Daytona Friday Notebook

Photo: Photo: Brandon Badraoui/IMSA

***The first day of on-track action at the IMSA-sanctioned test at Daytona International Speedway saw GTP and LMP2 cars take to the 3.56-mile track, which was topped in both sessions by the No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06. Nick Yelloly led the way in the first session with teammate Renger van der Zande topping the second session.

***The only car to not set a competitive lap time on Friday was the No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Valkyrie, which stopped on track during Ross Gunn’s out lap in the morning to bring out a red flag. The LMH-based prototype battled electrical issues according to Gunn, who said they never faced this specific problem before with the car.

***Gunn told reporters: “They’re in the process of fixing it. I think we need to dig a bit deeper and hopefully tomorrow we’ll be able to have a full day. It’s not ideal but it’s better to have these things happen in testing rather then on a race weekend.”

***Colin Braun said the biggest change this weekend for MSR, which only has minor aero updates to its Acura compared to other GTP cars, has been coming to grips with Michelin’s new Pilot Sport Endurance tire, which will make its race debut in the Rolex 24.

***GTP teams are largely utilizing the new Medium compound at the test, with an allowance of two sets of the Soft tire, which most competitors will likely save for Saturday’s night session amid expected cooler conditions.

***Braun told Sportscar365: “I didn’t drive in the morning; Tom [Blomqvist] did the very morning and I did from 10:30/11 a.m. So the time I jumped in the car, it was already fairly warm and the out lap was strong for sure. I think it’s definitely improved from what it was with the old tire but I think we’re going to see a bigger delta when we get to cooler temps where you’ve previously struggled a bit to get the tires switched on.”

***Jack Aitken, who will undertake a dual-series IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship campaign with Cadillac next year, will contest a full GTP season in the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R, it has been confirmed. Aitken will share the car in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach with third driver Frederik Vesti, subbing for Earl Bamber, who will be on WEC duty that weekend at Imola.

***The Long Beach/Imola weekend is the only clashing event between the two championship’s top classes next year, with the LMP2 headline race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park again falling on the same weekend as the WEC 6 Hours of Sao Paulo in July.

***Aitken said he’s indifferent to the possibility of Action Express running four drivers in the Rolex 24, should Connor Zilisch be confirmed alongside the already confirmed trio of Bamber, Vesti and the 2025 GTP championship runner-up in the No. 31 Cadillac.

***He told Sportscar365: “We’ve done both. There’s merits to both. My best result with the team is when we had a trio. Equally I know a lot of teams have done really well with four. I think it’s one of those things that can go both ways. It really counts on having quality on those numbers. We do have quality in our ranks, so I’m not really worried about that. It doesn’t change my approach that much.”

***Ferrari’s global head of endurance Antonello Coletta said the lack of a Ferrari factory driver in its solo 296 GT3 Evo this weekend will not be a detriment to its testing program in the updated car’s U.S. debut. Silver-rated Simon Mann will be joined by two-time Italian GT Endurance champion Tommaso Mosca in the No. 21 AF Corse entry.

***Coletta said: “Clearly we are busy between Macau and a lot of things but it doesn’t matter in the end. It’s not a compulsory test, it’s just to allow IMSA to see the car and for IMSA to be familiar with the changes we have made. We have already presented everything to them, but we thought it was good to show them our car and make them understand everything with scrutineering and so on how we will be prepared at Daytona.”

***Newly crowned WEC LMGT3 champion Riccardo Pera has signed a contract as a ‘Manthey Racing driver’ for next year, which will see the Silver-rated Italian contest three different programs with the German squad. Pera is one of three drivers in Manthey’s solo Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo this weekend and is believed to be joining Ryan Hardwick in the team’s No. 912 GTD class entry for the Michelin Endurance Cup races.

***While not present this weekend with its GTD Pro class entry, Sportscar365 understands that AO Racing will be testing its updated GT3-spec Porsche Evo at Sebring International Raceway on Monday.

***Parker Thompson, who has departed Vasser Sullivan and Lexus/Toyota, is getting a tryout in a LMP2 car this weekend, testing the Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07 Gibson ahead of a potential Michelin Endurance Cup seat. It marks the former Porsche Carrera Cup North America champion’s second prototype experience, after doing several races in a LMP3 class Sean Creech Motorsport Ligier JS P3 Nissan in 2022.

