IMSA Rolex 24 hour race with 5 C8 Z06s

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First time for Corvettes as 5 Z06s will be racing at the IMSA 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona
Three Corvettes will be racing in the GTD-Pro class
Two Corvettes will be in the lower GTD class

First will be the 2025 Roar Before The Rolex 24 Jan 17-19th

Then

Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, Florida, Rolex 24 Hours

January 23-26, 2025
Race Day/Time: Saturday, January 25 – 1:40 p.m. ET


NBC Network Coverage: LIVE, Saturday, January 25 @ 1:30-2:30 p.m. ET; Sunday, January 26, 12:00-2:00 p.m. ET

Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET in the U.S.; International feed coverage available on IMSA.tv and YouTube.com/IMSAOfficial (outside the U.S.)

Live Qualifying Stream: Thursday, January 23 – 2:05 p.m. ET on Peacock and IMSA.tv (in the U.S.) and YouTube.com/IMSAOfficial (outside the U.S.)

Circuit Type: 3.56-mile, 12-turn road course

Classes Competing: Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), Grand Touring Daytona (GTD)

Race Length: 24 hours

Track Social Media:

Instagram: @daytona
Facebook: @daytona
X (formerly Twitter): @daytona, @Rolex24Hours

Event Hashtags: #IMSA, #Rolex24

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Trackhouse Racing and TF Sport’s all-star team at the 63rd Annual Rolex 24 At Daytona now has the backing of WeatherTech as a primary partner of the No. 91 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

WeatherTech will continue a partnership with Trackhouse that began last year, when the American automotive accessories manufacturer sponsored Shane van Gisbergen during his NASCAR Xfinity Series campaign.

Van Gisbergen and fellow Australian Supercars champion alumni Scott McLaughlin were already announced to drive the No. 91 Corvette alongside Trackhouse NASCAR development driver and 2024 LMP2 class winner Connor Zilisch, and top-rated American Bronze driver Ben Keating.

“We began a relationship with Trackhouse Racing last year in NASCAR, and now we will be part of their sports car program in this year’s Rolex 24,” said David MacNeil, founder of WeatherTech. “Every sports car fan recognizes WeatherTech, and we feel like Daytona International Speedway is our second home.
I think (Trackhouse founder and owner) Justin (Marks) has put together a talented team, and we are ready to go racing in 2025.”

“We are honored WeatherTech joined us on this project, and we feel this combination of drivers, race teams, manufacturer and corporate sponsors are as good as any competing in Daytona this year,” said Marks, a class winner at the Rolex 24 in 2009.

WeatherTech will also sponsor van Gisbergen and Zilisch in their respective NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series campaigns in 2025.
 

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WeatherTech will serve as the primary partner for the No. 91 “Trackhouse by TF Sport” Corvette driven by an all-star driver lineup when it competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s 63rd Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 25-26.

Trackhouse Racing’s NASCAR drivers Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch along with INDYCAR star Scott McLaughlin and longtime sports car racer Ben Keating will drive the No. 91 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R that will compete in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class for the 24-hour race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.“We began a relationship with Trackhouse Racing last year in NASCAR, and now we will be part of their sports car program in this year’s Rolex 24,” said WeatherTech founder David MacNeil.

“Every sports car fan recognizes WeatherTech, and we feel like Daytona International Speedway is our second home.
I think (Trackhouse founder and owner) Justin (Marks) has put together a talented team, and we are ready to go racing in 2025.”

The Bolingbrook, Illinois, company is a leading manufacturer of premium American-made automotive accessories and home and pet care products. The company has a long history in sports car racing in America. It became the IMSA title sponsor in 2016 and extended its agreement through 2030.
WeatherTech will also serve as the primary sponsor of Van Gisbergen in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series and Zilisch in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025.

“We are honored WeatherTech joined us on this project and we feel this combination of drivers, race teams, manufacturer and corporate sponsors are as good as any competing in Daytona this year,” said Marks, who won the Rolex race as a driver in 2009.

Trackhouse Racing has fielded NASCAR Cup Series cars since 2021 visiting victory lane eight times with drivers Ross Chastain, Daniel Suárez and Van Gisbergen all in Chevrolets.
It joined the MotoGP grid in 2024, bringing an American team back to the pinnacle of motorcycle racing for the first time in over a decade.
The TF Sport team was founded by Tom Ferrier and headquartered in Slinfold, West Sussex, England, United Kingdom.

It has enjoyed a winning pedigree since the outset, claiming multiple championship titles in the British GT Championship, the GTWC endurance championship and the Michelin Le Mans Cup. TF Sport claimed victory at the Spa 24 Hours (2019) and two wins at Le Mans 24 Hours (2020) and (2022). The team were also crowned World Endurance champions in 2022.

The Trackhouse Racing Powered by TF Sport team makes its on-track debut during a three-day test called the Roar Before the Rolex 24 on Jan. 16-19, and returns for practice, qualifying for the 24-hour race on Jan. 23-26.

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5 Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs set for three days of testing ahead of Rolex 24

The second season of the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R kicks off in a big way this weekend with the annual Roar Before the 24 the stage-setting event for the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Five Corvette GT3s from four teams dot the 61-car entry across two of the four classes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The quintet of Corvettes each will test Friday through Sunday on the 3.56-mile Daytona Road Course ahead of next weekend’s season-opening round:

• Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports GTD PRO: Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Daniel Juncadella (No. 3 Corvette); Nicky Catsburg, Tommy Milner, Nico Varrone (No. 4 Corvette)
• AWA Racing – GTD: Matt Bell, Orey Fidani, Lars Kern, Mavtin Kirchhoeffer (No. 13 Corvette)
• DXDT Racing – GTD: Charlie Eastwood, Alec Udell, Salih Yoluc, Pipo Derani (No. 36 Corvette)
• Trackhouse by TF Sport – GTD PRO: Ben Keating, Scott McLaughlin, Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch (No. 91 Corvette)


This year’s group marks the largest number of production-based racing Corvettes in the race since 2007. The Corvette Racing brand has a deep history at the Rolex 24 and includes four GT class victories – one of those an overall win in 2001. In addition, Corvette’s successes at Daytona have bolstered Chevrolet’s impressive record of 122 wins at the circuit across IMSA and NASCAR’s national series.

