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J.J. O'Malley 3 hours ago Quick, which driver has the longest streak of consecutive starts in the Rolex 24 At Daytona?If you said Andrew Davis, you’re correct. Davis will race in the event for the 17th straight year when he pilots Moorespeed’s Audi R8 LMS GT3 in the endurance classic on Jan. 26-27.The 17-year streak ties Hurley Haywood for second on the all-time Daytona list, trailing only Boris Said, who raced in the event for 18 straight years.
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“Running in the Rolex 24 for the 18th time – my 17th in a row – is an astonishing stat for me,” said Davis, 41, who has taken part in the event since 2003 after making his debut in 2001. “I remember watching the Camel GT series as a 5-year-old kid. Now to be here and part of this for so long means a lot.”Davis will join Will Hardeman, Alex Riberas and Markus Winkelhock in the No. 19 Moorespeed Audi in the GT Daytona class for the four races in the Michelin Endurance Cup. Davis and Winkelhock raced a Magnus Racing Audi in last year’s Rolex 24, finishing sixth in GTD.“This Moorespeed opportunity is great,” Davis said. “Our test here last month went really well, we were running things in. I think we’ve got a great lineup, with a lot of familiar faces and a familiar ride.”Davis made his Rolex 24 debut in 2001, driving a Nissan Lola for Mike Johnson’s Archangel Motorsports in the SRP II class. He drove a Porsche for The Racers Group in 2003, and has been an event regular ever since.“I remember being on the grid as a young guy in the open-cockpit Lola [in 2001], and thinking to myself, ‘What in the world am I doing here?’ Now, 20 years later, I’m still doing it. The fan base keeps getting bigger and bigger. This is a very big international race, and a who’s who is here. The driver field this year is amazing.”Davis’ favorite memory was finishing third in GT in the 2012 event, co-driving the No. 59 Brumos Porsche with Haywood, Leh Keen and Marc Lieb.“Standing on that podium with Hurley Haywood in the Brumos car, to share the podium with Hurley in his last race,” Davis said. “I finished second with Leh in Alex Job’s WeatherTech car three years later, but nothing is going to compare to standing on that podium with Hurley.”