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| The ASH Top 10 For The Rolex 24 |
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© Andrew S. Hartwell
Going to Daytona to cover this special race is a ritual we enjoy observing every year. We get to stay up all night (sometimes, but it gets harder every year) and see some friends (and some other people too) and take a lot of pictures (some of which actually come out), and generally soak up the atmosphere (and the sun) that is the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.
Not bad work if you can get it.
We would like to use (waste?) this space to talk about some of the Daytona Prototype teams that really have a shot at going the distance to the checkered flag in this year's running of the Grand-Am Rolex Series 24 Hours of Daytona. There certainly are a number of them in the field this year. We have 28 Daytona Prototypes scheduled to take the start.
Looking over the list of drivers it is easy to see why the Grand-Am website is trumpeting the number of champions participating. And anyone who would readily discount the ability of a champion to adapt and conquer on a new battlefield does themselves and the champions a disservice. But some combatants know the slope of the field and the mustering of munitions better than others. They hold an advantage. And they are - we submit - the sportscar racing professionals who have waged this battle on this field before.
So, having firmly identified ourselves as homers' - someone who roots for the home team (in this case, the drivers and crews who regularly compete in the Rolex DP class) and against the visiting team' (in this case, all those fancy-pants champions from those other' series) we will now proceed to further embarrass ourselves by identifying those teams we feel have the best chance to win this 24 hour war.
Of the 28 Daytona Prototypes entered, we count at least 10 teams that have the potential to be fitted for new Rolex watches come Sunday afternoon. (Why stop at 10? Because it was too cold here in New York to take off our shoes and continue to count on our toes.)
In car number order we present the 10 teams we predict are most likely to win. Of course that means we have about a 35% chance of picking the winner. Or, probably more appropriately, we have just eliminated 65% of the DP field simply because we have an opinion. We feel certain there will be some (we can think of 18) teams that would not hold our opinion in high regard. Then again, we could be laying the groundwork here for a future in clairvoyance and fortune telling. But given our dismal track record with the Lottery, we suspect it might be best to keep our day jobs. (But we still plan to buy another lottery ticket when we are finished with this drivel.)
Putting our uncertain future career aside for a moment, (and hoping we haven't just ended this one with all this blather) let's take a quick look at the ash top 10 and see what makes us say this just might be their time for a new timepiece.
In car number order:
#01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Lexus-Riley
& #02 Target Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Lexus-Riley
Chip Ganassi has entered two cars. He only needed one last year to win it all. Sort of seems unfair when you think about it. The man has a lengthy list of victories everywhere he elects to ply his trade and here he is back with top-caliber drivers Scott Pruett, Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon.
We have to believe any other foolish-like-us prognosticators out there would be sure to have these two cars on their list of potential winners too. Who wants to say Ganassi can't? But this homer just included-in three champions from elsewhere, didn't he? Well, we feel an exception is warranted in this case, because Dixon and Wheldon won it last year so we award them honorary' home team status. (Isn't it convenient how we bend the rules? Having the keyboard under our control gives us all the power!)
#6 Michael Shank Racing Lexus-Riley
Michael Shank never quits. 24 hours? Big deal! Why not make it 36? The man ha
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