[IMSA] 2024 Daytona 24 Hour

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60 car Preliminary Entry list released.

IMSA has released a preliminary entry list for the 62nd running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, featuring a number of driver lineups in a 60-car field for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener.

Published on Tuesday, the list features ten cars in GTP, 12 in LMP2, 13 in GTD Pro and 25 in GTD.

While a number of lineups across the four classes have been confirmed, the vast majority of entries still have TBAs listed, including eight teams (one in LMP2, two in GTD Pro and five in GTD) that have not yet nominated any drivers.

As expected, the No. 63 Iron Lynx Lamborghini SC63 LMDh car will not compete at Daytona and is instead likely to debut at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

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2024 Daytona 24 Hours Provisional Entry List
All 60 cars and announced drivers

We have today moved on from the preliminary entry list to the Provisional entry list being released...... complete with a lot of the TBA's filled in but still a few there particularly in the GTD ranks.

https://www.dailysportscar.com/2023/12/ ... -list.html

[erwin greven]

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.Rolex 24 News Notebook, ROAR Set-up Gallery

[erwin greven]

VP Racing SportsCar Challenge - Daytona - Race 1

https://aceztrims.pages.dev/lmsa/

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A bit out of date as it is only P1, but quite a good summary video of that session.





More current info from P2

In P2 Palou has kept the Caddy at the top.

P2 Report: https://racer.com/2024/01/25/palou-keep ... -practice/


Full Results for P2 by class. . https://racer.com/wp-content/uploads/si ... tice-2.pdf


Since P2 they have also had a night session..... The only night session before the race, critical to drivers who are required to complete some night running in order to drive in the dark during the race.

Drivers put in their crucial Thursday night practice in conditions similar to what they’re likely to experience after the sun sets on the 62nd Rolex 24 at Daytona this weekend, giving the teams valuable setup information as well. For many of the Bronze drivers, it was required time in order to drive in the nighttime during the race. Again it was Caddy to the front.

Pipo Derani, who will start the race from pole on Saturday, topped the timesheet with a 1m35.708s lap in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac Racing V-Series.R, 0.310s better than Felipe Nasr in the No 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963.

Malthe Jakobsen headed LMP2 in the same No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA that Toby Sowery posted the fastest time this morning with a 1m39.166s lap. Pato O’Ward was second with a 1m39.472s in the No. 2 United Autosports ORECA.

GTD PRO was headed by Earl Bamber in the No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Z06 GT3.R as the two Corvettes went one-two in the session, Alexander Sims in the No. 4 falling 0.088s short of his teammate’s 1m46.770s.

The No. 86 MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R was once again atop the GTD standings, this time in the hands of Larry Voorde who recorded a 1m47.075s lap good for fifth GT overall. Danny Formal was a scant 0.022s back in the No. 45 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2.

The session was interrupted by one (brief) red flag, for the No. 74 Riley Motorsports ORECA which stopped on the course after a punctured tyre.


Just one hour of practice remains before the race.... that is at 11:20 ET today

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P4 More of the same...Cadillac leads final practice

Thats all practice now done and dusted with most teams using the last session for systems checks and pit stop practice ahead of the 24 hours. Most did less than 20 laps in the session. Two teams skipped the session entirely. AWA kept its Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs in the garage, as did Heart of Racing with its Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evos. One team wished they had done that....Lance Willsey struck trouble with the #33 Ligier giving the wall a hefty clout at turn 2A and leaving the team a challenging few hours to get the car ready for the start. I think that is the first major incident of the week to be honest.

Jack Aitken, in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac Racing V-Series.R that will lead the field to the green flag at 1:40 p.m ET tomorrow, set the fastest time in the session, a 1m35.983s lap, 0.239s better than Connor De Phillippi in the No. 25 BMW M Team RLL M Hybrid V8.

Mikkell Jensen led LMP2 in the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA with a time of 1m39.078s. Matthieu Vaxiviere in the No. 88 AF Corse ORECA and Ryan Dalziel in the No. 18 Era Motorsports ORECA set identical best times, 0.707s shy of Vaxiviere.

Porsches, Lamborghinis and Ferraris continued to show their potential strength in GTD and GTD PRO, led by Thomas Preining in the GTD-class No. 43 Andretti Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R at 1m47.072s. Matteo Cairoli was just shy of Preining’s time to lead GTD PRO in the No. 60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2. Daniel Serra followed in the GTD PRO No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3, with second-place GTD runner Jens Klingmann in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3.

While for most teams it was a routine session, one team that was not so fortunate is Sean Creech Motorsport. Lance Willsey lost the car and hit the wall in Turn 2A, incurring heavy damage to the No. 33 Ligier and bringing out a red flag. Not only will the crew have a long afternoon ahead, but there is a question mark over the availability of sufficient spares because SCM is the only team running the Ligier in LMP2.
.

