Team Tonis Drops Off Entry List; 60 Cars Set for Rolex 24

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

Team Tonis’ LMP2 entry has dropped off the entry list for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, resulting in a finalized 60-car grid for this month’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener.

Confirmed in the latest entry list release for next weekend’s Roar Before the Rolex 24 on Wednesday, the Chicago-area based team will not take part in the Florida endurance classic, despite having been awarded a full-season entry by IMSA.

The No. 61 Oreca 07 Gibson, which appeared on the provisional Rolex 24 entry list last month with four to-be-announced drivers, made its series debut in last August’s round at Road America with team owner/driver Tonis Kasemets and Matthew Brabham at the wheel.

The team posted several LMP2-specific job listings on its Facebook page on Tuesday, indicating the program could still launch later in the year.

The 61st slot on the grid will not be filled because Sportscar365 understands that there were no reserve entrants able to join under the short notice period.

The finalized entry list comes amid confirmation of DXDT Racing’s lineup in its GTD class Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R as well as Ayhancan Guven completing the lineup in Manthey Racing’s GTD Pro-entered Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo and Jacob Abel joining Era Motorsport for the Michelin Endurance Cup rounds, all of which were announced on Wednesday morning.

No other driver additions have been made to the updated list, although several teams still have slots that are yet to be confirmed.

It includes the fourth driver in the No. 19 Van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, RLL Team McLaren’s intended fourth pilot in its McLaren 720S GT3 EVO and RS1’s final driver in its No. 28 Porsche, which was announced to be Porsche-contracted driver Sven Mueller

However, Mueller is one of a half-dozen drivers that are set to miss the Roar due to competing in the Michelin 24H Dubai on the same weekend.

Of note, James Roe is still incorrectly listed in the No. 18 Era Oreca, a seat that has been taken by Abel.

On-track action for the three-day test, which will once again not include qualifying for the Rolex 24, kicks off on Fri. Jan. 16, with a total of seven sessions on tap.

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