Rolex 24, Hour 15: Disaster strikes for No.01 Cadillac

With nine hours remaining in the 2024 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 of Kevin Estre is scored as the leader following pit stops from the No. 7 Porsche of Josef Newgarden, and the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R of Pipo Derani. Both the No.6 Porsche and No. 31 Cadillac are on different fuel strategies and have alternated in the overall lead.

Derani in the No. 31 Cadillac runs second, 6s behind Estre, while Colton Herta is third in the No. 40 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06.

However, the significant update in GTP is that the Action Express Racing-run No. 31 is now Cadillac’s sole remaining challenger following the retirement of the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R. Renger van der Zande was trying to mount a comeback from the puncture the car suffered earlier, but with 10 hours and 40 minutes to go, the gold Cadillac broke down with a terminal issue that has yet to be diagnosed by the Chip Ganassi Racing team and Cadillac.

The No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8 was running second but at its last pit stop, the engine cover had to come off the car, and the car has gone to the garage after Connor de Phillippi ran as high as second.

The lead fight in LMP2 has ignited, wherein reigning Indy NXT champion Christian Rasmussen has taken the lead of the class aboard the No. 18 Era Motorsport ORECA 07. Rasmussen overtook the No. 99 AO Racing ORECA of Matt Brabham at the Le Mans Chicane with an orthodox pass up the inside.

The No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA of Ferdinand Habsburg recently passed Brabham for second; Ben Hanley runs fourth in the No. 2 United Autosports USA ORECA.