Whatever It Takes
Performance Tech Motorsports is on the hunt for its second Rolex watch at the 59th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
The No. 38 Ligier JS P320 enters the second half of its stay at Daytona International Raceway with a final few practice sessions and the Rolex 24 at Daytona taking place Jan. 30-31. The team spent the previous week testing the new driver quartet, Cameron Cassels, Rasmus Lindh, Mateo Llarena and Ayrton Ori while preparing the car for the twice-around-the-clock-race.
After thorough preparation Team Principal Brent O’Neill is confident in the team’s total race package.
“The 24 hour is something we start preparing for basically as soon as the checkered flag falls on the prior year’s event,” O’Neill said. “My drivers and crew have poured everything they have into this, especially during the past few weeks. We felt confident at the end of the Roar and we’re carrying that over to the race. Now we just need to keep our nose clean so we can be there at the end and win another watch.”
The veteran prototype team returns to Daytona in pursuit of its second Rolex 24 win, the first achieved in 2017 in the then PC Class. With a completely new lineup for 2021 season featuring Cassels, Lindh, Llarena and Ori the No. 38 is already a fan-favorite to stand on the top-step in victory lane. However, there is still 28 hours and 45-minutes of track time between now and the checkered flag.
The balance of this time is crucial to the team’s success. First, the No. 38 must be gracefully maneuvered through 4 hours and 45-minutes of practice. The drivers must balance being aggressive enough to test the pace of the car but gentle enough to preserve it for the race. Following a new format for 2021 the team will no longer qualify on Friday, rather it qualified Sunday, Jan. 24 in the Motul Pole Award 100 race.
Lindh took the reins for the sprint race with the team opting to park the No. 38 in fifth to save it from the unprecedented amount of carnage in the event. The team now must decide which driver will have the honor of taking the green flag for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the final time-management hurdle the No. 38 most overcome. The drivers’ time in the car, fuels, tires and brakes must all be meticulously monitored and controlled in order to close out the final 24 hours of the season opener. Once the team successfully checks all of the boxes above it can enter victory lane as victors.
The team is back on-track for Practice 1, 2 and 3 on Thursday, Jan. 28. Friday, Jan. 29, features solely Practice 4 in order to allow the teams ample prep and rest time before the feature event. Finally, the green flag falls on the 59th Running of the Rolex 24 on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 3:40 p.m. ET, live on NBC. For ticket sales and schedule details visit: https://www.imsa.com/events/2021-rolex-24-at-daytona/.