Spotter guide now available
Andy Blackmore’s spectacular 2024 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona spotter guide, which is fully up to date following the Roar, is now available to download HERE >>>
For those at the circuit this week, it will be available in print from tomorrow.
Below you can see all of the liveries Andy has designed that are present in the IMSA paddock this week. And there are more to come for Sebring too!
The 2024 field assembles
The full 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship field was pictured heading into Turn 1 at Daytona for the annual full-grid shot. The field is led by the four 2023 class championship-winning cars from Action Express, PR1 Mathaisen, Vasser Sullivan and Paul Miller Racing.
Kellymoss Porsche ready to race
The #92 Kellymoss with Riley GTD class Porsche 911 GT3 R 992 is fully rebuilt and ready to race, following the lengthy repairs required after the car’s heavy impact in GTD Qualifying on Sunday over the past two days.
The car has been rebuilt around a replacement shell, which coincidentally is the team’s #91 Porsche 911 GT3 R 992 which was withdrawn from the entry list for the Rolex 24 late last year.
Rebel Rock to race test car
Rebel Rock Racing is set to race with the new-for-2024 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 as planned on Friday in the first Michelin Pilot Challenge season opener.
The team was due to give the global race debut to the car last weekend in VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, but the car was sidelined with what was believed to be a gearbox/electronics problem. The car was withdrawn from the race and taken back to the team’s shop in Deland, where the problem was fully diagnosed as a mechanical powertrain issue.
DSC understands that whilst the team has now taken delivery of the first production 2024 Vantage GT4, Rebel Rock will race the test car in Friday’s Pilot Challenge opener, as originally planned. That race will now serve as the car’s global debut instead.
How did the new GTD cars fare at the Roar?
Last weekend’s Roar was a key part of the preparations for the Rolex 24 for every team, but particularly the teams bringing brand-new cars to the race.
12 months ago was all about GTP and the all-new prototype field at the front, this time it’s GTD Pro and GTD that are in sharp focus, with new cars making their global debuts from Aston Martin, Corvette and Ford. So how did they get on?
For Aston Martin, which is here with three new 2024 Vantage GT3s being fielded by Heart of Racing and Magnus Racing. As a whole, it was a productive test for all three cars. The Magnus Vantage completed 169 laps across the three days, while the two Heart of Racing examples completed 151 and 170 respectively, with the #23 in GTD Pro topping the times in the fourth session.
Where the Aston was lacking was in Qualifying pace. The #23 from Heart of Racing in GTD Pro will start 11th in class, over a second off the pole time, while the two in GTD will start at the very back in 21st and 22nd. The #27 ended up over eight seconds off the pole time after suffering a technical issue during the session.
Meanwhile, the four Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs had an up-and-down Roar, 15 months after the car’s first track test.
Both Pratt Miller cars required an engine change during the weekend, which was far from ideal and cost the team valuable track time. However, feedback from drivers on the car was encouraging, the team managed to find a good set-up quickly. Qualifying for the Rolex on Sunday also produced strong results, with the #3 setting a 1:44.786 to take third on the grid in GTD Pro.
Customer team AWA meanwhile, managed to complete plenty of laps with its pair of Z06 GT3.Rs. The #13 in particular, ran to a metronomic programme and completed an impressive 159 laps across the five sessions for GTD cars, more than both Pratt Miller Corvettes.
“I think we were all just finding our feet early,” said Corvette factory driver Charlie Eastwood, who is entered against the #17 AWA Corvette. “It’s looking very positive but we are continuing to go through all the normal procedures… for example, the guys have never changed a set of brakes, we’ve never done an oil dump. Getting all these contingencies and what-ifs are things we continue to try to get through.
“That list of stuff that we needed to run through felt like it was endless, but we’ve gone through so much and I feel like within in the team we are confident in our own ability. To go through that in basically two race event days is pretty promising.”
That leaves Ford. The good news is that both factory Mustangs completed more than 150 laps apiece, the high point being the #64 topping the second session. Proton’s GTD class Mustang also enjoyed a reliable run, completing 199 tours of the Speedway, the most of all the new GT3 cars in the field.
The disappointment for Ford comes in its Qualifying performances across the board. In GTD Pro the factory cars could only muster times good enough ninth and 13th, with the #65 just under a second off the pole time and the #64 1.458 off, making it the slowest of the GTD Pro cars.
