Cameron Shields bookends LMP3 Daytona 24 podium

By Timothy Neal

Date posted: January 31, 2023

Aussie Cameron Shields was a critical factor in helping Performance Tech Motorsports achieve a 24 Hours at Daytona podium in the LMP3 class.

The team consisted of Shields/John DeAngelis/Christopher Allen/Connor Bloum, with Shields playing both the opening and closing roles.

The Toowoomba-born racer was competing in his second Daytona 24 in the LMP3 class and stood up for the team when it mattered.

“It was a really wild race, we just kept pushing lap after lap and we were able to maintain P3 in the end,” said a delighted Shields.

“I’m just so glad we were able to do it as a team. We worked very hard to get the car going and it was a fantastic result in the end.”

Cameron Shields (far right) celebrates with the Performance Tech Motorsports team with their class P3 at the 24 Hours at Daytona

Like the rest of the LMP3 field, the race was not without its mechanical challenges for the PTM team.

Shields had to deal with brake and clutch problems throughout his closing time, but pulled through despite the potentially disastrous problems.

Opening the race in the #38 Ligier JSP320, Shields started third on the class grid, and 18th overall, as he navigated the difficult start in the 61-car field.

Shields put the #38 in P2 on his debut as the LMP3s spread throughout the GTD field, with many experiencing mechanical problems throughout.

After DeAngelis nursed the car into the night on his debut, Bloum took control of the Ligier through the difficult late night shift, and into the early morning hours with great stamina.

Shields crosses the line for hard-fought P3 in the Daytona 24 after struggling with mechanical problems in the closing stages

VLN Nürburgring Endurance Series racer Allen took multiple shifts in his Daytona 24 debut and performed well in the notoriously heavy traffic.

Shields was then tasked with closing out the hard-fought American classic, showing quick pace and poise to close the door on the nearest AWA LMP3 challenger.

The team finished 31st outright, completing 721 laps, +12 laps from the class winner, and four laps behind the P2 getter.

Shields also competed for PTM races in the IMSA Championship last season, helping the team to podiums at the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the 6 Hours at Watkins Glen.

The Queensland-born racer will compete again in the LMP3 class for PTM this season, with the 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida, on March 16-19.

Shields moved his talents to the US in 2019 to compete in the USF2000 open-wheel championship, before graduating to the Indy Pro 2000 championship in 2021, before taking on the IMSA sports car circuit.

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