I Dig Sports
'Sinner will be one of greatest players we've ever seen'
The image of Sinner vomiting into a wheelie bin by the side of the court is not one many would expect to mark the start of a new reign of dominance in men's tennis.
But that image, as he battled illness at the China Open in October 2023, has become synonymous with the moment Sinner evolved into a serial title winner.
He would go on to win that match. And that tournament. And most matches he has contested in the 15 months since.
From the start of that tournament in Beijing, Sinner's record is 98 wins and just nine defeats - and three of those losses were against four-time Grand Slam champion and rival Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner replaced Novak Djokovic as world number one in June 2024 and since then has won a record-equalling 47 of his first 50 matches as the top ranked men's player, matching Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors.
He also has a 30-2 record at Slams since winning his first Melbourne title 12 months ago.
Cash said: "Sinner and Alcaraz are so far ahead of everybody else.
"Until other young guys come through it is a two-horse race. We saw that for a while with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, then [came] Andy Murray, Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka.
"Things can change really quickly, but as of now it's a one-horse or two-horse race for the Grand Slams."
Wales prop WillGriff John is a major doubt for at least their Six Nations opener against France in Paris on Friday.
The 32-year-old failed a Head Injury Assessment after leaving the field in the first half of Sale Sharks' 32-23 home English Premiership defeat by Bath on Sunday.
John is one of three tight-head props in Warren Gatland's squad alongside Cardiff's Keiron Assiratti and Henry Thomas of Scarlets.
But the number three jersey is problematic for Wales with with Bath's Archie Griffin unavailable following shoulder surgery and Leon Brown having recently retired.
John has not played for Wales since 2021 and, against Bath, was making just his second start for Sale this season with four further replacement appearances.
Assiratti was second choice to Griffin during Wales' autumn internationals and Thomas was an unused squad member as Wales completed 2024 without a win.
Glasgow strengthened their grip on second place in the United Rugby Championship table by grinding out victory over a resolute Connacht at Scotstoun.
The Irish side crossed the whitewash first through David Hawkshaw, but Warriors hit back with tries from Sebastian Cancelliere and Ben Ashfar to lead 17-5 at the break.
Hawkshaw and Cancelliere exchanged further scores in the second half and although Piers O'Conor crossed late on for the visitors, Glasgow held firm to secure the victory.
Franco Smith's side now lead third-placed Bulls by seven points having played two games more than the South African outfit.
With both teams shorn of a raft of internationals before the Six Nations kicking off next weekend, a lack of cohesion was evident for large spells of what was a scrappy contest in difficult conditions.
Having first joined the club back in 2010, Duncan Weir was leading the Glasgow side as captain for the first time and the fly-half banged over a penalty to get Warriors up and running.
Connacht were dominating the exchanges in the opening quarter however, and got their reward when Hawkshaw charged down Ollie Smith's attempted clearance kick before gathering to score.
Henco Venter got Glasgow back on the front foot with a powerful burst and when the ball was whipped wide Cancelliere darted through a gap to go over for Glasgow's first try.
The game was bobbing along without much happening until a majestic show-and-go from prop Fin Richardson saw him slip through the Connacht defence, before offloading to Alex Samuel who sent Ashfar sprinting free to the try line.
Glasgow led by 12 at the break but it was Connacht who struck early in the second half, some neat handling sending Hawkshaw away for his second try of the match.
Having played into a strong breeze in the first half, the Irish side now had the wind at their backs and had an opportunity to reduce the deficit to two points, only for JJ Hanrahan's penalty attempt to come back off the upright.
Warriors gave themselves some breathing space with their third try. Strong carries from Smith and Jack Mann took Glasgow to the brink of the Connacht line before Cancelliere found himself in the right place at the right time again to dot down.
The visitors were not done yet and O'Conor raced over two minutes from time to set up a nervy finish, but Glasgow managed the final moments well to see it out for the win.
Furlong out of Ireland's England Six Nations opener
British and Irish Lions prop Tadhg Furlong has been ruled out of Ireland's Six Nations opener against England on Saturday by injury.
Furlong, 32, suffered a recurrence of a calf injury at Ireland's training camp in Portugal on Saturday and has returned to Dublin for further assessment.
Connacht's Jack Aungier has been called up to the Six Nations holders' squad as a replacement.
The experienced tighthead prop missed all four November internationals for Ireland with a hamstring issue and only returned for Leinster in their win over La Rochelle three weeks' ago before missing the province's last European game against Bath.
