Jackie Chan DCR JOTA has announced that Williams F1 driver Lance Stroll will race with it at the 2018 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona in January with Formula E racer Felix Rosenqvist, Audi supported driver Robin Frijns and Mercedes factory driver Daniel Juncadella in an ORECA 07 Gibson.
Quartet will race together as part of a two-car team for Jackie Chan DC Racing’s Daytona 24 Hours debut. The 2017 Le Mans LMP2-winning team’s second line-up for the race will be revealed soon.
The four drivers know each other well, having either competed in the same series or in the case of Stroll and Rosenqvist within the same team. The pair were teammates in the 2015 FIA European Formula Three championship at Prema Powerteam where Rosenqvist took the title, a feat which Stroll duplicated a year later.
Frijns and Juncadella will make their Rolex 24 Hours debuts in 2018, while Stroll and Rosenqvist have previous experience at the Floridan endurance classic. Stroll competed at the Rolex 24 Hours back in 2016 with Ford Chip Ganassi Racing in a Riley DP with Alex Wurz, Andy Priaulx and Brendon Harltey (below), finishing fifth overall. That same year Rosenqvist made his debut at the race with Starworks Motorsport in the PC class.
“We are going to Daytona to enjoy, compete and of course try and win. I always want to be best and most competitive I can be,” Stroll said.
“I’ll be out there with some of my buddies in the same car and it is going to be a pleasure to do this race again as I just love to race. We are the four young guns so it will be great fun I’m sure because we go way back together. A big part of Daytona is who you share the car with so I’m really looking forward to it.
“There won’t be any fuel or tyre management to worry about, and it will be racing hard and racing in traffic which I will enjoy. I’ve heard a lot of great things about the Jackie Chan DCR JOTA team so I can’t wait to be a part of it.
“I am really grateful to Williams Martini Racing for realising I want to keep my racing sharpness through the winter and letting me race at Daytona.”
Jota Group Director Dave Clarke added: “The collection of talent that we have been able to secure for the Rolex 24 at Daytona is very exciting. As a team this shows the trust in quality that the Jackie Chan DCR JOTA team can bring to the best endurance races in the world.
“Lance, Felix, Daniel and Robin are a collection of some of the finest young talents to emerge in recent years. To have them all in the same car for such an important race like the Rolex 24 at Daytona is an important milestone in Jota’s history.
“What Lance has achieved in his short career has been super impressive and he is clearly a quality racer and has a great future ahead of him. It will be fantastic to have him in the team.”
David Cheng, Driver and co-founder of Jackie Cheng DC Racing
“I’m delighted to welcome Lance, Felix, Robin and Daniel into our team. Their speed and calibre is well known, as well as their past experiences with sports car and endurance racing.
“With this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona being the most competitive I’ve seen in decades, the addition of this fantastic line up will help us ensure the best odds to pursue the top step of another famous 24 hour podium.”
Jackie Chan DC Racing’s quartet join a star-studded Prototype field for the 2018 Rolex 24 Hours which includes DPi efforts from Mazda, Acura, Cadillac and Nissan and LMP2 efforts from United Autosports, who will compete with Paul Di Resta and Fernando Alonso.
Photos courtesy of Jakob Ebrey Photography
