Photo: Kevin Dejewski
Simon Pagenaud, in the #60 Meyer Shhank Acura, leads the 24 Hours of Daytona as the race enters the graveyard shift of the middle of the night, with the cars currently behind the safety car.
The FCY and safety car was caused by the #43 MRS-GT Racing catching fire after a pitstop, then needing to trundle round slowly back to the pits.
Until the full course yellow, the Frenchman had an 18 second lead over #31 Action Express Cadillac’s Alexander Sims, who briefly fought for the lead with Pagenaud’s teammate Colin Braun. But the #60 Meyer Shank Acura possesses immense straight line speed and it wasn’t much of a fight.
The gap between the two did extend to as much as 40 seconds, but was cut to under 20 as a result of traffic and different pitstop strategies.
Third is Louis Deletraz, driving the #10 Wayne Taylor Acura, a further twenty seconds off Pagenaud.
Dane Cameron lies fourth for #6 Porsche, with the two Chip Ganassi-run Cadillacs, #01’s Scott Dixon ahead of #02 Earl Bamber. Seventh is Marco Wittmann in the #24 BMW. Both Wittmann and Bamber are a lap down.
Alex Quinn leads LMP2 in the #52 PR1 Mathiasen Oreca 07-Gibson, but is being chased by James Allen, driving the #55 Proton Competotion car, and Nicklas Nielsen in the v#88 AF Corse Oreca 07-Gibsin
In LMP3, Joao Barbosa leads in the 33 Sean Creech Ligier JS P320. Thomas Merrill, behind the wheel of the #17 AWA Duqueinw D08, is second, but is being hunted down by Dakota Dickerson in the #36 Andretti.
Ross Gunn leads the GTE Pro class in the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3, but is being hunted down by a rapid Maxi Goetz in the GTD-entered #32 Korthoff Mercedes AMG-GT3.
Marvin Kirchoffer and Marco Sorensen are second and third in GTD, driving the #70 Inception McLaren 720S GT3 and the sister #27 Heart of Racing Aston.
Maro Engel, driving the ‘79 WeatherTech Mercedes-AMG GT3, is second in GTD Pro, sixth amongst the GT cars. Third is Ben Barnicoat in the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3.
Keyword: Pagenaud leads at Daytona as race goes behind safety car