Furlong's absence means Finlay Bealham is likely to start against England at the Aviva Stadium but Ireland's usual third-choice in the position, Tom O'Toole, is suspended for the first two games of the championship.
Hooker Dan Sheehan and wing James Lowe linked up with the Ireland squad on Sunday after returning from injury to play in Leinster's United Rugby Championship win over the Stormers on Saturday.
Sheehan was making his first appearance of the season after sustaining a knee injury in Ireland's summer tour of South Africa while Lowe has been ruled out since sustaining a calf injury in Ireland's final November international against Australia.
The duo's Leinster colleague Jack Boyle also joined up with the squad on Sunday with Connacht scrum-half Caolin Blade also set to arrive in Portugal on Monday.
Bristol: Lane; Heward, Jenkins, Janse van Rensburg, Kavouvou; Byrne, Marmion; Thomas, Oghre, Lahiff; Dun, Owen, S. Grondona, Harding, Mata.
Replacements: Capon, Woolmore, Kloska, Luatua, Heenan, Wolstenholme, Elizalde, Bailey.
Newcastle: Obatoyinbo; Pepper, Hearle, Clark, Stevenson; Connon, Stuart; Brocklebank, Blamire, McCalllum; De Chaves, McDonald Seran, Van der Walt, Lockwood, Chick.
Replacements: Fletcher, Rewcastle, De Bruin, Hawkins, Leatherbarrow, Davis, Wilkinson, Spencer.
Sin bin: Hearle (66 mins)
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys
In another blow for Sale, prop WillGriff John was forced off at half time after failing a head injury assessment, ruling him out of Wales' Six Nations' opener against France next week.
They hade been more than competitive in the first half, despite losing five of their first-choice pack to England call-ups, as they sought to extend an 11-match winning streak in their northern fortress.
The forwards powered the ball to within a metre of the posts and when Rob du Preez slung a long pass over the top, Reed showed his finishing ability by stepping inside the cover to score.
Du Preez added a penalty but after Louis Schreuder forced an error at the breakdown, Bath went onto the attack and McConnochie sprinted over out wide to close the gap.
Sale stormed forward again and when Tom O'Flaherty picked up Carpenter's grubber and was held up just short, du Preez picked up and darted over on the blindside, before adding another penalty, to put Sale clear again.
Bath struck back just before the break, with McConnochie again stretching away from the home defence, and Russell's conversion setting the match up nicely for the second half.
Bath were superb in the second 40 minutes, with Russell pulling the strings.
He seemed to have set up Ojomoh for a quick try, but the wing had juggled the ball against O'Flaherty's shoulder to knock on before diving over, with a video review chalking it off.
Eight minutes later, Bath cycled through 20 phases of attacking play and this time Russell's sweeping pass found Joe Cokanasiga and when he was stopped, Ojomoh powered over with two tacklers unable to stop him.
Russell's conversion and subsequent penalty took him past the century mark for the campaign, and then he produced a marvellous piece of quick thinking in a pivotal moment to turn a difficult moment into a 13-point lead.
Reed had shot through a rare Bath gap but when Sale were penalised at the breakdown, Russell quickly kicked the penalty long despite Sale claiming he had not done so from the mark.
Carr-Smith was on the fly-half's wavelength and sprinted the length of the field to kick on and score.
Carpenter barged his way over to make the last couple of minutes interesting but Russell had converted Carr-Smith's try and then added his late penalty to seal the win.
Ford Mustang GT3 Claims First Global Win at 63rd Rolex 24
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. In a classic battle of iconic American car brands, Dennis Olsen drove the Ford Multimatic Motorsports No. 65 Ford Mustang GT3 to the models first global victory, besting Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Alexander Sims in the No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class Sundays season-opening IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race.
Considered one of the worlds greatest endurance events, the 63rd running of the Rolex 24 absolutely lived up to its reputation with both Grand Touring classes of competition ultimately decided by less than two-seconds after 24 grueling, eventful hours on the Daytona International Speedways 3.56-mile, 12-turn combination of speedway high banks and traditional road course winds and turns.
While Ford celebrated in victory lane in the 15-car GTD PRO class, the Corvette was victorious in the 22-car GTD class with British driver Matthew Bell ultimately steering the No. 13 AWA Corvette Z06 GT3.R to the win by 1.454 seconds over the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992).
