Third Place for Al Autosport with JDC in IPC Debut
DAYONTA BEACH, Fla. (January 22, 2022) – Al Autosport with JDC made a dominant debut at Daytona International Speedway in the No. 23 Duqueine D08.
Al Autosport with JDC kicked off its first IMSA Prototype Challenge weekend on a high note as Memo Gidley locked down pole position with a lap time of 1:44.144. As the green flag flew both Gidley and co-driver Alexander Koreiba put on a show never dropping out of the top three positions. Ultimately the pair would end the day in third place, earning the first podium finish of the year for the team.
The weekend served as Gidley’s first race back in IMSA prototype competition since 2014; as expected, he didn’t miss a beat. After qualifying the No. 23 Duqueine D08 on pole position he spent the entirety of his first stint battling for first place in wet and wild conditions. While the surrounding competitors slid and spun, Gidley maintained total control of his machine, passing the reins to Koreiba to close out the three-hour endurance event.
Koreiba took control of the No. 23 with just under two hours remaining and immediately demonstrated patience and persistence in mixed conditions. As Daytona International Speedway began to dry lap times dropped allowing Koreiba to pull away from his competition, growing his gap to over 111 seconds. A late-race full course caution would close the gap causing a fight to the finish between first, second, and third place, providing Koreiba with the third-place slot as he finished his first ever professional race.
Next up for the No. 23, Duqueine D08 is IMSA Prototype Challenge Round Two at Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course, May 13-15. The prolonged gap in the season gives the Al Autosport with JDC team plenty of time to regroup and prep for what they aim to be a dominant break-out season. For ticket sales and schedule, details visit https://www.imsa.com/events/2022-mid-ohio-sportscar-challenge/.
QUOTE BOARD
Alex Damalas, Al Autosport Team Principal
“This was a really great first outing,” Damalas said. “To see Memo get pole on his first time back in the car was iconic. Followed up by great racing by him and Alex to finish third was a really stellar way to end the weekend.”
Memo Gidley, Driver of the No. 23 Duqueine D08
“Unbelievable,” Gidley said. “To come back to Daytona in an LMP3 car and finish on the podium. I heard thoughts of that from people on the team and I thought it would be sensational if we did. To lead laps and bring it home in third place on the podium with Al Autosport who’s awesome and JDC who’s great is a great situation.”
Alexander Koreiba, Driver of the No. 23 Duqueine D08
“The race was good,” Koreiba said. “I’m a little disappointed obviously that we didn’t get the first-place position, but towards the end of the race we were just hanging on. Memo had a great first stint running the car, he was very consistent, and we were just really making sure to hit our fuel numbers. The rain let up about halfway through and at that point, Memo made the decision to go to slicks when I got in because there was a dry line that we needed to take advantage of. Me being a rookie, first time ever at Daytona, being told me I’m one of the first drivers to go out on slicks was a little nerve-racking. I had to get some bravery going there and we lapped the field in the second stint. The car was absolutely hooked up and I don’t think anyone had anything for us in the dry.”
“When we came in and pitted we didn’t take a set of tires which I was for 100% but as the weather came in again the overall grip was lacking towards the end. We just held on essentially for the last stint. When the full course yellow came out I knew in that moment this was going to be really tough. I needed to keep the whole field behind me, I was on really scrubbed tires and the weather was coming in. All of it compounded so I was unfortunately not able to keep the lead there. We held out onto a podium which was an awesome result for our first time out. I can’t thank everyone over at Al Autosport with JDC enough. Memo Gidley being my teammate was phenomenal, there was so much I learned from him over the course of the entire weekend.”
