Breaking: Porsche Sets Relentless Early Pace as AO Racing Seizes LMP2 in Wild Rolex 24 Night
The 64th Rolex 24 at Daytona has exploded into the night. Porsche has controlled the opening six hours with cool speed and clean stops. LMP2 flipped again around Hour 9, as AO Racing muscled back to the front. The infield lights are harsh, the tri oval is black, and this fight is only getting hotter. 🏁
Six Hours of Porsche Pressure, Then Chaos in Class
From pit lane, the story is clear. Porsche’s GTP armada arrived ready to dictate the tempo. Their hybrid prototypes hit the first six hours with low drama and fast laps. Traffic moves parted when they needed. Pit work was crisp. The result, track position and control of the rhythm.
Behind them, Acura and Cadillac have shown straight line punch and stability on the banking. The gap shrinks whenever traffic stacks the leaders into NASCAR turns 1 and 2. Ferrari’s new pace in GTD Pro is real under the lights, and Mercedes and Lexus keep trading elbows on exits.
The wildest class remains LMP2. The speed delta is tight. The pit windows are sharp. Around Hour 9, AO Racing reclaimed the class lead with brave passes into Turn 1 and tidy out laps. That swing shows what the night will bring. Leaders change in the pits, then again in traffic, then again on cold tires leaving the lane.
Porsche led the opening six hours. AO Racing climbed back to the LMP2 lead near Hour 9. The order is far from settled.
The Hardware Deciding Daytona
GTP, IMSA’s top class, uses hybrid prototypes with a common electric unit. Total output is capped around 670 horsepower. Energy recovery hits under braking, then the battery feeds the rear axle on exit. These cars slice the banking near 200 mph, then jump over the bus stop curbs with electric torque shaping every launch.
LMP2 runs a spec 4.2 liter Gibson V8 with roughly 560 horsepower. No hybrid. Straightforward, durable, and noisy. The cars are lighter than GTP, so they dance in the infield. They give up top speed on the banking.
GTD Pro and GTD are GT3 based. They carry around 500 to 550 horsepower, depending on balance rules. Steel brakes mean longer stops and more fade risk in the night, plus more patience in traffic.
Michelin slicks are the common link. They like a small window. As the air cools after midnight, pressure targets drop and out laps get tricky. IMSA’s low carbon fuel blend adds another variable. Teams tune mapping for the long pull, not peak power.
Why Porsche Looks Strong
Porsche’s hybrid deployment has been smooth so far. Regen rates are consistent, which keeps brake temps in a happy range. The cars stay planted in dirty air. And the drivers trust the rear on throttle, which matters in traffic when you must pass and commit.
What Drivers Are Fighting Right Now
Night at Daytona narrows your world to a tunnel. The LED panels blur. Headlight glare floods the mirrors. On the banking, crosswinds push the car off the seam. In traffic, the closing speed from GTP to GTD can swing 30 to 40 mph. That gap breeds risk in Turn 1 and the bus stop.
Stints stretch as the track cools. Tire doubles become the play, which saves time but punishes anyone who abuses fronts in the infield. Cold tire out laps are the danger zone. The run from pit exit to Turn 1 feels like ice. The brave and the smart make places here.
Drivers talk about patience at night. Stay off the sausage kerb. Lift early to keep the hybrid harvest strong. Protect the floor. Save the car for dawn.
Nighttime at Daytona rewards calm braking, clean exits, and patience in mixed class traffic. The fastest car means nothing if you cannot pass cleanly.
The Overnight Pivot
The race is entering its shape shifting hours. This is where trophies are lost and won.
- Safety cars will reset everything, so pit timing is gold
- Brake life and rotor cracks need careful eyes
- Hybrid cooling and battery temps must stay in range
- Tire doubles and triples will separate the brave from the burned
- Drivers who read traffic cleanly will rise as others fade
Teams are already stretching fuel to fit a sunrise plan. Some are saving a set of fresh slicks for the last two stints. Others are gambling on a yellow to sync with their cycle. The industry trend is clear here. Software, energy maps, and pit choreography now matter as much as raw power. The top classes live on strategy tools that predict gaps to the second. The best crews turn that data into moves on the lane, not PowerPoint.
GTD depth is the other sign of the times. Customer programs are loaded with factory support and top pros. That creates a true pro field inside an amateur class. It also keeps pressure on manufacturers to build strong, serviceable GT3 cars, not just fast ones.
Conclusion
We are deep in the Rolex 24 and the story is still writing itself. Porsche set the tone early. AO Racing fired a warning shot in LMP2. Darkness has arrived with cooler air, shorter temp windows, and higher stakes. Strategy and reliability will rule until sunrise. I will be here through the night, listening for misfires, watching tire warmers, and tracking every pit call. The watch is not won yet. The smart and the steady will own the morning.
