Cadillac Racing Closes Out Fifth Session on Top

Thus far the Roar Before the 24 has been a Cadillac showcase. The No. 31 Whelen Action Express Racing Cadillac led the field in the early practice sessions, but come practice sessions 4 and 5 it was clear the other GTP cars started to find a bit more pace. The No. 01 Cadillac V.Series-R piloted by 2023 IndyCar champion Alex Palou ran fastest in the final session of the day; setting the tone heading into the final practice sessions ahead of qualifying tomorrow. The Practice session five was the only night practice this weekend. The drivers won’t be able to practice night rotations again until Rolex 24 race weekend.

The No. 25 RLL Racing BMW M has hovered at the top of the table all weekend so far. The car finished just under three tenths off of the fastest lap set by the No. 01 Cadillac. The battle developing between these two cars may be something to keep an eye on. However, due to the shortcomings the RLL Racing team faced last year with hybrid battery issues during the race. The team will be looking to improve on their 2023 Rolex 24 finish and go the distance. They’ve shown they have the pace. Their real challenge is endurance.

LMP2

In LMP2 the field is heating up with a fierce battle for pole position. Each of the 5 practice sessions had a different car lead the pack. The latest in session five was the No. 20 MDK by High Class Racing ORECA LMP2 07 setting a 1m38.270 lap. Given the number of new entries into the class for 2024. Tomorrow’s qualifying will be the first gauge for what this class looks like at race pace in 2024. The 2023 LMP2 Rolex 24 was decided by 0.016 seconds after 24 hours of racing. Racing fans from around the world can expect a fierce in class battle for the Rolex 24 in class pole tomorrow in qualifying.

GTD/GTD Pro

The No. 09 Pfaff Motorsports McLaren edged out the No. 65 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3 by just under three one hundredths of a second. The rest of the GTD Pro field fell behind the GTD class in the fifth practice session and never found enough pace to challenge for the fastest lap. The No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R(992) led the GTD class setting a 1m46.007 which was the identical time to the second fastest in GTD Pro Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3.

The teams will have one more practice session ahead of qualifying tomorrow.

Year 2 of the new GTP era has begun! The 2023 champions dominated the early practice sessions on day one of the Roar Before the Rolex 24. 2023 Driver’s champion Pipo Derani (Whelen Cadillac/Action Express Racing) set the fastest lap of the first two sessions with a 1m37.217. Derani led the No. 25 RLL Racing BMW M by 4 tenths of a second. Derani made the following comments to IMSA.com

“It’s just getting back to the rhythm,” Derani remarked. “Everyone has been on holidays – well not on holidays, but just trying to prepare for the comeback. Like I’ve said before, you’ve got to be on your toes. It was a good day, but you’ve got to keep digging.

“It’s great to be back,” he added. “I think the three of us (Derani and co-drivers Jack Aitken and defending Rolex 24 winner Tom Blomqvist) are running fairly similar, and we want the same thing from the car. We still have our program to go through, but we are ticking those boxes and hopefully we’ll be as ready as we can for the race week.”

Third fastest in the GTP class was the No. 06 Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963. Porsche Penske is looking to get the season started off right after failing to break into the top 3 at last seasons finale at Road Atlanta.

LMP2

Era Motorsports led the rejuvenated LMP2 class which sees a number of new comers in 2024. One new comer is the No. 33 Sean Creech motorsports car which competed in the LMP3 class last year before it was relegated to the VP Sportscar Racing Championship. The No. 33 Ligier LMP2 was second fastest in class ahead of the No. 88 Richard Mille AF Corse car in third.

With the LMP3 class being removed and the the LMP2 growing in size. It should make for some more clean racing come Rolex 24 as the LMP2 and GTP cars pull away from the GTD classes. Navigating traffic will still be a challenges for the faster classes considering the large number of entries in the GTD class. However, the focus no is to get the cars dialed in for qualifying. With four more practice sessions we exect faster lap times as we head toward Sunday’s qualifying

GTD/GTD Pro

The No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT led the GTD Pro class in the second session. The Risi Competizione No. 62 Ferrari 296 GT3 was second in class followed by the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. In GTD, the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R topped the field; splitting the top two GTD Pro cars in session two.

