Roar Before The Rolex 24 this Weekend

[teamzr1]

Largest Entry List Since 2014 Set for Final Tune Up Before 60th Rolex 24 At Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Each year, the international motorsports' scene waits with great anticipation the arrival of the Rolex 24 At Daytona the annual green flag for the racing season around the globe.

The eagerness is even greater in 2022, with the historic 60th running of the iconic 24-hour race at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 29-30. A whopping 61 cars have been entered for the Roar Before the Rolex 24 test session that precedes the race by a week. It’s the most entries since 2014.

“The racing world turns its eyes to the Rolex 24 every year since it typically kicks off the season for everyone in the industry and draws such an immense amount of international driver and team talent together,” IMSA President John Doonan said. “That’s even truer in 2022 with more cars on the grid than we’ve seen at Daytona in the last eight years. It shows that the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and sports car racing around the world continues to grow and thrive. We’re very excited for what should be a memorable 60th Rolex 24 At Daytona and the season ahead.”

The Roar Before the Rolex 24 from Jan. 21-23 features two full days of on-track testing at Daytona’s 3.56-mile road course, followed by the 100-minute qualifying race on Sunday, Jan. 23 (livestream at 2p.m. ET on Peacock) that sets the starting grid for the Rolex 24.
The talent pool is deep within each of the five competing classes, with more than 50 past Rolex 24 winners in the field. It means each team must take advantage of every minute of track time during the Roar to be prepared for the marathon that is the Rolex 24.

A glance at the classes shows just how competitive they shape up to be:

Daytona Prototype international (DPi): Seven cars, the same number as in 2021, are in the DPi field this year, in what is the final season for the class before it switches to the LMDh platform in 2023. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 claimed the class and overall Rolex 24 victory a year ago and three of its drivers – Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor and Alexander Rossi – are back along with newcomer Will Stevens.
The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R won the qualifying race during the Roar last year, what proved an important step on the Action Express Racing entry’s route to the season title. Pipo Derani and Mike Conway are back in the No. 31, with Tristan Nunez replacing Felipe Nasr as Derani’s new full-season teammate.

Other DPi entries of note include Chip Ganassi Racing expanding to a two-car Cadillac effort and the No. 48 Ally Cadillac that includes seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and two-time Rolex 24 winner Kamui Kobayashi returning for the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races.

Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2): The LMP2 field remains the same, 10 cars, as it was a year ago and is again full of international flair. The No. 18 Era Motorsport ORECA LMP2 07 that won the 2021 Rolex 24 returns fully intact with Dwight Merriman, Kyle Tilley, Ryan Dalziel and Paul-Loup Chatin, as does the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA lineup of Ben Keating, Mikkel Jensen, Scott Huffaker and Nicolas Lapierre that won the qualifying race on its way to the LMP2 championship.

DragonSpeed USA dipped into the IndyCar field for drivers Pato O’Ward, Colton Herta and Devlin DeFrancesco to team with Eric Lux. International flavor is added by entries from teams including G-Drive Racing by APR, High Class Racing, Racing Team Nederland and United Autosports.

Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3): The number of entries grows from six to 10 this year as the LMP3 class embarks on its second season of WeatherTech Championship competition. The No. 74 Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320 won last year’s Rolex 24 and went on to win the season title for the team and driver Gar Robinson. He’s back to defend and will team with Felipe Fraga, Kay van Berlo and Michael Cooper at the Roar and Rolex 24.

Muehlner Motorsports America is back with a pair of Duqueine D08s, including the No. 6 headed by driver Moritz Kranz that won the 2021 qualifying race. Other LMP3 teams and names to watch include newcomer AWA with the No. 13 Duqueine for drivers Orey Fidani, Kumo Wittmer, Lars Kern and Matthew Bell, the No. 54 CORE autosport Ligier with Colin Braun, Jon Bennett, George Kurtz and Nic Jonsson aboard and four-time Rolex 24 winner Joao Barbosa in the No. 33 Sean Creech Motorsport Ligier.

GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO): The new class that replaces GT Le Mans (GTLM) is loaded with 13 entries and eight manufacturers.

Corvette Racing bears watching as always, but in particular as it shifts from the GTLM platform to the GT3 specification the GTD PRO falls under
The No. 3 Corvette won last year’s Rolex 24 and the driver trio returns with Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg.
The No. 4 Corvette won the 2021 qualifying race and is back on a one-off for the Rolex 24 before taking on a full season in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

BMW Team RLL was the 2019 and 2020 GTLM winner at the Rolex 24 and brings back two entries with the new BMW M4 GT3. WeatherTech Racing has three entries using two manufacturers (Porsche and Mercedes-AMG). Pfaff Motorsports moves to GTD PRO with the plaid No. 9 Porsche 911 GT3R after claiming last year’s GT Daytona (GTD) championship.
Other manufacturers for the debut of this highly anticipated class include Aston Martin, Ferrari Lamborghini and Lexus.

