The Pfaff Endurance Driver ‘Fixes’ His Own Car during Test
By Mark Robinson and John Oreovicz
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Next time you need roadside assistance, maybe it’s worth a call to James Hinchcliffe.
The former IndyCar driver has been signed by Pfaff Motorsports for the five IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup events on the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship calendar, beginning with the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Hinchcliffe was in the No. 9 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO when it left pit lane during Saturday afternoon’s Roar Before the Rolex 24 test session at Daytona International Speedway, but soon pulled off track before completing a lap.
After several minutes, Hinchcliffe exited the car to assist the safety team members on the scene in removing the McLaren’s hood. Hinchcliffe then grabbed the radiator block from atop the engine, which had been left in the car by mistake, and handed it to a safety team member. The Canadian then hopped back in the McLaren, restarted it and returned to the pits. He was able to get back on track later for eight laps.
“Well, the best part about sports car racing is you can belt yourself in, so if you need to jump out trackside to make a few repairs, no problem!” Hinchcliffe joked about the incident. “It’s a bummer we lost some track time but was good to get some laps at the end. The team has done a great job getting everything ready considering it’s our first time running the car. Excited to see how tomorrow plays out.”
There’s Nothing Lacking in No. 01 Cadillac’s ‘Add-On’ Drivers
With Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais, the No. 01 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R prepared by Chip Ganassi Racing features one of the strongest full-time driver pairings in the WeatherTech Championship. Thanks to Ganassi’s well-stocked cupboard, the car’s Michelin Endurance Cup lineup that adds Indy car champions Scott Dixon and Alex Palou is equally robust.
“Obviously, we’re spoiled at Ganassi. Dixie and Palou for reinforcements? Okay, cool!” Bourdais said with a laugh. “There are not many people who can say that.”
Levity aside, Palou and Dixon – studious, serious racers who go to the track to do a job, not soak up the glitz and glamor – fit right in with Bourdais and van der Zande. Together, Dixon, Bourdais and Palou have a combined 102 Indy car race wins and a dozen championships.
The full-time Ganassi drivers trusted their endurance reinforcements to handle the majority of the car setup work in the first three test sessions at the Roar. Van der Zande clocked a dozen laps in Session 1, but Palou drove exclusively in Session 2 and Dixon (a four-time Rolex 24 winner, three times overall) in Session 3.
“It’s Scott’s third year with us, and for me, he’s really easy to work with,” Bourdais observed. “He doesn’t try to shine the light on himself. Alex was with us a couple years ago and it was seamless as well. We all like the car pretty similar, and that makes it easy. Everybody is kind of selfless, and at the service of the team to do what’s right. That’s the key to this formula – nobody has enough ego to get in the way.”
No. 60 Lamborghini Suffers Fire
The No. 60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 came to an abrupt halt on pit lane during Saturday’s first test session, with driver Romain Grosjean quickly exiting the car. Grosjean, who was injured in a frightening fiery crash while driving in Formula One in 2020, was uninjured Saturday.
The team was still investigating what caused the fire, which forced the No. 60 to miss the afternoon session. Lamborghini officials confirmed that the engine had been replaced and the car was expected on track for Saturday’s night session.
Eight Drivers Doubling Their Fun at Daytona
At least eight drivers are slated to pull double duty next weekend, competing in the season openers for both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge that combined will total 28 hours of racing. Six have participated in test sessions this weekend for both series.
Those six and their WeatherTech Championship/Michelin Pilot Challenge affiliations are:
- Robby Foley (Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3/ Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4)
- Jack Hawksworth (Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3/Hattori Motorsports Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO)
- Corey Lewis (Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3/Smooge Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO)
- Daniel Morad (Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3/Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4)
- Spencer Pumpelly (Magnus Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo/BGB Motorsports Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport)
- Aaron Telitz (Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3/Archangel Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT4)
Stevan McAleer and Trent Hindman are scheduled to drive an RS1 Porsche in the Michelin Pilot Challenge next week but the No. 28 hasn’t turned a lap yet in testing this weekend. McAleer is part of the Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 lineup for the Rolex 24, with Hindman in the Kellymoss with Riley Porsche 911 GT3 R.