Aston Martin Formula One reserve driver Felipe Drugovich is set to make his Rolex 24 Hours debut in January with Action Express Racing.
The Brazillian was confirmed to drive the Whelen-backed #31 Cadillac V-Series.R in January with Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti during the IMSA Sanctioned Test.
It will be his second twice-around-the-clock race with Cadillac after he made his Le Mans 24 Hours debut with the GM brand back in June, also with Action Express (pictured, below).
“I am really delighted to be here in Daytona for the first time,” he said over the weekend.
“AXR and Cadillac gave me the opportunity to do my first Le Mans 24 Hours and now they are putting me to do the other mythical 24 hours — the Daytona one in January 2025.
“Hope to help the team and my fellow drivers in this exciting and unforgettable experience, starting with these tests. I feel privileged and happy to be here.”
In addition to confirming Drugovich for the Rolex 24, Cadillac also revealed that Frederik Vesti (below) will stand in for Earl Bamber at Action Express for the IMSA race at Laguna Seca in May.
This is due to a clash for full-time AXR GTP driver Earl Bamber with the FIA WEC race at Spa. The Kiwi will travel to Belgium with Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA rather than California as part of his dual FIA WEC-IMSA programme in 2025 with the brand.
The race at Laguna adds to the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team reserve driver’s five-race Michelin Endurance Cup campaign with AXR.
In preparation for his 2025 programme with Cadillac, Vesti gained valuable experience behind the wheel of a V-Series.R in both the FIA WEC Bahrain Rookie Test and IMSA Sanctioned Test. The experience over the past month, the Dane says, has been overwhelmingly positive.
“I can’t stop smiling, to be honest,” he said after his run at Daytona. “Being with Cadillac for the first time in Bahrain was a good experience but to finally start working with Action Express Racing and the whole Cadillac family in the U.S. is really cool.
“I’ve been looking forward for a few months now to get going with this programme and now we’re finally here. These first few days have been really positive.
“I feel confident and comfortable in the car, which is not a given when you jump into a new car. From Lap 1, I’ve been really confident in this car. Therefore, I’m looking forward to the future.”
Featured image courtesy of Cadillac
