Job van Uitert will join TDS Racing to make his second appearance at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Van Uitert has been in quite some demand after a successful season with Panis Racing that saw the team finish second in the final standings of the European Le Mans Series with four podium places in six races and earning an automatic invitation to the centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Van Uitert is reunited at TDS Racing with former Racing Team Netherlands teammate Giedo van der Garde, with whom he also raced together two years ago for his Daytona debut.
In addition to Van der Garde, Van Uitert will race alongside 16 year old Josh Pierson, who won the 1000 Miles of Sebring at the start of this season in the LMP2 class of the World Endurance Championship. The quartet of drivers for the car is completed by French gentleman driver François Heriau.
Although he is not officially a Daytona debutant, Van Uitert has literally not even raced a metre on the famous speedway. As a Racing Team Netherlands driver, he had to watch as one of his teammates suffered a race-ending crash in the second hour of the race. As a result, Van Uitert says he still has unfinished business on the circuit in Florida.
“I am very grateful to TDS Racing and François for the opportunity to participate in this legendary event, after 2021 this will be my second time around.
“With this lineup, I believe we definitely have a chance to fight for class victory, although everyone knows the Rolex 24 chooses its own winners. It is up to us to be as prepared as possible and to keep our heads down throughout the entire week.
“I’m convinced that Giedo, Josh and François share the same fighting spirit as me, and I cannot wait to get behind the wheel of the #35 machine.
“Having not been able to drive in my first official participation in this fantastic race, I feel like I still have something to set right at Daytona. Two years ago I experienced the great atmosphere for over a week and I secretly dreamed of a podium finish in LMP2, until our car, unfortunately, broke down due to the accident that one of my teammates had at the time.”
“Of course, I now have some experience in driving 24-hour races. I have already started four times on the Circuit de la Sarthe, for the 24 hours of Le Mans. However, this twenty-four-hour race is difficult to compare with the competition in France. In terms of track dimensions, Daytona is many times smaller. Because we race in January, it is also a lot cooler and we ride in the dark for most of the race.”
“Daytona 2023 promises to be one of the most spectacular editions in recent history as many new LMDh cars debut. There are opportunities for LMP2 teams there because nobody knows how reliable the new cars are. In addition, the LMP2 competition is incredibly strong. I have already seen several names on the entry list where I know the driver in question can put a lot of effort into the throttle, the TDS Racing line-ups stand out in particular.”
The Rolex 24 at the Daytona International Speedway will be held on the weekend of January 28 and 29, 2023. The start will take place on Saturday evening around 7:40 PM Dutch time, the finish is logically exactly one day later. In the Netherlands, the action can be followed live via Ziggo Sport.
