Racing through the rain and lightning delays on the high banks
Daytona Beach, Fla (12 June 2022) -It was a stormy return to the “World Center of Racing” as Round 3 Racing (R3R) took to Daytona International Speedway for the 14 hours of Daytona this weekend. The team entered the World Racing League powered by Hagerty event looking to build on its winning momentum from Road America.
While the weather conditions made for challenging running for drivers and crew alike, the squad kept up the fight to bring all four team entries to the checkered flag and score new hardware with a podium finish.
No. 401 TEAM HAGERTY MOTORSPORTS BMW M4 GT4 (GTO)
For the third race weekend in a row, the No. 401 BMW started from the pole position after Cole Loftsgard carded the fastest lap before the rain set in early on Friday. Loftsgard manned the controls for the start, keeping the car in the lead pack before handing the car over to Brian Ghidinelli.
Regaining momentum after sitting through the first two-hour lightning delay, Ghidinelli then passed the controls of the No. 401 Team Hagerty Motorsports BMW to Brad McCall in podium position. But another lightning delay soon followed, with McCall returning to action as conditions called for an extra stop for rain tires. The weather and track continued to change, with Ghidinelli taking over for the final stint on dry tires to bring the BMW home sixth at the finish.
“I was hoping for the ‘pro experience’– driving GT cars under the lights, and finishing the race in the No. 401 Hagerty car delivered that!” said Ghidinelli. “The team did a great job reacting to changing Florida weather and making tire calls. Congratulations to the No. 605 on their double-points podium!”
No. 609 TEAM SENTINEL BMW M4 GT4 (GTO)
The No. 609 Team Sentinel BMW GT4 started the race from seventeenth as a new line-up saw Sarah Montgomery team with Jonathan Vasquez, Ron Hugate and Joe Gaudette. Montgomery started the race, making rapid progress to the top five early in the run.
The driving duties were exchanged between Vasquez and Hugate with a lightning delay interrupting the action. The duo was able to keep the BMW within the top ten before the second lightning delay. Montgomery hopped back in the seat for the remainder of the race, bringing the car home in seventh place.
“The race, overall, was pretty good,” said Vasquez. “It started out pretty rough, but we were able to make it up. The rain changed our strategy and unfortunately it was not on our side. We brought it back in one piece and were overall very happy with the car today.”
No. 701 TEAM COOPER TIRES PORSCHE CAYMAN (GP1)
The No. 701 Cooper Tires Porsche Cayman team brought home a fourth-place finish after battling against weather and mechanical issues. Starting in the front row, Zack Ping was first in the car and drove the Cayman to the front of the GP1 class. Mo Dadkhah was next behind the wheel before handing the No. 701 to Shea Holbrook. Holbrook encountered a broken lower control arm during her stint that set the team back a few laps while the car was in pit lane. After rebounding the Cayman back to fourth, Holbrook handed the car back to Ping. Ping drove the car to second place before handing the car back to Dadkhah. During Dadkhah’s first lap out, he came back down pit road due to a shifter linkage issue that again set the car back.
Dadkhah’s stint ended early due to a second lightning delay. Going back green with just over two hours left, Holbrook got behind the wheel. The team maintained fifth place late in the race, with Ping keeping up the pursuit to score fourth place at the finish.
“We started off well, and looked like it was going to be our race,” said Ping. “Unfortunately we had two mechanical problems that set us back a little. My teammates, Shea (Holbrook) and Mo (Dadkhah), and I fought our way back to get a solid fourth place finish. Finishing the entire 14 hours helped us close the gap in the championship!”
No. 605 TEAM HAGERTY DRIVERS CLUB PORSCHE BOXSTER (GP3)
The No. 605 Team Hagerty Drivers Club team, made up of Carter Pease, Dennis Neel, Buz McCall, and Hannah Grisham, battled their way to a podium finish during the 14-hour race. Neel opened the race from the front row, with Grisham up next, fighting for the lead before a lightning delay halted the back and forth.
Going back to green, McCall jumped in next, but fell behind after an issue with the throttle on the No. 605. The team sat in fourth place when the second lightning delay occurred. Pease got in the driver’s seat as the field went back green, where he remained to finish the race. He charged the Boxster up to second place, where he took the checkered. The double-points finish helped solidify points for the reigning national championship team.
“It was definitely an up and down day,” said Neel. “We went from starting out great to getting caught out in a couple cautions, to making our way back. We then had issues with the gas pedal and then had to claw our way back again and ended up in second. If we’re going to end the day on the up, I’ll take it and move on to the next race! It was a good points day for us too, which will help us as we try to repeat as national champions.”
The team will compete next on July 8-10 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for two eight-hour races.
