Brumos Racing’s 2013 Rolex 24 at Daytona was a story of problem after problem after setback, a loss of drive spelling the eventual end to their race in the closing minutes of the race.
Porsche works driver Marc Lieb pulled the #59 off track, coasting back to the pits, the team losing a top ten finish the in the GT class, the absence from the track for the final racing exchanges dropping the famous team to a 14th place finish.
The team’s problems during the race had also begun with Lieb at the wheel, when he picked up rear wing damage in a Saturday evening stint. The delay – as brief as it was – halted the team’s forward progress from the 14th place starting spot in class that Andrew Davis had earned from the 15 minute qualifying session.
There were dramas too for Davis in the race when a front puncture damaged the bodywork and radiators prompting another stay in the pits that left the team facing a fight back – one that nearly came off – to take a top ten finish at Daytona International Speedway.
“This was a big event for Brumos with Hurley [Haywood] as Grand Marshal,” said Davis. “We hoped to provide him a storybook ending, but unfortunately, this year was a real struggle. I can’t say enough about how hard our guys worked. They were here night after night, putting in hours, changing things at our request and it felt like the race was going to reward us for that. We have to take this in stride and know it will make us stronger as a team.”
“It was just a tough 24 hours all around,” summed up Bryan Sellers, the newest recruit to the team alongside Lieb, Davis and Leh Keen. “We faced so much through the course of the race but the guys never lay down. It looked like we were going to fight our way back, but there was just nothing that could be done at the end. A win would have been a great way to honor Hurley, but sometimes things just don’t go your way. We fought hard and had a good opportunity at it, so we can all be proud, take what was learned, and get ready to have another run at it next year.”
