A Chip Ganassi Racing (BMW Riley) conquistou neste domingo (30/01) a dobradinha na 49ª edição das 24 Horas de Daytona, etapa de abertura da temporada 2011 da Grand-Am. O quarteto Scott Pruett/ Memo Rojas/ Joey Hand/ Graham Rahal recebeu a bandeira apenas dois segundos a frente dos parceiros Scott Dixon / Juan Pablo Montoya/ Dario Franchitti/Jamie McMurray. Foi a quarta vitória da equipe nas últimas seis edições.
Na 21ª hora de prova o lÁder Hand recebeu um stop-and-go de 30 segundos, por ter tocado em um pneu quando saÁa dos pits, perdendo cerca de um minuto. Dixon assumiu a ponta. Um Safety-Car permitiu a aproximação de Pruett, que na seqüência final de pit stops recolocou o BMW nº 1 na liderança.
Equipe vencedora da prova de 2010, a Action Express Racing (Porsche Riley) completou os três primeiros, com o quinteto João Barbosa/ Christian Fittipaldi/ Max Papis/ Terry Borcheller/ JC France. Barbosa e Dixon cruzaram a linha de chegada separados por 0s256.
O quarteto Mark Blundell/ Zak Brown/Martin Brundle/ Mike Patterson (United Autosports with Michael Shank Racing / Ford Riley) terminou em 4º, seguido pelo quarteto Max Angelelli/ Ricky Taylor/ Ryan Briscoe/ Wayne Taylor (SunTrust Racing / Chevrolet Dallara), que chegou a ficar quarto voltas atras dos lideres depois de dois incidentes. O quarteto Nic Jonsson/ Tracy Krohn/ Nicolas Minassian/Ricardo Zonta (Krohn Racing / Ford) fechou os seis primeiros colocados.
O quarteto Marc Goossens / Oswaldo Negri / John Pew / Michael Valiante (Michael Shank Racing / Ford Riley) terminou em 10º, seguido pelo quarteto Ryan Hunter-Reay / Raphael Matos / Forest Tucker / Richard Westbrook (Level 5 Motorsports / BMW Riley).  Â
Os quatro representantes brasileiros na prova, Fittipaldi, Zonta, Negri e Matos, terminaram entre os onze primeiros colocados.
O quarteto que largou na pole-position, JÁ¶rg Bergmeister / Patrick Long / Seth Neiman / Johannes van Overbeek (Flying Lizard Motorsports / Porsche Riley) foi apenas 21º colocado.
Pela Classe GT vitória do quinteto Andy Lally/ Wolf Henzler/ Spencer Pumpelly/ Brendan Gaughan/ Steven Bertheau (TRG / Porsche GT3).
Final:
1 DP 1 Hand / Pruett / Rahal / Rojas    Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates / BMW Riley 720 voltas
2 DP 2 Dixon / Franchitti / McMurray / Montoya    Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates / BMW Riley 720
3 DP 3 Barbosa / Borcheller / Fittipaldi / France / Papis    Action Express Racing / Porsche Riley 720   Â
4 DP 4 Blundell / Brown / Brundle / Patterson United Autosports with Michael Shank Racing / Ford Riley 720 Â Â Â
5 DP 5 Angelelli / Briscoe / Taylor / Taylor SunTrust Racing / Chevrolet Dallara 719
6 DP 6 Jonsson / Krohn / Minassian / Zonta Krohn Racing / Ford Lola 719
7 DP 7 Allmendinger / McDowell / Wilson Michael Shank Racing with Curb/ Agajanian / Ford Dallara 718
8 DP 8 Bouchut / Diaz / Tucker / Wilkins Level 5 Motorsports / BMW Riley 717
9 DP 9 Donohue / Frisselle / Law / Rice Action Express Racing / Porsche Riley 716 Â Â Â
10 DP 10 Goossens / Negri / Pew / Valiante Michael Shank Racing / Ford Riley 705 Â Â Â
11 DP 11 Hunter-Reay / Matos / Tucker / Westbrook Level 5 Motorsports / BMW Riley    702   Â
12 GT 1 Bertheau / Gaughan / Henzler / Lally / Pumpelly TRG / Porsche GT3 684 Â Â Â
13 GT 2 Bell / Miller / Sellers / Sugden Paul Miller Racing / Porsche GT3 683 Â Â Â
14 GT 3 Dempsey / Espenlaub / Foster / Long    Dempsey Racing / Mazda RX-8 680   Â
