The battle was nearly as fierce in the GT Daytona class, where Alegra Motorsports and the No. 28 Porsche 911 GT3 R pulled off an upset victory with the help of closing driver Michael Christensen.
Christensen and co-drivers Daniel Morad, Jesse Lazare, Michael de Quesada and Carlos de Quesada spent the majority of the 24 hours behind the 8-ball, but found their way to the head of the field late and edged out the No. 29 Audi R8 LMS GT3 from Montaplast by Land-Motorsport by .293 of a second at the checkered flag.
The class win marked Alegra’s second-career score at Daytona Int’l Speedway and first in a decade, making for an emotional victory lane celebration.
“It was quite exciting. Obviously, we hadn’t really been in the lead until the last hour … but that was all according to plan,” Christensen said. “Obviously it is always difficult to make that plan happen in such a long race. The competition … was tough all race.”
“I had to take some deep breaths the last few laps and (during) the last caution as well … just to keep everything intact and keep my focus on. That was quite intense.”
For Morad, the Daytona win marks a breakthrough in his sports car career, just months removed from his Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada championship in the Platinum class.
“Honestly, two years ago … I wasn’t racing,” Morad explained. “Carlos (de Quesada) gave me the chance to come back into the (Porsche) Cup series … and gave me this opportunity to race with these (Alegra) guys in a young driver lineup. He believed in us.”
“It’s only fitting that the last hour of the race ended like that, because it’s been a dream. This is the 10 year anniversary … Carlos was running with his son Michael … it could not have worked out any better.”
Christopher Mies, Jeffrey Schmidt, Connor De Phillippi and Jules Gounon finished second in the No. 29 Audi, followed by the No. 33 Riley Motorsports-Team AMG Mercedes GT3 of Ben Keating, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Mario Farnbacher and Adam Christodoulou.
In their GTD debut, Michael Shank Racing and the factory Acura effort finished fifth in class thanks to co-drivers Jeff Segal, Ozz Negri Jr., Tom Dyer and Ryan Hunter-Reay, despite the late-race problems that doomed the sister No. 93 car and brought out the final caution.
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship continues its 2017 season with the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring fueled by Fresh From Florida on March 18, from Sebring Int’l Raceway.
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 22-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: editor@racechaseronline.com
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
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