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[h=2]IMSA's Roar entry list a map to expansive changes[/h] Wednesday, 27 December 2017


By Marshall Pruett / Image by Alexander Trienitz/LAT




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The entry list for next week's Roar Before The 24 test at Daytona International Speedway reads like a road map of all the expansive changes within IMSA's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship over a short offseason.

GT Le Mans favorites Risi Competizione have added a GT Daytona program for an all-Mexican trio. Le Mans winner Gustavo Menezes and sports car/NASCAR driver Austin Cindric have been added to JDC-Miller Motorsports' Prototypes. Aston Martin Racing and Turner Motorsport stalwart Paul Dalla Lana will saddle up in a Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GT3; Black Swan Racing team owner Tim Pappas has moved over to Park Place Motorsports' GTD Porsche, and former Mazda DPi driver Joel Miller will pilot BAR1 Motorsports' Riley/Multimatic Mk. 30 WEC P2.

• Entry list

Tequila Patron ESM has placed Olivier Pla in its No. 2 Nissan Onroak DPi and Nicolas Lapierre in the No. 22; Performance Tech Motorsports has retained James French for its new ORECA 07 WEC P2 alongside Kyle Masson and Nick Boulle has been added to AFS/PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports' Ligier JS P217 in the 20-deep Prototype field.










BMW Team RLL could funnel as many as 10 drivers through it pair of new M8s in GTLM, and Risi has only named Ferrari's Alessandro Pier Guidi for its GTLM 488 in the factory class of nine cars that also includes Corvette, Ford and Porsche.
And at 21 cars, GTD has barely edged IMSA's Prototype renaissance as new and reconfigured entries will keep the pro-am cars busy over the Jan. 5-7 test. Austria's GRT Grasser Racing Team is back with two Lamborghini Huracans; the 3GT Lexus team has stacked one RC F entry with its full-time drivers plus Scott Pruett and Dominik Farnbacher; SunEnergy1 Racing returns with AMG customer sport boss Thomas Jager and Mario Engel in place, and the inbound HART Acura and P1 Mercedes-AMG teams bolster the WeatherTech Championship's field of 50 cars set for the Roar.
Factor in the first appearance of Fernando Alonso in a United Autosports' Ligier JS P217, fellow F1 driver Lance Stroll in a Jackie Chan/DC Ligier, and all of the other stars headed to Daytona Beach, and the three-day outing will generate unheralded interest in a pre-season IMSA event.


Follow RACER's extensive coverage starting Jan. 5.

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Risi Competizione adds GTD entry for Rolex 24

Wednesday, 27 December 2017


By Marshall Pruett / Image by Alexander Trienitz/LAT



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Risi Competizione will make a rare return to fielding two cars at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The Giuseppe Risi-owned outfit will enter its familiar No. 62 Ferrari 488 GTE in IMSA's GT Le Mans class, and to complement the GTLM program, the No. 82 488 GT3 will be fielded in the pro-am GT Daytona class for 2016 Pirelli World Challenge series GTA champion Martin Fuentes, Santiago Creel and Ricardo Perez de Lara.

"It's a one-off program in GTD for Risi Competizione," team manager Dave Sims told RACER. "It's been a while since we've run two cars, but we're looking forward to having them for the race."
Risi added a second Ferrari F430 to its stable during the 2006 ALMS season, and continued with two full-time F430 GT2s in 2007 before eventually returning to its familiar single-car No. 62 program.
The team will run the GTLM and GTD cars next week at the Roar Before the 24 in preparation for the big Rolex 24 season opener at the end of January.
"We'll have Alessandro Pier Guidi in the 62 car for the test; he's the only one scheduled to drive it right now at the Roar," Sims continued. "And we're pulling together some good people to turn the spanners on the 82. It will be nice to get back to the track and hopefully have some decent weather!"

