Sebastien Bourdais referred to the ‘cruel’ reality of racing after Tower Motorsports‘ were stripped of their 24 Hours of Daytona LMP2 class win.

Tower Motorsports finished first at the checkered flag on Sunday 26 January at the 63rd running of the Daytona 24 Hours.

IMSA performed the usual post-race technical inspections on each of the class-winning entrants including Tower’s #8 Oreca 07 LMP2.

They exceeded the maximum 5 millimetre wear on the skid block underneath the car and so lost their first Daytona win.

In a statement on Instagram, Bourdais said: “Racing can be cruel but governing bodies can be far worse.

“Tower Motorsports won the Rolex 24 LMP2 class. The third rear damper that controls ride height failed allowing the rear to come down too much subsequently over-wearing the rear skid [block].

“In recent memory, IMSA always used common sense when enforcing rules that were breached by technical failure. Unfortunately, not today.

“I want to thank everyone in the team for their flawless execution and dedication.

“Making them look like cheaters makes me sick as they always operate by the book.

“I sure hope we get a chance to win more races in the future. Thank you all for your support.”

United Autosports USA were promoted to victory after Tower Motorsports were penalised and moved to the back of the 12-car class.

The Anglo-American team secured their first 24 Hours of Daytona victory with the #22 Oreca 07 just seven months after their second at the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Within a press release statement by United Autosports, CEO Richard Dean commented: “… It’s never nice getting handed the win a couple of days after, but that’s part of it, you’ve got to pass all the necessary tests.”

READ MORE: Petit Le Mans winner Sebastien Bourdais joins Tower Motorsports

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Sebastien Bourdais took victory for the #8 Tower Motorsports Oreca team in the LMP2 class of the 2025 Daytona 24 Hours with the help of team-mates Job Van Uiter, Sebastian Alvarez, and John Farano.

The Frenchman was in the car for the final stint, and converted a strong performance into a call win. The #99 AO Racing entry looked set to win with an hour remaining, but fell down the order after late mechanical problems.

Ben Keating in the #52 PR1 Mathiasen Oreca led from pole position, but dropped to third after some errors, having the ascendancy to Rasmus Lindh in the #22 United Autosports Oreca 07-Gibson, with teammate Garnet Patterson second in the sister #2 car. The #99 AO Racing Oreca, with PJ Hyett at the wheel, moved into third shortly afterwards.

LMP2 was to cause the first full caution yellow flag period, due to Hunter McElrea of the #11 TDS Racing Oreca 07 underestimating the T5 horseshoe, with the action not stopping there.

David Heinemeier Hansson’s #18 Era Motorsport Oreca 07 made contact with James Roe’s Pratt Miller #73 Oreca at the exit of T1, but despite the innocuous nature of the incident, the Oreca was to earn a drive-through for incident responsibility for his troubles.

The #99 AO Racing Oreca took the lead, now with Dane Cameron driving, and pulled out a 46 second gap on Nick Boulle’s #2 United Autosports and Luis Perez’s #88 AF Corse. Cameron retained the lead into the sixth hour, and the car continued to do so when Britain’s Jonny Edgar took over as darkness began to descend.

‘Spike’ was able to stay in contention and remained on the lead lap, despite Edgar having to take a drive through plus 10 second penalty. This handed the lead to the #04 CrowdStrike Racing Oreca of Toby Sowery.

Deletraz accident throws up chaos

Around the halfway point, the #2 United Autosports Oreca, driven by Nick Boulle, collected the #40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series of Louis Deletraz which bounced back onto the circuit after crashing on cold tyres.

This handed the lead back to the #22 Oreca, with Lindh back onboard, with Tom Dillmann second in the #43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca. Cameron kept the #99 AO Racing in the hunt.

The #8 Tower Motorsports of J. van Uitert took the lead under the rising sun, with Sowery and Colton Herta keeping the #4 CrowdStrike in the mix, but the IndyCar driver sent it tumbling down the order after a crash took off its rear wing. Car #99 was now back in the lead, with Cameron back behind the wheel.

The #88 AF Corse was in contention also, but with Matthieu Vaxiviere at the wheel, the car stopped on-track, bringing out the full course caution.

This handed #99 back the lead, with Edgar driving, followed by the #22 United Autosports USA Oreca driven by Paul di Resta. Van Uitert was back in the #22 and back in the lead, with Ryan Dalziel’s #18 Era Motorsport Oreca in close pursuit.