GT Daytona (GTD):
Now running under the same specs as GTD PRO but with the requirement of having Bronze- or Silver-rated drivers as part of the lineup, the GTD class continues its unrivaled popularity with 22 entries – up three from a year ago.
Mercedes-AMG finished 1-2 in last year’s Rolex 24 and both teams are back, the winning No. 57 Winward Racing with half the drivers (Russell Ward and Philip Ellis) returning and runner-up No. 75 Sun Energy 1 bringing back three (Kenny Habul, Luca Stolz and Raffaele Marciello).

With nine manufacturers entered in GTD, the competition is wide open as usual. Never overlook all-time leading IMSA winner Bill Auberlen and Turner Motorsport co-drivers Robby Foley, Michael Dinan and Jens Klingmann. The No. 96 won last year’s qualifying race and, like BMW Team RLL in GTD PRO, will race a new BMW M4 GT3 this season.

The Heart of Racing Team finished third in the 2021 GTD championship, won the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup and finished fifth in the Rolex 24. Drivers Roman De Angelis, Ian James and Darren Turner are back for the Rolex 24, with Tom Gamble filling the roster. With the semi-retirement of longtime Porsche driver Patrick Long, the No. 16 Wright Motorsports entry takes on a slightly different look this year with drivers Ryan Hardwick, Jan Heylen, Zacharie Robichon and Porsche works driver Richard Lietz.

Andy Lally has the most Rolex 24 wins of any driver entered (five). His No. 44 Magnus Racing team bears watching with its switch to the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 this year. Others to watch include Crucial Motorsports and inception racing, which both bring the McLaren 720S GT3 back to the Roar and Rolex 24.
The Roar schedule calls for two test sessions Friday, Jan. 21 and a third on Saturday, Jan. 22 ahead of qualifying for the 100-minute qualifying race later that afternoon. The qualifying race starts at 2:05 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 23.


Roar Before The Rolex 24 Schedule this weekend :

Friday, January 21, 2022
8:45 AM to 9:30 AM ET
Practice 1 - Prototype Challenge

9:45 AM to 11:00 AM ET
Practice 1 - Michelin Pilot Challenge

11:15 AM to 12:30 PM ET
Practice 1 - WeatherTech Championship

1:45 PM to 2:30 PM ET
Practice 2 - Prototype Challenge

2:45 PM to 4:00 PM ET
Practice 2 - Michelin Pilot Challenge

4:15 PM to 6:00 PM ET
Practice 2 - WeatherTech Championship

6:15 PM to 6:30 PM ET
Qualifying - Prototype Challenge

Saturday, January 22, 2022
8:45 AM to 9:45 AM ET
Practice 3 - Michelin Pilot Challenge

10:00 AM to 11:00 AM ET
Practice 3 - WeatherTech Championship

12:05 PM to 3:05 PM ET
Round 1 - Daytona International Speedway

3:25 PM to 4:30 PM ET
Qualifying - WeatherTech Championship

4:50 PM to 5:50 PM ET
Practice 4 - Michelin Pilot Challenge

7:00 PM to 9:00 PM ET
Practice 4 - WeatherTech Championship

Sunday, January 23, 2022
10:00 AM to 10:20 AM ET
Warm Up - WeatherTech Championship

10:35 AM to 11:50 AM ET
Practice 5 - Michelin Pilot Challenge

2:05 PM to 3:45 PM ET
Qualifying Race for the WeatherTech Championship

 

[teamzr1]

Corvette C8.R Racing starts a new year in a new classification this week with the annual Roar Before the 24 a three-day test at Daytona International Speedway ahead of next weekend’s Rolex 24 At Daytona.

For the first time since 2014, Corvette Racing will participate in a new category of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship:
GT Daytona PRO (GTD PRO).

It serves as a successor to GT Le Mans (GTLM), a classification in which Corvette Racing won more races and championships than any other program since 2014. The next goal is to replicate that same success in a full season of GTD PRO competition, which will feature 13 entries at Daytona.

The team’s Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs for the Roar and Rolex will look similar to the GTLM trim. A revised wing profile will mean a slightly different level of downforce at the rear of the Corvette. The C8.R will run on customer Michelin tires, per GTD regulations.

Under the skin, the GTD-PRO Corvette will retain the same 5.5-liter, flat-plane V8 with a slightly decreased power output over the GTLM rules package. An anti-lock braking system (ABS), tested by Corvette Racing at Belle Isle’s race in June, also will be featured on the IMSA C8.R along with other driver aids that are mandated by the class regulations.

Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg won last year’s Rolex 24 in GTLM to lead a 1-2 finish for Corvette Racing. The trio in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R is back for a chance at two in a row.
Full-season teammates Garcia and Taylor won the last two GTLM Driver championships and seek to use Daytona as a springboard to another full-season championship run.

While Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy will contest the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2022, they will return to Daytona in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R alongside new teammate Marco Sorensen. Milner and Tandy were second to their Corvette Racing teammates in the 2021 Rolex 24 with Sorensen set for his second Daytona start.

The learnings from the Roar and the Rolex 24 also will serve to further development of the customer Corvette Z06 GT3.R that will be available to independent teams beginning in 2024.
The Roar Before the 24 is set for Friday-Sunday with the 100-minute qualifying race set for 2:05 p.m. ET on Sunday. Live coverage will be available on Peacock in the United States and IMSA.com outside the U.S.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“Every year, we see how important the Roar test is for race preparation.
With the Rolex 24 being the first race for us in a new category, it will be difficult to learn and understand things that every other team that has raced in GTD already knows. We will have to play catch-up to be competitive.
But I have a lot of faith in Corvette Racing. Our experience can help us achieve that.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“I’m super excited to get back to Daytona. Even with it being a shorter off season than usual, it feels like it’s been forever since we’ve been at the track.
We’ve got a lot of new things to look forward to with the new GTD PRO class and a little different C8.R than we’ve raced before.

It’ll be our first time having the car out on track with competition in this spec, so it’ll be interesting to see where we stack up.
There’s going to be a long list of items we’ll be wanting to check off throughout the Roar test to give us confidence going into the Rolex 24.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“The Roar will be super important for us, maybe even more than the last couple of years. It’s an all new class and the field is much bigger and very diverse, simply bigger than years before.
So it will be interesting in learning about who is strong where, which drivers are strong, and where we fit in.
It’s going to be intriguing to find out where we are with our car compared to the other GTDs.

We haven’t had an extreme amount of running in this spec, so we are definitely going to use the Roar as a big learning tool. I’m excited to jump back in the car. It’s a little different now with ABS of course and some minor differences.
It’s going to take some adjusting again. Coming off our Rolex win last year, it’s certainly a positive feeling coming into the Roar. I’m looking forward to it.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“At the end of last season, I didn’t think we would have the chance to race in IMSA this year. So this is a nice bonus to get us back into the groove of racing.

Things will be a little different with some changes to our Corvette C8.R for the new GTD PRO category, but they are items we’ve tested before in the simulator and on the track. So much of the success you have at Daytona is down to the preparation going into the race.
I feel that’s where we are really strong.
It looks like it’s going to be a deep and competitive field, so let’s see how myself, Nick and our new teammate Marco pick up over these three days.”

NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“Daytona this year will be a challenge, but it’s one we’re looking forward to. It’s looking like a very strong grid in GTD PRO, which should make great racing, but also means getting a top result that much harder. It’s a brand-new class to IMSA racing, however it shares many technical and sporting regulations with GTD and some teams transitioning from GTD to Pro might have a bit more experience and knowledge.

One thing that Corvette Racing knows is how to win long endurance races, so we go with high hopes, but we also know we still have work to do. For example, the Roar test will be the first time the C8.R will run in GTD spec at Daytona.
For me personally, it will be the first time I drive the car in GTD trim with the spec Michelin tires used for our class.

The test days often don’t seem to last very long, so we’ll need to be well-prepared to make the most of all the on-track running we can get. I’m also personally excited to work with Marco for the first time.
We first raced against each other back in 2007 in Formula Ford, so I’ve known him a long time, even though we’ve never shared a cockpit together.
I’m sure he’ll fit in perfectly and be a big asset to our team alongside Tommy and myself.”

MARCO SORENSEN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

Honestly, I can’t wait to meet and work with the full Corvette Racing team and get things going.
To go racing with a team like this is going to be a real pleasure.
I met some of the team at the race shop and got my first real look at the C8.R and spent some time in the simulator last week.
It’s an excellent setup and very useful to help me get ready for Daytona.
The Roar and the qualifying event are obviously good opportunities to get some laps in the car and get comfortable with everything, so we can get the job done in the real

 

[teamzr1]

Have you ever heard of a sponsor of a race series like IMSA where WeatherTech is also the boss ?

How about they bias the race by entering 3 cars, 2 different nameplates in same class (GTD-Pro) and now finding they are using their top driver to
drive 2 cars in the same class and race ?
Yet, multi BoP rules against the C8.Rs but not WeatherTechs 3 cars ?

They claim no team orders between the WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evos and Porsche 911 GT3 R in the Rolex 24 at Daytona according to Cooper MacNeil, who is set to pull double duty for the first time in his driving career.

