Legge drives DeltaWing into the lead at Rolex 24 at Daytona

Winning drivers of the IMSA 24-hour auto race, from left, Luis Felipe Derani, of Brazil, Scott Sharp, Ed Brown and Joannes van Overbeek, celebrate with champagne at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, in Daytona Beach, Fla.

In the GTD class, a Lamborghini driven by Justin Marks collided with a Lamborghini driven by Bryce Miller as the two raced for the lead in Turn 1.

Having started from the front row, Derani jumped into an early lead, and after the DeltaWing and Michael Shank Racing’s early exits, ESM was virtually in a class of its own in terms of outright speed in the around-the-clock enduro. Angelelli’s wild final stint in a auto with a leaky exhaust leaving fumes in the cockpit ended with him just 26 seconds adrift of the race lead in second, but after the race he’d have to seek medical attention. IMSA officials said he was “conscious and stable”, but offered no further details about his condition.

Corvette gave drivers Oliver Gavin and Antonio Garcia the go-ahead to race each other hard over the final 30 minutes of the twice-around-the-clock endurance race.

“It took me a few minutes to write them all down to make sure I had all the drivers”, he said Friday.

Despite the health issues, the team notched its fourth consecutive podium finish at Daytona.

Meanwhile, Jordan Taylor had a trouble-free stint for Wayne Taylor Racing, which anxious Taylor was not healthy enough to be productive in the race. “So I don’t think it’s going to be too much of a transition, but you don’t really know until it actually happens”. The prototype-class vehicle had trouble competing in the following years (and was even the center of a messy legal dispute with Nissan) but has looked strong in this week’s practice sessions. “We had that last year, but this year we had a little bit of a hiccup”.

“Four years without a mechanical issue, without losing a lap, without going behind the wall, is quite an accomplishment for the team”. The No. 90 Corvette finished 87 seconds behind the race winners.

Garcia’s next best chance was at the finish line.

Generally, given all the escalators that go higher than any hook-and-ladder in the new motorsports stadium, this year’s race was an uplifting experience for the couple of thousand onlookers who made it to the new grandstand. The team was dropped from third to last in the 16-car class. The team said it had lost radio communication with Meyrick on the lap he hit the Starworks Motorsport entry. The ESM Honda was the fastest vehicle in the field, turning such quick laps that it was able to overcome a slew of miscues and claim the coveted Rolex watches. “It’s rewarding certainly beat them, but I think most importantly for us as a team going forward, the big thing is the win”. A misstep in the pits under yellow would see the #4 Corvette penalized and, ultimately, pushed onto an alternate strategy along with the #912 Porsche that was running in second at the time. “But all of us want to be part of this race, it’s a great race, a great way to start the season”. Barrichello, who’s considerably shorter than his teammates, struggled to find a rhythm. “One infection I take an antibiotic, one infection they said just takes time”. “So I was pretty exhausted”.

Just before 230 am we get another safety vehicle, the 14, as one of the Daytona Prototypes spins and stalls. “It was the first time for me, but it was nice to have a full night’s sleep and to wake up feeling fully rested”.