It looked as if the #99 AO Racing would come through its previous strife to take victory, but with Rasmussen at the wheel, the car was forced to pit due to a potential alternator issue.

The #8 was back in the lead, and with Sebastian Bourdais at the wheel, it pulled a gap, and duly took the class victory, ahead of di Resta in #22 and the #74 Riley of Felipe Braga in third. Rasmussen was able to get going again, and took sixth place, but scant consolation for a gutting end to its running.

Editor’s Note:

The #22 United Autosports USA Oreca 07 LMP2 inherited the win after the #8 Tower Motorsports entrant failed its post-race inspection.

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Tower Motorsports has announced two-time Petit Le Mans winner Sebastien Bourdais amongst their 2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship driver lineup.

The most recent winner at the iconic Petit Le Mans event has joined the LMP2 racing outfit for the 2025 season.

Bourdais will take on his 12th IMSA season participation in the secondary prototype category for the first time.

The team owner John Farano will co-drive the #8 Oreca 07 LMP2 with the four-time IndyCar champion.

Sebastian Alvarez will assist the duo at the Endurance Cup rounds and Job van Uitert will be their fourth driver at the Daytona season-opener.

Bourdais said: “I am really happy to be joining Tower Motorsports.

“It’s a proven team with a history of success, and I am thrilled to continue racing in America in such a high-level programme.

“I’ve never had the pleasure of driving the LMP2 with higher downforce and Michelin tyres, so it’s going to be an interesting experience.

“I’m really looking forward to racing this season with John, Sebastian and Job.

“We’re going to have a ton of fun and achieve a great amount of success.”

A combination of “experience, skill and determination”

“We are thrilled to be back in the LMP2 field for 2025,” added Farano.

“The driver lineup we’ve assembled combines the experience, skill and determination needed to be competitive at every race.

“Racing alongside Sebastien, and having Sebastian and Job for the endurance events, will elevate the team’s performance to new heights.

“We’re aiming to fight at the front and claim the Jim Trueman Award once again.”

Bourdais is a four-time IndyCar champion as 37 race wins marks him as one of the series’ most successful drivers.

Bourdais drove for Chip Ganassi across four IMSA seasons in Ford’s GTLM project.

More recently, Bourdais was part of Cadillac’s LMDh effort in partnership with Chip Ganassi.

Bourdais has now pursued the competitive LMP2 class after the partnership concluded for this year.

His 2025 campaign with Tower Motorsports will start with the Roar before the 24 (Hours of Daytona) testing and qualifying on 17-19 January.

READ MORE: Earl Bamber joins Jack Aitken in AXR Cadillac for IMSA 2025 effort

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Sebastien Bourdais led the IMSA Battle on the Bricks after a hectic, wet opening hour at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.

Ahead of the six-hour race itself, weather radars and predictions suggested that rain will fall as drivers have contended with dry conditions thus far in the weekend.

Nevertheless, the start was about competitors making it through the opening hour with minimal damage before the rain emerged.

GTP championship leaders #7 Porsche Penske qualified in seventh place and their nearest rivals in the standings started towards the front.

Their sibling #6 Porsche 963 started in third with Mathieu Jaminet driving, whilst the #01 Cadillac V-Series.R of Sebastien Bourdais began in first after his last-minute yet confident grasp at pole position.

After he was hit around by Tom Blomqvist’s #60 Meyer Shank Acura ARX-06 at Turn 1 last year, the Frenchman eyed out a more promising getaway.

A tense fight for the lead in GTP

At lights out, Bourdais retained his lead ahead of #40 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06 driver Louis Deletraz.

Meanwhile it was a sterling start for the championship-leading GTP as Felipe Nasr charged with unmatched pace from seventh place.

Nasr asserted great pace and was opportunistic, notably putting a move on the #31 Whelen Cadillac, Jack Aitken, for third before he took second from Deletraz on the outside line at T7.

Quickly enough, his pace got himself the lead from Bourdais into T1.

Unfortunately for Deletraz, he fell from second to third place before contact with Rasmus Lindh’s #56 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 at the penultimate corner.

The first full-course-yellow period was deployed when Luis Perez Companc spun and was stranded at T10 in his #88 AF Corse Oreca 07 LMP2.

With the rain gradually increasing, and with no intermediate tyre, teams and drivers were assessing the ideal moment to turn to the grooved wet tyres.

On the restart, Ben Keating (#2 United Autosports USA Oreca) was challenged for his lead from Nick Boulle’s #52 Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Oreca into T1 as the pair made slight contact.