MacNeil, who claimed three GT Le Mans class victories last year, including the final race of the category at Motul Petit Le Mans, will split his driving time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opener between the No. 97 Mercedes and his full-season No. 79 Porsche entry, both competing in the GTD Pro class.

An additional Mercedes has been entered in the class by a joint effort from Proton and Multimatic, although it is also sponsored by WeatherTech and not directly involved with MacNeil’s racing program.
MacNeil won Motul Petit Le Mans courtesy of a last-lap reversal of positions between the two WeatherTech Porsche 911 RSR-19s that were running 1-2 in class at the time of the race.

When asked if team orders could be deployed again in the Rolex 24, MacNeil said “no, not here.” (I say BS)
“I’m driving both cars,” he states. “I wasn’t driving both cars at Petit.”
The No. 15 Mercedes, which features the three-driver lineup of Dirk Mueller, Austin Cindric and Patrick Assenheimer, will also have the chance to go for the class win.

“We’re just the title sponsor of the livery of that car,” MacNeil said. “We’re not funding any of the race itself for that car. We don’t have the jurisdiction, so to say, to do that.
“If they win, great, good for them. It would be nice to have any WeatherTech car in the center of the podium, I just hope it’s one of the two I’m driving.”

MacNeil said he’s “super excited” to be pulling double duty for the first time and sees benefits in driving cars from two different GT3 manufacturers.
“The idea is to double our chances at winning the race,” he explained. “I think having two different makes is important as well.
“Obviously driving two different cars of the same manufacturer doesn’t make that much sense.

“Driving a Mercedes and a Porsche, hopefully you have a decent BoP in one of the two. That’s what we all hope for.
“I’ve never had double duty before in a race, especially a race this big. It will be interesting.
“We just have to stay out of trouble and get my minimum drive time out of the way and let the other guys [focus] and let the strategy take it away from there.”

 

[teamzr1]

Results of the first practice session

Piss poor by the C8.Rs, out of the 1-hour session, the #3 C8.R never got on track for the first 30 minutes

Running 4-5 seconds a lap slower than car running up front, so last place

Second session at 4:15 PM ET



Also

 

[teamzr1]

C8.Rs doing so bad that IMSA had to give them a break with a BoP that may help them
We will see

Three GTD Pro/GTD class cars, including the new BMW M4 GT3 and Chevy Corvette C8.R GTD have been given mid-event Balance of Performance adjustments at the Roar Before the Rolex 24.

Issued by IMSA on Saturday afternoon, one hour prior to qualifying for Sunday’s qualifying race, the BoP changes have been made “to maintain competitive equivalency” according to the sanctioning body.

The Corvette has received a 1.5 mm larger air restrictor and 3-liter increase in fuel capacity,
while the new-for-2022 BMW will have increased boost across all RPM levels as well as 5 additional liters of fuel.

Ferrari’s 488 GT3 Evo 2020 has also undergone changes, most notably a 30 kg addition in minimum weight and 3-degree increase in minimum rear wing angle but with a slight increase in boost levels and an added 4 liters of fuel.

The adjustments come in the wake of three timed test sessions at the Roar so far, which have seen the three manufacturers near or at the bottom of the time charts in either the GTD Pro and/or GTD classes.

It’s believed to be the first mid-event BoP change made by IMSA at the Roar pre-season test.

Understood that both BMW and Corvette teams had been concerned about the pace of their new or modified cars under the original BoP, which was released last week.

An additional two-hour test session is on tap for this evening following qualifying for tomorrow’s 100-minute qualifying race, which will be broadcast live on Peacock at 2 p.m. ET.

IMSA TECHNICAL BULLETIN IWSC #22-07

To: All IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Competitors
From: IMSA Competition
Date: January 22, 2022
Re: IMSA ROAR Revised GTD BoP

In accordance with Attachment 2 of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship SSR, the following Balance of Performance values are set for the indicated Car Models.
The column listed as current is the current specification after any adjustment is applied, and thus the required specification for the Event.
These decisions come into immediate effect and are applicable until further notice.

Attachment 2.2.2. General

A. To maintain competitive equivalency between Cars within the Class, and between Classes, IMSA uses the Balance of Performance (BoP) process as outlined
herein to identify and mandate adjustments to the Specification.

i. Evaluation is based on Demonstrated Performance data; including, but not limited to, the IMSA Scrutineering data logger, IMSA technical inspection
measurements, and official Timing and Scoring.

B. These Regulations serve as a guideline for the application of BoP.
C. Cars representing a Car Model must always respect the Specification.
i. Cars outside of technical compliance may be excluded from BoP Analysis.
D. IMSA’s measurements and calculations are the official measurements