off to a fast start
DAYTONA BEACH — The action-packed season opener for the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series – the 2018 BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona International Speedway – took place on January 26th in Daytona Beach, Florida. For four hours, competitors in the Street Tuner (ST) class battled for strategic and power advantages on one of the racing world’s most iconic tracks. In the end, it all came down to teamwork.
For the No. 81 Legistics/Veristor/YouRulz/r2endalz.org BMW, the day started well. Driver Devin Jones won a prolonged shoot-out in the final seconds of qualifying to grab the pole and qualify for the race in first position. Taking full advantage of that prime positioning, Jones got a clean start and led the field for the first quarter of the race. After a couple of pit stops, Jones found himself in third, but he soon hunted down the pack and reclaimed the lead.
With an hour and forty minutes left in the race, Jones pulled into the pits for a full stop – fuel, tires and a driver change. The BimmerWorld crew executed the stop flawlessly, and co-driver Nick Galante roared back onto the track to take up the charge. Galante went on the defensive, aggressively protecting the lead as the other cars kept up relentless pressure, turning the track into a virtual obstacle course. Never surrendering its dominant position up front, the No. 81 flew across the finish line in first place for the win. A great start to a brand new season with a brand new team!
The next race in the high-stakes IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series will be on March 17th at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida.