. https://racer.com/2024/01/26/whelen-eng ... -rolex-24/


FULL RESULTS P4

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Fittipaldi to Sub for Injured Novalak at Inter Europol/PR1

Pietro Fittipaldi given late-race call-up to No. 52 Inter Europol by PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07 Gibson… subbing for the injured Clement Novalak in the No. 52 Inter Europol by PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07 Gibson.

Novalak sustained a leg and hip injury in a pit lane incident in Friday’s final practice for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener. Novalek's injury is described by the team to not be serious, but has ruled him out of the race.

Fittipaldi will share Inter Europol with PR1/Mathisen’s LMP2 contender with Nick Boulle, Kuba Smiechowski and Tom Dillmann, which had qualified second in class.

Doesnt matter where they qualified though....per WeatherTech Championship rules, it’s expected the car will have to start from the rear of the LMP2 class grid due to the driver change.

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I had to laugh at this.... counting down to the race start and the Safety Car was out getting in some laps.....

It wont polish out.

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About to start, warm up underway.

Free Live Stream for Non US Residents https://www.imsa.com/tvlive/

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GREEN FLAG


LIVE TIMING. https://livetiming.alkamelsystems.com/IMSA

[erwin greven]

Will probably start to watch after the Dubai 24h has finished. That will be at 9am UK time tomorrow.

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9 Hours in


Race started as a bit of a Cadillac walk in the park, and they just looked quicker. The #1 led much of the early race but Bourdais got a puncture when he got involved with a GT car that went wide. The #1 as a result has been circulating a lap plus down.

We have had a few FCYs, two in the first hour for some carnage and then a messy restart.one about 7 hours in quite lengthy and we saw some strategy plays going on.

The #31 was looking good though. The Porsches look stronger the further in they got, and as darkness fell they were liking the cooler weather I think. and the first 8 in GTP are on the lead lap. Button in the Accura was running well after an early stop for a power steering issue before he got in. Quick fix though and although they went a lap down they got it back after a lucky FCY

Class leaders at the 9 hour mark


GTP: Pipo Derani, No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac Racing V-Series.R

LMP2: Pato O’Ward, No. 2 United Autosports ORECA 07

GTD PRO: Antonio Garcia, No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Z06 GT3.R

GTD: Philip Ellis, No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes AMG


To spice things up a bit the radar is showing rain in the area and heading towards the track.... maybe half an hour away.


However that was half an hour ago and now we have Nasr in the Porsche Penske leading the way by a scant 3 secs from the Whelen #31 Caddy.
Tandy 3rd in another Porsche from Yellowly in the BMW all within 15 secs of the lead, and Button 5th in the WTR Accura.30 seconds back.


In GTD Pro the No. 75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes AMG t has had repeated trips to the garage has finally gone behind the wall for good and has been retired.

Also trouble for the #10 Accura....Filipe Albuquerque rolled to a stop during the ninth hour. Albuquerque exited the car before getting back in to try something, but eventually the car had to be delivered to the garage on a rollback under a full-course caution. It seems they are having to replace the wiring loom and it will be a long job.



Video from the messup in the first hour.

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Also trouble for the #10 Accura....Filipe Albuquerque rolled to a stop during the ninth hour. Albuquerque exited the car before getting back in to try something, but eventually the car had to be delivered to the garage on a rollback under a full-course caution. It seems they are having to replace the wiring loom and it will be a long job.

Over 10 hours in and Ericsson has just rejoined in the #10 WTR Accura after a long stop for the wiring replacement..... 89 laps down so testing and sponsor exposure I guess.


10 hours in and its Porsche 1 & 3 with th #31 Caddy in between.

Been FCY free for the last 90 minutes.



Class leaders after 10 hours:

GTP: Felipe Nasr, No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963

LMP2: Pato O’Ward, No. 2 United Autosports ORECA 07

GTD PRO: Alexander Sims, No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Z06 GT3.R

GTD: Daniel Morad, No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes AMG


HOUR 10 STANDINGS IN FULL

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Nooooo.... we just had an FCY, the Cadillac is back in the lead from the #6 Porsche, 2 BMWs and the #7, but now Deletraz in the (Button) #40 Accura suddenly had no lights on. and cruised to a halt with some sort of electrical failure. Another FCY. Hopefully not a loom failure like the sister #10 car.

The safety crew all arrived and a couple of minutes later Deletraz is going again. Presumably heading for pitlane.

But no he doesnt pit and is continuing. Maybe a Control-Alt-Delete fix. Anyway he is a lap down now as a result.

Green flag again.