The Rolex 24 Hour Race at Daytona
By Tristan Ell
The Rolex 24 at Daytona is one of the most prestigious Motorsports races in the world. The event takes place at the famed Daytona International Speedway located in Daytona Beach, Florida and is a 24-hour-long endurance race.
The race is run under the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) banner and will see 59 cars competing amongst four different classes. These classes are made to differentiate specific cars based on performance level. Each class has their unique properties and different manufacturers are competing in each category, with some running in multiple categories.
GTP
The GTP (Grand Touring Prototype) class contains 10 cars for this year's event which consists of four team manufacturers, BMW, Acura, Porsche and Cadillac. The GTP class are regulated hybrid cars that will undoubtedly be the fastest class in the race.
Each car has its own unique body style depending on the team manufacturer and is required to contain a 67 horsepower hybrid power unit according to motor trend. The engines in these vehicles range anywhere from 643 to 697 horsepower.
LMP2
The LMP2 (Le Mans Prototype) class contains 13 cars. The majority containing a chassis from Organisation Exploitation Compétition Automobiles (ORECA) which is a French manufacturer. These prototype cars are very similar amongst the different teams with engines containing about 600 horsepower. This is the second fastest class of cars competing.
GT Daytona Pro
The Grand Tourer Daytona Pro (GTD Pro class), contains 13 cars from manufacturers such as BMW, Chevrolet, Lamborghini, Ferrari and Ford. Ford is making their return to sports car racing with their brand new Ford Mustang GT3
These cars more closely resemble their street car counterparts and are much easier to identify for the average viewer. This class also closely resembles the GTD class with the main difference being a requirement of professional drivers which are shown with the name GTD Pro.
GTD
The GTD series allows for Pro/AM drivers to compete, unlike the GTD Pro class. This class contains 23 cars which is the most of any class. This class sees many similar manufacturers such as Lexus, Chevrolet, Ferrari and Aston Martin.
Both GTD classes are regulated based on the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile gran tourer (FIA’s GT3) technical regulations. These regulations help keep the class competitive and exciting for the viewers.
Drivers
Each team contains three to four drivers who will rotate driving responsibilities throughout the event. For example, Wayne Taylor Racings Number 10 team contains four drivers Filipe Albuquerque, Brendon Hartley, Marcus Ericsson and Ricky Taylor.
A driver's stint can last anywhere from 45 minutes to upwards of 4 hours according to Motortech. A driver swap is done many times throughout the race which keeps the drivers energized so they can get through the grueling 24-hour race.
Many notable drivers are competing in the event such as Indycar champion Josef Newgarden and former Formula 1 drivers Jenson Button and Felipe Massa. It’s not uncommon to see many different drivers from many different racing series such as Indycar or Nascar compete in this coveted event.
Drivers and teams will be challenged throughout the race due to physical and mental fatigue. Throughout the race, drivers will be forced to drive and adapt to many different conditions depending on the weather along with differences such as driving in the day and night time.
Daytona is a challenging track with many difficult corners such as turn one where cars are forced to go from their top speed into a sharp left-hand corner and the backstretch chicane also known as the Le Mans Chicane, which is a combination of left and right turns.
The race takes place on Jan. 27 and starts at 1:40 PM Eastern time. The winning drivers in each class receive a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona watch according to dailysportscar.com, making it one of the most coveted rewards in all of racing.
After an exciting couple of years that has seen many close finishes and many intense battles, who knows what the 2024 Rolex 24 has in store this year.