PR1/Mathiasen finished first in round one of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup and second in the LMP2 class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener at the 58th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 started on pole position after setting the fastest lap time of 01:37.446 during qualifying.
Ben Keating started the 24-hour endurance race for PR1/Mathiasen driving a double stint and creating a significant gap between the #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 and the rest of the LMP2 field. PR1/Mathiasen driver Simon Trummer took over from Keating and maintained the lead well into the evening.
Nick Boulle suited up for the first battle of the race with the #8 GEAR Racing powered by GRT Grasser ORECA LMP2. The #52 and #8 constantly alternated positions between first and second in class, but by the end of Nick Broulle’s stint PR1/Mathiasen came out victorious.
Into the night, Trummer tried to keep the #8 behind the #52 but the #81 DragonSpeed USA ORECA LMP2 was quickly gaining momentum, beginning a long fight between Trummer and Ben Hanley of the #81.
During Keating’s night stint, the #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 grazed the wall causing minor damage However, after the team performed a few quick repairs the #52 was back out on the track losing only 3 laps.
PR1/Mathiasen ended the 58th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona two laps behind the class leader. The #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 will be back on track at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Autoparts. The green flag drops at the historic venue at 10:40 A.M. EST on Saturday, March 21.
Simon Trummer – Driver of the No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2
“We were leading a lot of the race but it is nice we finished second in class. We are pretty disappointed because we did have the win in our hands. We had the car, drivers and everything to win this 24-hour race. But in the end we did finish on the podium which is good.”
Nick Boulle – Driver of the No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2
“It was a long day and a long night, the Rolex 24 hours is super challenging. It’s a race based on pace as much as it is being mentally strong and making all the right decisions. I knew it would be super tight with DragonSpeed and in the end we wound up second. But we won the Endurance Cup which is based on points through the race. It is hard to say that you’re disappointed but I am really happy with how the PR1/Mathiasen team has performed. I am so proud of what we accomplished and we will try again next time.”
Gaby Aubry – Driver of the No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2
“It was a long 24-hours. We fought very hard and I am very proud of the team. We battled hard all night and we managed to get a lot of leads during the race. I am a bit disappointed that we ended up in second place, but I am proud of the team because we worked really hard and we just ran out of time. I am sure that we will be on the top step of the podium in no time.”
Ben Keating – Driver of the No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2
“Working double-duty on this Rolex 24 was especially challenging. I worked with two different teams with two different cars which both pose their own set of challenges. In the LMP2 car I made a mistake and ended up hitting the wall. The team did a great job repairing the car but we didn’t have enough cautions to make up the laps lost. In the end, it was great working with both teams and a second place finish at Daytona is still pretty good.”
Source. PR1/Mathiasen
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