Corvette Racing performance and powertrain engineers made significant improvements to the Z06 GT3.R throughout its first season of competition. Much of the work focused on optimizing performance and enhancing the Corvette’s reliability. The outright pace of the Corvette GT3 is evident with 12 pole positions across three series in 2024, and the reliability took huge steps forward in the second half of the year.

The Roar Before the 24 is set for January 17-19 with seven sessions scheduled across the three days.
The Rolex 24 goes green at 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 25 with qualifying on Thursday, January 23.

JESSICA DANE, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER:

“Everyone at Corvette Racing and our Corvette Z06 GT3.R teams is excited and optimistic heading to Daytona. After our initial season of racing and development, we feel confident going into this year’s Roar with a group of Corvettes that are both quick and reliable.
The engineering teams across the whole Corvette Racing program have spent a considerable amount of time and effort making sure our teams are set up for success this year at Daytona and the rest of our 2025 schedule. With five Z06 GT3.Rs across two classes in this year’s Rolex 24, Corvette fans aren’t going to want to miss it.”

SELECT CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER QUOTES

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 OSHKOSH / MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“We have a whole season under our belt now with the Corvette. Quite a few of the issues that we had last season are ones we’ve ironed out along with understanding the platform and understanding the car better so we can extract more performance from it more often.
We understand the strengths and weaknesses of the package, of which there aren’t many weaknesses, thankfully.”

“For Daytona, it’s always a huge challenge to complete the first race of the year. I would hope that this year it will be a step better than last year.
Already last year, we had good speed during the race, but with it being the first race of the ZZ06 GT3.R it was understandable that we were still finding out some areas that needed to be improved.
Firstly, the priority would be to finish the race with both cars on the Pratt Miller side on the lead lap without any reliability issues. If we are able to do that, then we’ll be able to fight for the places toward the front.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 OSHKOSH / MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“For me going into my second season in IMSA, it will make things a little bit easier. There will be a track where I have now been to once, instead of not having been there at all.
One other very positive thing is that my 2023 teammate Nico is joining us as a third driver, which is something we are very happy about. He clearly was very good and a good teammate to have when we won the World Championship. I’m glad he is in our car instead of being in another and racing against him!
He’s incredibly fast so I’m looking forward to working with him again. It’s a very positive outlook for the season.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 SABELT / SONIC / PROJEKT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I have been with this team since 2019, and I have grown so much with them as a driver over the years.
I’m looking forward to another season in the GTD class with the Corvette. This year has been so important for us, and we’ve learned a lot about the car throughout each round, with the help of GM and Chevrolet. We’re getting more and more competitive as we continue to progress, and I’m confident that 2025 will be even better.”

ALEC UDELL, NO. 36 MOBIL 1 / SuCo CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I’m excited to get back in action with DXDT Racing at Daytona. We’ve got a very talented group of drivers, first-class engineers, crew and team leadership. It’s all an exciting combination. I can’t say enough about how appreciative I am of the efforts across the board to put the team in the best position to compete at the top here in GTD. The Corvette Z06 GT3.R treated us superbly last season, and I’m pumped to tackle the IMSA challenges behind the wheel of the Chevy this year.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 91 WEATHERTECH CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I’m really excited for this. I’ve won Le Mans in a Corvette and won a World Championship in a Corvette. I’m thrilled to be back with TF Sport, a team that I know very well and one where we won a lot of races and a championship together.
Furthermore, I’m teaming with some phenomenal Chevrolet drivers in Shane, Scott and Connor, which should be a lot of fun.
This will be a big challenge, but one that I know we are all up looking forward to and are up for.”
 

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There has been 4 practice sessions over the last 2 days and none of the 5 C8 Z06s have done that well
Maybe they are sandbagging to reduce of getting wacked with a BoP
See how the 2-hour night practice is tonight (Sat)

***Sheldon van der Linde struck an upbeat tone after BMW M Team RLL led two of three sessions on Saturday, with the South African himself setting a 1:36.196 to go fastest in Session 4.
“I think the car has made a huge step forward since the WEC season and I think that alone really shows this year,” he said. “I think the team has also made steps forward from the last two years as well.
We’ve got a lot of new engineers, some from Cadillac, for example, as well, which definitely helps.”

***Van der Linde declined to comment on the identity of the new engineers when asked

***IMSA practiced its new-for-2025 GTD Pro and GTD class split in the day’s first session with a simulated yellow flag scenario, followed by the category and class divisions.
The new rules will divide GTD Pro and GTD cars similarly to the already existing GTP and LMP2 class divisions that occur on restarts.
All 61 cars in the field were requested by IMSA to participate.

***GTD class competitor and DXDT Racing driver Alec Udell told Sportscar365: “It’s similar to what we’ve done in this series in the past. The only thing that changes now is when you’re listening to the engineer, there’s a designation between the category split and class split. Ultimately, it is probably a nice thing from a sporting side because you get to be around the cars you’re racing, and you don’t feel like you’re being picked by another car for some reason.”

***Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports’ Nico Varrone added:
“It was really smooth. I think everyone understands the process already from the one before, so it was really easy to do. Hopefully, for the fans, it will bring more excitement and more close racing between classes, which I think will be better. It was really smooth and really clear for everyone.”

***Porsche Penske Motorsport replaced the battery and MGU on its No. 7 Porsche 963 following yesterday’s ‘red alarm’ that forced Felipe Nasr to abandon the car on the backstretch during the second session. The car returned to action without any reported issues on Saturday morning.

***It’s been revealed that two other 963s also encountered high voltage-related issues on Friday. The No. 5 Proton Competition Porsche changed its battery in the morning, missing most of the first session, while the No. 85 JDC-Miller Motorsports lost time in the afternoon session with an undisclosed HV problem.

***Joey Hand has been reunited with his 1999-Star Mazda series championship-winning car chief Kyle Hall, who serves as crew chief on the No. 66 Gradient Racing Ford Mustang GT3.