Practice Session three is set to begin tomorrow at 11:55am EST.

With the start of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship right around the corner. Operations are in full force in the Heart of Racing camp as they attempt to return to greatness at the Rolex 24. The Heart of Racing No. 27 Aston Martin secured an in class GTD win at the 2023 Rolex 24, and is looking to repeat that result this year. While the Heart of Racing Team’s IMSA program is in full swing, the team will also be competing internationally for the 24 Hours of Dubai (January 26-28), which will now occur simultaneously with the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

2024 IMSA duties kick off at the ROAR Before the Rolex 24 this coming weekend at Daytona International Speedway where the team will navigate multiple practice sessions before qualifying on Sunday which will set the grid from the race the following week. There are 60 entries in the GTD and GTD Pro classes for the Rolex 24. With a full field every practice session leading up to qualifying will be a valuable opportunity to gather data for the race.

Returning to the No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin GTD PRO entry will be Alex Riberas and Ross Gunn, the duo will be joined by multi time champion Mario Farnbacher. The No. 27 Aston Martin will be piloted by Roman De Angelis, Marco Sorensen, Zach Robichon, and team principal Ian James.

Comments from the Team

Alex Riberas

“I’m definitely so excited to go back to Daytona. I cannot wait to be back with the team and enjoy taking the challenge of racing at Daytona for 24 hours. I think it’s a very special race for everybody in the paddock with it being the first event of the year. Everyone has super high hopes and expectations so the environment is always very unique and there is no better place to be at the start of the season. I’m looking forward to having Mario with the team. We are ready to give it all we have and hopefully make the most out of every situation.” 

Mario Farnbacher:

“I’m really looking forward to joining the Heart of Racing team. A big thank you to Ian (James) and Gabe (Newell) and my teammates for welcoming me to the team. A lot of them I knew from the past and it will be good to work with them again. There are a lot of things to learn this year and improve and it all starts with Daytona. I think we are a team that everyone will have to keep an eye on this year. We are ready for the challenge, but first we need to have a good ROAR.” 

Roman De Angelis:

“Starting the year and the first race being the 24 hours at Daytona is always such a special feeling. With a few months off and lots of time to prepare, new cards, new teams and teammates. It’s a great catapult into what I hope is another amazing year. Having had great success in Daytona last year we really hope to do the same as always, but as we know most of this race isn’t in our hands. I think my main focus is to improve on myself from last year in some areas we’ve evaluated with the team, which is always good to have some main areas to focus on and set a goal towards.” 

Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti released the new liveries for their three car entries for the 2024 IMSA season. The announcement displayed the liveries for the newly expanded two car GTP program and the partnership with Automobili Lamborghini to support a full season effort with the No. 45 WTRAndretti Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 in the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) Class.

The No. 10 GTP car retains the classic blue while the new No. 40 GTP received a new red livery. The collection was released in a social media post by WTR Andretti today.

From the Press Release…

Returning to the No. 10 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06 GTP lineup are Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque as the full season drivers. Taylor and Albuquerque will be joined by 2023 Rolex 24 At Daytona teammate and reigning World Endurance Championship Hypercar Champion, Brendon Hartley, as the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup (IMEC) driver for 2024. Rounding out the roster of drivers for the No. 10 Acura ARX-06 is 2022 Indianapolis 500 Winner and newly announced NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver for Andretti Global, Marcus Ericsson.

Joining the WTRAndretti team for 2024 is the No. 40 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06 GTP entry. Piloting the new No. 40 Acura ARX-06 GTP entry includes 2023 IMEC driver for WTRAndretti, Louis Delétraz, and the return of Jordan Taylor to the family team as the full-time drivers. In addition to Delétraz and Taylor for the No. 40 stable, Andretti Global NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver, Colton Herta, is set for the IMEC events throughout the upcoming IMSA season. Entering his first Rolex 24 At Daytona, Formula One Champion, Jenson Button, completes the No. 40 Acura ARX-06 lineup as Button reunites with his NASCAR Garage 56 Driver Coach, Taylor, to add another accolade to his extensive racing resume.

