The provisional timetable for the 63rd annual Rolex 24 at Daytona and the preceding Roar Before the 24 pre-event tests have both been revealed, confirming a few key changes to the weekend format for the opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The Rolex 24 starts at 1:40 PM EST (local time) on Saturday, 25 January, and should finish at the same time on Sunday, 26 January.
But Qualifying for the Rolex 24 has moved from the Sunday of the “Roar” weekend (17–19 January) to Thursday 23 January, two days before the big race. It’s the first time that Qualifying will be held on race week since 2020.
This change is to accommodate GTD Pro and GTD Targeted Performance Testing that will take place during the Roar. All GTD Pro teams must participate in the two TPT sessions, and manufacturers without a car in GTD Pro must support at least one, but no more than two teams for these designated sessions that will be run by a Gold or Platinum-graded driver.
Rolex 24 Qualifying begins at 2:10 PM EST on Thursday, highlighting a change in the 2025 IMSA Sporting Regulations aimed at elevating the GTD Pro class above GTD in specific race scenarios.
GTD and GTD Pro will have separate 15-minute qualifying sessions, beginning with GTD. All GTD Pro cars will line up on the starting grid ahead of all GTD cars, regardless of the best times set in Qualifying. In addition to the start of the race, GTD Pro and GTD cars will also be split up during the Safety Car procedure ahead of restarts.
Both categories will still use the same Balance of Performance and the same specification of Michelin Pilot Sport tyres.
There is no change to the Qualifying format in GTP or LMP2: Both will run separate 15-minute qualifying sessions with each LMP2 team’s Bronze driver designated for Qualifying and the start of the race.
Three IMSA WeatherTech Practice sessions are scheduled for the week of the Rolex 24. The first 90-minute Practice begins Thursday at 10:05 AM, with Night Practice on the same day at 6:30 PM, followed by a one-hour Final Practice on Friday at 11:20 AM.
For the Roar weekend, there are seven Test Sessions scheduled across three days: Two on Friday 17 January at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM, three on Saturday 18 January at 11:15 AM, 3:10 PM, and 6:30 PM, and then two more on Sunday 19 January at 9:45 AM and 2:30 PM. The seventh and final Test Session is reserved exclusively for Bronze-graded drivers in LMP2 and GTD.
Michelin Pilot Challenge will also test during the Roar weekend, with five sessions scheduled from Friday to Sunday. In between, the IMSA VP Racing Challenge Series will run its first two races of 2024 during the Roar. The 45-minute sprints start Saturday at 2:00 PM and Sunday at 1:20 PM.
The four-hour BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge starts Friday 24 January at 1:45 PM, with Qualifying on Thursday starting at 1:15 PM.
Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup will also run two 45-minute sprints at Daytona to kick off their season, on Thursday 23 January at 4:00 PM, and Friday 24 January at 10:15 AM.
PROVISIONAL SCHEDULES
- ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA >> (22–26 January)
- ROAR BEFORE THE 24 >> (17–19 January)
Images © Jack Webster / Dailysportscar.com