***Hand, who remains a factory Ford Performance driver, told Sportscar365 that he’s currently confirmed at Gradient for the five Michelin Endurance Cup races only. “We haven’t talked about it, but for now it’s the ones we have three drivers,” he said.

***Fellow Ford ace Harry Tincknell, meanwhile, indicated that the Rolex 24 could be his only WeatherTech Championship outing this year, with the Multimatic-contracted driver set to focus on his FIA World Endurance Championship duties with Heart of Racing Team’s Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH in the Hypercar class.

***Tincknell said : “I would say right now there are no plans for anymore, but I am super happy to be back. I was sad not to be doing the long races here, so when the call came to do Daytona, I was really excited. The primary focus will be on WEC.”

***Four-time IMSA champion Dane Cameron said he’s felt a huge weight off his shoulders returning to Daytona International Speedway after winning his first Rolex 24, with Porsche Penske Motorsport. The 36-year-old is with AO Racing in the LMP2 ranks this year.

***Cameron said: “It’s nice to go to back to Daytona with the weight off the shoulders, for sure. That was always tough to go there every year with a lot of expectation and pressure from myself to try and get that one done. It’s nice to go there without that for once!”

***Era Motorsport’s Oreca 07 Gibson LMP2 car has been coined the ‘programmers’ car, with Ruby on Rails creator David Heinemeier Hansson joined by colleague Tobias Lutke, the co-founder and CEO of Shopify, who uses Heinemeier Hansson’s platform to power the popular e-commerce company.

***It’s understood that Lutke, the team’s designated Bronze-rated driver, will be in for all of LMP2 races this season except Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, where he has a clashing business commitment. Lutke has outlined his ambition of taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the future.

***With his first outing as a factory driver for BMW, Kevin Magnussen follows in the footsteps of his father Jan in representing the Bavarian brand on an international stage.
Although the elder Magnussen is largely known for his lengthy and successful tenure with Corvette Racing, he joined BMW for the FIA World Touring Car Championship round at Macau in 2006.

***AO Racing is “investigating options” to have ‘Rexy’ on the GTD grid in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, according to team principal Gunnar Jeannette. The first sprint round of the WeatherTech Championship season will again not feature the GTD Pro class, leaving the option open for the team to potentially enter its Porsche 911 GT3 R for the 100-minute race.

*** Laurens Vanthoor could be in contention for the ride, alongside Bronze-rated team owner PJ Hyett.

***Van der Steur Racing, which is making its GTD class debut as part of a Michelin Endurance Cup effort this year, has purchased both of Elias Sabo’s Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVOs that ran in SRO America competition in 2024.
The Flying Lizard Motorsports driver made the mid-season switch to BMW machinery.

***The team is receiving support from Prodrive this weekend.

***While Luis Perez Companc is set to pilot an Oreca in this year’s Rolex 24, his son Matias is making his GT3 debut aboard an AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge. He steps up after competing in Ferrari Challenge North America last year.

***The chassis in use for Trackhouse by TF Sport’s GTD Pro entry is the same car that will contest the European Le Mans Series later this year, team principal Tom Ferrier told Sportscar365. The two WEC cars, meanwhile, are currently in Dubai, where the team will conduct a shakedown test in the days immediately following the Daytona race.
 

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7th and last practice for the Rolex has been completed and results as a PDF is at the end of this

Inclement weather failed to put a damper on the final day of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship testing at the annual Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.

While the factory Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963s remained in the Daytona International Speedway garages during a rainy one-hour concluding session for the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class, the two customer 963s fielded by Proton Competition and JDC-Miller MotorSports topped the timing screens.

Neel Jani posted the day’s best lap of 1 minute, 45.433 seconds (121.556 miles per hour) in Proton’s No. 5 Porsche, just surpassing Gianmaria Bruni’s 1:45.879 (121.044 mph) in JDC-Miller’s similar No. 85 car.
Jack Aitken filled out the top three in the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, while Sheldon van der Linde continued BMW’s impressive form in the lead-up to next weekend’s Rolex 24 At Daytona by logging the fourth-best time in the wet conditions.

Jani’s lap was almost exactly 10 seconds off the fastest lap of the three-day Roar test, a 1:35.424 (134.306 mph) effort turned in on Friday afternoon by Dries Vanthoor in the No. 24 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8.
Forty-one of the 61 cars entered for next weekend’s twice-around-the-clock contest turned laps Sunday in a 60-minute session that was delayed more than two hours when a thunderstorm brought track activity to a halt.

“We decided to drive because we have not had any experience yet in Daytona in the wet with that car,” said Jani, a 41-year-old from Switzerland. “We were trying it out and gathering data to see how the tire develops and how tire pressures develop, especially on the banking.

“In the beginning it was a bit drier and there were some dry patches in the (Le Mans) chicane, but afterward the conditions got worse,” he added. “But it was a very interesting session for us, just in terms of learning in the various conditions. Next week, it looks like on qualifying day it could be wet; this way we already have a bit of experience.”

The wet track contributed to a handful of spins in Turn 1, but there were no crashes as drivers took care to not damage their cars prior to race weekend.
“When there is no standing water, there is actually good grip because there is not a lot of rubber down,” Jani said.
“But when it rains a lot, there’s a big danger of aquaplaning. Turn 1 is definitely a tricky one, because if you cross the rubber line, it’s very slippery. And Turn 1 has a lot of rubber everywhere! So you have to find that two-meter gap somewhere in that line that has the grip. As soon as you miss that line, it gets fairly tricky.”

Paul Di Resta (No. 22 United Autosports USA ORECA LMP2 07) paced the 10 Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) entries that elected to practice in the wet. His 1:49.870 lap works out to a 116.647 mph average and was 0.6 second up on Mikkel Jensen in the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA.

Ollie Millroy in the No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 was fastest among all Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class competitors at 1:57.033 (109.507 mph).
The fastest GTD PRO entry was the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, with Alexander Sims clocking 1:57.672 (108.913 mph).

In continued damp but improving conditions later Saturday afternoon, the seventh and final session of the weekend was reserved for Bronze-rated drivers. That produced a handful of off-course excursions but nothing major.
Dan Goldberg led LMP2 in the seventh session in the aforementioned No. 22 United Autosports USA ORECA, with a best time of 1 minute, 40.613 seconds (127.379 mph), which was ultimately the fastest lap of the day.

