Rolex 24 entry list fills to capacity

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emailBy Marshall Pruett | December 20, 2021 7:07 AM ET

The entry list for January’s Rolex 24 At Daytona is full, giving IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship an early gift heading into the holidays.

RACER has learned IMSA is ready for Round 1 in January with an expanded field of 60 cars, including 25 entries coming from the prototype ranks and 35 from the GT paddock. Extra entries have been placed on a wait list, and will be accommodated if any withdrawals take place. The rise to 60 cars marks a 22-percent increase in entries from the 49 that registered for the event in 2021.

For the January 21-23 Roar Before The 24 and the Jan. 27-29 Rolex 24, the top DPi class will have seven cars, with two hailing from Acura and five from Cadillac. The Pro-Am LMP2 class has 10 entries booked for Daytona, and IMSA’s LMP3 training category is fixed with eight cars. In 2021, the entry numbers were identical for DPi and LMP2, with LMP3 down by one at seven.

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The greatest growth is found with the new GTD Pro class, which replaces GT Le Mans. In 2021, GTLM presented six cars for the race; in 2022, it’s more than doubled to 13 with the debut of GTD Pro. And while there were fears that the GT3-based GTD Pro class would take away from the all-GT3 GTD category, an increase has been produced there as well, climbing from 19 cars in 2021 to 22 being dispatched for the next Rolex 24.

Looking to the full season, more encouraging numbers are found with prototypes contributing 20 cars with six apiece in DPi and LMP2, and eight for the year in LMP3. The GT faction is bringing 19 to its rounds, with GTD Pro settling at seven full-timers and GTD at 12, giving the WeatherTech Championship 39 entries when all five classes are in motion at the same time.

Additional entries for the three other endurance races at Sebring, Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans are anticipated to bring the base of 39 up to 45-50, and when the WeatherTech Sprint Cup begins in GTD, its entry numbers are expected to reach 14-15.

 

Pagenaud rounds out MSR's Rolex 24 line-up

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emailBy RACER Staff | January 3, 2022 11:36 AM ET

Simon Pagenaud will compete the driver lineup in Meyer Shank Racing’s No.60 Acura ARX-05 DPi for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Pagenaud, who moves to MSR’s IndyCar team this season after seven years at Team Penske, will race alongside IMSA full-timers Oliver Jarvis and Tom Blomqvist as well as MSR IndyCar teammate Helio Castroneves at the endurance classic later this month.

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“I love starting the year with one of the biggest challenges of the year in the 24 Hour At Daytona,” said Pagenaud, who will be making his eighth start at the Rolex 24.

“It’s a race I came close to winning many times, just like the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the past. I am looking forward to racing with my new team MSR in endurance racing, which is my roots, and I have a very deep love for this series while reuniting with the Acura once again and my friends at HPD. With Oliver, Tom and Helio we will be a strong lineup, and hopefully we can give AutoNation and SiriusXM a victory to start off the year.”


Confirmation of Pagenaud’s addition to the lineup comes as little surprise, and team principal Mike Shank said that the Frenchman’s deep sportscar experience reinforces MSR’s expectations for the event.

“We’re really excited to have Simon join the team for the Rolex 24,” said Shank. “The first step was having him be a part of our full-season lineup in IndyCar and it just made sense to put him in the Acura for Daytona. He knows the car well and has worked with Helio previously, so he’s been a big asset to the team so far. With the lineup that we have, I think that we have a chance to fight for a win in just a few weeks.”

 

WeatherTech Racing confirms two GTD Pro entries for Rolex 24

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emailBy RACER Staff | January 3, 2022 11:21 AM ET

WeatherTech Racing will have a two-car, two-brand presence in the new IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Pro Class for the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona later this month.

Cooper MacNeil will get seat time time in both the No. 97 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 and the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R cars for the event. Both cars will be prepared by Proton Competition.

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Joining MacNeil in the No. 97 will be Maro Engel, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella, while Julien Andlauer, Matteo Cairoli and Alessio Picariello will round out the line-up for the No.79.

“The Rolex 24 is the equivalent of our Super Bowl,” MacNeil said. “Winning this race has been one of my racing goals since I started. I’ve won Sebring twice, Petit Le Mans three times, been on the podium at Le Mans twice, been a multiple series champion, and now need to win the Rolex 24. I’ve finished second at the Rolex 24, but they don’t give a watch out for second place. With two cars from different brands, I think we have good shot at being on the top step of the podium come Sunday afternoon on the 30th. I am looking forward to the challenge of driving both cars and considering our driver line-up I like our chances.”