***The U.S.-based Canadian has credited Robert Hanley, who recently joined the ownership group of BHA, for the opportunity. Hanley was previously coached by Thompson in Porsche single-make racing, with Thompson co-driving with his son, Daniel, in Pirelli GT4 America competition last year in a Hanley Motorsports Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO.

***Thompson, who is fresh off last weekend’s WEC Bahrain rookie test, told Sportscar365: “I’m getting a lot of tryouts. I’ve never driven a LMP2 before but my background is open-wheel. Bryan Herta Autosport is an exciting opportunity. He’s moving his team up. Then obviously the tie-in with Robert Hanley is really cool. That’s really where it all came from; Robert and I have stayed in touch for a long time.”

***Newly minted Bronze-rated driver Misha Goikhberg has so far been confirmed as the only full season driver in the car, with Ben Keating set for another crack at the Rolex 24, in what the Texan calls a “a mishmash” of drivers for this weekend’s test that also includes Tristan Vautier as its professional-graded driver.

***Keating confirmed he will not pull double duty between multiple entires in the Rolex 24 as he has traditionally done. “I tried but only a single car,” he told Sportscar365. “I think there were other programs I could be a part but nothing I wanted to invest in. I’ve had the agreement with Bobby [Oergel, PR1/Mathiasen team principal] for a long time. I’ve been talking to him all year that I want to do Daytona again. Even though he’s gone and done this agreement with Bryan Herta, I’ve always been part of the picture for Daytona.”

***It’s understood the No. 16 Myers Riley Motorsport Ford Mustang GT3 will be running with several EVO updates on the car after all, although not with the full kit that will be utilized by the two factory Multimatic Motorsports entries. Members of the Bill Riley-run operation were seen in the Multimatic garage on Friday, as part of an educational process with the car.

***In addition to the new Pilot Sport Endurance line of tires for GTP, Michelin is rolling out with an updated tire for GTD Pro and GTD this weekend, designated the Pilot Sport Pro GT H1+, which features an updated tread profile to improve robustness as well as an improved mounting fit for the variety of GT3 OEM rims according to a Michelin Motorsport technical bulletin.

***George Kurtz could become a stakeholder in the Mercedes Formula 1 team, with Reuters reporting that the CrowdStrike CEO is “advanced talks” to purchase a portion of Toto Wolff’s stake of the team. The entire Mercedes F1 team is reportedly valued at $6 billion. Kurtz, who is testing this weekend, is set to continue with the CrowdStrike by APR squad in the LMP2 ranks next year as his primary racing program.

***Earlier this week, IMSA released the 2026 WeatherTech Championship sporting regulations, featuring several notable revisions and additions, including a change on the usage of ‘short’ full course cautions, which will now be deployed within 30 minutes of the race start in addition to remaining in place within the first 15 minutes of a preceding restart.

***LMP2, GTD Pro and GTD teams have been given two additional test days next year, alongside an update to the Hypercar/GTP testing allowances that’s utilized across the WeatherTech Championship and WEC.

***Bronze-rated drivers competing in GTP and GTD Pro will now have to receive permission from IMSA to participate in the class. Additionally, accepted drivers will have to adhere to the minimum drive times utilized in LMP2 and GTD in the races, which will mark a significant increase in drive-time requirements. So far, Winward Racing driver Scott Noble and 75 Express team owner/driver Kenny Habul are the only Bronze-rated pilots (both in GTD Pro) that have confirmed plans to contest the Rolex 24 in a pro class.

***IMSA has also re-worked the wording of its three automatic invites to the 24 Hours of Le Mans it receives from the ACO, changing it from “guaranteed entries” to “entry invitations” and stating that “entries (Trueman/Akin, or otherwise) are invitations at the discretion of the organizers of Le Mans and are not guaranteed.”

***Finally, in an addition to the regulations, the series’ tire manufacturer and entrants must make available “to IMSA’s satisfaction” relevant tire performance data (including but not limited to wear, degradation, and related parameters), when requested by IMSA during events. Additionally, IMSA may grant the official tire manufacturer partner (Michelin) access for track scanning/measurement during track walks.

***Next year’s IMSA-sanctioned test will move back to its traditional December time slot, having been confirmed for Dec. 11-13, 2026.

***Saturday’s track action will see GTD Pro and GTD cars join GTP and LMP2 machinery for three sessions, running from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 1:30-6 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. (all times ET).

Jamie Klein contributed to this report

John Dagys

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