The Job Van Uitert, Sebastien Bourdais, Sergio Alvarez, and John Farano driven Oreca crossed the line first but was disqualified for a technical infraction.
On Thursday (AEDT), officials announced the penalty, which relegated the #8 car to last in the LMP2 class.
As a result, the #22 Oreca driven by Australia’s James Allen, Daniel Goldburg, Rasmus Lindh, and James Allen were promoted to the LMP2 win.
“A technical infraction has moved the No. 8 LMP2 entry to last in class in the Daytona 24-hour race,” IMSA said in a statement.
“During extended post-race technical inspection, the No. 8 entry was found to have exceeded the maximum allowable wear to the regulated area of the skid block on the underside of the car.
“According to FIA Technical Regulation 3.5.6 regarding skid blocks, the maximum allowable wear is 5 mm.
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“When informed of the penalty, the No. 8 team filed a protest which was denied by IMSA.
“As a result of the penalty, the provisional results will reflect that the No. 8 is now scored 12th and last in the LMP2 class.
“The No. 22 entry moves into first place in the LMP2 race results with all other cars moving forward accordingly.”
It’s the first time the team has won the Daytona 24.
“We came to Daytona with one very clear goal and we have achieved it,” said United Autosports CEO Richard Dean.
“To win the Rolex 24 at Daytona any year is pretty special, but to win it only a few months after celebrating victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours makes it an extra special moment.
“Zak and I would like to thank the entire team for their dedication and commitment. We can all be very proud of what we have achieved.”
The knock-on effect of the penalty is that Mathias Beche, Benjamin Pedersen, Ben Keating, and Rodrigo Sales have been promoted to the podium in the PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports #52 entry.
Australia’s Josh Burdon has also been promoted to second with the Riley car he shared with Felipe Massa, Felipe Fraga, and Gar Robinson.
For Allen, it’s the second victory at Daytona International Speedway after his maiden triumph in 2023.
“It’s never the way you want to win … but it feels great to win the Rolex 24 at Daytona again,” said Allen.
“I can’t thank my teammates enough – Daniel, Paul and Rasmus – as well as the whole team at United Autosports USA for both the opportunity and the hard work and dedication they put into this program.
“I’m so happy to have shared this victory with them and wish them success for the rest of the championship.”
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