Racing where the team first got its start, VISIT FLORIDA Racing finished an improbable third in the Rolex 24 At Daytona this weekend after 659 laps, hundreds of man hours, and countless late nights of preparation.
While the podium finish for drivers Renger van der Zande, Marc Goossens, and René Rast was the third consecutive third place finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona for VISIT FLORIDA Racing, it was an incredible result considering the extremely limited amount of running time the team had with its new Prototype machine.
The race marked the opening round of the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and with it came a new set of regulations for the top Prototype class. The team committed to the Gibson-powered Riley platform and first took delivery of the sleek prototype machine just ahead of the new year.
The race was the first outing for the Gibson-powered Riley, which was tasked with making its debut in the longest race of the IMSA season. The all-new Prototype machine had not only never raced, but the VISIT FLORIDA Racing team had to work through a range of teething issues ahead of the race.
Before the drop of the green flag on Saturday, the machine had not completed more than 10 consecutive laps without needing adjustment or service.
Despite having very little running time and data to build the setup with, the team knew that focusing on the fundamentals of strong preparation, rapid driver changes and well executed pit stops would be key to bringing home some championship points. Adding to that checklist was the deep reservoir of driving talent from the international roster of VISIT FLORIDA Racing drivers.
The team’s efforts saw the machine lead 39 of the 659 laps run in the 24-hour race, which endured over 10 hours of rain through the Daytona night. While the new specification for the DPi machines showed considerably more pace as allowed by the regulations compared to what the rules for the LMP-specification Gibson/Riley was able to deliver, the team was highly satisfied to have brought home the remarkable result to open the 2017 season.
“This is pretty incredible,” said team owner Troy Flis of the result. “I told my guys that I’d like to get out of here with a top-five. I thought we’d be in the garage (for repairs) at least three times. But we didn’t even take the engine cover off once. That’s the biggest thing. The guys busted their butts and they did a good job. The last 45 days were pretty tough. I wish we’d had a bit more pace, but I’m glad that we made something that couldn’t go for 10 laps previously, end up lasting for 24 hours! I’ll take that and go home with it.”
VISIT FLORIDA Racing now looks forward to building on the strength of their new machinery in Round 2 of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in their home state at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 15-18.