Anthony McIntosh (No. 19 van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo) led GTD at 1:48.459 (118.164 mph) and Kenny Habul (No. 75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG GT3) led GTD PRO at 1:48.756 (117.841 mph).

The field for the 63rd running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona will be set on Thursday, January 23, prior to the race on Saturday, January 25. NBC television coverage starts at 1:30 p.m. ET.
 

Attachments

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The group of five Chevy Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs set for the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona completed their three days of testing at Daytona

International Speedway on Sunday with the four teams focused ahead to next weekend’s twice-around-the-clock classic.
The Rolex 24 marks the start of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the second season of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program.
After claiming 11 race wins and the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Manufacturers Championship in GTD PRO during 2024, optimism is high heading into Daytona.

The five Corvettes combined to complete 980 laps for nearly 3,500 miles valuable track time considering there are only three practice sessions and qualifying across Thursday and Friday of the coming week before the green flag falls Saturday.
The gaps in both GTD PRO and GTD were razor-thin with all five of the Z06 GT3.Rs well entrenched in the top-10 of their respective classes.
Antonio Garcia set the pace among the GTD PRO Corvettes with the fourth-fastest time across the weekend 1:48.242 (118.401 mph) during Saturday afternoon’s running.

In GTD, AWA’s Matt Bell put the No. 13 Corvette fifth class with a 1:48.169 (118.481 mph) in Friday’s opening test for the quickest Corvette lap of the weekend.
GTD PRO Corvette Z06 GT3.R Weekend Fast Times
• No. 3 Corvette – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Dani Juncadella – 1:48.242 (118.401 mph) – fourth-fastest in class
• No. 4 Corvette – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Nico Varrone – 1:48.515 (118.103 mph) – 10th-fastest in class
• No. 91 Corvette – Trackhouse by TF Sport – Ben Keating, Scott McLaughlin, Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch – 1:48.435 (118.190 mph) – ninth-fastest in class

GTD Corvette Z06 GT3.R Weekend Fast Times
• No. 13 Corvette – AWA – Matt Bell, Orey Fidani, Lars Kern, Marvin Kirchhöfer – 1:48.169 (118.481 mph) – fifth-fastest in class
• No. 36 Corvette – DXDT Racing – Charlie Eastwood, Pipo Derani, Alec Udell, Salih Yoluc 1:48.389 (118.240 mph) – 10th fastest in class
• This year’s group marks the largest number of production-based racing Corvettes in the race since 2007.
The Corvette Racing brand has a deep history at the Rolex 24 and includes four GT class victories one of those an overall win in 2001. In addition, Corvette’s successes at Daytona have bolstered Chevrolet’s impressive record of 122 wins at the circuit across IMSA and NASCAR’s national series.

• Corvette Racing performance and powertrain engineers made significant improvements to the Z06 GT3.R throughout its first season of competition. Much of the work focused on optimizing performance and enhancing the Corvette’s reliability. The outright pace of the Corvette GT3 is evident with 12 pole positions across three series in 2024, and the reliability took huge steps forward in the second half of the year.
• The Rolex 24 goes green at 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 25 with qualifying on Thursday, January 23.
The race will feature live television segments on NBC and USA and flag-to-flag coverage on Peacock in the U.S., and IMSA.com for international viewers.

• JESSICA DANE, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER:

“From our side, things throughout the Roar were as positive as we could have hoped. All five Corvettes ran without any significant issue during the three days in a variety of conditions. The feedback from the teams has been good and valuable for our collective group.
Our goal now is to take that input and what we saw in the data to help the group be in the best possible spot for Thursday’s practice and qualifying, and then ultimately the race.”

• SELECT CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER QUOTES

• ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 OSHKOSH / MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“The most important thing from this weekend is definitely miles. You need miles and go toward your program for the race. For this race as always, it doesn’t really matter where you start. At some point, you’re going to cycle to the back of the field and then back to the front with the yellows.
Unlike Le Mans where you have to be up front from Lap One, here you can sit back a little bit and stay out of trouble.

But you need to know as much as possible your setups, how to react to track changes and different approaches.
That was the goal last year, and we learned more about that this year.

“The GT class splits will be something that helps the overall racing this year. It was always a strange feeling where you were mixing fights in two different classes. I don’t think the GTD cars wanted us in that, so it’s nice that we are split now so we can have our own race and not interfere with each other.
This is a good step forward.”
 

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• TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 OSHKOSH / MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“This is the first opportunity in the offseason after the guys have had a chance to look at everything, to come with some new setup options and ideas. There were things that can be tidied up through the experience of last year. It’s the first chance to prove those things. Then it’s about miles, getting all three guys in the car and getting new guys who are on the team comfortable in their positions.

You try to get yourself as prepared as possible not just for the Rolex but for the season. With Nico joining the team, it gives him a good chance to get comfortable again with the team and engineers, do some driver change practices and all that kind of stuff. It’s all a little bit of housekeeping things that you need to do and an opportunity to work on the car to make sure we have our Corvette as strong as we can have it coming into the race.”

• MATT BELL, NO. 13 SABELT / SONIC / PROJEKT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“It’s like a different planet compared to last year. The team is a better spot, the Corvette is in a better spot and the team is in a better spot with the car. It’s hugely positive on that side of things. I feel like we feel as well-prepared as we have been coming here, even the year we won it. From a preparation standpoint, I think we are as good as you could possibly get going into the Rolex 24.”

• MARVIN KIRCHÖFFER, NO. 13 SABELT / SONIC / PROJEKT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I’m still figuring out the car a little bit because it is still new to me. But I’m generally quite impressed with it. The team is really helping me along, and my teammates are giving great advice to help me get up to speed. Overall I’m very impressed by AWA. They are doing a great job giving me all the information and also from the operational side. From Corvette Racing and Pratt Miller,

I’ve found it very interesting and very professional. I’m not really used to that, having these kinds of meetings. It’s very good for the teams, very good for the brand and very good to have everyone on the same page. Obviously this gives you the best ingredients to have a strong Rolex 24.

