As Class titles are on the line in what surely, No
Don’t Call Me Shirley Jokes Here, Hya! Typical Fisticuffs, Donnybrook Firecracker
racing will be Action Ah-Plenty at Road Atlanta!
This year’s 24th Motul Petit Le Mans has
announced a robust 43 Car entry list, Hmm? Where have I heard that 43 number
before, Psyche!
The race will Air live on both Big NBC and the
fleeting NBC Sports TV channels this Saturday, Nov 13th, beginning
on NBC at 9AM Pacific before shifting to NBCSN for the final seven hours at
Noon, but as Always, Check your local listings!
There will be a total of 22 Prototypes divided
by three classes, with the Top flight DPi (Daytona Prototype International)
class fielding it’s normal six entries, plus a second AXR Caddy’.
The LMP2 Class will have five runners,
including a single entry from United Autosport, who’ll also bring a single LMP3
entry to the Petit party, where a total of ten entrants will take the Green
Flag.
Former IndyCar Driver Spencer Pigot will
Moonlight for JR III Racing in the Prototypes bottom rung, i.e.; LMP3 alongside
the team’s Garett Grist and Ari Valogh in the #30.
While keep your eye upon that #36 Andretti Autosport
entry with Jarett Andretti, Australia’s Josh Burton, No relation to those
RASSCAR’ Roundy round burton’s Yeehaw! And Oliver Askew at it’s controls.
The Tintops’, Err Saloon Boys and Girls will
see GT Le Mans going out in style with a 50% increase with a total of six entries,
with Corvette leading a two-by-two Coomb by Yah…
As once again, the GT LM Championship will be
decided between the two Corvette C8.R’s, most likely going to Jordan Taylor and
Antonio Garcia, albeit Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy, who’ve won the last three
races in-a-row have an outside chance.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan will run it’s brace ‘O BMW
M8 GTE coupes for their final time, along with a second #97 Weatherteck Racing
Porsche 911RSR-19 wit it’s Drivers to be announced (TBA) in the category.
Per usual, the largest Class will be the GT
Daytona (GTD) field with 15 cars ready to Rock ‘N Roll.
And although I’ll be rootin’ for multiple cars
in this category, naturally my ‘Ol Homeboyz’ (Team Seattle) Heart of Racing’s
No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage, the reigning GTD Sprint Cup Champions, it’s
another name from the Evergreen State that caught my Attenzione.
As the IMSA Pre-Entry list says that the #12
Vasser Sullivan Racing (VSR) Lexus RC F GT3 is sponsored by Bayside Recycling,
Huh? Since I know the name well from the ‘Ol Bayside Disposal Racing days of
Bruce Leven and his iconic #86 Porsche 962’s and later those sleek black #86
Texaco/Havoline IndyCar’s with Dominic Dobson and Jeff Andretti at their
keyboards.
But I’ll be pullin’ more for the No. 14 VSR
Seester Lexus since it’s got some reigning Indy Lights Champion named Kyle
Kirkwood as part of it’s Driver’s lineup.
Yet I suppose Mucho noise will be being made
over some Indy 500 winner named Helio Castroneves as Meyer Shank Racing’s (MSR)
#60 Acura ARX-05 Daytona Prototypes (DPi) third Driver. Uhm, Check that, Hulio’s
actually replacing Olivier Pla and the car’s third endurance driver will be
somebody known here at No Fenders as Monty’, JPM or once upon a time Mac
Montoya! As Juan Pablo will reunite with his IMSA Prototypes Championship
winning Co-Driver Dane Cameron and ex-Team Penske teammate for MSR.
Jimmie Johnson and other members of his All
Star Cast will be back aboard the No. 48 Action Express Racing’s (AXR) second Part-time
(Endurance Rounds Only) Cadillac DPi VR entry. As K-Squared’, aka Kamui Kobayashi
and “Simone,” Err Pageantry’, nee Simon Pagenaud will join Johnson once again.
While it’s Seester AXR entry the No. 31 Whelen
Engineering Cadd-Oh-lacc’ will have Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr and Mike “Ice Ice,
Baby!” Conway as it’s Chauffeurs.
The Championship leading No. 10 Wayne Taylor
Racing’s Acura ARX-05 of Ricky Taylor and Felipe Albuquerque will be joined by
Alexander Rossi.
While Cadillac has the most entrants with four
to choose from three teams. As Scott Dixon will Moonlight aboard the #01 Chip
Ganassi Racing with Renger Van der Zande and the departing Kevin Magnussen.
JDC Miller Motorsports “Mach 5, Mustang Sally,”
Err #5 Mustang Sampling will have it’s winning Sebring 12 Hours “Band” back
together when Sebastien Bourdais rejoins Tristan Vautier and Loic Duvall.
Whilst the Sleeper of the DPi Class will be the
“Double Nickel” #55 Mazda RT24P entry with Oliver Jarvis, Harry Tincknell and Jonathan
Bomarito possibly giving Mazda a Fond Farewell with another victory?
Apparently (Townsend) T-Bell’ won’t be doing
his usual Double Dipping, since the No. 12 GTD entry has Franky Montecalvo, Zach
Veach and Robert Megennis listed as it’s drivers. While it’d would be nice to “See”
Thee Mayor ‘O Hinchtown’, aka James Hinchcliffe warming up with his potentially
future GT Daytona team in this year’s field, although He’s always a great Addition
to the Commentary Booth! Where may be A.J. Allmendinger will also be haunting,
provided his RASSCAR Cup-lite’ duties Don’t get in the way?
And speaking of Haunting, I’ll probably
primarily listen to the race via IMSA Radio and John Hindhaugh instead, since I
haven’t Gory missed “Oh No Mr. Bill!” Err Kevin “The Wherewolf!” Lee for quite
some time now, albeit I suppose I’ll wanna hear Keigh Diffey’s “Pipes” one last
time this year.
Also, the Petit Le Mans season ending enduro’ serves
as the fourth and final round of this year’s Michelin Endurance cup, where
separate points will be awarded to All Classes at various points of the race;
giving us another race inside the race…