DragonSpeed claimed their third Rolex 24 at Daytona LMP2 class victory in four years yesterday, finishing fifth overall and coming out on top of a fraught battle for LMP2 honors which raged throughout the 60th running of the Florida endurance classic. The Spanish-based, US-flagged team’s pro/am squad of Bronze driver Eric Lux and IndyCar stars Devlin DeFrancesco, Colton Herta, and Pato O’Ward took the lead in dramatic fashion with just minutes remaining to overcome a ten-strong LMP2 field featuring the category’s top American and European teams.
After starting fifth with Lux at the wheel, the brightly colored Oreca O7-Gibson had a troubled early race with several drive-through penalties caused by a pit lane speed limiter issue, putting DragonSpeed three laps down on the class leaders. The team then set its sights on a long game, taking splashes of fuel whenever possible in order to exploit every opportunity to claw back those laps under the race’s frequent full-course yellows.
The overnight rotation of Lux, O’Ward, Herta, and DeFrancesco gradually revived the team’s fortunes, with Devlin setting the team’s fastest race lap along the way. They first led at the half way point and by sunrise the DragonSpeed machine was firmly established in the lead pack. The number 81 car topped the lap charts from the 20-hour mark until its painstakingly built and carefully managed advantage was erased by the race’s penultimate full-course yellow with two hours remaining, bringing the top four LMP2 runners into contention for the win.
Herta was soaking up the pressure from Louis Deletraz in the Tower Motorsport entry when the race came under yellow for the final time with 52 minutes to go. Colton pitted twice – first for a full fuel load and new tires and then for another splash of fuel – with Deletraz taking the lead amid the stops before racing resumed with 36 minutes left. Colton relentlessly harried the Swiss driver before attacking up the inside at the newly renamed Le Mans chicane, Deletraz taking to the grass and nearly collecting Herta as he rejoined the track. Herta maintained a seven-second lead over the final nine laps to the checkered flag, to a hail of cheers in the DragonSpeed pit.
Eric Lux: “What an incredible feeling. I started here when I was sixteen and must have come close to winning about six times, sometimes with it slipping away in the last hour, so the last two hours today were nerve-racking. My teammates were spectacular – I’m not actually old enough to be their dad, but I feel like it right now! I can’t thank DragonSpeed, Elton Julian, and everyone in the team, the mechanics, the engineers enough; they did a flawless job.”
Devlin DeFrancesco: “It was a pretty stressful 24 hours – I think I aged about ten years in the last hour of the race! Huge thanks to Elton and all the DragonSpeed crew. We’re weren’t the fastest at the Roar, but as I said last week, we were right at the front when it counted. I’m thrilled for Eric, and to do this with my old karting buddies and now Indycar rivals Colton and Pato is amazing. It’s a great start to the year, and today I jump on a flight to Indy for the next stage of my Indycar preparations.”
Colton Herta: “We’re all pretty tired now but really happy. The physical part of the driving was fine, but mentally it’s such a long race, and you don’t sleep with all the adrenaline. It was so much fun to do this with this group of people, and I want to thank DragonSpeed and all my teammates for keeping it clean and pushing for the win. I didn’t think I would get my second Rolex so soon! I hope I can keep doing this race and winning more of them, but I’ll definitely remember this one.”
Pato O’Ward: “It’s so cool to do this with these guys. As soon as the lineup came together, I told everybody: you know, we really have a shot at winning this. We had a few pitlane mishaps early on with the penalties, but then we really laid the groundwork for the win between 11.00 pm and 8.00 am. We made up so much time overnight to get back on the lead lap, kept fighting, and I can’t imagine a better ending.”
DragonSpeed Team Principal Elton Julian: “I’m happy, tired, and hugely satisfied the crew have been justly rewarded with this dream result.”
DragonSpeed PR
