’t have the result we wanted. It was one of those races that makes being part of a team like this so special. I am grateful to have had the last 10 days, and I am ready to do it all again!”
Nicolas Lapierre, Driver
“For sure very disappointed about the outcome, so close to the end. I had a small contact and spun at turn 3 and could not start the car then. It was not a good feeling, because we were back in the game and we could have fought for the win. Disappointed for the team. We had a good car, good teammates and in the end we couldn’t score the result we wanted. I hope they will bounce back in Sebring.“
Paul-Loup Chatin, Driver
“Mixed feeling after this race. Of course I am disappointed with the final result because all the team deserved a better end and from another side, I am proud about what we did all together since the 10 last days. We have shown that the car was fast, that the team spirit was really nice and that our lineup is very strong. So it gives me great hopes for the future races.
A massive thanks to Ben, Nico, Alex, Bobby and all the people involved with us during the last ten days, I am really happy and proud to be part of this team.”
Alex Quinn, Driver
“I really enjoyed my first 24 hour race, the end result was tough to take in, but I’m so grateful for all the team's hard work and support. I am happy with my performances, but also learned a lot that I can work on for the next races. I’m excited for Sebring, our pace is positive and now we just have to put it all together!”
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports returns to action for another historic endurance race, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented By Advance Auto Parts at Sebring International Raceway, March 16 – 19. For more information on this event, click here.
Photo credit: SSP
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