Daytona Thursday Notebook

Photo: John Dagys

***There have been no major incidents across the two opening practice sessions for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, which stopped on track in the closing stages of opening practice, ended up running out of fuel.

***The engine change that prevented the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R from participating in the second practice session was planned and carried out with an engine that was shipped in from Detroit according to program manager Christie Bagne.

***A Corvette Racing spokesperson revealed that the engine that was removed from the No. 3 car was the same unit that was swapped out during the Roar Before the 24 last Saturday, with similar electrical issues to those encountered during the Roar again rearing their head.

***The No. 4 car also spent some time on pit road with the engine cover off and mechanics working on what Bagne revealed was an alternator issue. Both cars are expected to return to the track for this evening’s third session.

***Jack Hawksworth indicated that Vasser Sullivan could sit out night practice with its pair of Lexus RC F GT3’s in order to preserve tires, who said the team are in a ‘good spot’ in terms of setup.

***Hawksworth told Sportscar365: “We get 25 sets for the weekend and ideally you’d like to use a set every time you come in for a pit stop. So for us, We’re probably not going to be running night practice just because we don’t want to use our race tires in practice.”

***A total of 49 Bronze or Silver-rated drivers must take part in night practice this evening in order to be authorized to drive during periods of darkness in the race. Click Here for the list.

***IMSA updated the WeatherTech Championship sporting regulations on Wednesday to state that all competitors of the same car model “may be penalized” should the sanctioning body determine that “levels of demonstrated performance exceed expectations.”

***A minimum penalty, as outlined by IMSA, would be a “stop and repair” with non-compliance subject to further to penalties for so-called sandbagging.

***IMSA and Michelin have nominated the hours of 7 p.m. on Saturday through 8 a.m. on Sunday as the period where GTP teams will be permitted to use Michelin’s soft tire compound. The medium tire is permitted at all times during the race except if the race director declares the use of wet tires.

***It’s understood that a number of GTP teams utilized a significant portion of its soft tire allocation at the Roar Before the Rolex 24, which had cooler ambient temperatures than to this weekend’s forecast.

***Brad Pitt was spotted in the ‘Chip Hart Racing’ garage on Thursday afternoon, shooting a scene for the upcoming yet-to-be-titled Formula 1 movie. The Apple Original Film is set to feature the Rolex 24, in what’s understood to include a story arc with Sonny Hayes (Pitt) as a sports car racing driver-turned Formula 1 star. Filming at Daytona is set to conclude next week at several local establishments outside of the speedway.

***Several notable classic cars were on display in the Daytona paddock on Thursday. They included the 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning Dauer 962, several Daytona Prototypes, a BMW 3.0 CSL and a Porsche 962 raced by Bruce Leven and Bob Wollek in 1986.

***Felipe Nasr has unveiled a special helmet design for this weekend’s event. The predominantly white and red design, of which the Brazilian shared images on social media, is hand-painted by Brazilian artist Adonis Alcici.

***The GTD Pro class pole-sitting No. 77 AO Racing ‘Rexy’ Porsche 911 GT3 R is sporting a black ribbon in memory of a young fan ‘Anthony’ who recently passed away in a tragic accident.

***DXDT Racing is on site with a delegation headed by team owner David Askew, shadowing Corvette Racing personnel as they ramp up towards running a pair of Z06 GT3.Rs in Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS. “We’re keeping, we’re keeping them in the loop and they’re talking directly with AWA,” Bagne told Sportscar365.

***TF Sport, which will run two Corvette’s in the FIA World Endurance Championship LMGT3 class, is not on site. The Tom Ferrier-run squad has taken delivery of its cars, but is preparing for a first test at Dubai Autodrome ahead of their debut in the Qatar 1812km on March 2.

***Although he has frequently raced GT3 cars in other championships, Earl Bamber is set for his first GT appearance in the WeatherTech Championship in three years. He drove a Team Hardpoint EBM Porsche 911 GT3 R in GTD for the opening two rounds of the 2021 campaigns before going on to sign with Cadillac.

***Bamber hinted that he is likely to return to the Nürburgring 24 later this year to defend his crown after winning with Frikadelli Racing Team last year, noting that ‘you’ll see me in something’ at the Eifel classic.

***Oliver Jarvis revealed he was “very close” to driving in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the Hypercar class this year, but that calendar clashes with his IMSA program for Pfaff Motorsports ultimately scuppered those prospects. “I’m still motivated and I can still do the job in a prototype. I won three out of six races last year,” said Jarvis, referring to his European Le Mans Series program with United Autosports.

***On whether he will contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans with United, for which he will continue to race in the ELMS this year, Jarvis said: “I have a great relationship with the team, but it’s not a discussion at the moment. It’s a race I always want to be at.”

***Romain Dumas is eyeing up options to make what would be his 24th appearance at Le Mans including a potential berth in LMP2 should Proton Competition not be granted a second entry for the French classic. “For sure I would like to be in the top category, which depends on Proton, and if not I hope I can drive in LMP2. I am already speaking to some teams, because I really want to be there. I hope I will not miss it!”

***Proton team principal Christian Ried told Sportscar365 they will “make a plan” once the Le Mans entry list is confirmed on whether they would need to fly its WeatherTech Championship car to Le Mans or potentially have a third 963, should the German team be granted a second Hypercar entry.

***Tom Davey, who passed away last year, was named the 2023 recipient of the RRDC Bob Akin Award. He was honored at the annual Road Racing Drivers Club members’ dinner on Wednesday evening. Bob Riley, known for his design, creation and construction of championship-winning race cars, meanwhile, was honored with the Phil Hill Award, with Ken Kannard, winner of the 2023 SCCA F Production National Championship, named the 2023 recipient of the RRDC Mark Donohue Award.

***A 90-minute night practice concludes WeatherTech Championship on-track activities for Thursday, beginning at 6:35 p.m. ET, with a final one-hour practice session on tap for Friday at 11:20 a.m.

Davey Euwema & 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