Historic/GT Modern Endurance Challenge Race Tees Up HSR Classic Daytona 24

By VM Staff | 10.30.21 4:12 AM

A hotly competitive B.R.M. Chronographes Endurance Challenge race for the Historic and GT Modern (GTM) divisions set the stage on Friday for the Historic Sportscar Racing Classic Daytona presented by IMSA this weekend at Daytona International Speedway. The classic 24-hour race for vintage and historic sports cars — the seventh edition of the twice-around-the-clock race on the 3.56-mile Daytona road course — goes green Saturday at 1:00 p.m. EDT.

Friday’s one-hour B.R.M. Chronographes race featured a packed 35-car starting field, the majority set to compete in the Saturday-Sunday Classic 24. After a hard 60 minutes of racing, the overall and GTM-class victory went to Kody Swanson and Brad Jaeger in the Doran Racing 2008 No. 21 Ford GT Mk7, a repeat B.R.M. class win for the driving pair who finished fourth overall in 2020.

Photo: HSR

Pit stop timing was the key to success for the Ford GT team: The No. 63 Corvette C7.R of Pierce Marshall and Eric Foss turned the fastest lap of the race, but differing pit stop timing let Jaeger bring the Ford across the line for the win 8.716 seconds ahead of the Matador Motorsports-prepared Corvette.

Third place overall and in GTM went to Bill Riddell in his Racelink 2019 No. 77 Porsche 991 GT3 car — Riddell’s first visit to the Daytona podium in more than five years.

Photo: HSR

The B.R.M. Historic-class victory was secured by Francesco Melandri in his Amalfi Racing 1996 No. 96 Porsche 993 GT2 Evo. Melandri outdueled Kenneth Greenberg, class runner up in his 1996 No. 836 Porsche 993 RSR prepared by Air Power Racing.

Third in B.R.M. Historic went to the familiar pairing of Hartmut Von Seelen and Kevin Wheeler in the 1973 No. 51 Porsche 911 prepared by KMW Motorsports.

A second B.R.M. Chronographes Endurance Challenge race kicks-off Saturday’s schedule at 8:20 a.m. EDT, with a one-hour race for the Vintage and GT Classic (GTC) classes.

The second and final rounds of the weekend’s WeatherTech Sprint Series doubleheaders fill out the remainder of the morning schedule before the seventh HSR Classic 24 goes green at 1:00 p.m.