2011 24 Hours of Daytona
The 2011 Rolex 24 at Daytona, ran on Saturday and Sunday, January 29–30, 2011 at the Daytona International Speedway, was the 49th running of the 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race.[1] The first race of the 2011 Rolex Sports Car Series season,[2] it was broadcast on Speed Channel, with fourteen hours of live coverage,[3] in addition to a considerable attendance.
Qualifying
Pole position for the race was won by Jörg Bergmeister of Germany, driving the #45 Daytona Prototype of Flying Lizard Motorsports, a Riley Technologies chassis powered by a Porsche engine, with a lap time of 1 minute 40.099 seconds.[4] Pole for the Grand Touring category was won by Dominik Farnbacher in the #66 The Racer's Group Porsche 911, with a lap time of 1 minute 48.781 seconds.[4]
Results
Winning the race overall was the Daytona Prototype team of Chip Ganassi Racing, with drivers Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, Graham Rahal, and Joey Hand driving the #01 Riley & Scott-BMW defeating Chip Ganassi Racing's second team, consisting of IndyCar drivers Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti, and Sprint Cup teammates Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya in the #02 Riley & Scott-BMW by just over two seconds in a one-lap sprint following a late caution flag.[5] The win was Pruett's fourth overall victory in the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the fourth of four major auto racing wins by Ganassi in the last year, following victories in the 2010 Daytona 500, 2010 Indianapolis 500 and 2010 Brickyard 400;[5] co-driver Rahal's victory came 30 years after his father, Bobby Rahal, won the race in 1981.[6]
The GT division victory was claimed by The Racer's Group, the #67 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup driven by Andy Lally, Spencer Pumpelly, Brendan Gaughan, Wolf Henzler, and Steven Bertheau winning by a margin of one lap.[5]
Patrick Dempsey, a television actor, placed third in the GT category in the #40 Mazda RX-8.[5]
Although there were no serious accidents during the race, dense fog in the early morning hours resulted in a caution period lasting nearly three hours.[7]
Race results
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References
- "SunTrust Racing: 49th Rolex 24 At Daytona Preview". The Auto Channel. January 27, 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
- "2011 Rolex Series: GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Schedule". Grand-Am Road Racing. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
- Harris, David (January 12, 2011). "GRAND-AM: SPEED Set For 14 Hours Of Live Rolex 24 Coverage". SPEED Channel. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
- "Bergmeister Captures Pole for Rolex 24 At Daytona". Daytona International Speedway. January 27, 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
- Spencer, Reid (January 30, 2011). "Pruett delivers Rolex 24 win for Ganassi". The Sporting News. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
- Dagys, John (January 30, 2011). "ROLEX 24: Ganassi Goes Big With Rolex 1-2". Speed Channel. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
- "Chip Slams Them, Wins Rolex 24 at Daytona". Grand-Am Road Racing. January 30, 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
- "Results from the 2011 Rolex 24 At Daytona". Daytona International Speedway. January 30, 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
- "Rolex 24 At Daytona Entry List". Grand-Am Road Racing. January 30, 2011. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
| Rolex Sports Car Series | ||
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| Previous race: None |
2011 season | Next race: Grand Prix of Miami |