Photo: Porsche
***Cooler temperatures greeted IMSA competitors on the second day of the Roar Before the Rolex 24, which saw two daytime sessions followed by a two-hour night session that’s due to start at 6:30 p.m. ET. Phil Hanson led a customer Porsche 963 sweep of the top two positions in Session 4 in his No. 85 JDC-Miller Motorsports entry, having posted the quickest time of the weekend while on Michelin’s soft tire compound.
***Hanson said: “The JDC boys did a really good job of rolling out with a very strong package this morning. I think that showed in both practice sessions. We were very fast in the morning when my teammates Richard [Westbrook], Ben [Keating] and Tijmen [van der Helm] drove. It also translated to the afternoon. It was interesting to see how it might change. The track temps came up a bit while still being on the softer compound.”
***Proton Competition’s Porsche 963, which set the second quickest time of the day, was only returned to the team on Dec. 22 after being taken away for repairs following last year’s Motul Petit Le Mans, explaining why the team was unable to complete the build process in time for Friday’s first test session.
***Both Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs battled electrical gremlins on Saturday, with the No. 3 car one of several cars to not take to the track for the second session of the day and the No. 4 car completing only four laps in that session as well. It’s understood that both AWA Corvettes have yet to encounter such issues.
***The two factory-supported entries underwent engine changes, along with the No. 60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2.
***Pfaff Motorsports had a delayed start to the fourth session when the team forgot to remove the radiator block before sending James Hinchcliffe out aboard the No. 9 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo. The Canadian driver pulled over behind the Le Mans Chicane to remove it before continuing. The car rejoined the session afterwards.
***The 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway oval/road course has undergone several changes since last year’s Rolex 24, including the paving of a large patch of the backstretch on driver’s left, which used to be grass. It was already in place for last month’s IMSA-sanctioned test.
***Acura’s ARX-06 is running virtually identical to last year’s configuration according to Honda Racing Corporation USA President David Salters, who told Sportscar365 that “a few bits and bobs” have been updated for legality purposes, including “some safety stuff” with the door and “normal housekeeping” items. He confirmed that no ‘Evo Jokers’ have been utilized.
***The biggest change to last year as come in the Balance of Performance department, which has seen the Acura some 42 kg heavier than the 2023 Rolex 24, where it finished 1-2. The Porsche 963 has also received a weight increase to the tune of 21 kg. All GTP class cars ran identical minimum weights of 1030 kg at Daytona last year.
***Salters said: “We’ve got a pretty heavy car but it’s a pretty good car as well. I think generally IMSA have been pretty good at this sort of stuff. There has been some stuff that [IMSA] have tried to refine and change this year. They have to develop their process, so we’ll see how that goes. I quite liked it last year when everything was equal! That worked for us.”
***Tatiana Calderon only turned her first laps in the Gradient Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 on Friday, having missed the IMSA-sanctioned test at Daytona in December due to a virus. “It took me almost two months to recover fully, so I couldn’t be here for the test unfortunately,” Calderon. “I am sure that my teammates will help me get up to speed.”
***Calderon completed a total of 52 laps across the opening four sessions of the Roar with a best time of 1:46.720, just under half a second slower than teammate Katherine Legge’s GTD chart-topping time in Friday’s first session aboard the Gradient car.
***Lilou Wadoux faces a clash between her Michelin Endurance Cup and SUPER GT programs, as the Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motorsport Speedway falls on the same weekend as the latter series’ visit to Sugo. The factory Ferrari driver is expected to prioritize her SUPER GT commitments with the PONOS Racing team.
***Several drivers on the Daytona grid are set for a busy few weeks of racing, with at least 11 drivers set to compete in the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour. Of them, four (Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor, Kevin Estre and Ian James) have also been confirmed for the FIA World Endurance Championship opener in Qatar, for which the Prologue takes place a week after Bathurst.
***Van der Linde praised Paul Miller Racing’s working climate ahead of his debut with the Georgia-based squad, describing it as a ‘low pressure’ environment. “It’s still a bit early to say, but I think it’s a very similar mindset to Schubert [Motorsport] and DTM,” he said. “They don’t overthink things, which is quite important in the sense that there’s not a lot of pressure. Everyone does their job and at the end of the day whatever that may be is what we have, but there’s no added pressure from the team side or from Paul Miller himself.”
***Sportscar365 understands that both the updated GT3 and GT4-spec Aston Martin Vantages, which are making their respective competition debuts at Daytona, will be formally unveiled on Feb. 12 alongside the launch of its 2024 Formula 1 car in an event at Silverstone.
***The Aston GT3 cars entered by The Heart of Racing and Magnus Racing are in full race liveries although Rebel Rock Racing’s Aston GT4 Evo has been sporting a camouflaged design during this weekend’s track activity in Michelin Pilot Challenge and VP Racing SportsCar Challenge.
***While securing the auto-invite from IMSA to this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans by winning the GTP championship in 2023, Action Express Racing hasn’t finalized preparations for the race until waiting from officiation confirmation from the ACO.
***Team manager Gary Nelson told Sportscar365: “We would sure like to. We have to get an invitation first. I always feel better when I see the official invitation. We would love to run Le Mans and looking forward to opening the mail one day.”
***Porsche LMDh factory director Urs Kuratle said he “can’t exclude” the possibility of a future track day version of the Porsche 963, similar to Ferrari’s 499P Modificata, but said it’s something the German manufacturer has not yet discussed. “I’m not saying it will never happen but for now we are busy enough with what we’ve got,” he said.
***Wayne Taylor will be taking part in this year’s Monaco Historic Grand Prix at the wheel of a 1977 Wolf WR1 Formula 1 car that WTR purchased two years ago. The car, that was driven by Jody Scheckter and Keke Rosberg, has been fully restored and has lapped Putnam Park in preparation for the South African’s drive.
***The Mazda MX-5 Cup, which kicks off next weekend at Daytona, has a new title sponsor in Whelen Engineering, while Michelin has become the official tire supplier for the single-make series after multiple years with its subsidiary BF Goodrich.
***IMSA Radio will provide coverage of Sunday’s warmup and qualifying session for the Rolex 24, beginning at 1:25 p.m. ET. NBC Sports coverage will be available on Peacock, with IMSA Radio commentary on IMSA.tv for international audiences.
Davey Euwema & Jamie Klein contributed to this report
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