This column is being written from the press room at Daytona International, that’s notable for several reasons:
It’s my first time back to Daytona since the pandemic struck, it’s my first time at the Roar test in the history of ever, and, it’s the start of the 20th anniversary year for Dailysportscar, the 2002 Rolex 24 Hours was our very first event as the internet age started to blossom – though founding Editor Malcolm Cracknell was already an old hand, his prior websites Sportscar World, Supersportscarworld (don’t ask!) and TotalMotorsport were amongst the true trailblazers from the mid-1990s.
The pic below from Dr Brian Mitchell records the scene in the old Daytona Press Room, The Benny Kahn Center, remembered for its almost complete lack of any facilities whatsoever.
Three of the founding partners for DSC are pictured with John Brooks, yours truly (reading the local newspaper (remember those!!??) and Malcolm Cracknell.
Also featured are long-time DSC pitlane guru Russell Wittenberg, long-time Saleen and later Brembo PR man Jack Gerken.
The effort to get here this year has seen much-valued assistance from several parties, and an open welcome from IMSA in particular, something that is going to be very important moving forward into an exciting new era for our increasingly important corner of motorsport.
Aside from the track-time for the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, Michelin Pilot Challenge and IMSA Prototype Challenge, the next week or so will see several significant news events if plans stay on track, sadly not including the first public ‘reveal’ of the Porsche LMDh after the realities of the world of global logistics impacted the programme just a little too hard to make that possible.
Hang on though because there is still good news to come – very good news – and with more than one major announcement that will not only bring new fans to the sport but will also bolster the passions of the established followers, a factor that is currently often not enough of a priority as race organisers pursue new followers and markets.
As for the event in hand, as DSC readers will have gathered over the past several weeks an excellent grid has been gathering, 61 cars across the new look five IMSA classes, and a refreshing mix of established teams and stars, new talent, and a strong theme of guesting cars, teams and drivers that have re-established the position of this race as an all-star event, despite the logistical challenges.
DPI, whilst only two manufacturers and seven cars deep is a treat in terms of the talents on display. Of the 27 drivers in the class, there are multiple overall Rolex 24 winners, IMSA Champions, Le Mans winners, major endurance race winners, ex F1 talent, current Indycar stars including the reigning Champion, multiple World Champions, a DTM Champion, Indy 500 winners, a multiple NASCAR Champion, and an automobile dealer from Texas.
Ben Keating’s involvement in the field is another extraordinary storyline, the repeat double-duty effort this time taking in the DPi and LMP2 classes – you can read more from Ben on DSC in the run-up to race weekend.
LMP2 too is very healthy, 10 cars with a mix of US and European-based outfits, several of which will be staying on for further IMSA programmes as the Pro-teams with adventure-seeking customers, look for the best bag for their racing buck as we emerge from a period where it’s been tough to be happy in a racing paddock.
It was a pleasure to see the expressions of several European pals as they settled in here for the first time, in particular the Algarve Pro Racing dynamic duo of Sam and Stu Cox, welcomed by IMSA President John Doonan who greeted them warmly and handed over the package which contained IMSA’s anniversary book, and a white envelope which contained a personal message and not, like many other such envelopes handed over in other paddocks, notice of a fine!
Here too there is a galaxy of top talent, indeed there are multiple IMSA Champions, Le Mans winners, major endurance race winners, ex F1 talent, current Indycar stars, multiple World Champions, a DTM Champion, and an automobile dealer from Texas.
Whilst that list is less impressive when we move on to LMP3 (and doesn’t feature Ben Keating!), the nine-car entry does not lack quality with North American and European talents on display in abundance.
Notable here is a multiple race winner and Champion in Joao Barbosa, taking part in his 20th Rolex 24 Hours, a race he has won overall three times and with a class win too. He’ll be very happy indeed if he adds another class win here with Sean Creech Motorsport, he is joined by young talents Set Priaulx and Malthe Jacobsen, more from this trio too as we get nearer to the race!
Onto GTD where the combined grid of 35 cars is impressive to behold. That total includes 13 in the GTLM-replacing GTD Pro class and there’s little doubt that the fortunes of that class, and its interweaving with the Pro-Am GTDs will be a story that runs and runs.
Notably, the early running has seen the new BMW M4 GT3s and the ‘adapted from GTLM’ Corvettes almost welded to the bottom of the timing screens. It would be fair to say that there seem very few furrowed brows around in the relevant garages, BoP politics, a conservative approach, or racing niggles. It will be an interesting process to see just exactly what emerges in the coming days, if anything, as a result of the lack of pace. This writer is simply having an episode of Bahrain 6 Hours deja vu.
In part at least there is the question of the amount of running that Corvette has had with the cars in this trim, this weight, and on these tyres. In the case of the BMW, there is something of a question about some aspects of the rapid serviceability of some aspects of the new car.
To be clear, if the teams are struggling, they are great teams they’ll get over it before the running really matters. If the assertion is that BoP is faulty to the degree that the gap suggests then that would be a remarkable ‘miss’ by a technical team that has seldom missed to that degree!
Put another way, let’s see how long that lack of pace lasts in the current spec eh? Aside from all of that the other lasting question is just how the two classes will race together, and how much of a challenge for the DPi’s and LMP2’s such a deep group of GTDs will present.
All things considered, there have been multiple story strands of real interest coming into this race meeting, there are multiple more as we progress through testing and there’s pretty much zero doubt that will continue into and through the race week to come.
It’s good to be back!