MacNeil will share the No.79 Porsche with Andlauder for the balance of the GTD Pro season.

The 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season will start with the traditional Roar Before the 24 test at Daytona International Speedway on January 22-24. The field for the 80th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona will take the green flag on January 29.

 

Muehlner fielding two LMP3 entries for Rolex 24

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emailBy Marshall Pruett | January 3, 2022 1:01 PM ET

Florida-based Muehlner Motorsports will field two LMP3 entries later this month at the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

In a WeatherTech SportsCar Championship class dominated by the Ligier chassis, Bernhard Muehlner’s pair of Duqueine D08 LMP3s will add variety to the pro-am category while helping the team owner to achieve a milestone of participating in his 48th 24-hour endurance race.

The No. 6 Duqueine D08, pole winner and podium finisher at last year’s Rolex 24, features the returning Moritz Kranz and newcomers Efrin Castro, Ayrton Ori, Joel Miller.

“I am really looking forward to the 60th edition of the Rolex 24 at the Daytona International Speedway,” Kranz said. “I have no doubt that Bernhard and the whole team of Muehlner Motorsports America will give us drivers a competitive Duqueine D08 LMP3, which will enable us to fight for the victory and may add another win to our successful cooperation.”

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The No. 26 entry includes Nolan Siegel, Cameron Shields, Charles Crews, and Ugo De Wilde.

“I am very excited to be joining Muehlner Motorsports for the Rolex 24,” said 17-year-old Siegel, who finished eighth in the 2021 USF2000 championship. “It will be my first time running the race and I am glad that it will be with such an experienced group of people and great co-drivers. It will be a challenge, but we are in it to win it and I can’t wait to get on track!”

The Rolex 24 gets under way with the Roar Before The 24 test at Daytona run from January 21-23. On-track action for the Rolex 24 begins on Jan. 27, pole positions for all five classes will be set on Jan. 28, and the race spans Jan. 29-30. Event coverage is carried by NBC Sports

 

Team TGM partners with Wright for Rolex 24

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emailBy Richard S. James | January 6, 2022 12:45 PM ET

Team TGM is set to return to the Rolex 24 at Daytona and will do “double-duty” — setting its sights on completing unfinished business from 2021.

Team TGM committed to its first Rolex 24 race as a team in 2021, Adding the significant undertaking to its IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Effort. Racing in both the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and Rolex 24-hour race on the same weekend would be a true test of endurance for the team, drivers, and equipment. Unfortunately, the 24-hour race ended early on Sunday in the 18th hour with drivetrain issues.

“We put so much time and preparation into the double-duty event last January, and we felt like we were cheated out of the finish. We gave it a great deal of thought, as it is a huge investment of both time and money, but Team TGM is ready to tackle the Rolex 24 again this year,” said team owner and driver Ted Giovanis.

Team TGM will enter a Porsche 911 GT3 R in the 2022 Rolex 24, partnering again with industry leader and Porsche experts Wright Motorsports for the twice-around-the-clock world-renowned endurance race.

The driver line-up will be led by team owner Giovanis, paired with Hugh Plumb, Owen Trinkler, and Matt Plumb.

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Giovanis, who celebrated his 76th birthday in December, said the team will be campaigning two Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsports in an effort to claim the 2022 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Championship. The same four drivers running the Rolex will be the same drivers contesting the BMW M Endurance Challenge At Daytona four hour race the day before.

“We feel especially good about being able to race completely under the Porsche banner this season. The marque is one of the most respected in the sport, and John Wright and his crew are the foremost authorities in North America. We’re very excited to be working with them again,” Giovanis said.

All three Team TGM cars will showcase the team’s #HealthInnovation hashtag — promoting the Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis Foundation for Health and Policy efforts. The Foundation funds innovative, emerging medical research and supports studies that rethink health care quality and uses for real-world evidence.

 

Magnussen returns to Ganassi for Daytona

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emailBy Marshall Pruett | January 7, 2022 1:38 PM ET

Kevin Magnussen will have one more chapter to write with Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing. CCGR has confirmed its full-time IMSA driver from 2021 will return to take another shot at winning the Rolex 24 At Daytona after coming close to earning a debut victory last January.

Signed to Peugeot’s new FIA WEC Hypercar program for 2022 and beyond, Magnussen has been drafted in to CCGR’s new No. 02 Cadillac DPi-V.R where he’ll lend his experience as the fourth driver to the new full-time pairing of Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn, plus CGR IndyCar driver Marcus Ericsson. CCGR tells RACER Magnussen is only in the frame for Daytona.

