Thefts mar tradition of souvenir hunting at Rolex 24

It’s a time-honored custom for followers of racing to take dwelling damaged automotive components as the final word souvenirs, and final weekend’s version of the Rolex 24 At Daytona offered loads of alternatives for memorabilia hunters so as to add to their collections.

Model-new IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entrant DXDT Racing was a preferred supply for race-used components after its Corvette Z06 GT3.R caught hearth with Charlie Eastwood onboard the No. 36 GTD entry. The resultant harm pressured DXDT out of the race, and with lots of the parts of the rear-engine automotive unusable, followers had been handled to a bevy of huge and burnt bodywork to make their very own.

“Sadly, I noticed a little bit of a flame by the second a part of the highway course and getting into Flip 6, and by the point I received on to the banking, the flames had been getting greater,” Eastwood mentioned.

“Fortunately the hearth crew listed below are insanely good, they usually had been on the automotive earlier than I even received out. We’re fortunate we nonetheless have a automotive right here, based mostly on them, so thanks. They’re the perfect within the enterprise.”

From the trash pile that gathered in entrance of DXDT’s storage area, followers took a crispy bumper, which left its new proprietor with soot-covered fingers, and one other, with presumably the most important piece of memorabilia to hold away, had the Corvette’s roasted diffuser to move out of the ability.

Elsewhere, a fan had a damaged brake disc from an unknown supply in hand as they walked by the paddock, and leaving the observe after the race, one other was seen carrying what seemed to be an undamaged LMP2 rear wing ingredient as they exited the Flip 4 tunnel.

Many followers – together with this one – obtained their souvenirs with the blessings of the related crew. Others merely helped themselves. Picture by Marshall Pruett

Based on DXDT crew supervisor Bryan Sellers, followers had been invited to choose by their broken Z06 GT3.R parts and go away with no matter they wished. The identical can’t be mentioned for AO Racing, whose No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 Rawr — Rexy — and its No. 99 ORECA 07 LMP2 entry — Spike — had been dealt on-track blows and had a pile of damaged components amass of their storage that followers helped themselves to with out permission.

With dozens of groups centered on the 24-hour race, theft-minded attendees have exploited their absence and plundered all method of components, instruments, and sundries whereas crews are on pit lane. In planning for IMSA’s return in 2026, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the addition of garage-based safety employees, both equipped by the observe or employed independently by groups, to make sure groups’ belongings stay of their possession.

“Don’t get me flawed, we love the publicity and the quantity of followers that we’ve gained over the past couple of years, however folks usually on the racetrack, appeared to be far more emboldened than they had been five-10 years in the past,” AO Racing crew principal Gunnar Jeannette advised RACER.

“At factors within the night time, there have been those that simply walked into our trailer pondering that that was OK. We had a few folks simply wander into our pit field. One man’s in the midst of the pit field, standing there, and I walked as much as him and mentioned, ‘Hello, excuse me, however who’re you with?’ And he mentioned, ‘Oh, I’ve received this pit move, I assumed I might simply go wherever.’ I used to be like, ‘Sorry, we have to preserve this space open for our pit crew to work.’ And, he mentioned, ‘Oh, OK. Do you could have any components that I might have?’ And I simply checked out him with a disgusted look on my face, and was like, ‘No, man, we’re in the midst of a race. That’s sort of a ridiculous query to ask.’

“In our state of affairs, the observe companies dropped off the remnants of Rexy bumper and any person simply walked off with it. They dropped it off in our storage, and rapidly it simply disappeared. It says quite a bit about humanity. It’s unlucky as a result of with IMSA, it’s nice having the ability to give folks entry that doesn’t exist in different sequence, however proper now, we’re completely seeing the unfavourable facet of that.”