“Confidence is one of the most important things – feeling confident with the car, feeling confident with the procedures. This race is about minimizing mistakes and errors. So it’s not ultimately about having the fastest car and fastest drivers. It’s about minimizing those errors and mistakes. I can see here that this is down to Chevy as the manufacturer, Pratt Miller and obviously the team side with AWA.
All these three are working very, very well together and the communication is very good.”

• CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 36 MOBIL 1 / SuCo CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“We’re on-track with things. DXDT Racing, although its their first full-season IMSA race, they’ve got a lot of great people that have done a lot of IMSA races, especially this one. One of our guys, this is his 42nd Daytona! But then we also have the likes of Bryan Sellers, who has been amazing to work with and is teaching us a lot.
We’re on top of the strategy side and are trying to put us on the right side of all the scenarios of what can potentially go wrong in the race or lose you the race whether that’s doing tricky pit stops, managing the tires and managing the race itself.

Twenty hours of the race will be making sure we have a clean car for the end. Hopefully we have enough pace to be there at the end.

“You definitely wouldn’t think this their first race in IMSA, I’ll guarantee you that. It’s a really, really nice bunch to work with, which helps because there are no egos or wrong-doings within the team. To have that attitude in that we’re all still learning in individual ways. Everything is going as well as it can at the minute.”

• PIPO DERANI, NO. 36 MOBIL 1 / SuCo CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“Having the test in November was very useful for me so I got here knowing what to expect. It had been more than five years since I last drove a GT car. You don’t know what to expect. Then you have your first day in the car, then you second day and then things start coming back.
You tweak your driving a little bit and start getting better and better. We’ve gone through that phase now.

The team has been very supportive and especially Charlie with his experience in the Corvette. I got up to speed quicker than I thought I would, so that’s positive. It’s all about learning the maximum amount for next week.”

• SCOTT McLAUGHLIN, NO. 91 WEATHERTECH CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“Things have been pretty simple so far. Learning the ABS and electronics has been the biggest thing. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve driven a car with electronics like this. Understanding and putting your trust in those are difficult, especially for myself. But you get into a flow reasonably quickly. So yeah, it’s all been good.

“The simulator session (before the Roar) was incredible. Having that opportunity to do that work, I’m very thankful for that now. The way that Chevrolet has integrated us from a part-timers' perspective, they’ve treated us like we are full-time. They’ve been great, and the Corvette drivers have been great.
I’ve texted back and forth with Dani Juncadella a couple of times, and he’s been awesome. It’s what I’m used to in IndyCar. The Team Chevy family is full of good people.”

• SHANE VAN GISBERGEN, NO. 91 WEATHERTECH CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“This event hasn’t changed a lot since I was here last. It’s still the same and has got a nice vibe. It’s awesome to be here with such a cool car.
The Corvette is really easy to drive, but of course we want to make it faster which makes it harder to drive.

So it’s been great to be back here. I wouldn’t say the race is about luck. It’s about getting all the little things right in preparation, making sure all the drivers are comfortable, making sure the team gets everything right. There are so many factors that go into getting a good result at a race like this.
We just have to make sure everything is right.”
 

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Qualify to be on Thursday 2:10 PM EST

No. 91 Trackhouse by TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R

Ben Keating/Scott McLaughlin/Shane van Gisbergen/Connor Zilisch
Justin Marks’ Trackhouse Racing, in partnership with sports car specialists TF Sport, may be a pre-race clubhouse leader for splashy guest entries. Keating only has one Rolex win to his name (2015, GTD) but his extensive sports car experience and championships have solidified his status as one of the pre-eminent Bronze-rated drivers racing globally.
Past Supercars title rivals McLaughlin and van Gisbergen have left their native land behind, learned America, and won races in their new full-time series of IndyCar and NASCAR (both Cup and Xfinity Series).

Then there’s Zilisch, who like van Gisbergen is part of the Red Bull family of athletes, and at age 18 assembled a banner 2024 campaign that included Rolex 24 and Sebring 12 wins with Era Motorsport in LMP2, a win in his NASCAR Xfinity debut at Watkins Glen, and other triumphs in ARCA and Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin. This is one of THE cars to watch.
No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R

Antonio Garcia/Alexander Sims/Daniel Juncadella

The Corvette brand has four GT class victories at the Rolex 24, including an overall triumph in 2001. In the team’s No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, it has another contender with the same trio of Garcia, Sims and Juncadella.
Garcia and Sims partnered to give the new car its first IMSA win at the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Garcia (three) and Juncadella (one) have Rolex 24 wins to their name, while Sims is yet to secure his first Rolex winner’s timepiece.

No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R

Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg/Nico Varrone
It’s hard to believe it’s nearly a decade since Milner’s lone Rolex 24 win, in an epic teammate battle against Garcia in the No. 3 car in 2016. Alas, nine years have passed since that date. But Milner racked up wins with the new Corvette Z06 GT3.R in additional GT3 competition in 2024, even as he and Catsburg’s best result in IMSA competition was second at CTMP in that Corvette 1-2.

Third driver Varrone is new to Corvette Racing’s IMSA program, but not new to winning with Corvette Racing: he, Catsburg and Ben Keating shared the last GTE AM class win at the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Corvette C8.R.

No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R

Salih Yoluc/Alec Udell/Charlie Eastwood/Pipo Derani
DXDT Racing enters IMSA with high potential and storylines peppered across its striking, blue-to-green gradient colored Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Having swept through the SRO World Challenge America season last year with eight straight wins at one point, including the first global win for the new Corvette Z06 GT3.R, DXDT shifts to IMSA for 2025 with many IMSA components already embedded in the program.

Two-time IMSA champion Bryan Sellers steps away from driving and serves as program manager, working alongside DXDT team owner David Askew and general manager Erin Gahagan (who also has extensive IMSA managerial experience).

Among the drivers, Yoluc and Eastwood have raced together before in other global programs, including a 2020 GTE Am class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Udell was part of that SRO sweep of wins last year and has had some IMSA success, including two GTD podiums in 2023.