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The No. 01 CCGR DPi-V.R will make use of four drivers with Sebastien Bourdais joining Renger van der Zande for the year while six-time CGR IndyCar champion Scott Dixon and the team’s reigning IndyCar champ Alex Palou will step in for the endurance events.

Named as one of Cadillac’s two factory team for the brand’s upcoming LMDh program in 2023, CCGR will also spend the year assisting the manufacturer with the development of its new hybrid prototype which will eventually compete against Magnussen and other rivals at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“Our Cadillac drivers lead by example,” Chip Ganassi Racing Managing Director Mike Hull said. “Each have already won on the world stage. They unselfishly mirror each other’s performance on and off track. Their equal experience combined with skill set is driven through zero agenda.

“In today’s world of equal performance standards, the driver’s contribution is the ultimate separator. Our roster has eight of the very best in equal Cadillacs. Bamber, Bourdais, Ericsson, Dixon, Lynn, Magnussen and van der Zande — this group drives as one.”

Chip Ganassi Racing, Kevin Magnussen, Rolex 24, IMSA, WeatherTech Sportscar Championship

 

Tower Motorsport set for full IMSA season in LMP2

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emailBy Richard S. James | January 7, 2022 12:51 PM ET

Tower Motorsport has confirmed it will return to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the full season with its No. 8 ORECA in the LMP2 class, beginning with this month’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. Team principal John Farano and 2021 European Le Mans Series champion Louis Deletraz will run the full season and be joined by 2021 ELMS champ Rui Andrade for the four endurance races. Ferdinand Habsburg, 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, be the team’s fourth driver for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Tower Motorsports took the LMP2 victory at Petit Le Mans last year, defending the team’s win at the same event in 2020. The team finished third in the class standings.

The 2022 season will mark Tower Motorsport’s third year in IMSA . Sponsored primarily by Tower Events and Tower Scaffold Services, the No. 8 ORECA will again sport its signature orange and white colors, with a black base to replace the previous year’s purple livery.

“I am very excited to be racing alongside Louis for the full 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and thrilled to have Rui join us for the full Michelin Endurance Cup Championship, and having Ferdinand anchoring the team for the 24,” said Farano. “I have already had the pleasure of testing at Daytona with these amazing drivers who immediately put their speed and talents on display. I am very much looking forward to another great season with Rick Capone (Capone Motorsports) leading our technical crew and our amazing engineering group led by Matthieu Leroy.”

Having raced primarily in single-seaters, 24-year-old Deletraz earned a name for himself climbing up to compete in Formula 2 and spending two years as a Formula 1 reserve driver with Haas F1 Team. In 2015, he became the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup champion, and in 2021, he earned top honors again with Team WRT in the ELMS.

“I’m delighted to join Tower Motorsport for the full 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,” said Deletraz. Together with John, Rui and Ferdinand I think we have a super-competitive line-up. The 2022 preparation has already started with some testing at Daytona, we all have the same goals and motivation of having a successful 2022 season. The off-season preparation has already started to be ready for Rolex 24 At Daytona at the end of January where we aim to start strong!”

Andrade, the 2021 ELMS LMP2 Pro-Am champion began his racing career karting at age 12 and made his single-seater debut in 2018. The 2021 season marked his first-time racing in LMP2, claiming top honors in the ELMS and third place in the Asian Le Mans Series championship.

“I’m extremely happy with the opportunity to join John, Louis, and Ferdinand in the Rolex 24 At Daytona,” said Andrade. “It’s one of the world’s most prestigious motor races and having spent most of my childhood in America, I feel very privileged to be able to return to do what I love the most. I know Tower is an incredible team and have already had the chance to test with them and get to meet everyone has only made me more excited with what’s to come.”

The 24-year-old Habsburg has had great success in sports car racing, winning the FIA World Endurance Championship LMP2 title, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Asian Le Mans Series title, all in 2021.

“Racing in America is something else,” said Habsburg. “I have raced all around the world, but nothing comes close to the atmosphere in Daytona on race day. It just drags you in and makes you want to go back again and again. I am really looking forward to sharing a car with my fellow Bullet Rui, REMUS Ambassador Louis, and Tower Motorsport stalwart John Farano. My goal is quite clear: I missed out on the (Rolex) watch in Le Mans so I will give my all to grab one in Daytona.”

 

Wright completes Rolex 24 roster with Porsche ace Lietz

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emailBy Richard S. James | January 7, 2022 5:12 PM ET

With the addition of Porsche Factory Driver Richard Lietz to the No. 16 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R, the Wright Motorsports driver roster for its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD entry in the Rolex 24 at Daytona is complete.

