Tower Motorsports “Strongly Contests” Rolex 24 Penalty

Photo: Brandon Badraoui/IMSA

Tower Motorsports has issued a statement following its penalty from last weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona that stripped the team of its LMP2 class victory.

The Ricky Capone-led team’s No. 8 Oreca 07 Gibson was found by IMSA to have exceeded the maximum allowable wear to the regulated area of the skid block on the underside of the car, which is set at 5 mm by FIA technical regulations.

Tower initially appealed IMSA’s decision, which was rejected by the sanctioning body and has left the team to now “review all possible options” in response to the penalty.

“Tower Motorsports is deeply disappointed by IMSA’s decision to penalize our No. 8 LMP2 entry following post-race technical inspection at the 24 Hours of Daytona,” said Capone in a statement provided to Sportscar365.

“Our team strongly contests this ruling and maintains that we did not intentionally violate any technical regulations.

“The infraction cited by IMSA relates to excessive wear on the skid block, an issue that can naturally occur over the course of an intense endurance race due to variables outside of a team’s direct control.

“The No. 8 car has consistently passed technical inspection throughout the event and in previous competitions without issue. We firmly believe that this outcome does not reflect any wrongdoing or competitive advantage on our part.”

Sebastien Bourdais, one of the drivers of the Tower Oreca, revealed on social media that the car sustained a rear damper failure in the race, which they believe led to the excessive wear of the skid block.

“We filed a formal protest, which IMSA has denied,” Capone added. “While we respect the regulatory process, we are extremely disheartened by this decision.

“We are incredibly proud of this team, and it does not discount the tremendous effort and dedication of our drivers, engineers, and crew, who performed flawlessly over 24 hours of competition.

“We also understand that this was a difficult decision for IMSA to make, and we appreciate their communication and insight throughout this process. While we may not agree with the outcome, we recognize the complexity of their role in enforcing regulations.

“We remain committed to upholding the integrity of the sport and will review all possible options in response to this penalty. We extend our gratitude to our fans, partners, and supporters, who continue to stand by us as we navigate this challenging situation.”

Of note, a similar skid-block wear penalty saw the 2023 Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glens winners Porsche Penske Motorsport also stripped of its win at the time.

The No. 22 United Autosports Oreca of Daniel Goldburg, Paul di Resta, Rasmus Lindh and James Allen has inherited this year’s Rolex 24 victory, having originally finished second on the road in class.