Derani, a two-time IMSA prototype champion (2021, 2023) with Cadillac Whelen and Action Express Racing, appears set to spend most of his year doing development work with Genesis’ new LMDh prototype while making a GTD cameo at the Rolex 24. Robert Wickens will race with this team starting at Long Beach, with both his debut and that of his electronic hand-brake control system from Bosch one to watch later this year.

No. 13 AWA Corvette Z06 GT3.R

Orey Fidani/Matt Bell (UK)/Lars Kern/Marvin Kirchhoefer
An intended two-car program for AWA dropped to the single, No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R after just two races, but that didn’t halt the momentum or progress this lineup achieved in its first year with the new customer car. Fidani and Bell posted four top-six finishes in the deep GTD class, with Fidani’s consistency clinching the Bob Akin Award and a trip to the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year.
As in past years, Kern completes the Michelin Endurance Cup lineup, while Kirchhoefer replaces Alex Lynn as the Rolex 24 fourth.

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teamzr1

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Corvette factory driver Nico Varrone says his three-race IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup program is “more important” and carries “more responsibility” as he aims to help Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports chase the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Pro title.

Varrone will contest the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, and Motul Petit Le Mans with the works-supported No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R this season alongside full-season drivers Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg after a partial 2024 IMSA campaign aboard the customer No. 17 AWA Corvette.

“Even if it’s three races, it’s three big ones that everyone wants to win,” Varrone told Sportscar365.
“So it’s more important and more responsibility, but with the lineup we have with Tommy and Nicky and with Pratt Miller to back us, I think we have a great chance of putting the Corvette Z06 [GT3.R] on top and to fight for wins.

“I think for every driver to drive in the factory car in IMSA, plus the Corvette with the fan base they have here in America, is great.
“It feels powerful to be in the yellow Corvette. You’re always in other cars watching it. When you see it on track, it’s like, ‘Wow! Maybe one day will be there,’ so I’m enjoying it a lot.”

Varrone’s Corvette driving duties in the WeatherTech Championship will complement his recently-announced Hypercar class drive with Proton Competition in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The 24-year-old Argentinian driver helped Corvette Racing to the 2023 WEC GTE-Am title and contested last season’s Rolex 24 and Twelve Hours of Sebring in the GTD class No. 17 AWA Corvette before the program downsized to run only the sister No. 13 entry.

“I’ve been able to do it in WEC in 2023 with Nicky [Catsburg] and Ben Keating,” said Varrone, “but with it now in IMSA, it’s like another game, another step.
“I want to do a good job myself and help the guys to win races and hopefully be in a position to win the championship in Petit for them. It’s the overall [goal], and mostly do a good job and try to win races.”

Varrone feels his previous experience with Corvette and Pratt Miller in the WEC, a partial WeatherTech Championship season last year, and factory testing duties have helped him prepare for his new challenge.
“[It has helped] being able to work with Pratt Miller, with the Corvette factory guys, learn from them, and knowing everyone in the team, and doing a lot of the development on the GT3 last year,” he said.

“Even when I was not driving in IMSA or in WEC, I was doing a lot of testing with them and developing some stuff, so I feel prepared. I can’t wait to get rolling here in Daytona.

“I love IMSA. I love racing here in this series. It’s super fun, and there are a lot of great drivers, great teams, and great competition.
“Competition is tough, it’s rough, but that’s what racing is all about. I miss that, I enjoy it. I enjoy a lot of tracks here.”
 

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Viewing

Thursday, January 23

2:05 p.m., IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: Qualifying at Daytona International Speedway, Peacock

Friday, January 24

1:30 p.m., IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: Rolex 24 at Daytona, NBC and Peacock
2:30 p.m., IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: Rolex 24 at Daytona, USA and Peacock

Sunday, January 26

Noon, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: Rolex 24 at Daytona, NBC and Peacock

2025_IMSA.jpg
 
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teamzr1

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The three Chevy Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs in the GTD PRO class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sped toward the front of the class Thursday in qualifying ahead of this weekend’s Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Alexander Sims in the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports entry led the way for the Corvette camp by qualifying fourth in the 15-minute session for the 15-car GTD PRO field with a lap of 1:46.012 (120.892 mph) less than a half-second off the class pole-winning time.
Sims had another half-second in hand over Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R from the Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports squad that will see both of its cars on the second and third rows for Saturday’s start.

The No. 91 Trackhouse by TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R will start on the next row after Connor Zilisch’s effort that saw him qualify eighth in class and barely a tenth-of-a-second off Milner’s time.
In the GTD ranks, the DXDT Racing and AWA Corvettes qualified 16th and 17th respectively in the massive 22-car field in the class. Charlie Eastwood did the honors in the No. 36 Corvette Z06 GT3.R for DXDT’s maiden qualifying run as a full-season WeatherTech Championship team. His lap of 1:47.592 (119.116 mph) was about eight-tenths clear of Orey Fidani in the No. 13 AWA Corvette.

GTD PRO Corvette Z06 GT3.R Qualifying Times
• No. 3 Corvette – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Dani Juncadella – 1:46.012 (120.892 mph) – fourth in class
• No. 4 Corvette – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Nico Varrone – 1:46.445 (120.400 mph) – sixth in class
• No. 91 Corvette – Trackhouse by TF Sport – Ben Keating, Scott McLaughlin, Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch – 1:46.579 (120.249 mph) – eighth in class

GTD Corvette Z06 GT3.R Weekend Fast Times

• No. 36 Corvette – DXDT Racing – Charlie Eastwood, Pipo Derani, Alec Udell, Salih Yoluc – 1:47.592 (119.116 mph) – 15th in class
• No. 13 Corvette – AWA – Matt Bell, Orey Fidani, Lars Kern, Marvin Kirchhöfer – 1:48.334 (118.301 mph) – 16th in class

The Rolex 24 marks the start of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the second season of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program.
This year’s group marks the largest number of production-based racing Corvettes in the race since 2007.
The Corvette Racing brand has a deep history at the Rolex 24 and includes four GT class victories, one of those an overall win in 2001. In addition, Corvette’s successes at Daytona have bolstered Chevrolet’s impressive record of 122 wins at the circuit across IMSA and NASCAR’s national series.