Lietz will join full-season drivers and 2021 Michelin Pilot Challenge Champions Ryan Hardwick and Jan Heylen, and endurance addition Zacharie Robichon.

“It’s great to welcome Richard Lietz to Wright Motorsport,” said Team Owner John Wright. “After over two decades of our team racing Porsche machinery, we’re honored to have a driver of his caliber join our stout lineup. Porsche is a fantastic manufacturer to be affiliated with, and they pick only the best drivers to represent their brand. He’ll be a great addition to our team. After back-to-back fourth-place finishes at Daytona, we’re very eager to fight for that top step.”

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With the momentum of an incredibly successful season where the team won nine championships across its five sports car racing programs, including the Michelin Pilot Challenge GS title with Hardwick and Heylen, Wright Motorsports will start the year off with a strong lineup in the GTD class.

Coming upon his 16th year as a Porsche factory driver, Lietz needs little introduction. As a six-time professional sports car racing champion, the Austrian driver also holds three wins at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. Through the years, he has represented the esteemed manufacturer in some of the best teams sports car racing has to offer, racing alongside some of the biggest names in Porsche, including recent Wright alumni Patrick Long. With over two decades of racing with Porsche, Lietz was considered a natural choice for the Michelin Endurance Cup champions.

“Wright Motorsports will be a new team for me, and I have heard nothing but the best about them,” said Lietz. “Daytona is always a nice place to race Porsches! I can’t wait to start working together with the team.”

 

NTE bringing a new GTD Lamborghini to the IMSA season

NTE Sport
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emailBy Richard S. James | January 7, 2022 4:40 PM ET

NTE Sport is switching from Audi to a new Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo for a full season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class. The team’s new car will make its debut in the Roar Before the 24 with a familiar lineup, bringing back Don Yount, Benjamin Hites, Jaden Conwright, and Markus Palttala as drivers of the No. 42 entry. The team will announce its full-season plans and lineup at a later date.

“I’ll be very excited to get the race season officially started,” said team owner Paul Mata. “We’ve had a lot of moving parts over the course of this short off-season, and I’m proud of the program we’ve put together. We’re thrilled to get to work with Chris Ward and everyone at Lamborghini Squadra Corse, and can’t wait to see what we can do with such a strong lineup. It’ll be a great season!”

With the championship ending a month later than normal in November, the shortened off-season was a busy one for the Dallas-based team as they switched manufacturers and put together a full-season effort for 2022. Using a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo provided by Star-Spangled Racing, the team hustled to assemble their 2022 programs. Building on a strong four-race debut in the IMSA WeatherTech 2021, NTE Sport will waste no time finding stride in the new machinery.

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As the sole NTE driver to compete in the team’s four races last year, Yount has become a pillar and strong supporter of the GTD team as their reliable gentleman driver. With one win and 10 podiums to his IMSA resume, Yount has earned his place in the GTD class, a field dedicated to a mixture of professional and amateur drivers racing together in professional competition.

“I’m looking forward to my seventh Rolex 24 At Daytona in a row,” said Yount. “This might be the strongest lineup I have been involved with for the 24 Hour and I’m excited to see what we can do with the NTE Lamborghini. It’s good to be back in the car with Markus after our fourth-place Watkins Glen run, and Benjamin had a very strong Petit Le Mans. Jaden will be ready as always for extra-long stints. It’s a strong lineup with a new car and we have a lot to prove.”

Twenty-two-year-old Chilean driver Benjamin “Benja” Hites made his NTE Sport debut two months ago at the season finale event, Petit Le Mans. This year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona will be another first for the Chilean racer, though he has ample experience in endurance racing in Europe. Recently recognized for his impressive on-track performance, Hites has been selected as a Lamborghini GT3 Junior Driver for 2022, a program created by Lamborghini Squadra Corse’s commitment to the growth of young drivers.

“I’m very happy that I will take part in the Rolex 24 At Daytona for the first time,” said Hites. “It is a great effort and I’m thankful to the NTE Sport team to give me the chance to drive with them again. I know Jaden and Don, and I’m convinced that with Markus Palttala, our No. 42 Lamborghini will be a podium contender.”

Quickly earning a name for himself in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Conwright made his IMSA debut last season at Watkins Glen International and quickly established himself as a rising star to watch. IMSA recently announced the 22-year-old not only became the first recipient of the IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship, but he also is joining his co-driver Hites as a Lamborghini GT3 Junior Driver for the approaching season.

