Rolex 24 2022 Live Blog

CHEQUERED FLAG

The flag has come down on almost two weeks of blood, sweat, tears and speed from the amazing team at Gradient Racing.

The Texas Team’s four drivers and the amazing crew did an unbelievable job from the moment the #66 Invest Cayman/Cayman Islands HPD Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 rolled off the truck on Thursday of Last week. 10 days of non-stop effort later, we only have a 13th place finish in the GTD Class to show for it.

The most important thing is that we finished the event and everyone contributed under an ongoing set of testing circumstances. Nobody let their heads drop as things started to go wrong on Sunday morning. The team worked as hard as they could to isolate and fix the problem even though it meant we could not make any impression on the Top 10 in the GTD Class. Everyone continued to put in the effort throughout the rest of the race.

We will learn from this extraordinary experience and we will be back for the 12 Hours of Sebring in March.

THREE HOURS TO GO, WE’VE GOT TO KEEP ON KEEPING ON

24 Hour racing will always conjure up ways to test you and remind you that winning is the ultimate aim but finishing is the first priority. This was certainly the case as the 2022 Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. Just as the team began to look towards a strategy that could help the #66 Invest Cayman/Cayman Islands HPD Acura NSX GT3 Evo break into the Top 5 or even compete for the podium, the event decided to bite us yet again.

The team lost its shot at a Top 5 finish as the incredible Gradient Racing crew got to work to ensure that the car made it to the finish at 1:45pm ET on Sunday. With the help of engineers from Honda Performance Development, they isolated the problem and got it up and running again.

Mario currently sits P13 in the GTD and we are all determined to make it to the finish.

SIX HOURS TO GO, TIME TO WAKE UP! -

Our amazing crew have to catch some sleep when they can. It’s not always that easy.

Well since you left is there has been a considerable amount of mainly unwanted drama. The hose inside one of our internal air jacks failed which has meant we have to use a more traditional method of jacking the car up at each stop.

The initial failure meant that the crew were unable to change any of the tires during that stop. Marc Miller was forced to continue his stint on those tires until the team could come up with a solution to jack the car up on the subsequent pit stops. Gradient Racing #66 Invest Cayman Cayman Islands HPD Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 currently sits in P6 with a podium in GTD still very much in reach.

We continue to believe and you should too!

TWELVE HOURS GONE, TWELVE TO GO -

Till Bechtolsheimer’s double-stint was enough to complete his minimum drive time. It is likely that he may return to the cockpit of the #66 Invest Cayman/Cayman Islands Unit Nutrition HPD Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 to give some relief to the top two drivers who will do much of the heavy lifting towards the climax of the race.

Kyffin Simpson took over to run another double-stint. His performance belied his lack of endurance racing experience as he steadily moved into the Top 5. His run in the car was punctuated by a Full Course Yellow which neatly split his time in the car in half. The extremely low track temperatures meant that restarts would be a real test and the teenager leant heavily on the experience of his Team Manager, Andris Laivins.

Simpsons steady and impressive drive came to a conclusion with the eleventh Full Course Caution of the race. Marc Miller took the restart and moved from P7 to P3 in the course of the opening lap.

MEET THE SPOTTERS - Pinky and the Brain

Andrew Pinkerton (Pinky) and Michael Lira (The Brain) are perched on the spotters stand and are totally exposed to the elements here at a very, very cold Daytona International Speedway.

They are sharing the duties between them. The success of the #66 Invest Cayman/Cayman Islands HPD Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 will have as much to do with those two guys as any other member of the Gradient Racing team. They will just be colder for longer.

HOURS SEVEN & EIGHT - Consolidation as the night closes in

Marc Miller’s first stint saw the Michigander move through the GTD field with consistency and speed reaching P2 as the latest Full Course Yellow flags flew.

The timing of the safety car deployment was such that it was decided to bring the #66 Invest Cayman/Cayman Islands Unit Nutrition HPD Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 in for fuel, Michelin Tires and a change of driver.

Till Bechtolsheimer took over to start his second double-stint in the opening third of the race. He would take the Green Flag in P4 in GTD surrounded by established Professionals such as Darren Turner and Toni Vilander. He was battling with the hugely talented and experienced Robby Foley as the first third of the race came to a close.

HOURS FIVE & SIX - Moving Forward

We can’t say much other than Kyffin Simpson did everything that could have been asked of him, driving the #66 Invest Cayman/Cayman Islands HPD Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 into the Top 10. He handed it to Marc Miller without a scratch on it and Marc then began his first double stint of the race.

Marc Miller’s stint had only just began as the race went under Full Course Caution for the fourth time. By the end of hour six, the man from Michigan had moved the NSX Evo22 into the Top 6.


HOUR FOUR - Episode 1 of The Simpsons

Before the race went back to Green racing, Farnbacher pitted to top up with fuel, get new Michelin Tires and change drivers. 17 year old Kyffin Simpson jumped aboard the #66 Invest Cayman/Cayman Islands Unit Nutrition HPD Acura NSX GT3 Evo22.

The teenager restarted from P14 and held that position for a couple of race laps before a significant incident caused the third Yellow Flag period of the race.

The 2021 Formula Regional Americas Champion is in P13 as he laps behind the safety car.

HOUR 3 - All’s well that ends well

Till’s pit stop under Green Flag conditions was the conclusion of a action-packed double stint to open the 2022 Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. Mario Farnbacher took over at the wheel of the #66 HPD Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 and immediately set extremely competitive GTD times.

Mario Farnbacher showed pace in the #66 Invest Cayman/Cayman Islands HPD Acura GT3 Evo22

The stop had again it the car down a lap but an accident brought out the second safety car of the race and that allowed the German to get back onto the lead lap then pit to top off with fuel and get back on the same strategy as the leaders in the Class.

HOUR 2 - Gradient Racing leads GTD….briefly.

Till Bechtolsheimer briefly led in GTD after a short fueling error under Full Course Caution. (Photo Jon Bennett)

The second hour started with Till running excellent lap times after his drive-through penalty. He was a running faster than many of the GTD cars in front of him. He was forced to stop on Lap 44 having not been able to get all the fuel in during the first stop under caution. That stop put the #66 Invest Cayman/Cayman Islands HPD Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 a lap down and off sequence.

As the second hour came to a close, the majority of the GTD field pitted under Green leaving Bechtolsheimer sitting in P8 in GTD 45 seconds off the class lead but likely to go a lap down again at the next Green Flag stop.

HOUR 1

GREEN FLAG -

Till Bechtolsheimer has took the opening stint in the #66 Invest Cayman/Cayman Islands HPD Acura NSX GT3 Evo22. He had a solid start, staying out of trouble and as he settled into the race. Within 30 minutes he found a groove that saw him lap faster than ten or so of the cars ahead of him.

A crash towards the end of the first hour brought our first Full Course Yellow. Unfortunately Till left the pits while the car was being refuelled and had to come down pit lane for a drive-through penalty.. The trip through pit lane relegated the #66 car to P32 as we moved into Hour #2.

Declan Brennan