Daytona Weekend Notebook

***Heart of Racing Team’s Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH completed a total of 274 laps over the course of the two-day IMSA-sanctioned test for prototype competitors, between drivers Ross Gunn, Alex Riberas and Roman De Angelis. It still remains unclear if the car will make its competition debut in January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona or instead wait until the FIA World Endurance Championship season-opener in Qatar, some four weeks later, in order to give additional development time before locking in the LMH car’s homologation.

***The No. 23 Aston Martin’s best lap of the weekend came at the hands of Gunn, whose 1:37.169 second time was the quickest out of the three drivers, although more than 1.5 seconds adrift from the pace-setting No. 63 Iron Lynx Lamborghini SC63 of Romain Grosjean.

***Despite Romain Grosjean setting the fastest overall GTP lap of the weekend in the final Saturday night session, the No. 63 Lamborghini suffered an oil leak in the final half-hour, leading to Andrea Caldarelli slowing on track and driving the car back to the garage.

***The future of the Iron Lynx and Lamborghini relationship remains unclear. Rumors, meanwhile, have persisted of a potential IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship-only program for the LMDh car, amid its possible withdrawal from WEC competition for the 2025 season.

***Porsche Penske Motorsport managing director Jonathan Diuguid told Sportscar365 that the team’s testing program featuring updated parts, fitted to all three Porsche 963s testing in Daytona, went “smoothly” and “according to plan” with the new parts having “worked as expected.” Diuguid also mentioned that he was unsure of the advantage of these updates at a circuit like Daytona and that they might be better suited to a bumpier track, given that they revolve around the car’s front suspension.

***Five of the six Porsche Penske drivers testing in Daytona spent seat time in both the Nos. 6 and 7 cars, with Julien Andlauer remaining solely in the No. 6 for an endurance testing program. Diuguid said the No. 6 Porsche was used primarily for longer runs, while the No. 7 car completed various other shorter-length programs.

***Richard Westbrook was on-site for this weekend’s set of testing sessions, assisting his former team JDC-Miller Motorsports. Westbrook announced his retirement from racing at last month’s Motul Petit Le Mans, ending his storied racing career aboard the No. 85 Porsche 963. While Westbrook was not behind the wheel during Friday’s and Saturday’s sessions, he was on the JDC pit wall.

***While only Tijmen van der Helm, Chris Miller, and Gianmaria Bruni were officially named to turn laps at this weekend’s test, reigning ABB Formula E World Champion and ex-Formula 1 driver Pascal Wehrlein got behind the wheel of the customer 963 on Friday, turning a total of 93 laps over the test.

***Wehrlein is currently under a long-term contract with Porsche and will return to the German manufacturer’s Formula E effort next season. While there are currently three race weekends on the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and 2024-2025 Formula E calendars that overlap, both the Roar Before the 24 Hours at Daytona and the Rolex 24 falls between Rounds 2 and 3 of the Formula E calendar.

***Also on-hand for JDC-Miller was Oliver Gray, despite not being named on the entry list, who contested the 2024 European Le Mans Series season with Inter Europol Competition in LMP2. While Gray has hinted towards “very exciting” 2025 racing plans, nothing has been confirmed yet.

***JDC-Miller team principal John Church said that Wehrelin and Gray were “people interested in running.” When asked if either of their testing programs was indicative of future plans, Church said: “We’re just testing guys to give them an opportunity to see what might work or come of it. There are no commitments any which way.”

***After impressing in the recent WEC Bahrain rookie test, Max Hesse got a go in Team RLL’s BMW M Hybrid V8, ahead of a possible Michelin Endurance Cup role for the former BMW Junior. When asked about Hesse’s chances to be in the manufacturer’s LMDh car, BMW M Motorsport director Andreas Roos declined to comment on driver specifics for next year.

***Speaking on his second outing in the LMDh car in quick succession, Hesse said: “It was nice. It was cool to be back, especially so soon. Also, my first time here in Daytona actually, so it was a nice first-time taste. Actually, quite happy with the testing. I think we’ve done a good program the past few days. It was nice to just do more laps and just get used to it more.”

***When asked about his 2025 racing plans with the German manufacturer, Hesse said: “I don’t know. We will see. I cannot tell you, I don’t know myself.” Roos, meanwhile, told Sportscar365 that BMW expects to announce its lineups before the end of the year.

***Both M Hybrid V8s underwent engine changes at the request of the manufacturer following Saturday morning’s session but returned to action later in the day to set competitive times.

***NTT IndyCar Series driver Felix Rosenqvist completed a pair of two-hour stints in what are understood to be his first laps aboard the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing ARX-06 in preparation for his upcoming Rolex 24 debut with the team in January. The upcoming Rolex 24 will be Rosenqvist’s first outing in a top-class prototype after previous LMP2 outings.

***Despite having been listed to test, three-time and defending IndyCar champion Alex Palou did not turn any laps in Acura MSR’s No. 93 car.

***Saturday and Sunday’s testing action at Daytona International Speedway marked the first official running for GTD Pro and GTD teams with the new-for-2025 mandated torque sensors. While not required for all manufacturers and/or teams, IMSA is using the sanctioned test as a data-gathering initiative ahead of next month’s Roar Before the Rolex 24, where it will perform its ‘Targeted Performance Testing’ on the production-based ranks.

***Iron Dames driver Karean Gaillard said her trip to Florida for this weekend’s test was her first time in the U.S.. The 23-year-old Swiss driver turned laps in the No. 83 Iron Dames Porsche 911 GT3 R alongside Rahel Frey, Matteo Cressoni, and Claudio Schiavoni. Gaillard also recently tested the Iron Dames LMGT3 Porsche in Portimao following the ELMS season and earned a podium in this year’s Michelin Le Mans Cup in Iron Dames’ GT3 class entry.

***Newly crowned WEC LMGT3 driver’s champion Klaus Bachler told Sportscar365 that he was testing in Daytona “on behalf of Porsche” after AO Racing requested his presence. “The team asked me to do the test because I have experience from WEC this season with the driveshafts, so I’m really happy to be here,” said Bachler. “Let’s see what I will do next year, but I’m enjoying now to be here and drive.”

***Bachler’s 2025 racing plans have yet to be announced at this stage. “It’s up in the air,” he said. “It’s not decided yet. It’s cool to drive in IMSA and drive in the States. I did it three years ago. I enjoyed it a lot. It’s one of the best championships in the world.”

***Sportscar365 understands that the liveries on all three factory Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing and Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.Rs in the WeatherTech Championship will feature similar design language to those seen on the IMSA and WEC-based Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillacs from the last two seasons. It is understood that liveries will be publicly released the week of the Roar Before the 24.

John Dagys contributed to this report