An opportunistic restart

In GTP, the #01 Cadillac of Bourdais snatched back the lead on the inside of T1 on #7 Nasr, but #7 Nasr made an ambitious dive at T12 and retrieved the lead. The duo fought during the challenging conditions with increasing standing water.

With two more separate cautions deployed due to stranded GTD cars, the race narrative became more interrupted.

After a second caution, on the restart, Nasr made a mistake into T1 after outbraking himself and thus lost the lead, but kept P2 after cutting the corner.

Bourdais led the race in the #01 Cadillac ahead of #7 Nasr, and most impressively the #5 Proton Porsche 963 of Gianmaria Bruni in third after his team performed an excellent first pit stop.

This caused him to gain places, with Mathieu Jaminet’s #6 Porsche in fourth and Connor De Phillippi’s #25 RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 in fifth.

In LMP2, Boulle led the way ahead of Keating’s #2 Oreca as Daniel Goldburg, despite having made a few spins during the opening hour, held third in the other #22 United Autosports USA Oreca.

Gar Robinson was in fourth for the #74 Riley Oreca as Steven Thomas held fifth for TDS Racing’s #11 Oreca.

GTs fight in the wet

It emerged yesterday that AO Racing were moved to the back of the grid after incurring a ride height infringement, thus granting pole position to #3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R duo Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner.

Additionally Vasser Sullivan’s #12 Lexus RC F GT3 (GTD) triggered the same penalty, so they started at the very back of the 26-car GTD and GTD Pro fields.

The opening laps were slightly messy for the GTs who demonstrated eagerness to make up places.

Unfortunately for Maximilian Paul and his #19 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan was too ambitious into T10 after side-on contact with Dirk Mueller’s #65 Ford Multimatic Mustang.

The #65 retreated to the pitlane and behind the wall, as did the #19 before they became the first official retirement.

Iron Lynx were unable to serve their drive-through penalty because of their suspension damage.

For Sheena Monk in the #66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX, she went back out after briefly stopping at the T1 run-off.

During the transition phase to wet conditions, both Lexus RC Fs put on an impressive display of pace on slick tyres.

Unfortunately for #12 driver Frankie Montecalvo, he found himself stranded on the start-finish straight after possible contact from another GT car.

Corvette held a 1-2 in GTD Pro, with Alexander Sims (#3 Corvette) ahead of Nicky Catsburg (#4 Corvette) ahead of Mike Rockenfeller in the other factory Ford Mustang.

In GTD, Patrick Gallagher was in the lead for Turner Motorsport’s #96 BMW M4, followed by class pole-sitter Mikael Grenier (#32 Mercedes-AMG).

Kellymoss Porsche 911 driver Jake Pedersen was third in the #90 entrant.

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Sebastien Bourdais took pole position with the #01 Cadillac for the race, setting a supreme lap time of 1:12.445.

The #31 Whelen Cadillac driven by Pipo Derani would not be far off, joining the #01 Cadillac on the front row of the grid, just a single tenth of a second behind. The #31 Whelen Cadillac initially struggled this weekend, Jack Aitken had a huge crash in FP1 at Turn 4 which halted proceedings, bringing out the red flag.

Phillipp Eng aboard the #24 BMW would continue their positive pace from FP2, starting in the final podium place and just a couple of tenths from both Cadillac’s. BMW initially struggled at the start of the season at the Daytona 24 Hours, however with a string of positive performances, this weekend at Laguna Seca could begin to shift the overall perception of the german manufacturer. The sister #25 car would round off the top five in the GTP class, with margins extremely tight, the #25 only finished 0.055 from the #24.

The #6 Porsche would line up in fourth place, being driven by Mathieu Jaminet. The #6 Porsche has not always been the quickest this weekend, but has remained in contention for the podium places with consistent pace, that the team will look to build upon during the race.

The entire GTP class would be separated by less than a second in a qualifying session that rewrote the lap records. With the entire GTP field so close in pace, it leaves room for minimal error and sets up a potentially thrilling 2 Hours and 40 Minute race.

In GTD Pro, the #4 Corvette driven by Nicky Catsburg would be the first GT car to have a lap time below the 1:20.000s with a 1:19.727. An extraordinary lap time around half a second in front of the sister #3 Corvette, who would join Catsburg on the front row. The Corvette’s continue their strong pace which they’ve held throughout the practice sessions.