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[h=2]Jaminet, Renauer complete Wright's Rolex 24 line-up[/h] Wednesday, 27 December 2017


RACER Staff



Porsche development driver Mathieu Jaminet and German rising star Robert Renauer will complete Wright Motorsport's line-up for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

The pair will join full-timers Patrick Long and newly Porsche-aligned Christina Nielsen in the team's No.58 GT Daytona Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Jaminet, one of four drivers in Porsche's Young Professional program, will be making his first appearance at Daytona, although he took part in two IMSA events in 2017, earning two fastest laps and pole at COTA. His resume also includes the ADAC GT Masters series, the Blancpain GT series, the Nurburgring 24 Hours, and Pirelli World Challenge.
"I am very excited to take the start of my first ever Rolex 24," said the 23-year-old Frenchman. "My dream has always been to win this race one day. I know that Wright Motorsports is a very talented race team and I'll have top drivers at my side. I'm sure that we will be able to fight for a successful result in the front, but like every 24-hour race, especially Daytona, you never know what can happen. I can't wait to go on track."
Porsche veteran Renauer brings vast experience driving Porsche 911 machinery across a range of championships, and was the winner of the 2016 Porsche Cup, awarded annually to the most successful Porsche privateer driver.
"I'm very proud to be teaming up with Wright Motorsports," he said. "I followed the Pirelli World Challenge last year and saw how successful the team was with Porsche and Patrick Long. I'm really looking forward to driving for what I consider to be one of the most successful Porsche teams in the U.S.
"It's also amazing to be able to share a racecar with two of last year's champions. I drove against Patrick in the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany when he became a Porsche Junior driver in 2003, and against Christina in 2013 when she participated in the ADAC GT Masters. I'm excited to get started."

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[h=2]Rayhall, Falb join HART for Rolex 24[/h] Saturday, 23 December 2017


By RACER Staff / Images courtesy HART



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The Honda of America Race Team, comprised of employees who field privateer entries under the HART banner, has enlisted ELMS LMP3 champions Sean Rayhall and John Falb for the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona in its No. 69 Acura NSX GT3.

They join team leader Chad Gilsinger and Acura factory driver Ryan Eversley, who will lead the team as it graduates from the Continental Tire Series to IMSA's North American Endurance Cup in 2018.
The team took delivery of their Acura NSX GT3 just before Thanksgiving and performed a complete rebuild of the car, getting ready for their first test session at the ROAR Before the 24 in early January.
Said Rayhall, who is good friends with Eversley: "I heard so many great things about this team over the years and I feel fortunate to be joining them with their new Acura NSX GT3. I feel like we have a very strong lineup from Eversley’s previous success with Acura, all of Gilsinger’s experience with the team, as well as John Falb coming off his first championship overseas. I can't wait to get to work with all of the HART crew and go fight for a watch!”
“The Rolex 24 is one of my favorite events with the most iconic trophy in all of motorsports, the Rolex Daytona,” Falb added. “Going for the win with Chad, Ryan, and Sean is going to be a blast and those guys are all super-fast. HART spent all of last year refining the Acura NSX and I am confident we will have a great package when we get to the Roar.”
The team will once again carry No. 69, which has special meaning to Gilsinger.
"Sixty-nine was our team number the last time HART won a professional championship,” he said. “We are hoping it brings some good luck moving forward and now that we have a solid driver lineup locked in I am very eager to get down to Florida, and out of this cold rainy weather of Ohio.”

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[h=2]Da Costa, Habsburg join Jackie Chan DC Racing for Daytona[/h] Sunday, 24 December 2017


Image by JEP/LAT




Jackie Chan DC Racing JOTA has announced that Antonio Felix Da Costa and Ferdinand Habsburg will join the driver roster for the team's two LMP2 cars at next month's Rolex 24 At Daytona. The pair join team regulars Ho-Pin Tung and Alex Brundle in the team's second ORECA 07.


Portugal's Da Costa is a former Red Bull Racing protege with race wins in both the GP3 series and World Series 3.5. A two-time Macau Grand Prix winner, the BMW factory driver has raced in DTM, GT's and has just started his fourth season in the FIA Formula E Championship. Habsburg was one of the outstanding rookies of the 2017 FIA F3 Championship with one race win and a strong performance in Macau. It will be the sports car race debut for both drivers.


"I am really happy to compete in the Rolex 24, especially with such a strong team and driver line-up," said Da Costa. "Looking forward to getting to grips with the car and the team which, having won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2017, is the perfect squad for my first Rolex 24."


Jackie Chan DC Racing announced last month that its first car would feature Williams Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll, Felix Rosenqvist, Robin Frijns and Dani Juncadella.


