Tower Stripped of Rolex 24 LMP2 Win
Tower Motorsports loses Rolex 24 LMP2 win due to technical infraction; United promoted...
Tower Motorsports has been stripped of its LMP2 class victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona as a result of a technical infraction.
John Farano, Sebastien Bourdais, Sebastian Alvarez and Job van Uitert initially took victory during the 63rd edition of the Florida endurance classic, beating the No. 22 United Autosports Oreca 07 Gibson.
However, confirmed by IMSA through a statement issued on Wednesday, the No. 8 Oreca has been moved to the back of the class due to an infraction discovered during extended post-race technical inspection.
IMSA has stated that the car was found 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.
The statement goes on to outline that Tower Motorsporst filed a protest regarding the penalty, which was denied by IMSA.
The penalty promotes Daniel Goldburg, Paul di Resta, Rasmus Lindh and James Allen to first in class, with the latter picking up his second Rolex 24 class victory after a maiden triumph with Proton Competition in 2023. The three other drivers all gain their first victories in the Florida endurance classic.
“We came to Daytona with one very clear goal and we have achieved it,” said United Autosports CEO Richard Dean.
“To win the Rolex 24 at Daytona any year is pretty special, but to win it only a few months after celebrating victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours makes it an extra special moment.
“Zak [Brown] and I would like to thank the entire team for their dedication and commitment. We can all be very proud of what we have achieved.”
The No. 74 Riley Oreca of Gar Robinson, Felipe Fraga, Josh Burdon and Felipe Massa gains second, while PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports is moved up to third with its No. 52 machine, which was driven by Mathias Beche, Benjamin Pedersen, Ben Keating and Rodrigo Sales.
The Tower Oreca was the only car found to have been out of compliance in tech, although the No. 021 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 has been moved to the rear of the GTD finishing order due to a drive time infraction.
It was found post-race that Stevan McAleer violated IMSA’s maximum four-hour drive time in a six-hour period rule.
The car initially finished 39th overall and 11th in class.