Rolex 24: Porsche Commands Lead as Dramatic LMP2 Battle Unfolds at Hour 15
The 15th hour of the Rolex 24 saw intense battles across multiple classes following a restart 10 minutes into the hour after a Full Course Yellow.
In GTP, Mathieu Jaminet led in the No. 6 Penske Porsche, successfully defending against Tom Blomqvist's aggressive pursuit through traffic. Laurens Vanthoor made a bold outside pass at Turn 1 to secure second place, creating a Porsche 1-2. BMW Team RLL's Raffaele Marciello briefly held second before dropping back.
Indy race car in red livery
In LMP2, Era Motorsport's Ryan Dalziel took the lead from Malthe Jakobsen's Crowdstrike ORECA with a decisive move at Turn 1. Sebastien Bourdais in the No. 8 Tower later passed both to claim the top spot.
GTD saw multiple lead changes, with Stevan McAleer's Triarsi 296 GT3 dropping back. After Casper Stevenson's brief lead ended in a spin, AWA's Marvin Kirchhöfer took control. Notably, Winward Racing's No. 57 Mercedes recovered from a seven-lap deficit to reach second place, with Philip Ellis behind the wheel.
In GTD PRO, AO Racing's "Rexy" Porsche maintained first position, followed by the No. 4 Pratt Miller Corvette. Fabien Schiller and Connor De Phillippi advanced to third and fourth for GetSpeed and Paul Miller respectively.
The race saw two retirements during the hour - the Inception Ferrari and Inter Europol ORECA - bringing total retirements to 13 with nine hours remaining. Gradient Racing continues work on their Mustang GT3's clutch issues behind the wall.
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