“It’s definitely a big deal,” Conwright said. “I’m super grateful and happy to be the first recipient of this scholarship. I’m just looking forward to working with everyone and trying to create something that will be long-term and something that will help introduce more people into IMSA. I can’t thank everyone from NTE Sport enough for the opportunity to race with them again in 2022. Participating in my first Rolex 24 at Daytona and the first 24-hour race of my career is something I anxiously look forward to. It’s been a busy and productive off-season, working with IMSA and Lamborghini for the first time, but I can’t wait to finally get the season started at one of the world’s most premier endurance sportscar races! We had amazing pace at both Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta, and I look forward to sharing the car with Don, Benjamin, and Markus again, all together at Daytona.”
The dream team is back together. Can’t wait for #Rolex24 in the new @LamborghiniSC Huracán GT3 Evo. ✌️ https://t.co/l3A76aSZHe

— Jaden Conwright (@jadenconwright)

Palttala will complete the driver lineup, returning after first joining the team last summer at Watkins Glen International. The team put in a strong run to the podium only to be thwarted in the final 15 minutes when contact from a faster DPi class car resulted in a narrow fourth-place finish. The Finnish race car driver holds 24 wins and 68 podium finishes, bringing his veteran knowledge to the newer race team.

“I’m very happy to rejoin NTE Sport after a positive first weekend together at the Glen last June,” said Palttala. “Daytona is one of the biggest sportscar races in the calendar and the best part is to start the season already in January when everything in Europe is still hibernating. I’ve never driven a GT3 Lamborghini before but I’ve raced against it enough times to know that it is a very competitive race car. It’s fairly similar to the Audi the team was running last year, so although we are surely facing a steep learning curve, hitting the track for the first time at the Roar, I’m confident we can target a top result. It’s the first time the four of us are sharing a car, but all of us have already worked with the team. I’ve already had a bunch of good results with Don, Jaden was super at the Glen and the team really appreciated Benjamin at Petit, so I believe we have a strong driver line-up in GTD. I can’t wait to head to Florida and get the project started at the Roar!”

 

KCMG adds factory-backed Porsche to Rolex 24 GTD Pro entry

Image courtesy of KCMG
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emailBy Graham Goodwin | January 5, 2022 4:00 AM ET

KC Motorgroup Ltd. from Hong Kong has confirmed its debut Rolex 24 at Daytona entry with a factory-backed Porsche in IMSA’s new GTD Pro class.

KCMG’s No.2 Porsche 911 GT3 R will be driven by double IMSA class champion Laurens Vanthoor along with with fellow Porsche factory drivers Dennis Olsen and 2014 Rolex 24 class winner and 2015 IMSA class champion Patrick Pilet. The line-up is completed by KCMG regular Alexandre Imperatori.

KCMG has already experienced 24 hour racing success as the first-ever Chinese squad to race at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2013, and took the LMP2 race win there in 2015. Since then it has delivered strong runs with factory support at both the Spa and Nurburgring 24 Hour races.

“We’re confident that a good result here is possible,” said team founder Paul Ip. “It’s great to have Porsche on board with us once again with a fantastic combination of drivers that have all competed for KCMG in the past. The 911 GT3 R has performed very well for us since our relationship with Porsche began in 2020, so our main goal is to carry this into the new year and aim for the GTD Pro class win at Daytona.”

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The KCMG name has been seen at Daytona before as a partner with Richard Childress Racing in NASCAR, with Tyler Reddick taking the colors to an Xfinity Series championship in 2019.

KCMG’s announcement of a GTD Pro effort boosts the new class total entry into double figures, with more expected to be confirmed in the coming days.

The GTD Pro class, for full-Pro-crewed GT3 spec cars, will debut at the Rolex 24 Hours with entries already confirmed featuring cars from BMW, Mercedes-AMG, Lexus, Corvette, Aston Martin and Lamborghini as well as Porsche.

Vanthoor is particularly hungry for Daytona success; a win at the event having evaded him so far.

“Through the years, good results at the Rolex 24 has been part of my success in winning two IMSA championships, but victory at Daytona is something I personally haven’t been able to achieve yet, and it’s very high on my list,” Vanthoor said. “My dream is to win all four big 24-hour races; Spa, Nurburgring, Le Mans and Daytona, and Daytona is the one missing, so that is the main goal.”

The annual Roar Before The Rolex 24 takes place on 21-23 January. A week before the main event, the Motul Pole Award 100 will set the grid for the main 24-hour race that starts on 29 January.