This weekend’s 52nd running of the USA’s most famous sportscar race, the annual Rolex 24 At Daytona, saw Sunoco Challenge Champion Bradley Smith deliver a perfect performance on his debut at the famous banked circuit in Florida.
Bradley and his three team-mates: Boris Said from Escondido California, Eric Curran from Holyoke Massachusetts and former Le Mans and F1 driver Max Papis from Como in Italy, overcame the dramas that unfolded during the race together with a number of technical issues, to bring the #31 Whelen Motorsport sponsored Daytona Prototype run by Marsh Racing across the line 10th in the Prototype class.
Having had limited time to test the car during the ‘Roar before Daytona’ test at the beginning of January, Bradley was eager to get behind the wheel again during pre-race practice on Wednesday. As it transpired, he was only to have three good laps in the car, which meant his focus turned to the race and the opportunity to make the most of the unique and prestigious prize that had been presented to him.
On Thursday, Eric Curran qualified the car in 12th place and, as thousands of spectators descended on the circuit for one of the biggest events in the USA motorsport calendar, the build up to the start underlined to Bradley – as if he needed reminding - the enormity of the occasion.
The team split the driving into 45-minute stints. Eric Curran was first in the car and, following the start at 2.10pm (EST), he completed three stints before making his scheduled pit stop for fuel, tyres and a driver change, when he handed over to Bradley who was also allocated a 135-minute shift.
Even with a differential issue to contend with and his limited pre-race testing, Bradley quickly settled into a rhythm and was matching the pace of many of the more experienced endurance racers around him.
After driving for about an hour, the race was stopped for 50-minutes following a high-speed incident involving Daytona Prototype #99 and Ferrari #62. Whilst the drivers concerned were removed from their cars and the debris was cleared from the track, Bradley found himself parked on the circuit’s banking until racing resumed. Following a further 45-minutes, he returned to the pits having impressed the team on his Daytona racing debut.
Unfortunately, during the following stints with the other drivers, time was lost with a visit to the pits to repair the car’s front splitter. But, when it came to Bradley’s second outing in the car he was raring to go and, with his stint commencing at 2.00am, it was the first time the 2013 Radical SR3 Challenge Champion had competed in the dark.
Once again, it didn’t take him long to become acclimatised to yet another new sensation, reporting afterwards that he enjoyed the steep learning curve that racing at night had presented him. Bradley finished his stint at 4.00am and then took the opportunity of grabbing some rest before his next session.
Once again, the team’s pit crew were put to the test during Sunday morning when first a throttle cable issue had to be resolved and then a broken exhaust manifold bolt was replaced. Nonetheless, the car was still in the race and a finish was now well and truly on the cards.
Bradley was told he would be given the honour of bringing the car home and climbed back in to drive the final stint an hour before the finish. Another copybook performance by the 22-year old from Bllaricay was exactly what was needed and, having gained a place in the final two laps, he took the chequered flag at 2.10 on Sunday afternoon to record a final position of 10th in the Prototype class and 41st overall.
Although it had been a tough event for everyone involved, there was a huge sense of achievement amongst the team, as this was their first ever finish with a Prototype car at Daytona. Consequently, they were delighted that Bradley had been part of this success.
“This has been an incredible few days,” said Bradley at the finish. “The build up, the atmosphere, the huge number of spectators and the competition on the track was amazing. I’ve enjoyed the whole Daytona experience. It was also great to be part of the first race to be run under the new IMSA rules.
“Although the racing was quite different than I’m used to, because of the sheer number of cars and the various levels of performance between them, I am very pleased with the way things went and with the pace I was able maintain. However, it is a team event, so it was important to drive with that in mind. I therefore have to thank all the guys at Whelen Motorsports and Marsh Racing, IMSA and, of course, Sunoco for providing me with this fantastic opportunity.”
Anders Hildebrand, Managing Director of Anglo American Oil Company and the instigator of the Sunoco Challenge driver-development programme was watching Bradley’s progress from the pits. Following the race he said:
“I’m extremely pleased with what has been achieved this weekend. Bradley showed pace, professionalism and maturity, both on and off the track and I was delighted to see him setting lap times that were in contention with drivers who have far more experience and raced at Daytona many times before. What Bradley has done over this past few days has proved that our method of finding a Sunoco Challenge Champion, by the way the points are allocated during the season, means that the right driver always wins the prize”.
This year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona hosted the first round of the newly formed TUDOR United SportCar Championship, which saw Daytona and Le Mans Prototypes officially competing together for the first time. It also witnessed one of the closest ever finishes in the event’s 52-year history, with the #5 Action Express car of Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi and Sebastien Bourdais – the team Bradley tested with in November – winning by a margin of just 1.461-seconds.
