GTD Pro at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona features 13 cars, up from eight in last year’s event. And the number of full-season entries has almost doubled, from five to nine.
Without a doubt, the big news story in this class is the battle between Corvette (General Motors) and Ford, both bringing two brand-new cars to the class. It’s a rivalry that resumes after a four-year gap – back in 2019, it was the Ford GTE vs the Corvette C8.R in GTLM, and now it’s the Ford Mustang GT3 vs the Corvette Z06 GT3.R.
IMSA fans around the world, quite rightly, are eager to see how it all pans out – with both factions entering two cars for the full season, a first for GTD Pro in its third year of existence as the successor to GTLM.
But that’s not all! GTD Pro also features a brand-new GT3 car from Aston Martin, the Vantage GT3 EVO – also making its global race debut. And McLaren joins GTD Pro for the first time, with the 720S GT3 EVO being campaigned by newly-signed factory-backed team Pfaff Motorsports, the inaugural GTD Pro champion in 2022.
Elsewhere, Ferrari, Lexus, Lamborghini, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, and defending champion Lexus are all represented too, with current cars run by elite teams. That adds up to ten manufacturers in GTD Pro – one of the few remaining all-pro GT3 categories in the world today.
Paul Miller Racing
#1 – Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow, Neil Verhagen, Sheldon van der Linde – BMW M4 GT3
The GTD title-winning team and full-season driver pairing graduates to GTD Pro as BMW’s sole representatives. Paul Miller Racing dominated the 2023 season nearly from pillar to post, with five victories on the year they clinched the series titles before the final race.
Bryan Sellers is as rapid and hungry as ever, and the always-quick Madison Snow showed something special in 2023 as he broke through to be a title-winning factor for the #1 team. So special, that Snow has been elevated to BMW M works driver status ahead of this season!
They’re more than just co-drivers of a team – they’re like family. The addition of BMW factory drivers Neil Verhagen and Sheldon van der Linde will do nothing but bolster the readily apparent ambition of one of the most experienced teams in the Daytona paddock.
Corvette Racing By Pratt Miller Motorsports
#3 – Antonio García, Alexander Sims, Daniel Juncadella – Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R
#4 – Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Earl Bamber – Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R
It’s a new era at Corvette Racing, with a new car and a new focus. The brand new full GT3-spec Corvette Z06 GT3.R, is the successor to the C8.R and two of them are entered under the Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports banner, in traditional Velocity Yellow colours.
The driver squads are a blend of long-established Corvette stalwarts and newcomers to the brand. The #3 welcomes back Antonio García for the full season alongside Alexander Sims, the reigning GTP Champion with Action Express and Cadillac, now back in more familiar surroundings in a GT car. New Corvette signing Daniel Juncadella will start his new adventure in Florida as the #3 team’s Michelin Endurance Cup driver – before embarking on a full WEC season with TF Sport.
Car #4 sees the return to full-season action of Tommy Milner, who spent much of 2023 on developmental duties with the new Corvette. He’s joined for the season by reigning WEC GTE Am Champion Nicky Catsburg, with Cadillac WEC Hypercar driver Earl Bamber coming over for Daytona and the Michelin Endurance Cup.
Between the all-star drivers, the new car, and the rekindling of a rivalry with Ford, there’s much to be excited about. It may be a little early to see the best from this package, but never doubt the mettle of Corvette – who’ve won this race four times before.
Pfaff Motorsports
#9 – Oliver Jarvis, Marvin Kirchhöfer, James Hinchcliffe, Alexander Rossi – McLaren 720S GT3 EVO
One of the other big stories in the GTD Pro class is the change in factory allegiance of 2022 GTD Champion and Daytona 24 Hour class-winning squad Pfaff Motorsports, from Porsche to McLaren. As a result, the British brand makes its full-season debut in GTD Pro and does so with a strong team and crew of drivers behind it.
Oliver Jarvis, the final series champion of the DPi era, partners McLaren works ace Marvin Kirchhöfer for the full season aboard the #9 720S GT3 Evo in its orange, blue, and black plaid colours.
Canadian James Hinchcliffe returns to the WeatherTech championship as the Endurance Cup driver, joined at Daytona by his Off Track co-host, Alexander Rossi – no stranger to endurance racing in prototypes, but new to GT racing.