The #9 McLaren driven by Marvin Kirchh fer would take the final podium spot on the grid, still half a second down on the polesitter. Jack Hawksworth’s #14 Lexus would finish seven tenths off pole, starting from fourth place for the IMSA sprint race tomorrow. Seb Priaulx’s #77 Porsche would round out the GTD Pro top five. Some GTD drivers caught out by the new resurfacement on the circuit, with new grip levels catching some drivers out.

The #27 Aston Martin would run wide at Turn 4, ending the session in eleventh and with a lot of work to do, in order to climb the GTD field.

The IMSA Racing action continues at 8.10pm UK time this Sunday.

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Cadillac has added Sebastien Bourdais to its line up for the 1812 km of Qatar, the opening race of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship.

The veteran Frenchman will join regular drivers Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber in the #2 Cadillac V-Series.R for the race, which will take place on Saturday 2nd March at Losail International Circuit. 

Similar to last year, the car will be run on a factory basis by Chip Ganassi Racing. Bourdais also races for the team in its US IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship entry, as a full-season driver alongside Renger van der Zande. Their car was running well at last weekend’s 24 Hours of Daytona, until what the team called a “power unit malfunction” caused them to retire from the race.

The US manufacturer announced earlier this year that Richard Westbrook, who raced for the team last year alongside Lynn and Bamber, would not be replaced by a full-time driver, with the two instead to be joined by various drivers from Cadillac’s pool of factory drivers.

“When a team is fortunate enough to have such a strong stable of drivers to pull from, it just makes sense to utilise the talent when you have the opportunity,” said Mike O’Gara, Chip Ganassi Racing director of operations.

“Putting Sebastien Bourdais in the No. 2 for the Qatar events is going to give him a chance to refamiliarize himself with the WEC rules and regulations. 

“It is also going to allow us to strengthen the bond between the U.S.-based IMSA team and the Germany-based WEC team. We know it is going to strengthen both programmes and better prepare us for our 2024 attack on the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”

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Sebastien Bourdais leads the Daytona 24 Hours after an hour, with a big crash for Misha Goikhberg in the #78 Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 at the bus stop putting the race under caution mid way through the first hour.

The race briefly restarted back under green with Ricky Taylor, in the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06 leading the restart procedure, but a multi-car accident at the bus stop, plus another accident involving Dennis Andersen in the #20 High Class Racing Oreca 07-Gibson at turn 1 at the restart.

Action Express’s Pipo Derani led from pole and retained the lead at the start, in the #10 Cadillac V-Series-R. Felipe Nasr briefly took second, onboard the #6 Porsche 963, but this was soon wrestled back by Sebastien Bourdais, driving the #01 Cadillac V-Series.R.

Derani and Bourdais began to pull out a gap, but this was curtailed when Goikhberg crashed. Taylor then took the lead in the pitstops, with Wayne Taylor Racing short fueling the car in order to take the lead, with Bourdais second and Nasr third. Polesitter Derani sits fourth, with the race under yellow to clean up the debris from the earlier incident.

When the race went green again, Bourdais took the lead of Taylor with a very good move at turn 1, demoting the Acura to second. Nasr and Derani have also overtaken Taylor since the restart, with Taylor now sitting fourth, in front of #6 Porsche’s Nick Tandy.

The second yellow began at the bus stop, the #11 TDS Racing Oreca 07 of Steven Thomas attempted a move on Andersen, and so the pair had contact and spun together. Joining the duo was Era Motorsport driver Dwight Merriman.

Shortly after, #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3’s Mike Conway, having got into the car, was innocently hit by Anderson who got slightly got onto the grass at Turn 2, and spun whilst in front of the #14.

As a result, Andersen put Conway into the left concrete wall which inflicted further damage to Conway’s Lexus, who was an innocent bystander within the incident. Conway has since been released from the infield care center, as as Goikhberg from his earlier incident.

In LMP2, George Kurtz leads in the #04 Crowdstrike by APR Oreca 07-Gibson, with Nico Pino second in the #2 United Autosports Oreca 07-Gibson and Pietro Fittipaldi third, onboard the #52 Inter Europol Oreca 07-Gibson.

Ben Keating, in a very un-Keating-like fashion, lost places at the start, dropping down to fourth before the yellow. Nick Boulle took the lead in the #52 Inter Europol, but the order was changed on its head as virtually the entire field pitted under yellow.

In GTD, Aaron Telitz leads in the GTD-entered #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3. Andrea Caldarelli is second in the GTD Pro #19 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, with Oliver Jarvis second in that class in the #9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3.R. Antonio Garcia sits third in the #3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Z06 GT3.R.

