No. 36 LMP3 Led at Rolex 24 before Mechanical Issues Dropped Car from Contention
By Mark Robinson
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The feeling was admittedly bittersweet following the Rolex 24 At Daytona, but it was also met with optimism for a bright future ahead.
After leading much of the first six hours in the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) class during last month’s race, a mechanical issue sent the No. 36 Andretti Autosport Ligier JS P320 to the garage for repairs. Finding themselves quickly down six laps, drivers Jarett Andretti, Josh Burdon, Rasmus Lindh and Gabby Chaves toiled through the night to claw back within a lap of the class leaders heading into the decisive final six hours.
Then, a second, unrelated issue set the car back again, with the No. 36 finishing fourth in class, four laps off the pace at the checkered flag. Still, in the first Rolex 24 appearance for Andretti Autosport, the team put its promise on display by running in lockstep with the LMP3 leaders until the maladies occurred.
The fourth-place finish equaled Andretti’s best result in its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship LMP3 debut season of 2021. Coupled with a class win in the Jan. 23 Rolex 24 qualifying race that earned a Motul Pole Award for Burdon and Jarett Andretti, a strong belief of better things to come soon pervades the team camp. The next chance lies at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts on March 19.
“Dad always told me you have to lose two or three races before you win your first race in whatever you’re doing,” said Jarett Andretti, referencing his late father, John, the versatile racer who helped guide Jarett’s blossoming career before passing away from colorectal cancer two years to the day from the finish of this year’s Rolex 24.
“That’s been true in everything I’ve done,” Jarett added. “You always have two or three that you’re like, ‘That should have been mine.’ … To still have the speed, to have led a lot of laps and to be there, it bodes well for us.”
Starting from the class pole position, the No. 36 Ligier led 92 of the first 174 laps at Daytona. Team engineer Graham Quinn cited what went wrong from there, while also applauding the resolve to stay the course in the team’s first 24-hour race.
“The car shut down unexpectedly while leading (just past the six-hour mark) due to an engine sensor failure,” Quinn said. “Six laps were lost while replacing the sensor back in the garage. The team regained five of those laps before an exhaust header broke causing significant power loss. From there, it wasn’t possible to retain the early pace.
“Unfortunately, both failures were out of the team’s control,” Quinn continued, “but we were proud of the crew’s tenacity to get to the finish regardless.”
The silver lining to the disappointing Rolex 24 result is that the race doesn’t count toward the season championship. The Twelve Hours of Sebring is the first of the six points-paying LMP3 events on the schedule.
“Bittersweet result considering what could have been after leading the first six hours,” Burdon said. “Unfortunately, some small issues out of our control crippled our progress. Nevertheless, what an amazing job by everyone in the team to never give up and finish the race strong. Pit stops and strategy was great, and I am very motivated by our progress moving onto further events.”
Added Jarett Andretti: “I feel very positive heading into the remainder of the season. The points championship starts at Sebring so we can carry this forward momentum into there.”