This Detroit special in the GTD PRO class featuring Ford and Chevrolet in a dramatic trophy duel during the closing minutes of competition was not only significant for Fords new GT3 brand but also a sentimental victory between these two longtime rivals.
While it marked the Mustangs 20th victory in the race, it was the first for the new GT3 model introduced in 2024. The winning No. 65 Fords sister car the pole-sitting No. 64 Mustang completed the GTD PRO podium.
I think it is quite historical, said Belgian driver Frederic Vervisch, who shared the car with Norwegian Olsen and German Christopher Mies. Yesterday we met (Ford CEO) Jim Farley and he said, Whatever you do, you have to be in front of Chevrolet. He was joking, of course. They were extremely strong and so super proud to be ahead and perhaps out-strategize them.
At no point was there an odds-on favorite to hoist the trophy in the end. There were 10 different race leaders in the GTD PRO class with the winning No. 65 Mustang taking the lead for good on a final restart with only 42 minutes remaining.
Olsen got a little breathing room in those last laps as the No. 3 Corvette driven by Sims had to fend off Englishman Sebastian Priaulx in the other Ford. Olsen conceded after the race that both the Corvettes and BMWs speed concerned them.
The fourth-place finishing No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW was also among the mix leading nine times for 187 of the races 723 laps ultimately being spun from a podium finish by the No. 4 Corvette and driver Nico Varrone with less than 12 minutes remaining.
Only an hour earlier, the No. 1 BMWs sister team, the No. 48 was penalized for impeding the Corvettes move forward and their fight for the lead. Out of competition for the win since a multi-car accident late Saturday night, the No. 48 BMW was 55 laps off pace but raced the Corvette hard ultimately causing an off by the No. 4 Corvette that drew a penalty from IMSA.
Trackhouse Racing
Another all-star GTD PRO entry fielded in part by NASCAR team owner Justin Marks the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing by TF Sport Corvette featured NASCAR stars Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch, IndyCar winner Scott McLaughlin and IMSA veteran Ben Keating. It finished ninth in class after a comeback drive to get near the podium with a little more than an hour remaining.
Its been so much fun bringing Trackhouse to IMSA and getting to run the Rolex 24 with this team, said the 18-year-old Zilisch, who sought to defend his 2024 Rolex 24 win in Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2).
All my teammates were a blast to be teammates with and also to hang out with off the track. I had a lot to learn and Im very grateful I got to race with these guys and learn from them. Frustrated with how the race ended, but looking back on the last two weeks, I had so much fun.
Tower Tops Tumultuous, Rough-and-Tumble LMP2 Affair
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Tower Motorsports found itself atop the pylon at the end of a competitive, chaotic and dramatic Rolex 24 At Daytona within the 12-car Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class full of ORECA LMP2 07 cars.
The quartet of Sebastien Bourdais, John Farano, Sebastian Alvarez and Job Van Uitert shared the winning No. 8 ORECA, emerging almost clear of trouble while contenders rose and fell like the temperatures over the 24-hour endurance classic.
Three such challengers dropped out in the eighth hour when Louis Deletrazs No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R spun and came back on course exiting Turn 2. The resulting contact eliminated the No. 2 United Autosports USA and No. 73 Pratt Miller Motorsports ORECAs, while despite incurring damage the No. 8 Tower car kept going.
By the halfway point, it appeared the second United entry, the Motul Pole Award-winning No. 22 car, along with defending class champions Inter Europol Competitions No. 43 car and AO Racings Spike No. 99 car were set to challenge. Penalties took the No. 22 and 43 down the order and heartbreak befell the No. 99 once the final couple hours happened.
AOs No. 99 car, with Christian Rasmussen driving, dropped out of the fight with just over 80 minutes remaining. The car pitted with a low battery warning and the team diagnosed the issue under the rear deck lid, losing several laps and ending Spikes victory charge. This car led a race-high 280 of 765 laps.
Era Motorsport, then, appeared in position to repeat its 2024 win with an adjusted lineup in its No. 18 ORECA, courtesy of a strategic move to take fuel only on its final stop before the last 40 minutes. Those hopes went away when Mathias Beches No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports car hit Paul-Loup Chatins No. 18 Era car into a spin at Turn 1. Beches No. 52 car was assessed a drive-through penalty for incident responsibility.
