SunEnergy1 Mercedes Added to Expanded 61-Car Rolex 24 Entry

Photo: Brett Farmer/IMSA

IMSA has announced an expansion of the Rolex 24 at Daytona grid to 61 entries, with confirmation of the No. 75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo in the GTD class for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener.

The car, initially entered for Daytona-only, is now expected to compete in the full Michelin Endurance Cup season, which features 57 entries for the four-race season.

Sportscar365 understands that TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa winner Akkodis ASP will operate the SunEnergy1 Mercedes-AMG.

Confirmation of its presence at Daytona after the initial release of a 60-car entry list for the race last month, which saw full season and Endurance Cup teams given priority.

Sixty-one cars also took part in last year’s running of the Rolex 24.

“Having 61 cars for the 61st running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona seems only natural,” said IMSA President John Doonan.

“After we previously announced a 60-car capacity for the field last month – and knowing that we received more than 70 entries – our IMSA team regrouped and eventually determined that we could accommodate one more entry to match our field size from last year.

“This is shaping up to be a Rolex 24 and a 2023 IMSA season for the ages.”

With 25 entries from nine different manufacturers, the GTD field will be the largest of the five classes competing in the twice-around-the-clock Florida endurance classic.

A complete entry list with driver lineups is expected to be released next week.

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