January 28, 2020 – Daytona, Florida — Nick Boulle and de Boulle Motorsports finished secondin the LMP2 class at the 58th running of the ROLEX 24 Hours of Daytona. The #52PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 started on pole position after setting the fastest lap time of 01:37.446 during qualifying.
In a competitive field, the team put together a powerful ROLEX 24 lineup, which included Boulle, returning champion from 2017 who was confirmed as the Silver Rated Driver. Ben Keating, Gaby Aubry and Simon Trummer completed the lineup.
In a last-minute run for a shot to win the ROLEX 24 Hours of Daytona again it was certainly not without drama. Each entry in the class was a homologated LMP2 car made to fit rules determined by the international FIA endurance racing category that races across the world from Le Mans, France to Asia and more. The cars each feature 600 horsepower Gibson V-8 engines capable of exceeding 300kph (185mph) along the banks of Daytona International Speedway before braking at incredible pace of up to 4-G in deceleration.
Boulle suited up for the first battle of the race after Keating started. The #52 and #8 constantly alternated positions between first and second in class, but by the end of the stint Boulle came out victorious. During the night stint, the #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 actually pulled out a gap with Nick pulling a strong triple stint to gap several of the other cars before relinquishing the wheel at around 4AM.
After a long night, Boulle went to rest before a final stint, but woke to find out the car had minor contact with the wall in early morning – grazing the wall causing enough damage to require enough damage to require attention on pit lane. However, after the team performed a few quick repairs the #52 was back out on the track. The drivers were instructed to push 100% through the remainder of the race and were able to close the gap down.
“It was a long day and a long night; the Rolex 24 hours is super challenging,” said Boulle. “It’s a race based on pace as much as it is being mentally strong and making all the right decisions for 24 hours straight. I knew it would be super tight with Dragon Speed and in the end we wound up second. But we won the Endurance Cup which is based on points through the race. It is hard to say that you’re disappointed, but I am really happy with how the PR1/Mathiasen team has performed. I am so proud of what we accomplished, and we will try again next time.”
The team did not give up though as they powered back through the field to finish. Boulle and de Boulle Motorsports ended the 58th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
This year’s crew received the ultimate in VIP treatment at the ROLEX 24. They enjoyed the race like team owners. They explored pit lane, visited driver briefings and engineer meetings, and had the opportunity to explore the entire track from golf carts. The crew also enjoyed 5-star hospitality from the Ferrari Lounge where they watched the race directly overlooking turn 1, the infield and could see the start-finish line!