Jochen Mass Named Grand Marshal for 2015 Rolex 24

Legendary German sports car and Formula One driver Jochen Mass will serve as the Grand Marshal for the 53rd edition of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 24-25, 2015 at Daytona International Speedway – the season-opening event for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

In his role as Grand Marshal, Mass will deliver the command, “Drivers start your engines,” for the demanding 24-hour sports car race staged on the track’s 3.56-mile road course.

Mass joins other racing legends such as David Hobbs, Hurley Haywood, A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, Vic Elford and Brian Redman who have served as Grand Marshal for the prestigious twice-around-the-clock challenge.

“Jochen Mass is an endurance racing legend as well as a veteran driver in Formula One,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. “It’s an honor to have him preside as Grand Marshal for the Rolex 24 At Daytona to deliver the starting command as we kick off the 2015 racing season.”

Between 1977-87, Mass made five starts in the Rolex 24 At Daytona posting a best finish of third in 1985 and 1986 driving Jim Busby’s Porsche 962. In 1977, Mass put the first turbo-charged Porsche 935 on pole for the Rolex 24; in 1987 he won his second pole driving Bruce Leven’s Porsche 962.

Notable victories for Mass in his sports car career include the 12 Hours of Sebring with co-driver Bobby Rahal in 1987 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1989 with co-drivers Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens.

Between 1973-82, during his Formula One career, Mass made more than 100 starts and earned his lone victory in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix.

Tickets for the 2015 Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Roar Before The Rolex 24, the three-day test session scheduled for January 9-11, can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.