Proton’s GTD Mustang meanwhile, will start 15th in class after Dennis Olsen’s efforts.
For Ford, and Aston Martin for that matter, clearly it is early days. It wouldn’t be wise to read too much into the lap times at this point. Better to wait until Sunday morning before coming to any conclusions on performance.
IMSA makes significant BoP changes in GTD
The IMSA GTD and GTD Pro class cars have received significant Balance of Performance changes following last weekend’s Roar test. The new table features adjustments to 10 of the 11 cars in the field, the only outlier being the Lexus RC F GT3.
On the other end of the scale, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 has seen the most significant change ahead of tomorrow’s practice, with a 15 kg weight reduction, a 1mm increase in restrictor diameter, a 8.5 kw power increase, a 1 degree wind angle change and a three-litre fuel capacity increase. (The Mercedes is the only car with a restrictor adjustment.)
Elsewhere, the Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini and Porsches have been dealt weight increases, while the Aston Martin and McLaren have been handed 10 kg weight breaks. All but three of the cars (the Ford, Lamborghini and Lexus) have had fuel capacity changes.
The full BoP table can be viewed HERE >>>
Keating on GTP driving
Ben Keating, who is pulling double duty this week at Daytona, driving in United’s #2 ORECA and the JDC-Miller Porsche 963, spoke at length about the challenges of getting up to speed in an LMDh car during last weekend’s Qualifying press conference.
It’s fair to say that the Texan, who nabbed pole in LMP2 with United, is relishing the chance to drive two very different prototypes on the banking.
“You know, I really one of the things I love about doing two different cars is I do feel like I learned a lot in both. I get more seat time obviously because I’m driving in two cars, but they’re all different,” he said.
“This is probably the most difficult switch between two cars I’ve ever had. The GTP is just, it’s different enough from the LMP2 that it makes it a challenge. I’m much more comfortable here at the Roar than I was when I tested it. A month ago.
“A month ago I was it was a lot to take in, you know, especially going out on cold tyres and learning how to warm up those. Those GTP tyres present a special kind of challenge.
“The GTP cars have so much power. You have to learn how to manage that as you come out of a corner, but they’re a little heavier than the LMP two car is and I feel like I can be a little bit more aggressive with the LMP two going into the brake zones and into the corners. But where I’ve struggled with the P2 car throughout the test has been in the Bus Stop.
“The JDC Miller Porsche 963 just glides over the bumps at the Bus Stop so nicely that it’s helped give me a lot more confidence in the Bus Stop in the P2. I feel like that’s it’s really helped me on both ends.”
LMDH & LMH differences ‘overplayed’ – Hartley
WTRAndretti GTP driver Brendon Hartley says the differences between current LMDh and LMH spec prototypes are ‘overplayed’ ahead of his second GTP class start at Daytona this weekend.
Hartley is of course a full-time Toyota Gazoo Racing Hypercar driver, and one of only a handful of drivers to have raced in cars from both sides of the new converged formula.
“I think the differences are probably somewhat overplayed,” he said. “All the cars go through the same homologation process with weight, power and aero. Toyota, Peugeot and Ferrari have different configurations with the e-motor on the front axle, but that has its advantages and disadvantages. If you take a wider view though, both Cadillac and Porsche showed strong pace at times.
“I’ve been lucky enough to drive both the Acura and Toyota, there are some differences but there are probably going to be equal differences between all the LMDh cars. Hopefully, we are going towards an even playing field in the FIA WEC.”
Braun signs with OGMM
2023 Rolex 24 Hours winner Colin Braun has joined Oliver Gavin Motorsport Management’s driver stable.
The American will work closely with former Corvette Racing factory driver Oliver Gavin and current AWA IMSA driver Matt Bell as he looks to pursue high-level opportunities for the coming season and beyond.
🤝 We are delighted to reveal that we will now be representing Colin Braun for all his racing activities.
Colin has had huge success in a wide variety of cars worldwide and we are looking forward to working closely with him in 2024 👀
📸 Fred Hardy / Crowdstrike Racing#OGMM pic.twitter.com/zVFoa4yQxo
— OGMM (@OG_MManagement) January 24, 2024
Featured image courtesy of Michelin, on-track images courtesy of IMSA/Levitt/Dole