Wayne Taylor, Team Principal, WTRAndretti Stated the following:

“This year is a totally different year for this team because we’ve always only run one car. We’ve always wanted to run two and now we have the opportunity to do that. It’s made everybody really excited internally that we can now go compete against the big teams with two cars. We just have to do the best job in executing everything. I feel really good about the people we have hired and our existing people that we’ve had for a while – everybody seems very motivated. Having a two-car factory program, you really are now racing the whole field. I’m really looking forward to Daytona. I want to thank Acura, HRC, Konica Minolta, DEX Imaging, Harrison Contracting Company and Gainbridge for their continued support as our team grows and goes for the win.”

The short winter break is over and IMSA fans from around the world are making final preparations before they descend on Daytona for the start of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech season. The first taste of racing arrives in one weeks time with the Roar Before the Rolex 24. In light of the fast approaching start of the 2024 season IMSA has released a technical bulletin regarding the Balance of Performance thresholds for the ROAR.

There a multiple changes to the specifications outlined for the 2023 ROAR. Weight increase changes are the most notable for the Acuras and Porsches in the GTP class. While these BoP threshold will affect qualifying for Rolex 24 it is possible for a new BoP governing the actual race; Rolex 24 are coming so we wont speculate on how big of an impact these changes will make on the current status of the cars. The changes seem minimal but IMSA ahs the ability to adjust performance threshold again before the race. We will report on any changes.

2024 is finally here and with our transition to a new year IMSA has announced the provisional schedule for the season opener the Roar Before The Rolex 24 and Rolex 24 weekends.

The Roar Before The Rolex 24 Schedule

Friday January 20, 2024

8:45 AM to 9:15 AM ET; Practice 1 – VP Racing SportsCar Challenge
9:30 AM to 10:45 AM ET; Practice 1 – Michelin Pilot Challenge
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM ET; Practice 1 – WeatherTech Championship
1:45 PM to 2:15 PM ET; Practice 2 – VP Racing SportsCar Challenge
2:30 PM to 4:00 PM ET; Practice 2 – Michelin Pilot Challenge
4:15 PM to 6:00 PM ET; Practice 2 – WeatherTech Championship

Saturday January 21, 2024

8:40 AM to 9:15 AM ET; Qualifying – VP Racing SportsCar Challenge
9:30 AM to 11:00 AM ET; Practice 3 – Michelin Pilot Challenge
11:15 AM to 12:45 PM ET; Practice 3 – WeatherTech Championship
2:05 PM to 2:50 PM ET; Race 1 of 2 – VP Racing SportsCar Challenge
3:10 PM to 4:10 PM ET ;Practice 4 – WeatherTech Championship
4:30 PM to 5:30 PM ET; Practice 4 – Michelin Pilot Challenge
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM ET; Practice 5 – WeatherTech Championship

Sunday, January 22, 2024

10:15 AM to 11:15 AM ET; Practice 1 – Michelin Pilot Challenge
12:20 PM to 1:05 PM ET; Race 2 of 2 – VP Racing SportsCar Challenge
1:25 PM to 1:40 PM ET; Practice 6 – WeatherTech Championship
1:45 PM to 3:20 PM ET; Qualifying – WeatherTech Championship

The 2024 Rolex 24 Schedule

Wednesday, January 25, 2024

1:45 PM to 2:30 PM ET; Practice 1 – Mazda MX-5 Cup
2:45 PM to 3:45 PM ET; Practice 1 – Michelin Pilot Challenge

Thursday, January 26, 2024

9:00 AM to 9:30 AM ET; Practice 2 – Mazda MX-5 Cup
9:45 AM to 10:45 AM ET; Practice 2 – Michelin Pilot Challenge
11:05 AM to 12:35 PM ET; Practice 1 – WeatherTech Championship
12:55 PM to 1:10 PM ET; Qualifying – Mazda MX-5 Cup
2:25 PM to 3:00 PM ET; Qualifying – Michelin Pilot Challenge
3:20 PM to 5:05 PM ET; Practice 2 – WeatherTech Championship
5:30 PM to 6:15 PM ET; Race 1 of 2 – Mazda MX-5 Cup
7:15 PM to 9:00 PM ET; Practice 3 – WeatherTech Championship

