Rolex 24

[robhart]

This coming weekend. Anybody have a favorite?

[afx]

The GT categories are my favorite. I really like the Porsche - no surprise right!

[tatocorvette]

GTLM category, C8.R
What a surprise!
I have to admit, all GTLM and most GTD cars are gorgeous!

[Ben_B]

Definitely the C8R in GTLM! I usually root for the Paul Miller #48 Lamborghini in GTD, but I'm also hoping Kat Legge and Christina Nielsen have a great year in their new ride (also a Lambo). The prototypes don't really do much for me.

I agree that the GT cars are gorgeous. I hope Nunu continues with their modern GT kit range and adds a Huracan and NSX to the list.

Ben

[afx]

Corvette Racing’s veteran stars, Oliver Gavin and Antonio Garcia, are positive about the new mid-engined C8.R’s progress but are uncertain how it will perform relative to its GT Le Mans class opposition at this weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Gavin’s full-time partner Tommy Milner set Corvette Racing’s fastest time in Roar Before the 24 qualifying which decides garages and pit stalls, and he was encouragingly just 0.108sec off the top time in class, set by James Calado in the Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE.

However, Gavin warned that the race will be several hours old before everyone gets an accurate picture of how the GTLM contenders match up.

“The C8.R is a brand new car and this is its first race outing,” said the 2016 Rolex 24 winner. “We won’t know where we are in respect to the competition, and they will be looking at us and figuring out where we’re strong and where we’re weak.

“You can pick up little bits and pieces during the Roar and even in the two or three practice sessions before the Rolex 24, but you never really get a great idea of where you’re at until you get five hours or so into the race.

“But it always comes down to the last two hours. It would be quite remarkable if we could come right out of the box and be super-fast, super-reliable and have a successful weekend the first time out.”

Two-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Le Mans title winner and 2015 Rolex 24 winner Garcia also sounded a note of caution.
“So far, the new Corvette has been quite decent in testing,” said the Spaniard who is entering his seventh season with the legendary team. “It is still very early stages for this car.

“Even though we think we are ready, there are things that can come up. We must do everything we can to make sure we are as prepared as possible. Then we can see what we really have.

“Our testing has been a consistent evolution between track days and simulator work. We’ve been able to develop a plan to develop the car even though we weren’t testing on the track. The correlation of data has been good. Everything that we have tested virtually is working in real life. That makes life a lot easier when you can use all your tools to improve.

“We continue to validate all the work we’ve done and what we find on the racetrack. We are on the right track.”

While Gavin and Milner continue to be partnered by Marcel Fassler for the endurance races, Garcia not only is working with a new enduro extra – Nicky Catsburg – he also has a new full-time partner.

Jordan Taylor, who in 2017 won the IMSA Prototype title with the team owned by his father Wayne Taylor, and has two Rolex 24 wins to his credit, has moved to the GTLM class with Corvette, replacing Jan Magnussen.

This continues a relationship with the Doug Fehan-run team that stretches back to 2012, the first of six years in which Taylor raced a Corvette in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Partnering Gavin and Milner, he won the GTE Pro class at Le Mans in 2015.

“I’m excited to go back into GT racing with Corvette in GTLM with all-manufacturer teams and all-professional drivers,” he said. “The class will get a lot of eyes on it with the first race for the C8.R.

“The race itself will be extremely difficult. I’ll have to get used to looking in my mirrors again! In testing, I was reminding myself to check the mirrors leaving certain corners so I could get in the habit of doing it for the race.

“So I’m looking forward to it. Overall wins are fantastic, but a win is a win; you still get a Rolex watch no matter what class you’re in! But for us in GTLM, the competition will be the same if not more difficult than in prototypes.”

[afx]

Frederic Makowiecki, who is about to start his seventh season with Porsche, says the marque’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship squad is better prepared than ever, following last week's Roar Before the 24 test at Daytona.

Porsche teammates Earl Bamber/Laurens Vanthoor and Patrick Pilet/Nick Tandy finished 1-2 in last year’s IMSA GT Le Mans championship, with Makowiecki teaming with the latter pairing in the three longest races, assisting them to victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring for the second straight year.

The 39-year-old Frenchman first served as one of Porsche’s IMSA endurance-race drivers in 2015, but this will be only the second season in which he has been an IMSA full-timer, as he replaces Pilet alongside Tandy. The pair will be joined in the #911 entry by Australia’s Matt Campbell for Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans.

Following the Roar Before the 24, the revised Porsche 911 RSR’s first official test on U.S. soil, Makowiecki said: “I think this was a good test for us. It was important to come here in conditions closer to what they will be in the race. I think we are closer to what we will see then, so we now start to have a better picture of what we will experience during the race weekend.

“We have some work to do to understand the new tire but I am very happy with the preparation by the team. I can say, since my first time in the USA in 2015, that the team is at the highest level I have seen it.

“I am really happy to spend time with my two teammates. We are here to learn the car and prepare for the 24-Hour but we are also here to strengthen our new relationship as teammates."

Tandy, who on Sunday set a qualifying lap just 0.001sec slower than the fastest time, commented: “The track was a lot cooler in the morning than we had experienced in the first two days so it was difficult to get a read on the setup, especially with the new Michelin tires. But I am sure it was the same for all the manufacturers with the new tire.

“We are happy with the behavior of the car. We are pleased to have a decent pit allocation for the race, which is important. It was nice to drive the car on low fuel weight and new tires in this configuration. It is something we don't get to do often.”

Campbell added: “It is a brand new car and it's the first time for it here. Everyone is getting experience with it. For me, I have a little bit more to learn being that this is my first time joining the team in IMSA with the factory effort. Joining Nick and Fred is a fantastic opportunity for myself and something I am really excited for.”

Steffen Höllwarth, head of operations in Porsche’s IMSA campaign, agreed that while the test had been challenging, ultimately it had proved satisfying for the Weissach marque.

“After three days of testing here at Daytona, this is the conclusion of a really successful test for us,” he said. “It is always special having the first official outing with a new car. This is especially true since, here in IMSA, the season starts out with the biggest highlight of the season: the 24 Hours of Daytona.

“The track is unique. You have to find the right compromise of downforce and drag levels. Track time during race week is very limited so this is why we had a long list of things to try this weekend. We successfully went through that list.

“We still have some homework to do before we come back here in two weeks' time [but] we feel well prepared to take on the first race of the new car in its first official race in North America.”

[tatocorvette]

Since both Porsche and Corvette are coming this season with many new variables (cars, drivers, team members, etc.) it will be interesting. Maybe that can benefit Ferrari. I'll miss Jan Magnussen. I think Jordan Taylor will do good.

Thanks,

[afx]

[afx]

[afx]

I'm surprised by how long the wheel base is on the prototypes.

[afx]

[Ben_B]

Lots of new cars this year! Here’s a walk around of the Ferrari 488 GTE Evo, from Grassroots Motorsports.


So many cars we need kits for!

Ben

[tatocorvette]

Today's (damp) practice session.  



Thanks,
Ismael

[afx]

IMSA must have mandated tow straps on all the cars and done away with the metal tow loops.

[tatocorvette]

Night practice. Rotor glow, exhaust glow, etc.
Cadillacs sound the best...



Thanks,
Ismael