Doonan: Having IMSA in Pitt F1 Movie “Can Only Be Good”

Photo: John Dagys

Having IMSA and Rolex 24 at Daytona featured in the new Formula 1-based major motion picture starring Brad Pitt “can only be good” according to IMSA President John Doonan.

Filming for the yet-to-be-titled film, directed by Joseph Kosinski, was conducted over a two-week period at Daytona International Speedway during the Roar Before the Rolex 24 and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener itself, with camera crews shooting scenes in the garage area and on-track.

An additional scene was filmed during victory lane ceremonies following the conclusion of the Rolex 24, while at least two local establishments in the Daytona Beach, Fla. area were also utilized for the upcoming Apple Original Films production.

Legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who is also part of the project, served as the event’s grand marshal.

Speaking to reporters prior to the start of the Rolex 24 last Saturday, Doonan expressed his gratitude for the opportunity for IMSA and Daytona International Speedway to play a part in the film.

“The movie itself, I had read… the stories of it visiting Silverstone and the filming that took place there,” he said.

“When we were contacted by the movie team about the possibility of filming [at Daytona], we were obviously very thrilled that our property, Daytona International Speedway, the World’s Center of Racing, and IMSA, could be part of that.

“I’m super proud of two of my teammates, David Pettit (SVP Marketing and Business Operations) and Rebecca Rawski (Director, Client Experience), who have managed to get them into the garage, to the paddock, to pit lane, in a very organic manner.

“It’s testament to the folks that are making the film. They wanted 100 percent authentic, where you see Pat Long, who has been coaching and teaching and making sure the racing scenes are authentic, whether it’s a pit stop or on track activity.

“Yes, they ran until 2 a.m. (on Thursday of race week at Daytona).

“The branding… it’s all authentic. I think that’s really great. But to have the first segment of the movie here, at Daytona, in Volusia County and around the area, it can only be good.

“We’ve all seen racing movies and can all name our favorite racing movies. But for me it’s always been about making sure the movie is authentic. And I think they’re dedicated to making sure that’s the case.”

Doonan shared a story of a funny moment while exploring the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship paddock in the build-up to the Rolex 24.

“I walked into the garage area and there were a stack of tires at the very end bay that were in on tire warmers,” he recalled.

“I took a picture with my phone and I immediately got it to Eric Haverson (Senior Manager, Technical Regulations and Compliance) and Matt Kurdock (IMSA Technical Director) and I said, ‘We’ve got a problem here. Somebody’s using tire warmers in the garage area.’

“I had no idea because you couldn’t see what kind of tires it was and it was tucked in this corner in the garage.

“Lo and behold it was for the Lola B2K/10 camera car for the movie!”

He added that the Lola camera car was the actual chassis that now-retired Corvette Racing ace Oliver Gavin made his IMSA debut in, back in Grand-Am competition in 2000.

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