Pfaff is a successful, fan-favourite team with a capable car and strong drivers. Will that lead to a victory in this first chapter of a new partnership?
Vasser Sullivan
#14 – Jack Hawksworth, Ben Barnicoat, Kyle Kirkwood, Mike Conway – Lexus RC F GT3
Vasser Sullivan and Lexus arrive at Daytona on the high of their incredible run to the 2023 GTD Pro Championship, which saw the #14 Lexus RC F GT3, driven by Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat, take two wins and finish off the class podium just twice throughout the season.
The RC F GT3 itself defines the word ‘mature’ in terms of its development, and while newer GT3 cars have come on the scene, the Toyota V8-powered RC F has proven itself to be just as quick as its newer rivals.
They’ve retained the powerful lineup of Hawksworth and Barnicoat for their 2024 title defence. IndyCar race winner Kyle Kirkwood stays at Vasser Sullivan as the #14 team’s Endurance Cup driver, with Toyota Gazoo Racing WEC’s Mike Conway once again bolstering the effort at Daytona – just as he did in 2013 when this car finished third in GTD Pro, the first of nine podiums that year.
This is a well-drilled outfit, rich with driving talent and boasting some of the best engineers and mechanics in the IMSA paddock. A maiden Daytona win for the RC F is by no means out of the question!
Iron Lynx
#19 – Mirko Bortolotti, Jordan Pepper, Andrea Caldarelli, Franck Perera – Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2
#60 – Claudio Schiavoni, Matteo Cressoni, Matteo Cairoli, Romain Grosjean – Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2
The new Lamborghini SC63 LMDh prototype isn’t ready yet, but Iron Lynx is still in Daytona, fielding two GTD Pro entries at the Rolex 24. Lamborghini has a fine record at Daytona with the Huracán GT3, which Iron Lynx hopes to extend in year two with the EVO2 model.
The green #19 Lambo lacks nothing in terms of driver quality with four full-factory drivers, all capable of race-leading pace. Mirko Bortolotti, Jordan Pepper, Andrea Caldarelli and Franck Perera combine for as good a driving squad as any in the class.
Bortolotti will have the privilege of driving in the SC63’s world debut next month while Caldarelli is signed up for the car’s American debut in Sebring.
Iron Lynx planned originally to have cars in both GTD classes, but the yellow #60 was moved into GTD Pro just days before testing commenced.
This car boasts two more Lamborghini Squadra Corse top guns, Matteo Cairoli and Romain Grosjean, the other two-thirds of the IMSA SC63 crew. Iron Lynx co-founder Claudio Schiavoni and driver/coach Matteo Cressoni round out the lineup that has been deemed more suitable for the Pro ranks with the presence of Cairoli and Grosjean.
This creates a unique problem – how to get the most out of Bronze-graded Schiavoni’s required time behind the wheel. If he has a clean run, his team-mates are more than capable of taking over and taking the fight to the rest of the field!
Heart of Racing Team
#23 – Ross Gunn, Alex Riberas, Mario Farnbacher – Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO
With every passing year, Heart of Racing Team continues to grow and perform at the highest levels of sportscar racing. Next year, they’ll debut the new Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar. But this weekend, they’ll give the new Vantage GT3 EVO – with new styling and quality-of-life improvements – its world debut.
Aston Martin factory driver Ross Gunn has become a firm favourite with the team alongside team regular Alex Riberas. They’ve returned to take on the GTD Pro class for the full season. Former Acura GT3 stalwart, “Super” Mario Farnbacher, only adds even more pace and poise for the Michelin Endurance Cup events.
Heart of Racing did win GTD last year with the sister #27 car, but it could very well have been a double victory – the #23 GTD Pro car looked poised to win its class before a suspension issue sunk their chances. Don’t rule out their chances of avenging last year’s loss!
Risi Competizione
#62 – Davide Rigon, Daniel Serra, Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado – Ferrari 296 GT3
Last year in its debut at Daytona, the Ferrari 296 GT3 struggled. Sophisticated as it is, the 296 GT3 suffered from issues with floor mountings that took teams such Risi Competizione out of contention.
This year though, the teething issues are solved – and Risi is back to take the fight to the rest of the field throughout the five-race Michelin Endurance Cup.