That promoted the Tower car, which kept enough relative momentum alive to stay in contention, back to the lead. Bourdais added his third Rolex 24 win, first in LMP2 to pair with a Prototype and overall win in 2014 and a GT Le Mans win with Ford in 2017, while his trio of teammates, Farano, Alvarez and Van Uitert all secured their first victories and combined to lead 118 laps.
Bourdais even admitted post-race that the rough-and-tumble affair extended to his co-driver Farano, who fought through back pain to keep driving and complete his stints.
I was part of the big one, big time, Bourdais explained. The car over my left fender, a car over my right fender and I dont think I had time to back off because I made contact because I was in the gearbox of the Pratt Miller car and it all came to a stop. It was like Days of Thunder.
Yeah, honestly, when it all cleared in front of me and the car still had four wheels on it and the steering wheel was straight, I was like, man, this is just a miracle.
For Bourdais, its also his second straight IMSA win albeit in a very different driving situation. With the end of the Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing program in GTP after the 2024 Motul Petit Le Mans season finale, Bourdais shifted into the highly competitive LMP2 class to remain in the IMSA paddock.
Its almost like it was awarded to us in some respect because it seemed for a minute that nobody wanted to win it, Bourdais laughed. Ive rarely seen someone torpedo another car like Beche did with Paul-Loup. It was just one incident like this after another in front of us or behind us or around us.
It was a weird race, but we had hopes at times. Sometimes it felt like it was a bit hopeless, and to come out on top no matter how you got there at some point, its just one of those races where nobody remembers how you got there, and personally its my third, but it never gets old winning. Im really happy that we could bring the result for John whos been running after that Rolex for a little while.
Despite some setbacks throughout, the No. 22 United car rebounded to a runner-up finish, courtesy of polesitter Daniel Goldburg sharing the car with Paul Di Resta, Rasmus Lindh and James Allen. That car finished 44.697 seconds in arrear of the Tower car.
Riley completed the podium with its No. 74 LMP2 entry, co-driven by Felipe Fraga, Gar Robinson, Josh Burdon and Felipe Massa.
CHICAGO Before getting too far into the New Year, lets recognize Chicago area track and association champions for the 2024 season.
Eddie Hoffman racked up another late model championship at the Grundy County Speedway his record ninth at the third-mile paved oval. Piloting his familiar Chevy No. 8 to two feature wins during the campaign, the second-generation racer now has 155 career wins at the speed plant. Hoffman has won five of the last seven track championships at Grundy, including two-in-a-row.
Blake Brown, James Gregait, Dave Gentile Jr and D.J. Weltmeyer finished behind Hoffman in the standings.
Grundy crowned 10 track champions. In addition to Hoffman, champions were Kevin Murphy (Mid-Am sportsman) his third career title, Ryan Dawson (street stocks), Landon Hocking (pure stocks-four cylinders), Jake Gille (Big 8 late models), David Einhaus (Crown Vic), Alex Treptow (enduro), Jason Martindale (High School Racing Assn), Jason Van His (sixers) and Hocking again (super cup).
Austin McCarty captured six feature wins on his way to winning the DIRTcar Pro Late Model title at Kankakee County Speedway. McCarty won his first Kankakee championship ahead of Chase Osterhoff and two-time division titlist Matt Hammond. Steven Brooks was the tracks modified champion, winning five times at the quarter-mile dirt oval. Jason Hastings and Travis Kohler finished behind Brooks, who was the speedways champion in 2022.
Deece Schwartz became a four-time champion of the tracks DIRTcar Pro Modified class. Also winning the championship in 2023, 2022 and 2020, Schwartz, with six feature wins to his credit, bested Ryan Kohler and Tom Knippenberg in points. Schwartz was also the DIRTcar Racing Pro Modified national champion, winning 15 features in 33 starts and grabbing his fourth straight national title.
Other Kankakee track champions were Braiden Keller (stock cars), Trevor Bitterling (factory stocks), Evan Eckhoff (sport compact), Matt Prodehl (Crown Vic) and Shannon Shutter (vintage).
Veteran Titus Sneed took home top honors in the limited late model division at Sycamore Speedway. Sneed, whose racing experience dates back to Santa Fe Speedway, captured five feature wins on the three-eighths clay oval and finished ahead of Corey Trump and four-time division champ Greg Cantrell.
Zach Zuberbier won his fourth Sycamore street stock championship, repeating titles that he won in 2022, 2018 and 2017. Other Sycamore champions were Alex Adams (pure stocks), Kevin Wolf (spectators), Brandon Ricker (socker stocks), Jaime Ricker (powder puff) and Joe Jackson (bonestock demo).