"It is very exciting to be going to the Rolex 24 At Daytona for the first time with two such strong car crews," said Jota Sport director Sam Hignett. "It has been a few years since we last raced in America outside of the FIA WEC but, having had cars on the overall podium at Petit Le Mans, we aim to be doing even better in Daytona."

Both team entries will take part in the 'Roar Before the 24' test at Daytona Jan. 5-7, with the race set for Jan. 27-28.

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[h=2]Norris keen to show potential alongside Alonso[/h] Wednesday, 03 January 2018


By Chris Medland / Images by Steven Tee/LAT & United Autosports




McLaren youngster Lando Norris is keen to show his ability alongside Fernando Alonso when he shares the same car with the Spaniard during the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Norris and Alonso will drive the No. 23 car along with Phil Hanson, providing the McLaren reserve driver with the opportunity to race alongside the two-time Formula 1 world champion. While Norris believes there will be plenty he can learn from Alonso, the 18-year-old also hopes there will be a competition element between the pair.









"Obviously I would like to do well, but I think it is a good opportunity for me to learn from him and I definitely don't think I can let it go to waste," Norris said when asked by RACER about driving alongside Alonso. "But at the same time I would like to prove what I can do, especially against him in the qualifying runs or whatever. Daytona is a team game so at one point I'm going to have to switch and we're going to have to work together.
"We're not going against each other but of course I would like to say it's going to be a bit of a competition on who can do a better job in the practice and qualifying runs. Whoever has done the best then has done the best, but I think it's just a good opportunity for me to learn not only from him but about everything, and then hopefully continue that into other categories and whatever I do."
Having tested the United Autosports car at Paul Ricard back in November, Norris feels confident in the performance he was able to show on his first outing ahead of this weekend's 'Roar before the 24' test.
"It was pretty good. We were quite limited on testing, we had a couple of problems so I didn't get to do as much as I would have liked to have done, but I still have a bit of an understanding, so going into the Roar before the 24 I'm already more prepared than I would have been.


"It went well – I think the pace compared to the others is a bit hard to say because we weren't running new tires at the same time or were running different fuel loads, so we don't really have a direct comparison against [Filipe] Albuquerque, who was there and was basically the baseline. But against the others I think my pace was pretty good for my first day, so I think it should go pretty well in Daytona."

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[h=2]Risi confirms Rolex 24 line-up[/h] Wednesday, 03 January 2018


Marshall Pruett / Image by Trienitz/LAT



Risi Competizione has confirmed the addition of team regulars Toni Vilander and James Calado to its Rolex 24 at Daytona line-up. The Finn and Briton join Italy's Alessandro Pier Guidi, who was previously announced in the No. 62 Ferrari 488 GT Le Mans entry.

Coming off a partial 2017 season in IMSA's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship where the Houston-based team skipped four rounds due to budget constraints, its return for Daytona is a welcome addition to the GTLM ranks. At present, the team has only committed to running at the Rolex 24.










The one key change for the red twin-turbo V8-powered machine is the absence of Giancarlo Fisichella. The fate of the Italian, a staple within the Risi team for many years as a byproduct of his factories ties to Ferrari, is unclear.

With the No. 62 488 on the grid, IMSA's factory-rich GT class will resume the longstanding fight between BMW, Ferrari, Ford, and Porsche. Despite a winless streak that spanned the 2017 season, the semi-works Risi program earned five podiums from seven starts, including a third-place performance at Daytona.

Only Pier Guidi is scheduled to test for the team during this weekend's Roar Before The 24, which could limit its effectiveness against the other four manufacturers whose teams have been busy throughout the offseason with multiple tests.

Risi will also field a one-off GT Daytona effort with a Ferrari 488 GT3 for the Spanish-speaking quartet of Santiago Creel, Martin Fuentes, Miguel Molina, and Ricardo Perez de Lara.

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Cindric among three to complete JDC's Rolex line-up

Friday, 29 December 2017



By Marshall Pruett / Image by Nigel Kinrade/LAT






Austin Cindric, Devlin DeFrancesco and Gustavo Menezes round out JDC-Miller Motorsports' two-car effort for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Cindric, who raced for Lexus in 2017 at IMSA's endurance rounds, will step up to the Prototype class in the No. 85 ORECA 07-Gibson, and will have Canada's DeFrancesco, whose career has led him to European Formula 3 competition, as the final member of the entry helmed by Simon Trummer and Robert Alon.


