Chadwick looking forward to ELMS challenge
This year’s Daytona 24 Hours Grand Marshal, Jamie Chadwick, gave her remarks to the press this morning, and said that she hopes to be back next year as a driver.
Chadwick, the past W Series and British GT Champion, Indy NXT race winner, Rolex Testimonee (brand ambassador) – and for our purposes, IDEC Sport European Le Mans Series driver – expressed excitement as she moves back into sports car racing full-time, under contract with Korean automaker Genesis.
“It’s a really exciting programme. I think LMP2 in the ELMS is really competitive, and a really good opportunity for me,” Chadwick remarked. “As a Silver driver, the way it works with the (driver) grading system there, it can really help me learn and sort of develop in my first year.
“And then of course, with the Genesis backing, it gives one eye on the ultimate goal, one day, of obviously progressing into Hypercar.”
With IDEC Sport helping to prepare Genesis Magma Racing’s upcoming FIA WEC Hypercar endeavours for 2026 and beyond, and Chadwick eager to take the next step in her career – her progress in ELMS will be worth keeping an eye on.
“I think being involved in the beginning is also going to be great, to learn as much as possible,” she added. “There’s a lot of KPIs (key performance indicators) and all these things to hit to guarantee anything in Hypercar, but it’s great to have that alignment at this stage.
“In LMP2, it’s going to be a much bigger challenge. I think getting acclimatised in ELMS – but then Le Mans, obviously, is the big race. So, first 24-hour race in LMP2, really understanding multi-class racing, the rules, the difference in driving style for the endurance race – all these things, and having team-mates as well.
“I’m really looking forward to the challenge, and I’m excited to see what we have in store!”
Magnus Racing stream is back
Bringing back yet another tradition ahead of its pause from competition, Magnus Racing’s infamous pit side webcast will return for Saturday’s 63rd Rolex 24 at Daytona.
It will give fans a one-of-a-kind glimpse into the inner workings of a team for all 24 hours of competition, this year’s webcast will take a different approach from previous years, focusing more on team communications and competition.
“We’re excited to bring the webcast back,” stated Magnus Racing team owner John Potter. “The pit side webcast was something we always enjoyed presenting to the fans, and as we look to step away for a bit we thought this would be the right time to bring it back. It will be a slightly different look from previous years, but I think fans will really appreciate the complete insight into just how a team communicates and plans over the course of a 24-hour race.”
Contrasting with previous broadcasts, this year’s webcast will feature an un-hosted stream, but with complete access to cameras within the team’s pit, and most notably team communications. Accessing the team communications, fans will get a rare glimpse into the conversations, considerations, and antics among the team’s drivers, engineers, and strategists as they go through the trials and tribulations of the famed endurance event.
The Magnus Pitside Webcast can be found via both the team’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/@MagnusRacing44.
Women In Motorsport North America
Yesterday Women In Motorsports North America (WIMNA) announced its fifth annual Women With Drive summit that will take place at the Indiana Convention Centre in Indianapolis on 9/10 December 2025. Mobil 1 will return as the presenting sponsor of the summit for the fourth year running (represented by Michelle Hassinger, OEM Marketing Manager for ExxonMobil).
WIMNA co-founder and racing legend Lyn St. James, and executive director Cindy Sisson, were part of a press conference announcing the event and explaining their vision for growing the sport through female involvement. They were joined by Penske Entertainment Senior Vice President, Allison Melangton, who was named Honourary Chair of WIMNA, and PRI (Performance Racing Industry) President, Michael Good.
The press conference was also preceded by the third annual WIMNA Photo Shoot in Daytona’s famous Victory Lane, where IMSA’s women competitors including Tatiana Calderón (Gradient Racing) and Christina Lam (Rockwell Autosport Development) stood front and centre with their sisters and in front of their male allies.
Brembo announces multi-year partnership
Braking systems company Brembo and the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), announced a multi-year partnership that named Brembo Braking a Technology Partner of IMSA.
As an IMSA Official Partner, Brembo will support its customers through an integrated IMSA marketing programme, reaching fans and IMSA teams, as well as IMSA’s 18 automotive manufacturer partners.
The partnership builds upon Brembo’s strong position as the leading brake system supplier to teams in every class and series within IMSA.
“This collaboration with Brembo underscores IMSA’s multi-faceted value proposition for its partners,” said IMSA VP of Partnership Marketing and Business Development, Brandon Huddleston. “This new partnership also supports the shared vision of both parties to push the boundaries of performance and innovation on the racetrack to develop future technologies that will advance safety and reliability for future road cars and other vehicles.”
Spotted in the paddock
Former GM sports car boss Laura Wontrop Klauser is here at the Speedway catching up with old friends this weekend and spoke with DSC for the first time since leaving her role at the end of the 2024 FIA WEC season.
She isn’t the only member of the previous phase for the GM sportscar effort, as senior members of the Chip Ganassi Racing team – Chris Wheeler and Mike O’Gara – were spotted touring the paddock over the past two days.
CGR is known to be working on a return to top-level sportscar racing after cutting ties with Cadillac at the end of last season.
With Genesis confirmed and Ford and McLaren believed to be on the way to the IMSA GTP class, might we see them back sooner rather than later?
A high-profile delegation from the ACO and LMEM is also on-site now, led by ACO President Piere Fillon and LMEM CEO Frederic Lequien.
On the driver front, former Rolex 24 winner Max Papis is here supporting his nephew Pietro Fittipaldi and the aforementioned Lyn St. James is present as part of WIMNA.
What they’re gunning for!
Here is a look at the engraved Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona which the winners will receive tomorrow afternoon:
Image above courtesy of Rolex