Friday, January 27, 2024

9:25 AM to 9:55 AM ET; Practice 3 – Michelin Pilot Challenge
10:15 AM to 11:00 AM ET; Race 2 of 2 – Mazda MX-5 Cup
11:20 AM to 12:20 PM ET; Practice 4 – WeatherTech Championship
1:45 PM to 5:45 PM ET; BMW M Endurance Challenge At Daytona
6:25 PM to 6:45 PM ET; Practice 4 – WeatherTech Championship (GTP Only)

Saturday, January 28, 2024 – Sunday, January 29, 2024

Saturday 1:40 PM to Sunday 1:40 PM ET; Rolex 24 At Daytona

Streaming will be available on IMSA.tv and Peacock

Due to shipping logistical problems the 24 Hours of Dubai will be postponed. The decision was fueled by the large number of cars that would not arrive in Dubai on time for the event that was originally scheduled for January 13-15th 2024. The date has been pushed to January 27th and 28th which will be in direct conflict with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener, the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona; one of the most prestigious racing events of the year.

Ultimately teams who had planned to enter both races will have to make some tough decisions in terms of what is possible regarding staffing and car entries. Considering the races are on complete opposite sides of the world we imagine the decision to reschedule the 24 Hours of Dubai on a competing weekend will negatively impact the event.

The source of the delay is reported to be due to attacks on shipment vessels by Iranian raiders in the Red Sea. The attacks are said to be related to the Israel-Gaza war that has recently flared up in intensity. With no end to that conflict in site it may be difficult to justify forgoing the Rolex 24 which has no issues in terms of access. It is yet to be determined the full impact of this delay. We will report back when more information is available. As of now the Heart of Racing Team is the only team that has confirmed entry into both the 24 Hours of Dubai and Rolex 24.

Iron Lynx announced today that Romain Grosjean and Mateo Cairoli will be added as drivers for the upcoming Rolex 24 Hour of Daytona in January in the #60 GTD Pro Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO 2. The announcement comes shortly after Iron Lynx announced their driver lineup for the new SC63 Hypercar/GTP programs in IMSA and the World Endurance Championship. Grosjean make his return to Rolex 24 after racing for the team last year placing 4th in class.

The team will field two additional cars, the #19 entry in GTD Pro driven by Mirko Bortolotti, Jordan Pepper, Andrea Caldarelli and Franck Perera. and the Iron Dames #83 car entry in GTD will be Michelle Gatting, Rahel Frey and Sarah Bovy with the fourth driver still to be detemrined.

Iron Lynx Team Principal and CEO, Andrea Piccini

“We are delighted to welcome Romain and Matteo to the #60 car for the 24 Hours of Daytona. Romain drove with us in car #63 last year and raced well; Matteo is well known at Iron Lynx as we shared an ELMS season but will race together for the first time with Lamborghini, so we’re really looking forward to seeing him driving at Daytona. They will make a very strong addition to the line-up of car #60.”

Edoardo Mortara said: “I am super happy to be joining Lamborghini Squadra Corse, which is allowing me this incredible opportunity to compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the World Endurance Championship, both of which I have wanted to take part in for a long time. It is a very proud moment for me, and I hope we can achieve some good results next season.”

Today IMSA announced the preliminary lineup for Rolex 24 which is set to take place in two months time. Unfortunately but not unexpected the much anticipated Lamborghini SC63 was not on the list. It has been indicated that the SC63 will debut at the 12 hours of Sebring in March. Aside from the Lamborghini not making the preliminary list the GTP class currently features 10 cars from 4 different manufacturers. The grid won’t see last years winners, Meyer Shank Racing but instead a second Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX will join the grid.

You can find the full preliminary line up listings here: 2024 Rolex 24 Entrants by Class GTP | LMP2 | GTD PRO| GTD

IMSA President Jon Doonan had the following words, “We could not be prouder to release this preliminary list of participants for the Rolex 24 At Daytona significantly earlier than we ever have before. Looking up and down the lineup, we will have a tremendous field of teams, cars and drivers and no shortage of compelling storylines to develop and follow in the next two months as we lead up to the race. With such a stacked field, it would be impossible to identify a favorite in any of the four classes.”

The race weekend is scheduled for Jan. 25-28, 2024. Thus far 60 cars have entered the competition, 10 GTP, 12 LMP2, 13 GTD Pro and 25 GTD.