Jamie Lomax was the modified champion at Indianas Shadyhill Speedway. Lomax claimed seven feature wins on the dirt quarter-mile oval, winning his fifth speedway crown since 2018. Lomax finished ahead of Jake Straka and Jordan Danford in the final points. Jace Owens was the tracks Rebel Late Model titlist, finishing ahead of Donita Hines and Chris Joseph.
Other Shadyhill champs were Lee Hobbs (stock cars), Hayden Lomax (bombers) and Ryker Shidler (four bangers).
In its third year back as a paved raceway, Plymouth (Ind.) Speedway saw Andrew DeVrees win the tracks outlaw late model crown. Other champions at the 0.375-mile paved oval were Cody Lollar (street stocks), Jonathon Gattor (modifieds), Zeek Gaeta (front wheel drive stocks) and Derek Danley (Factory Fords).
Fairbury American Legion Speedway crowned the following DIRTcar Racing champions: McKay Wenger (late models), Austin Freidman (modifieds), Steve Mattingly (sportsman) and Braiden Keller (street stocks).
The Interstate Racing Assn winged sprint car series saw Scott Thiel win the championship, scoring four feature wins along the way. Zach Raidart claimed the Wisconsin WINGless sprint car crown. Four feature wins propelled Wisconsin speedster Parker Jones to the Badger Midget Auto Racing Assn championship.
Jim Anderson won the Midwest Mayhem Midgets championship, winning five times and finishing ahead of Nick Grommes and Jim Hines. All 10 of the series programs took place at the Grundy County Speedway.
Wisconsins Gabe Sommers captured the ASA Midwest Tour late model championship for the second straight year, winning one main event on his way to another title. Michael Bilderback claimed his fifth career Big 8 Series late model crown.
Chicagoland driver Scotty Gardner captured the Mid-Am Racing Series stock car title and was also named the series rookie of the year. Gardner won two Mid-Am headliners in 11 starts. Chase Burda was the ASA CRA Super Series titlist with Blake Rowe winning the ASA CRA Jegs All-Stars championship. Casey Roderick was the ASA STARS National Tour titlist.
Illinois Jason Feger was the DIRTcar national late model champion for the second straight year. Winning the title also in 2009, Feger won 16 features in 61 starts. Another Illinois racer, Michael Long, won the DIRTcar national modified championship.
A high-profile performer was Illinois Bobby Pierce, who won 38 times in dirt late model action. Other notable performances were Mike McKinney capturing 18 main events in modified competition, Derek Losh winning 16 times in the modifieds and Brad DeYoung visiting 15 different tracks in eight states and winning eight modified features.
The year was not without sorrow as several members of the racing community passed away including legends Fred Lorenzen and Paul Goldsmith, who both had roots in the area. Others that passed included stock car drivers Dan Herhold, Tom Pasek, Dean Cicuto, Chuck Bostick, Terry Hull, Tootie Weyrauch, Dave Pries, Rick Wilson, Larry Steen, Roger Myers, Jim Henson, John Garrett, Denny James (Kwiatkowski), Merle Perzee, Tommy Kroll, Jack Annen, Jerry Welch, Bob Meyer, Mel Dorland and Joe Brueggmann.
Midget racers and supporters who left us include Dennis Dorsey (Dori), Ed Harman, Jim Piccirilli, Bob Guess, Al Harris, Laura Shreffler, Bernie Shreffler, Mark Schuck, Eleanor Vogler and Mickey Mikuska in addition to stock car owners, mechanics and sponsors Junior Marino, Bob Suttner, Bob Doherty and Fred Roempler.
Add to the list race official George Kuecker and members of the press Phil Rider and Pete Vercauteren, along with race car lettering artist Art Dexter.
Porsche Penske Claims Historic, Back-to-Back Rolex 24 Wins
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Its the era of back-to-back for Team Penske.
In a two-year period where Roger Penskes racing teams and drivers have claimed a Rolex 24 At Daytona victory, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) title, and back-to-back wins in the Indianapolis 500 and the NASCAR Cup Series championship, Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy, and Laurens Vanthoor clinched a second consecutive overall and GTP class victory for Porsche Penske Motorsport in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Nasr crossed the finish line of Daytona International Speedways famed 3.56-mile tri-oval in the No. 7 Porsche just 1.335 seconds ahead of Tom Blomqvist in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 he shared with Colin Braun, Scott Dixon, and Felix Rosenqvist. The No. 6 Porsche with a driver lineup of Mathieu Jaminet, Matt Campbell, and Kevin Estre finished third, 4.423 seconds back after 24 hours of hard racing.