15 DP 12 Fogarty / Gurney / Johnson    GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing / Chevrolet Riley 678   Â
16 GT 4 Holzer / Lietz / Potter / Stanton Magnus Racing / Porsche GT3 674
17 GT 5Â Davis / Haywood / Keen / Lieb Brumos Racing / Porsche GT3 672 Â Â Â
18 GT 6 Bomarito / Christodoulou / Edwards / Tremblay    SpeedSource / Mazda RX-8    669   Â
19 GT 7Â Gidley / Nonnamaker / Nonnamaker / Nonnamaker / Sahlen Team Sahlen / Mazda RX-8 660 Â Â Â
20 GT 8Â Eversley / Graeff / Wallace / Yarab Jr. / Zahn TRG / Porsche GT3 658 Â Â Â
21 DP 13 Bergmeister / Long / Neiman / van Overbeek Flying Lizard Motorsports / Porsche Riley 654 Â Â Â
22 GT 9Â Friedman / Ludwig / Thomas / von Moltke Muehlner Motorsport / Porsche GT3 654 Â Â Â
23 DP 14 Edwards / Garcia / Maassen Spirit of Daytona Racing / Chevrolet Coyote 649 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
24 GT 10 Cameron / Gue / James / Kitch Jr / Lacey Dempsey Racing / Mazda RX-8 649 Â Â Â
25 GT 11 Earnhardt / Harrington / Hull / Monroe / Sandberg Rick Ware Racing / Porsche GT3 634
26 GT 12 Bremer / Liddell / Magnussen Stevenson Motorsports / Camaro GT.R 628
27 GT 13 Farnbacher / George Jr / Keating / Luhr TRG / Porsche GT3 612
28 GT 14 Lester / Marsh / O’Connell / Taylor Autohaus Motorsports / Camaro GT.R 606 Â Â Â
29 GT 15 Baron / Poordad / Wagner DragonSpeed / Ferrari 430 Challenge 587 Â Â Â Â
30 GT 16 Bleekemolen / Curtis / Pappas / Pilet / Sofronas TRG/Black Swan Racing/GMG Racing / Porsche GT3 578 Â Â Â
31 DP 15 Iannetta / Popow / Potoliccio Starworks Motorsport / Ford Riley 576
32 GT 17 Auberlen / Dalla Lana / Plumb / Said    Turner Motorsport / BMW M3 564   Â
33 DP 16 Braun / Dalziel / Enge / Forest / Lowe Starworks Motorsport / Ford Riley 552 Â Â Â
34 GT 18 Downing / Grupp / Murry / Spencer / Trinkler Team Spencer Motorsports / Mazda RX-8 Â Â Â 543
35 GT 19 Lewis / Pagerey / Sheehan / Sweedler Chris Smith Racing / Porsche GT3 494 Â Â Â
36 GT 20 Buford / Jensen / Jensen / Marsal / Rettich Racers Edge Motorsports / Mazda RX-8 453 Â Â Â
37 GT 21 Doyle / Michaelian / Mulligan TRG/Nadeau Motorsports / Porsche GT3 422 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
38 GT 22 Cheng / Hyatt / Lewis / Papadopoulos PR1 Motorsports / BMW M6 402 Â Â Â
39 GT 23 Curran / Gavin / Ledoux / Schaldach Banner Racing / Camaro GT.R 398
40 GT 24 Armindo / Baldwin / Burtin / Ragginger / Tandy    Burtin Racing / Porsche GT3 378   Â
41 GT 25 Lux / O’Young / Walker / Wong Bullet Racing / Porsche GT3 328
42 DP 17 Bell / Frisselle / Kaiser / Richard Doran Racing / Ford Dallara 312
43 GT 26 Allen / Davidson / Dumoulin / Geddie / Skeen Bennett Racing / Ferrari 430 Challenge 285
44 DP 18 Beyer / Heylen / Mayer / Peterson / Valentine Starworks Motorsport / Ford Riley 215
45 GT 27 Assentato / Ham / Lazzaro / Longhi / Segal SpeedSource / Mazda RX-8 202 Â Â Â
46 GT 28 Gidley / Nonnamaker / Nonnamaker / Nonnamaker / Sahlen Team Sahlen / Mazda RX-8 124 Â Â Â
47 GT 29 Cumming / Hacquard / Marks / Miller Yellow Dragon Motorsports / Mazda RX-8 122
48 GT 30 Atterbury / MacNeil / Pobst / Whitis Mitchum Motorsports / Porsche GT3 121 Â Â Â
49 GT 0 Empringham / Maxwell / Nastasi / Russell TPN Racing/Blackforest / Ford Mustang 0 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
50 GT 0 Abergel / Collard / Jones / Lisa / Pompidou Aten Motorsports / Ferrari 430 Challenge 0 Â Â Â