There’s nothing quite like the first big racing event of the season and for the last fifty-one years some of the biggest stars in the world of motorsport have descended upon Daytona Beach, Florida and the legendary Daytona International Speedway – the World Centre of Racing, if you believe the speedway’s PR folks – for what is now known as the Rolex 24 at Daytona, a tough twice-around-the-clock test of man and machine on a tricky course that incorporates the high banks of the NASCAR speedway and an infield road course.
This year, the Rolex 24 has special significance, for it’s the first event of the new TUDOR United Sports Car Championship, which is the end result of a merger between the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. I wrote earlier about the positives that this merger has brought to sports car racing, and now the sport stands to rocket in popularity in America, and we should start to see signs of this resurgence early on, both at Daytona and at the following event, the 12 Hours of Sebring in March.
What’s great about the Rolex 24 is that it attracts a diverse and high-quality field of drivers who are looking to break the rust brought on by a long winter, and not yet completely consumed by preparations for their regular championships. It’s almost an unofficial All-Star race. Throw in a few Formula One Drivers, who haven’t been seen on Daytona’s high banks in some years, and you’d be hard pressed to beat the Floridian endure in terms of absolute talent.
Even so, the Rolex 24 does pretty well for itself. We have a former Daytona 500 champion (Jamie McMurray), Indianapolis 500 champions (Scott Dixon and Tony Kaanan), 24 Hours of Le Mans winners (Mike Rockenfeller, Pedro Lamy), CART/Indycar Champions (Sebastien Bourdais), Australians (Ryan Briscoe, David Brabham and James Davison), A New Zealander (Shane Van Gisbergen), an Indy Lights champion (Sage Karam), a NASCAR Sprint Cup driver (Kyle Larson), sons of racing guns (Graham Rahal, Alex Gurney) and a host of brilliant factory drivers, the best that Audi, Porsche, BMW, Viper, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Corvette can produce. Particularly in the stacked GT field, competition promises to be as intense as ever.
Let’s take a look at the class structure for the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the rest of the United Sports Car Championship season.
Prototype (P): The Prototype 1 class was abolished in North America, meaning the old Rolex Series Daytona Prototypes and the Prototype 2 (P2) machines from the ALMS will be the speediest cars on track, all shod with control Continental tyres. The Daytona Prototypes have undergone changes during the off-season, to bring them up to speed with the more high-tech P2 machines. Ford and Chevrolet figure to lead the way here.
Prototype Challenge (PC): This class, featuring stock Oreca FLM09 prototypes with Chevrolet engines and Continental tyres, transfers directly from the American Le Mans Series, and is a low-cost option for teams, perhaps as a stepping stone towards the top tier of prototype racing.
GT-Le Mans (GT-LM): Cars that formerly raced in the American Le Mans GT ranks form the third class for the new United Sports Car Championship, the only class using Michelin tyres in 2014. This is where we’ll see the factory Corvette and BMW teams flexing their considerable muscle. It might be the deepest class in the entire series, stacked with good drivers and beautiful-looking cars.
GT-Daytona (GT-D): The home for the cars that last year competed in the Rolex Series GT field. A more low-cost GT option, with diverse mix of vehicles on the entry list, including Corvette, Porsche and Audi. Always entertaining and tight racing in their previous incarnation, there’s no reason to assume that won’t continue.
Sixty one cars – twenty-seven prototypes and thirty-four GT machines – will take the green flag in South Florida a little after 2.00pm local time, and usher in a new and exciting era of sports car racing in North America.
Here are the cars and teams to watch from each class as we head into race week:
Prototype
Obviously, most eyes will be on the prototype battle up front. It’s the real glory, the chance to say that you went twenty-four hours around Daytona International Speedway and were the first car across the finish line. And, after twenty-four hours, some deserved drivers will have their name etched into the record books, joining so many legends who’ve won outright at Daytona
Chip Ganassi Racing are always a force at Daytona, and this year have a driver line-up that includes Tony Kaanan, Jamie McMurray, Sage Karam and rising NASCAR talent Kyle Larson, as well as perennial frontrunners, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas.
We know Ganassi’s drivers are going to be quick. The only question mark for the perennial contenders is their engine package. They switched from a Dinan-engineered BMW engine to Ford’s new Ecoboost turbo for season 2014 (joining Ford stalwarts Michael Shank Racing) and actually left the three-day test at Daytona earlier this month, due to quickly exhausting their inventory of exhaust headers. Shank’s squad had engine issues, too. So there’s plenty for the Blue Oval to get sorted. A durability test has been scheduled for prior to the race weekend.
Wayne Taylor Racing features Ricky and Jordan, the sons of team-owner Wayne (who is also scheduled for a stint or two) and Italian ace Max Angelelli. The defending Rolex Series Daytona Prototype champions are due for a big run at Daytona, and this may be the year they stand on that top step, particularly if the Ganassi cars have troubles.
Australia’s David Brabham will share an Extreme Speed Motorsports HPD prototype with Scotsman Ryan Dalziel and American stalwart Scott Sharp. This is a very solid driver line-up, and will likely challenge for the outright win, provided their car stands up to the tough test that twenty-four hours around Daytona represents. This and other P2-spec ALMS cars are in a sort of no man’s land, unsure of what might happen when the green flag drops.
