Alex Palou, the reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion, will race at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R.
Palou will round out the four-man team consisting of Sebastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon and Renger van der Zande, who raced together as a group previously in the #01 Cadillac at the 24 Hours At Daytona in 2022.
“I’m very excited to return to Daytona after competing with the team in the DPi era in 2022. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the new Hybrid and it will be a great way to start the year early with such a great team and with such great teammates,” said Palou. “I’ve had the privilege of racing with Scott, Sebastien and Renger and I’m sure with all the preparation and knowledge that the team has, we’ll be able to fight for a win and maybe bring home some new watches at the end of January.”
Palou recorded the fastest lap time of any driver in the field (1:33.724/136.742 mph) during the 2022 endurance event.
Alvarez To DragonSpeed
Sebastian Alvarez of Mexico will be the fourth driver of the DragonSpeed LMP2 entry for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
The 21-year-old European Le Mans Series rising star will fill the #81 car’s silver-ranked slot alongside the team’s 2022 Rolex-winning Bronze pilot Eric Lux, 2023 Rolex LMP2 victor James Allen, and Allen’s ELMS co-champion – and Ganassi INDYCAR rookie – Kyffin Simpson.
Following his early open-wheel exploits in British F4 and GB3, Sebastian made the move to sportscars in 2022.
The Mexico City native is a member of the prestigious Escuderia Telmex driver development program and brings a combination of speed and experience to his second Rolex 24 outing.
“I am very happy to return to Daytona, this time in LMP2 with DragonSpeed,” said Alvarez. “Last year we were leading LMP3 when we retired with a mechanical issue, so I feel there is unfinished business for me here. The team is so experienced and has already won this special race three times, so I am confident that if we stay out of trouble, we can challenge for the win in the final hours. I am motivated and ready!”
DragonSpeed team principal Elton Julian said, “Sebastian continues our team’s tradition of helping to put promising silver-ranked drivers on the map. He’s young and fast, but has also shown plenty of savvy and discipline in his ELMS career to date. He understands the job at hand, and rounds out a great driver lineup for our return to the Rolex.”
Alex Palou pic courtesy and copyright Ganassi Racing