The Rolex 24 At Daytona goes green at 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 25 with live television segments on NBC and USA plus flag-to-flag coverage on Peacock in the U.S., and IMSA.com for international viewers.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 OSHKOSH / MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“First of all, low fuel run here. You’re getting a load of laptime on the straights, and the car is pretty alive. Qualifying at any point is quite exciting when it comes down to two or three laps of the tire peak where you’ve got to try and nail a lap, which is always tough in itself. Simply the fact I was doing qualifying, it was exciting.

In these conditions, it was really hard to switch the tire on and I didn’t get it. It was just challenging to switch the tire on compared to normal. The car was feeling nice. This Corvette is lovely. It’s great in loads of phases, but it’s really exciting when you’re driving it on low fuel.

The team gave me a really nice car. We did the best with what we could in terms of the balance of the Corvette out there. It was really nice to drive. Quite a big delta to the Fords. I can imagine where the laptime is gained on that, but well done to those guys, and we’re looking forward to the race.
We’ll know more, honestly, 12, 14, 16 hours into the race. It seems like the car is working well, and that’s all you can ask for now.

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 OSHKOSH / MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“Glad to be at the pointier end of the class. Obviously, P1 is a little bit out of touch there, but otherwise, we’re generally pretty close. We’ve worked very hard in the off season. The engineers have based on last year’s data and the car we’ve had to try and improve our Corvette and I think we’ve done a great job in improving the car. Hopefully, that will translate to a good race for us. So far, reliability-wise, we’ve been very good, which is I think is another important part to make this race successful for this team.
From that side, all good. It’s been a great week so far with my teammates Nicky and Nico.

We’ve got a couple more practice sessions here to work on it a bit more. I think we’re in the hunt. I don’t think we quite have the fastest car, but like I said, we still have two more practice sessions to work on it. I think more than anything, we’ve gone down a good path with the car so far all through the Roar, practice and qualifying as well. Good car balance, so we’ll just continue to tweak on it.”

CONNOR ZILISCH, NO. 91 WEATHERTECH CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“It definitely feels good to get qualifying out of the way. It doesn’t mean too much in a 24-hour race. There are a few cars out there that are going to be tough to beat. We’re going to need some help, but overall the car is driving well, and I think we’ll have a good car for race runs and longer stints. I feel like that’s one thing we were really good at in practice.
Just hoping we can keep that up in the race and keep our car driving well, and I think that will pay off for us.”

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 36 MOBIL 1 / SuCo CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“Not what we expected. Just didn’t seem to be able to generate a lot of grip. It’s a very different condition than what we had in the Roar, and we seemed a bit more comfortable. Both in FP1 and there in qualifying, we just didn’t seem to be able to gain enough grip.
We need to look at the data to see where we’re missing it. Ultimately, if it heats up again for the weekend, we might be in a better window, but we still need to understand why we’re not there at the minute. Bit of work to do, for sure.

“Ultimately, we still had the same opportunities as everyone else to be up front and we’re not. For sure, it’s not a be all to end all with 24 hours to go to the front, which is very straightforward if we have the pace. But we definitely seem to be missing a bit at the minute. It’s going to be a case of working out where we’re missing that, and go from there.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 AWA CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“Qualifying went well. The car felt amazing out there, and it just kept getting better and better with every lap. Huge credit to the team for their hard work dialing it in. I’m feeling confident and excited heading into the race!”
 

teamzr1

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This year’s Rolex 24 brings five Chevy Corvette Z06 GT3Rs together for the largest field of Corvettes to race at the twice-around-the-clock affair since 2007.
This year we’ll have our two Yellow/Black Corvette Z06s from Pratt Miller Motorsports and a new entry from Trackhouse Racing by TF Sport in the GTD Pro class, while AWA Racing and DXDT Racing will each field a single Z06 GT3R entry in the GTD Am class.

2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona

Track: Daytona International Speedway
Race Duration: 24 hours
Circuit Length: 3.56 miles

Entries by Class
• GTP (12)
• LMP2 (12)
• GTD Pro (15)
• GTD (22)

Television/Online Broadcast: (ROLEX 24)

Saturday, January 25 (All Times ET)

USA:
• 1:30 pm ET – 11:59 pm ET Peacock Streaming
• 1:30 pm ET – 2:30 pm ET NBC
• 2:30 pm ET – 6:30 pm ET USA
• 1:35 pm ET – 11:59 am ET IMSA YouTube

International:
• 1:35 pm ET – 11:59 pm ET IMSA TV
• 1:35 pm ET – 11:59 pm ET Rev Canada

Sunday, January 26 (All Times ET)

USA:
• 12:00 am ET – 2:00 pm ET Peacock streaming
• 12:00 pm ET – 2:00 pm ET NBC
• 12:00 am ET – 1:40 pm ET IMSA YouTube

International:
• 12:00 am ET- 1:40 pm ET IMSA TV
• TBA REV Canada

Radio:

IMSA Radio:
IMSA: TV | IMSA
http://radiolemans.0157.org/nplayer.php
 

teamzr1

Supporting vendor
Thanks for posting all this, JR!

Cheers

Mark

Your Welcome Mark
Hope those in the UK have a way to watch this 24 hour race
Does the UK Corvette team have a website or other ways to be reporting how their Z06 is doing during the race ?
Good luck to all 5 Corvette teams and hope they do well !
 

Invetterate

CCCUK Member
Your Welcome Mark
Hope those in the UK have a way to watch this 24 hour race
Does the UK Corvette team have a website or other ways to be reporting how their Z06 is doing during the race ?
Good luck to all 5 Corvette teams and hope they do well !
Can't find a way to watch it at the moment......:confused:
 

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First Hour Completed

Under the best weather to grace Daytona International Speedway all week, Dries Vanthoor led the field of 61 cars to the green flag to start the 63rd annual Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Vanthoor remained out front through the entirety of his opening stint in the No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8, and after the first round of pit stops, he remains out front after the first hour of racing.

Nick Yelloly holds second in the No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06, 13 seconds behind the younger Vanthoor brother, with Jack Aitken in third aboard the No.31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R. Tom Blomqvist has moved up to fourth in the No.60 MSR Acura.