Risi arrives with four top-tier, all-works drivers – Rigon, Serra, Pier Guidi, and Calado. Of course, the latter two were part of the crew that scored Ferrari’s famous win in the Centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans. All four drivers have major success in GT cars on their CVs as well. The quartet combined to finish second at Daytona in GTD Pro in 2022.
There’s a lot to like here out of this tenured stalwart of American sportscar racing: A perfectly prepared car designed to be serviceable over long distances, top-notch drivers, and a pedigree of success. Will it all come together for their long-sought first Daytona class win?
Ford Multimatic Motorsports
#64 – Mike Rockenfeller, Harry Tincknell, Chris Mies – Ford Mustang GT3
#65 – Joey Hand, Dirk Müller, Frédéric Vervisch – Ford Mustang GT3
The Blue Oval is back in the pinnacle of sportscar racing, with the new Ford Mustang GT3 – the weapon of choice for the Multimatic-operated Ford factory effort. Immediately, the American rivalry between Ford and Corvette is back on.
The new Mustang GT is a mix of old-school pony car cool, blended with 21st-century tech and dynamics. Whilst its newness counts against it for now, the team assembled around it is of the highest quality with huge experience in the garage, the backroom, and crucially in the cockpits as well – for an effort aimed squarely at success in the highest levels of GT racing.
The #64 features an accomplished full-season duo with ex-DTM champ and Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller, joined by Multimatic man and Le Mans GTE Pro winner Harry Tincknell. Long-time Audi factory man Chris Mies joins the team for Daytona and the Michelin Endurance Cup, as one of Ford’s several high-profile signings.
In the #65, Joey Hand reunites with Dirk Müller, a combination with yet more high-level experience going back to their BMW days. Their pace and problem-solving nous are just what this effort needs. Add in another new Ford signing from Audi with the rapid Frédéric Vervisch and, if the Ford Mustang GT3 is ready for the Rolex 24, that’s two crews capable of producing a strong first result or two.
SunEnergy1 Racing
#75 – Kenny Habul, Maro Engel, Jules Gounon, Luca Stolz – Mercedes-AMG GT3
Though the German brand won’t have any full-season entries, SunEnergy1 Racing is flying the flag for Mercedes-AMG at the Rolex 24 Hours, aiming to accomplish what the Proton-run WeatherTech Racing team did last year when it won GTD Pro.
The orange and blue Mercedes boasts a luxurious trio of Mercedes-AMG factory drivers – Maro Engel, Luca Stolz, and Jules Gounon. Engel and Gounon won last year with the WeatherTech team, and Stolz effectively taking Juncadella’s place results in no drop-off in quality.
Team owner Kenny Habul is the wildcard aboard his car. In the GTD Pro category, having a Bronze driver can be seen as a negative in a class stacked with factory talent. But the Aussie racer/entrepreneur is well-versed in doing what it takes to get his cars to the front and keep them there.
Much of their success will hinge upon the strategy – how best to use Habul’s required time at the wheel, specifically – but last year’s GTD Pro winners made the same play, so SunEnergy1 certainly cannot be counted out!
AO Racing
#77 – Sebastien Priaulx, Laurin Heinrich, Michael Christensen – Porsche 911 GT3 R
Rexy ‘rawrs’ into GTD Pro as AO Racing takes on the mantle as Porsche’s representative team in the premier GTD class.
The dinosaur-liveried Porsche has been an overwhelming fan-favourite from the moment it first rolled out at Sebring last year, and now GTD’s apex predator moves up to GTD Pro with a lineup of young, talented drivers.
Second-generation driver Seb Priaulx stays with the AO Racing team and has been trusted for a full-season campaign alongside ex-Porsche Junior Laurin Heinrich, to form a significantly younger full-season pairing than any other in the class.
They’re joined by Porsche factory hypercar driver and 2018-19 WEC GTE Pro Champion Michael Christensen for Daytona, giving the team a very rapid and experienced hand with 24-hour race wins at both Le Mans and the Nurburgring on his CV.
Above all, one thing is very clear after testing and Qualifying: The troubles suffered by Porsche’s GTD Pro and GTD customers last year that left them unable to fight, won’t happen again. Priaulx’s record-setting run aboard Rexy to capture the class pole position was a testament to that. All they need now is a fault-free race – and Rexy may well stomp into victory lane!
Images © Richard Dole, Jake Galstad, Michael L. Levitt / IMSA
