Doonan: ‘Absolute Consideration’ for Rolex 24 Qual Race Return

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

There is “absolute consideration” for the Rolex 24 qualifying race to return in 2024 according to IMSA President John Doonan, who has explained the reason behind reverting to a traditional qualifying format for next month’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opener.

Confirmed earlier this month, the 100-minute qualifying race that was first introduced in 2021 will not continue for a third consecutive year, with an explanation on the format change not having initially been disclosed by the sanctioning body.

Speaking with Sportscar365, Doonan said “sensitivities around supply chain” was the “foundation” for the decision, particularly with the arrival of new LMDh and GT class machinery next year.

“The goal, with adding [the qualifying race] in, was to add some additional excitement for the fans that are here, give us another opportunity to see some demonstrative performance in a race format and if we had to make some decisions on BoP, that’s why we did it,” Doonan told Sportscar365.

“It’s not gone forever. I think [there are] sensitivities around supply chain for teams, in not putting anybody in jeopardy four days before official practice sessions start… That’s the absolute foundation of it.

“As always we survey around the community to get a read on it. It’s not just GTP but we have new GT cars that are launching here.

“We’re being real sensitive to the teams, their needs and making sure everybody gets to the [Rolex 24] grid on Saturday morning without any major issues.

“I think with qualifying ending the Roar on Sunday, people immediately begin race prep. There’s a lot of new cars, there’s a lot of promotions but it’s mainly supply chain and no other message trying to be sent.”

Doonan, who is personally a fan of the qualifying race format, said IMSA will evaluate its potential return in the future.

“There’s absolute consideration to bring it back in 2024 and hopefully beyond,” he said.

“Personally, I love it and loved when we made the Roar mean even more. When we had qualifying for pit stalls and garages and took it to another level, to add points, how special?

“People will still get qualifying points for the sessions on Sunday but at least maybe not as stressful of an environment that could potentially set people back.”

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