Franchitti under pressure at Daytona posted in MSPOR30 | 01 | 2011
BATHGATE'S DARIO Franchitti is locked in a titanic battle for the Daytona 24-Hours. With just four hours remaining, the 37-year-old's No2 Ganassi BMW-Riley — co-driven by Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Dixon and Jamie McMurray — was just 1.922secs ahead of the sister car driven by Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, Graham Rahal and Joey Hand.
The two Ganassi cars are expected to be given permission to fight it out to the end, with no team orders being issued.
After 600 laps of the 3.560-mile Florida track — which utilises the tight and bumpy infield track, as well as the high-speed banking of the famous oval — a gap of less than two-seconds represents noting more than a blink of an eye; the slightest mistake and any hopes of the Scot bagging his second Daytona 24-Hours win — the IndyCar champ won the famous American endurance race in 2008 — would disappear.
BBC's Formula One pundit Martin Brundle, back in a race seat for the first time in 10 years, is poised in third place and ready to capitalise on any problems the Ganassi cars might hit. The ex-F1 racer's Ford-Riley is 53.137s behind Franchitti's lead car.
Both Ganassi cars though had experienced problems early on. The No1 car of Pruett was delayed at the start of the second hour when the team opted to change the gear cluster because the car was bouncing off the rev-limiter in top gear. Swift work by the crew ensured the pitstop, completed under yellow flags, only dropped the car one lap off the lead.
Multiple IndyCar champ Franchitti's No2 car dropped two laps on the 3.560-mile Florida circuit when it was forced to pit twice with punctures around the eight-hour mark. The Ganassi crew then opted to bring the car in for the same ratio change as the sister car during a safety car period after seven hours. The car lost more than a lap, but quickly got back on terms with the frontrunners.
There was frustration though for Wishaw's Ryan Dalziel, the winner 12 months ago. The 28-year-old Scot saw any hopes of winning back-to-back Daytona races disappear when his Ford-Riley hit major problems. With four hours remaining, Dalziel lies 22nd, 51 laps behind Franchitti's Ganassi BMW-Riley.
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Jim McGill