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WeatherTech Championship

Continental Tire Keys to the Race: Rolex 24

Continental Tire Keys to the Race: Rolex 24…

Photo: IMSA

Photo: IMSA

The 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship kicks off with this weekend’s 54th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The Florida endurance classic also doubles as the opening round of the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup.

Continental Tire Keys to the Race: 

Race: Rolex 24 at Daytona

Track: Daytona International Speedway; 12-turn, 3.56-mile oval/road course

Length: 24 hours

Entries: 54 cars spread across four classes: 13 cars (P), 8 cars (PC), 11 cars (GTLM), 22 cars (GTD)

Schedule:

Thursday, Jan. 28 (all times ET)
Practice 1 – 9:25 – 10:25 a.m.
Practice 2 – 1:20 – 1:50 p.m.
Qualifying – 4 – 5:30 p.m.
Practice 3 –  6:30 – 8 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 29
Practice 4 – 10:25 – 11:25 a.m.
CTSC Race – 1:45 p.m. (2 hours 30 minutes)

Saturday, Jan. 30
Race –  2:40 p.m. (24 hours)

Previous Winners: Chip Ganassi Racing (P), PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports (PC), Corvette Racing (GTLM), Riley Motorsports (GTD)

Previous Polesitters: Ozz Negri (P), Johnny Mowlem (PC), Oliver Gavin (GTLM), James Davison (GTD)

Driver Insight: “Daytona is the kind of race where, when you end up with the kind of result we had last year, it takes a very long time to heal because the intensity of the race and the energy you put in for so long – all kinds of energy, from financial to mental to physical – is so high, when you end up like that, it takes a long time to heal” – Max Angelelli, Driver No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP

Drive Times: Minimum: 5 hours (PC/GTD), 4 hours and 30 minutes (P/GTLM); Maximum: 14 hours and no more than 4 hours in a 6-hour period

Tires: Continental Tire “Gold” for P, PC and GTD classes. Multiple Michelin options for GTLM

Pit Stops: 40-45 minute stint length for P/PC; 55-60 minutes for GTLM/GTD

Weather: Partly Cloudy, High: 67 F, Low 48 F

TV: Flag-to-flag coverage between FOX family of networks and IMSA.com

Saturday, Jan. 30 (all times ET)
2-4 p.m. FOX Sports 1
4-10 p.m. FOX Sports 2

Overnight (Jan. 30-31)
10 p.m.-7 a.m. IMSA.com

Sunday, Jan. 31
7 – 10:30 a.m. FOX Sports 1
10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. FOX Spors 2
1 -3 p.m. – FOX Sports 1

Radio: Complete session-by-session coverage on IMSA Radio

Spotter’s Guide: Click Here

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John

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