PJ Hyett took the lead in LMP2, taking advantage of a mistake from Ben Keating to move the No. 99 AO Racing ORECA 07 up to the lead.
Keating locked up heading into the West Horseshoe in consecutive laps and conceded not only the lead but second place as well, but he was able to recover and hand off the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports machine off to co-driver Rodrigo Sales from second place.

But now it’s the No. 88 AF Corse car of Luis Perez Companc in second, followed by Chris Cumming in the Pratt Miller Motorsports No. 73, with Sales in fourth.
It wasn’t the best start for Nick Boulle, who spun around on his own at Turn 2. The reigning Jim Trueman Award winner was able to regroup and has time to get his No. 2 United Autosports USA car back up the class order.

GTD PRO has seen multiple lead changes, from pole sitter Mike Rockenfeller to Dan Harper to Andrea Caldarelli.

Right now the advantage is back in the hands of Harper in the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing BMW, with the Fords of Mike Rockenfeller and Frederic Vervisch in second and third, and Alexander Sims running fourth in the No. 3 Pratt Miller Corvette.

Caldarelli was leading in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini, but on his first pit stop, the left-front wheel nut wouldn’t come off, and he slipped down the order as mechanics used hammers to pry the tricky wheel off.

Elliott Skeer led GTD from pole in the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche, but now after pit stops and driver changes, it’s the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG that leads, with Russell Ward taking the baton from Ellis, and Adam Adelson taking over the No. 120 Porsche.

Trent Hindman runs third in the No. 45 WTR Lamborghini, followed by Brendan Iribe in the No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari.

Hour Two

Dries Vanthoor was cruising along with a 25-second lead until an error heading into the pits cost him and BMW M Team RLL the lead of the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Thanks to a strategic call from the Acura Meyer Shank Racing crew, IMSA debutant Kakunoshin Ohta is now leading GTP in the No. 93 Acura ARX-06, despite spinning on cold tires during his first out lap of his first stint in America.

He’s ahead of Frederik Vesti, now aboard the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R in second, with Nick Tandy in the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 in third and the No. 5 Proton Competition Porsche in a pleasantly surprising fourth, in the hands of Julien Andlauer.

Vanthoor misjudged his approach into his pit box, and ended up with his left-front quarter panel against the pit wall. Adding insult to injury, the No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 picked up a drive-through penalty for refueling while the car was on its jacks. That’s left Philipp Eng down the GTP order in 10th.

For fans of the Lamborghini SC63, it’s a bitter and early end for the No. 63’s long-awaited Daytona debut. Mirko Bortolotti drove the No. 63 back to the pits and walked away from the car. The car went behind the wall, into the garage and officially retired with a cooling system issue, as confirmed by a Lamborghini Squadra Corse representative.

The 75 Express Mercedes-AMG GT3 has also suffered a problem just as owner/driver Kenny Habul was bedding in for his first stint, he missed the Bus Stop and the entrance of pit lane with smoke coming off the right-front wheel.
The car has since returned to the race, though it is eight laps down, just after Maro Engel had started the race and driven up to second in GTD PRO.

After the last round of GTD PRO pit stops, Laurin Heinrich leads aboard the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R but is off-sequence after having to make an unscheduled pit stop in the last hour. An apparent mismatch between IMSA and the team’s energy readings led AO Racing to bring “Rexy” in to fix the issue, which has put Heinrich on the back foot.

The No. 65 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3 of Frederic Vervisch took the lead from the BMW of Dan Harper, and the Ford is still in the ‘net lead’ (second place on the road) in GTD PRO.

Antonio Garcia runs third in the No. 3 Corvette, with Augusto Farfus now aboard the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO, after relieving Harper.
Russell Ward has kept the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes up front in GTD, with Adam Adelson running second in the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche, and Misha Goikhberg up into third in the No. 78 Forte Racing Lamborghini.

At this time only the 2 GM Corvette Z06s been running towards the top, the other 3 Corvettes running further back

Standings after 2 hours

hour2.jpg
 

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The sun is beginning to set over Daytona International Speedway

With four hours gone, FIA WEC Hypercar co-champions Laurens Vanthoor and Kevin Estre are running 1-2 overall and in GTP. Vanthoor in the No. 7 Porsche 963 has a seven-second advantage over Estre in the No. 6, which has fully recovered from its sluggish start as the track temperatures begin to sink.

But it’s two German brands vying for the lead with BMW M Team RLL’s two cars third and fourth. Robin Frijns in the No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8 leads Rene Rast in the No. 24, while Felipe Drugovich has taken the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series R up to fifth at the top of the hour.

LMP2 has been mostly dominated by AO Racing and “Spike the LMP2 Dragon,” with Dane Cameron aboard for his first stint in the No. 99 ORECA 07, leading the class by over 45 seconds.

Nick Boulle is back in the No. 2 United Autosports USA machine in second, followed by Luis Perez Companc for AF Corse, and Daniel Goldburg in the No. 22 United Autosports car.

TDS Racing’s No. 11 ORECA is now behind the wall for repairs, joining the now-retired No. 63 Lamborghini SC63 as the only cars not circulating right now.
The Blue Oval is still in front of GTD PRO, but Ford Multimatic Motorsports’ cars have changed places it’s now the No. 64 Mustang GT3 of Seb Priaulx ahead of the No. 65 of Dennis Olsen.

And there’s great news for Pfaff Motorsports fans after the stuck wheel nut problem in the first hour, the No. 9 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 is back in contention with Marco Mapelli in third ahead of the
No. 3 Corvette Racing Z06 GT3.R of Antonio Garcia. Nicky Catsburg is fifth in the No. 4 works Corvette.

Heart of Racing leads GTD with Casper Stevenson up front by over 15 seconds in the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
He took the lead after a broken wing mirror for Forte Racing’s Lamborghini. The entire right-side door needed to be changed in the pit stop.

NASCAR driver/commentator Parker Kligerman is currently second in the No. 78 Lamborghini, with Ayhancan Guven back up to third in the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche, and Marvin Kirchhofer moving up the field in the No. 13 AWA Corvette.

HOUR 4 STANDINGS

https://racer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/85/2025/01/04_Results-by-Hour_Race_Unofficial-4.pdf
 
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