Michael Shank Racing, popular race winners in 2012, return with Indycar favourite Justin Wilson and NASCAR driver AJ Allmendinger. They also have Oswaldo Negri and John Pew on board. Like the Ganassi cars, questions remain regarding their Ford EcoBoost engines.
The Mazda Diesel effort will be spearheaded by two Indycar stars, affable James Hinchcliffe and rookie Tristan Vautier, with team owner Sylvain Tremblay entering two cars. Making their prototype debut in the year’s longest race, a win is unlikely. A podium would be a huge achievement.
Prototype Challenge
Watch out for the Starworks Motorsport cars. The Peter Baron-led squad have won early and often over the last few seasons, including a P2 World Endurance Championship crown in a memorable 2012 season. Alex Popow returns, and German ace Pierre Kaffer will drive alongside him in the #7 car, which looks to be the main Starworks challenger. Unknown entities Martin Fuentes, Isaac Tutumlu and Kyle Marcelli may be the difference between a win and a DNF.
Rocketsports Racing, owned by former Trans-Am gun Paul Gentilozzi, is another team bringing two PC cars. Indycar veteran Alex Tagliani and American open-wheel standout Connor Daly highlight the #08 car, and the #09 machine features another familiar Indycar face, Brazilian Bruno Junqueria
GT-Le Mans
This might be the most competitive category of all, featuring factory (or factory-supported) entries from motoring heavyweights like Aston Martin, Corvette, BMW, Porsche, Dodge SRT Viper and Ferrari.
Porsche and Corvette are both debuting new cars in the GT-LM category for the Rolex 24, and you can almost bet on the factory Corvette team running at the pointy end. These guys are far too good to be too far behind the eight ball for very long, even with a new car on a new racetrack. Australia’s Ryan Briscoe will make his debut in the #3, alongside Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia. The #4 will be driven by Oliver Gavin, Tommy Millner and newcomer, Robin Liddell. Neither combination should be counted out.
The BMW camp figure to be strong, with Rahal-Letterman Racing bringing two BMW Z4 GTE cars to Daytona, with an all-star driver line-up – Joey Hand, Dirk Muller and the colourful Bill Auberlen amongst them – for their first ever 24-hour race. The fact that they’ve never gone twice around the clock before will be a concern.
Risi Competizione is bringing it’s Ferrari 458 Italia to Daytona, with a stacked line-up including ex-Formula One driver Giancarlo Fisichella and Olivier Beretta. These guys, ALMS veterans, are no strangers to winning big and long races. Should challenge from GTLM class honours.
Darren Turner and Pedro Lamy spearhead the Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8 assault on Daytona, and bring years of endurance experience. Probably up against it, a one-car entry, albeit a factory-backed one, against so many multi-car outfits, but don’t count out the Aston Martin for a podium run – and more, if attrition is high.
GT-Daytona
Twenty-nine entries will take the green flag in GTD class, including the 2013 Rolex Series GT champion Scuderia Corsa race team, who’ll bring three Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 cars to Daytona, and the #63 of Alessandro Balzan, Jeff Westphal, Toni Vilander and Lorenzo Case should be right up there contending for the win.
Don’t sleep on the Turner Motorsport BMW Z4, featuring rising American star Dane Cameron alongside the improving Paul Dalla Lana. Augusto Farfus and Markus Palttala round out a strong line-up. Will Turner’s squad are Rolex GT veterans, and figure to play a big role in the outcome of the GTD class.
New Zealand’s Shane Van Gisbergen will drive a Porsche 911 GT America for the venerable, veteran Alex Job Porsche squad, who know the insides and out of a Porsche race car like few others, and is teamed with Cooper MacNeil, Leh Keen, LP Domoulin and Shane Lewis. This could be Australia’s best chance at a Rolex 24 class winner.
Hollywood star Patrick Dempsey is back in North American sports car racing, with a two-car Porsche effort. He’ll drive with Porsche guns Andrew Davis and Marc Lieb, as well as long-time business partner Joe Foster. As a driver, Dempsey improves year after year, but if this car is to spring a surprise, it’ll be due to Davis and Lieb, who are as good as it gets in terms of experience and ability in the 911 GT.
Long-time Porsche outfit Flying Lizard make the switch to the Audi Camp, and will campaign an R8 LMS at Daytona and throughout the Tudor Championship. Team owner Seth Neiman will drive in the lead car, and has some very solid drivers around him, including Audi factory regular Filipe Albuquerque. The Lizard Porsches were renowned for their durability. That will likely be a hallmark of their Audi setup, too.
Normally known for bringing a fleet of Porsches to the Rolex 24, The Racers Group (TRG) return with two Aston Martin V12 Vantage cars, and Australian James Davison is part of the #007 entry. An unknown entity with their new car and manufacturer alignment, but TRG are no strangers to getting it done at Daytona.
Hopefully the above form guide gives you some idea of who to keep an eye on.
SPEED in Australia will broadcast fifteen live hours of the 2014 Rolex 24, beginning on Sunday morning. You can also watch the (American) overnight hours on IMSA.com. Broadcast times are as follows:
All times AEDT
Sunday January 26
6.00am - 12.00pm- LIVE (pre-race, race start, sunset, early evening)
6.30pm - 9.30pm - Highlights
10.00pm - 12.00am - LIVE (sunrise, early morning)
Monday January 27
12.00am - 7.00am - LIVE (morning, afternoon, race finish, post-race)
7.30pm - 10.30pm - Highlights
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