"It is no secret JDC-Miller Motorsports surprised a lot of people this year, showing that this group is more than capable of fighting with the big dogs," Cindric said. "It will be my first race in a prototype, so I have plenty to learn and absorb from my teammates. It is an exciting time in IMSA to be in a prototype, racing for an overall win, and I'm grateful to be part of it."
Coming off a year where he won the Spanish F3 title, DeFrancesco is also looking forward to making his prototype debut.
"[It] will be a pleasure to compete against some of the best drivers in the world and I am 100 percent focused to do a good job behind wheel of the No. 85 Oreca," he said. "I want to say thank you to our partners that make it possible to join this team. Can't wait for the Roar and for the race weekend."
And in the sister No. 99 GAINSCO Red Dragon ORECA, Menezes, who won the LMP2 class at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans, will go for his first Rolex 24 win with Misha Goikhberg, Chris Miller and Stephen Simpson.
"Over the last two years I have had a blessed transition into sports car racing, which saw a victory at the 24 Hours Le Mans and the LMP2 World Endurance championship," he said. "With that said, I have been to Daytona several times and am still hungry to see what we can do and try to get ourselves on the top of the podium. The Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona is one of the largest races in world of sports cars and I've always dreamt of battling for victory in the top class."

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[h=2]United Autosports looks ahead to 'Roar' test[/h] Monday, 01 January 2018




United Autosports will kick off its 2018 season this weekend with the 'Roar before the 24' official test for the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The Anglo-American squad will be fielding two Ligier JS P217s in the 56th running of the 24-hour race later this month.


The team's driver line-up features some of the most famous names in racing, as Fernando Alonso teams up with Lando Norris and Phil Hanson in the No. 23 car, while Bruno Senna and Paul Di Resta join United's regular LMP2 racers, Will Owen and Hugo de Sadeleer in the No. 32 Ligier.
The test will mark Alonso's second run with the team, the two-time F1 world champion getting to grips with the Ligier at Aragon in November.


"It's a true pleasure to go back racing in the States, in front of the U.S. fans," said Alonso. "In less than a year I will have competed in two legendary races, which makes me very proud. I have always wanted to challenge myself in other categories of motorsport, as this is what you need to become a better driver. Going out of my comfort zone by taking part in such an iconic race as the Daytona 24 Hours is just amazing.


"I am looking forward to racing for United Autosports, the reigning European LMP3 champions. At the test we had in Spain in November, everyone made me feel extremely welcome and part of the family and I'm happy to be spending more time with the team and my teammates in a few days. I just cannot wait to jump in the car again and drive on the famous oval. In the last couple of months I have been spending time watching several Daytona 24 Hours, which made me even keener to go out there and try myself. It's going to be fun!"


Six of United Autosports' seven drivers have previously run with the team. Norris and Di Resta tested at Paul Ricard. Owen and de Sadeleer completed a full season in the European Le Mans Series with the team in 2017, finishing second in the championship. Hanson also has experience of the Ligier JS P217, having raced in the ELMS and selected rounds of the WEC in 2017. He has also completed an extensive testing program with United Autosports since joining the team in October. Senna is the only driver not to have completed any laps in the United-run Ligier, although he is no stranger to LMP2 and prototype racing, having won the 2017 WEC LMP2 Championship.


"I think we have two really strong driver line-ups for our Rolex 24 at Daytona campaign," said team co-owner Zak Brown. "We have a great mix of talent, that includes experienced drivers and quick racers. I can't wait to get out there and see how we get on."


On-track action at the Roar begins on Friday, Jan. 5 with two test sessions. Further sessions will be held on Saturday and Sunday, with a 15-minute qualifying-style shootout on Sunday afternoon that will determine the garage layout for the Rolex race week.

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[h=2]Spirit of Daytona Cadillac DPi revealed[/h] Monday, 01 January 2018


Images courtesy of Spirit of Daytona Racing



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Spirit of Daytona Racing has released the first images of its new Cadillac Daytona Prototype international ahead of this weekend's 'Roar Before the 24' test at Daytona.

Spirit of Daytona announced Dec. 22 that Tristan Vautier and Matt McMurry will lead the driving team on its return to General Motors as a factory Cadillac DPi-V.R squad in 2018.