IMSA has revealed the long anticipated entry list for the upcoming Rolex 24 at Daytona. With 60 cars taking the grid at Daytona this coming January, the series has had to employ a reserve list for the season opener. A full list, consisting of driver line-ups, is set for release in early January.
“More than 70 total entries and a 60-car field as we kick off a new era for WeatherTech Championship competition speaks volumes for the interest in international endurance sports car racing and our IMSA platform,” said IMSA President John Doonan.
“Arriving at this 60-car entry list for the 61st Rolex 24 At Daytona required a substantial effort from our team at IMSA.” Doonan continued, “We are proud to present one of the strongest and most competitive fields we have seen and cannot wait to put on a tremendous show for a global audience of racing fans next month.”
The GT field consists of 32 entries across both the GTD Pro and the Pro-Am GTD class. 24 cars consisting of nine manufactures will take the grid in GTD with Acura, Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG, and Porsche all running in the Pro-Am class.
GTD-PRO will field eight cars with seven manufactures, Aston Marin, Corvette, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche all running in the pro class.
LMP2 and LMP3 see ten and nine car grid respectively. ORECA holds all the cards in LMP2 with a full field of ORECA LMP2 07 taking the grid in Florida. In LMP3, the grid is split with four Duqueine D08 machines and five Ligier JS P320s making up the field.
On debut, the hotly anticipated GTP class will field nine entries in the top class. Three Cadillac V-LMDh machines will run, two being allocated for the very successful factory program and one being sold to the #31 Whelen Racing Engineering outfit.
Last seasons championship contending customer Acura teams will roll down pit lane in shiny new Acura ARX-06 machines. Meyer Shank Racing looks to secure a repeat Rolex 24 win in the #61 and Wayne Taylor Racing looks to avenge their last stint, heartbreaking championship loss at Petite Le Mans last year.
New to the grid this year is the BMW and Porsche factory efforts. BMW, running with support from long time partner RLL, looks to continue the success they found in the GT ranks in their new class this year. BMW M Team RLL will run two BMW M Hybrid V-8s at the Rolex.
Porsche also comes with IndyCar team support, bringing the Penske name back to IMSA. With a duel car effort, Porsche will debut the Porsche 963 at Daytona with a who’s who’s of Porsche factory drivers taking turns on the sticks.
Due to safety concerns, the pit boxes for the new GTP machines were made bigger for the 61st running of the Rolex 24, and that space constraint on pit lane capped the number of entries at 60.
It is unclear what teams have been relegated to the reserve list, but IMSA President John Doonan has stated that teams with the intention of running full the WeatherTech Championship season will get priority at the season opener.
The Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona kicks off with the “Roar Before The 24” on January 20th, with the race running around the famed Daytona International Speedway from January 28th to 29th.
