Lone Star Racing will make its Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona debut this year as part of a five-race IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup campaign.
Salih Yoluç, Rui Andrade, Scott Andrews, and Adam Christodolou will drive the #80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the GTD class at Daytona, with Yoluç, Andrade, and Andrews competing in the subsequent MEC rounds at Sebring, Watkins Glen, Indianapolis, and Road America.
LSR ran a full-time IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge campaign last year with Andrews and Anton Dias Perera, and the duo also made a one-off GTD appearance at the Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
They were also the organisation responsible for preparing Craft-Bamboo Racing’s winning car in the 2022 Indianapolis 8 Hour race, which finished second in last year’s edition of the event.
“Our first Rolex 24 At Daytona campaign marks another milestone for Lone Star Racing and we are ready for the challenge,” said AJ Petersen, Lone Star Racing Team Manager and Technical Director.
“We have been fortunate to assemble a top group of drivers that know how to win on the worldwide international sports car endurance racing stage and we know we will give them a competitive Mercedes-AMG GT3 that will keep them in the hunt in Daytona.”
The first Turkish driver to win their class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Yoluç won the 2020 race with TF Sport and has since won LMP2 championships in the European and Asian Le Mans Series. He has made one previous start at the Daytona 24 Hours, finishing fourth in LMP2 in 2021. “It was on my bucket list to do the IMA Endurance Cup full season so I’m happy that is coming true now. I am very excited to be starting in the Rolex 24, which is the 24 hour race I want to win personally,” said Yoluç.
Andrade is the first driver from Angola to win in any class of the FIA World Endurance Championship, and the reigning and final LMP2 class champion in the WEC. He finished third in the 2022 Daytona 24 Hours and won the Petit Le Mans with Tower Motorsports. Ahead of his first WEC LMGT3 campaign with TF Sport, Andrade will supplement his 2024 schedule with this Michelin Endurance Cup campaign.
“IMSA is one of the coolest series I’ve raced in,” Andrade said. “I love racing in the U.S. and I am excited to be back with Lone Star Racing. It will be quite a challenge to switch to GT mode after three seasons in prototypes, but I am looking forward to it. We have an epic calendar, including the Indianapolis Motor Speedway which has been on my bucket list for a long time.”
Andrews won the LMP3 class in the 2021 Daytona 24 Hours and is eager to kickstart a campaign that was on the verge of collapse during the winter. “For sure, in November and December it looked like we probably weren’t going to be on the grid in any sort of shape or form in 2024,” said the Australian driver. “Plans can fall through, but to literally start entirely from scratch in November is hard.
“We all put our heads together, and I suppose I tried to take on a bit more of a role as not just a driver on the team but being there for AJ and doing everything I can to possibly help him. It’s really exciting to finally make Lone Star Racing’s debut at the Rolex 24.”
Joining the team at Daytona is Christodolou, whose endurance racing career is headlined by overall victory in the 2016 Nürburgring 24 Hours. He is making his fourth start at Daytona. “I was really happy when I got the call from Mercedes-AMG and AJ,” Christodolou said. “I think it is a great opportunity. The last few times I raced in Daytona I have finished sixth, fourth and third, so it is one of those where you want to be fighting for the top spot like everyone.”
Feature image © Jake Galstad / IMSA