Blomqvist passed Campbell for second with just over four minutes remaining, denying Porsche its first 1-2 overall finish at the Rolex 24 since 1987, when the German marques iconic 962 model swept the first six places. Porsche has scored overall victory at Daytona on 24 occasions.
The modern iteration of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championships GTP class with its hybrid-powered prototypes is proving to be every bit as compelling as the legendary original, which ran from 1981 to 93. The Porsche 962 took overall victory at the Rolex 24 five times in that period.
Now the Porsche 963 could be on its way to compiling a similar record. The No. 7 car made the trip to Daytonas Victory Lane for the second consecutive year, on the heels of Nasr and Dane Cameron winning the GTP class championship in 2024.
Winning the championship last year was just the start of it, said Penske. This Porsche car we have has just been amazing, and to think we did it two years in a row is a credit to all the people from Porsche in Germany and our team here. Were truly one organization.
Nasr qualified the No. 7 Porsche third fastest and took the lead for the first time midway through the third hour. Meanwhile, the No. 6 moved up quickly after starting 10th. Once they reached the point, the Penske Porsches stamped their authority on the event, leading 517 of the 781 laps completed.
The No. 7 ran out front through most of the night before the No. 6 took command, leading a total of 210 laps to pace the field into the final hour.
Nasr lined up in third place for what turned out to be the final restart of the race (there were 14 caution periods). He pushed the No. 7 past Dries Vanthoor (the younger brother of Laurens) in the Motul Pole Award-winning No. 24 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 with 38 minutes to go.
A furious battle between the two Porsches ensued until the 20-minute mark, when Nasr slipped past Campbell in the No. 6 at the Le Mans Chicane to take the lead. Campbell fought hard before finally conceding the position, causing some discomfort on the timing stand for Penske.
READ: Ford Mustang GT3 Claims First Global Win at 63rd Rolex 24
We had talked to the drivers about not racing each other, but obviously these guys are racers, Penske said. Fortunately, we didnt get into trouble.
Nasr said that electing to take four Michelin tires during the final pit stop was an important factor in the No. 7 cars win. The No. 6 had a faster final stop to maintain the lead, but Campbell was unable to match Nasrs pace down the stretch.
Nasr now owns the last two overall Rolex 24 wins and a Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class triumph in 2022.
Its always hard to know what its going to end up like, but thats what I love about the IMSA racing, Nasr said. I felt like I had the pace to go forward, and thats what I did. The clock was running, so I had to go for it. I could see that the Acura was coming quick behind us, so we had to go. I made a clean pass (on Campbell), and that was it.
I wanted to win this race for sure, and I wanted to win for the team; on a personal level, doing it back-to-back is incredible, he added.
Sundays victory helped Tandy secure an unprecedented grand slam in endurance racing, with 24-hour overall race wins at Daytona, Le Mans, Nurburgring, and Spa-Francorchamps.
Records never really dawned on me until Laurens and I won at Spa in 2020 (in a GT-class Porsche), said Tandy, who also boasts a GT Le Mans class victory in the 2014 Rolex 24. Since that day, its definitely something I wanted to check off the list. To be the first person ever to do something is quite unbelievable, really.
Winning Daytona alone anyway is a massive standalone event and Im very proud to be sat here again, he added. Just winning one of those races overall would be an incredible career, so to get four, along with a few (Motul Petit Le Mans) and a few (Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of) Sebrings, is dream come true stuff.
Without Campbell as a buffer, Nasr had to watch his mirrors over the closing three laps. But Blomqvist was not able to get his Acura close enough to launch an attack.
We kind of struggled to be honest, especially with our rear tires and traction, said Blomqvist, the 2022 and 2023 Rolex 24 winner. At one point we thought it was going to be a real long day.
For the last stint, the car was just better not much to say, really, he continued. I didnt think I was going to have anything for them, but you never give up, right? I gave it all I had, and I think that was the best we could have done today. The Porsches were really strong.
Nine of the 12 entries in the GTP class were running at the end of the 24 hours, with three on the lead lap. The pole-winning No. 24 BMW claimed fourth, while the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R rounded out the top five.
The next round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the 73rd running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, set for March 12-15 at Sebring Intl Raceway.
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