Now, Mr.
Wheldon made a bit of history. First he became one of a handful of drivers to win Indy and the Rolex 24, and only he and Arie Luyendyk did the double in the same year, but only Wheldon won the Indy 500, the IRL championship and the Rolex 24 in succession.
"It really has been exceptional year over the last 12 months to win the Indianapolis 500, to win the championship and the icing on the cake is this race," Wheldon said. "It's a great race. It's so tiring. That's for us guys who after a stint have food brought to us, drinks and a massage. Other guys are still working on the cars. It's a charmed life that we lead right now."
The No. 36 TPC Racing Porsche GT3 Cup car driven by Randy Pobst, Michael
Levitas, Ian Baas and Spencer Pumpelly finished ninth overall and captured Porsche's 61st class win and 26th GT class win by a margin of three laps.
"Our Porsche ran perfectly the whole race," said Pobst, who earned his second Rolex 24 class triumph.
Stewart had the best quote of the race, when he was asked what Joe Gibbs thinks of his 'extra' racing, and the effect it could have on his Nextel Cup season. "I don't ask him," Stewart said.
Of the
Canadians, Tracy led for a long time, before having problems. Fellows looked good until the end of his first stint, when an axle broke on his Derhaag #40 entry. The team battled back, only to have a clutch problem, but they still finished 29th overall. Carpentier, in his first Rolex, seemed to have the measure of most teams and looked like a threat to win. He didn't have the fastest car, but he, and his teammates kept it out of trouble, only to have an engine let go, just two hours before the end. That's racing...
Motorsport Quick Hits...
The previously discussed Audi R10 made its American debut at the ALMS test at Sebring last week. Frank Biela was asked what he thought of the new Audi
R10 after the test. His answer was quite telling: "It's just like an Audi." That is not good news for other competitors heading to Sebring in early March...
In A1GP action from Durban, South Africa - which is a street circuit, the North American drivers - Canada and the USA - finished nose to tail in the sprint race, with Canadian Sean McIntosh leading the USA's Philip Giebler to the line. In the feature race, both North Americans were involved in incidents, with Giebler retiring after only two laps. McIntosh suffered nose damage, got it replaced, and surged back to a 10th place finish. France won the sprint race with Alexandre Premat at the wheel, while 'Jos the boss' Verstappen won the feature for the Netherlands. Next up for the A1GP will be Sentul, Indonesia on Feb 12...
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| Carpentier, in his first Rolex, seemed to have the measure of most teams and looked like a threat to win. (Photo: Patrick Carpentier Racing) |
"It really has been exceptional year over the last 12 months to win the Indianapolis 500, to win the championship and the icing on the cake is this race," Wheldon said. "It's a great race. It's so tiring. That's for us guys who after a stint have food brought to us, drinks and a massage. Other guys are still working on the cars. It's a charmed life that we lead right now."
The No. 36 TPC Racing Porsche GT3 Cup car driven by Randy Pobst, Michael
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| Of the Canadians, Tracy led for a long time, before having problems. (Photo: GrandAmerican Racing) |
"Our Porsche ran perfectly the whole race," said Pobst, who earned his second Rolex 24 class triumph.
Stewart had the best quote of the race, when he was asked what Joe Gibbs thinks of his 'extra' racing, and the effect it could have on his Nextel Cup season. "I don't ask him," Stewart said.
Of the
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| Who would have thought that two IRL drivers and a Nextel Cup driver could win the hallowed Rolex 24 at Daytona? (Photo: Grand American Racing) |
Motorsport Quick Hits...
The previously discussed Audi R10 made its American debut at the ALMS test at Sebring last week. Frank Biela was asked what he thought of the new Audi
 |
| Frank Biela was asked what he thought of the new Audi R10 after the test. His answer was quite telling: "It's just like an Audi," which is bad news for rivals. (Photo: Audi Canada) |
In A1GP action from Durban, South Africa - which is a street circuit, the North American drivers - Canada and the USA - finished nose to tail in the sprint race, with Canadian Sean McIntosh leading the USA's Philip Giebler to the line. In the feature race, both North Americans were involved in incidents, with Giebler retiring after only two laps. McIntosh suffered nose damage, got it replaced, and surged back to a 10th place finish. France won the sprint race with Alexandre Premat at the wheel, while 'Jos the boss' Verstappen won the feature for the Netherlands. Next up for the A1GP will be Sentul, Indonesia on Feb 12...