Second in GTD, behind the top 3 GTD Pro cars, is Manny Franco #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3. Third in class is Adam Christodoulou, driving the #80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.

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Sebastien Bourdais topped the fourth and final practice session ahead of Saturday’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, posting the quickest time of the weekend thus far.

After Thursday’s sessions were dominated by rair, Bourdais was able to set a 1m 34.732s in the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-VR to go quickest overall.

Compatriot Loic Duval was second in the #5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-VR to the tune of just over three-tenths of a second, with Jose Maria Lopez third in the #48 Ally Cadillac.

The top five was completely rounded out by Cadillacs, leaving the two Acuras of Wayne Taylor Racing and Meyer Shank Racing sixth and seventh respectively.

LMP2 was led by the #22 United Autosports ORECA 07-Gibson of Phil Hanson, who posted a time of 1m 37.639s to lead from the #8 Tower Motorsport entry of Ferdinand Habsburg. Rasmus Lindh led LMP3 in the #36 Andretti Autosport Ligier JS P320-Nissan.

GTD Pro was led by the #63 TR3 Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo, which will start tomorrow’s race from pole position. Mirko Bortolotti set the quickest time with a best effort of 1m 46.085s, leading the #79 WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R of Matteo Cairoli.

Jack Hawksworth made it three different manufacturers in the top three aboard the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 in third place, leading the fastest GTD runner – Jan Heylen’s #16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R.

The session was halted once with twelve minutes to go when Alex Riberas brought the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 to a halt before the session was resumed again.

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Sebastien Bourdais will make his full-season FIA World Endurance Championship debut joining new outfit Vector Sport for the 2022 season.

The veteran Frenchman is the second driver to have been announced for the new British team, joining Audi factory driver Nico Müller.

Bourdais will combine his WEC programme with his duties as part of Chip Ganassi Racing’s Cadillac DPi squad in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.

“It’s tough to know what expectations are realistic as LMP2 is such a big and competitive field but it’s a very exciting prospect,” said Bourdais. “We are all similar in terms of equipment, I’ll be alongside some very cool dudes as my teammates, including Nico, and it’ll be a great experience running in the WEC. 

“I got to know Gary Holland when he ran the Risi Competizione car for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2020 so when he called me up I was instantly interested.

“It’ll be great to become more familiar with prototypes at Le Mans, and the Vector Sport program complements the Cadillac CGR deal extremely well.  I can’t wait to get started with my busy 2022 year ahead.”

Despite his vast experience in sportscar racing, having won both the Rolex 24 at Daytona and Twelve Hours of Sebring overall, Bourdais has not contested a full season in the WEC.

His only non-Le Mans start in the championship dates back to its maiden season in 2012, when he raced with Pescarolo.

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Sebastien Bourdais leads Motul Petit Le Mans after two hours of racing thanks to a strong pass on Whelen Engineering’s Felipe Nasr.

The French veteran had vaulted up to second place during a round of pitstops under caution for debris early in the second hour.

The #5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-VR then took the lead with a strong pass up the inside at turn one.

Bourdais continues to lead ahead of Nasr, with the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-VR of Renger van der Zande third. Filipe Albuquerque holds fourth for Wayne Taylor Racing.

Tristan Nunez currently leads LMP2 in the #11 WIN Autosport ORECA 07-Gibson from John Farano in the #8 Tower Motorsport ORECA.

Ben Keating had led the race for much of theo pening phase, but a slow pitstop and contact with an LMP3 has dropped the #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports to third in class.

Niklas Kruetten leads LMP3 for United Autosports, ahead of the #54 CORE Autosport Ligier of Jon Bennett.

In GTLM, Corvette holds a one two. Nick Tandy currently holds the lead in the #4 Corvette C8.R, having jumped team-mate Antonio Garcia in the pits after an early stop under caution. Augusto Farfus holds third in the #24 BMW M8 GTE.

The #97 WeatherTechRacing Porsche 911 RSR-19, one of the contenders for the class win, has fallen away when Fred Makowiecki suffered a rear puncture following contact with an LMP3 runners.

Kyle Kirkwood leads GTD in the #14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3. Aidan Read is second in the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT3, with Frankie Montecalvo third in the sister Lexus.

Paul Miller Racing, one of the championship contenders and an early leaders in GTD, has suffered delays after damage for the #1 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo following contact with Forty7 Motorsports’ Duqueine.

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