Daytona Friday Notebook: A Race of Resilience and Strategy
The 13 Autosport crew faced a challenging night, working tirelessly to get their Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R back on track for Friday's final practice session ahead of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The car had caught fire during refueling in Thursday's night practice, but there was no damage to the engine, according to a GM spokesperson.
Despite the setback, the team's efforts paid off. Matt Bell set the third-quickest time in the GTD class, driving the same lineup that won last year's race in class. Team owner/driver Orey Fidani expressed his determination, saying, 'The boys and girls worked all night and haven't gone home. They took the whole car apart overnight and put it back together for today. I think it's a perfect car and we're ready for the race. We want to go out and win this race for them.'
A 15-minute practice for FIA Bronze-rated drivers preceded the final session, with Chris Cumming (LMP2), Kenny Habul (GTD Pro), and Ryan Hardwick (GTD) leading the way.
IMSA's managing director of engineering, Matt Kurdock, confirmed that the Balance of Performance for both GTP and GTD Pro/GTD has been established according to each car's homologation parameters. This decision was made without considering previous track-based data due to Evo jokers for all LMDh cars, Evos for three of the ten GT3 models, and all-new or updated Michelin tires for both classes.
Kurdock hinted at a future change, stating that IMSA plans to return to a rolling race average, starting with the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March. For more insights into IMSA's data collection process, readers can explore an exclusive Sportscar365+ feature.
With warm temperatures forecast for the race, Penske Racing President Jonathan Diuguid, who also serves as the race strategist for the No. 6 Penske Porsche 963, predicts that Michelin's new-generation Soft tire in the GTP class won't be as dominant as initially expected.
According to an IMSA competition bulletin, teams can opt to use the Soft tire between 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday, while the Medium compound has no restrictions throughout the race.
Diuguid commented, 'We'll see what the track temperature gets down to. I think there will be some Soft usage, but it will be more about how many Mediums people used during practice sessions rather than it being the preferred tire.'
Porsche Motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach expressed commitment to continuing the factory Porsche Penske Motorsport program in GTP beyond next year. Laudenbach stated, 'If we race, we race together. Yes, we are committed to carrying on after that.'
The team has a contract with Porsche through the end of the 2027 season, despite a previous deal for the WEC, which was dissolved early last year.
Reigning GTP champion Matt Campbell, currently the third driver in the No. 6 Porsche, admits to missing his longtime friend and co-driver Mathieu Jaminet. They've been in touch throughout the week, though.
Jaminet, who signed with Genesis Magma Racing in the WEC, is missing his first Rolex 24 since 2021. He and Campbell, along with Felipe Nasr, won the GTD Pro class in 2022, with Nasr claiming his third class win in the race.
Nasr aims to join Peter Gregg and Helio Castroneves in winning the race overall for three consecutive years.
Despite initial pace struggles, WRT team principal Vincent Vosse remains optimistic for the Belgian squad's GTP debut with its two-car factory BMW M Hybrid V8 operation. The Nos. 24 and 25 entries qualified ninth and tenth, but faced a post-qualifying penalty from the initial pole-winning No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R.
Vosse shared his thoughts, 'Coming to the U.S. is a big challenge for us. We had a few months to prepare, but we're here to take it on. I'm excited to see how the race unfolds. It's like a 22-hour race followed by a two-hour sprint, often resulting in spectacular finishes.'
Lamborghini factory driver Mirko Bortolotti, making his debut with Pfaff Motorsports this weekend, has a surprising family connection to team manager Steve Bortolotti. They are related through their grandfathers, who were cousins, and share blue eyes.
Steve Bortolotti revealed, 'In 2019, I tracked down Mirko and shared our last name connection. It's not common, and my grandfather and Mirko's grandfather were cousins. We both have blue eyes. When I learned his Italian heritage, I told my father, and he confirmed our relation.'
Ferrari's head of endurance race cars, Ferdinando Cannizzo, expressed surprise at the positive feedback received for the Prancing Horse's Evo update for the 296 GT3 ahead of its competitive debut at Daytona.
Cannizzo stated, 'We expected good feedback, but when it's positive from every source, it's proud. Developing a competitive car is challenging, but we aim to improve areas for better performance. Changing a well-functioning car is risky, but I'm glad it worked positively.'
Ferrari's top qualifier in GTD Pro was the No. 033 Triarsi Competizione car, starting fourth, while the best GTD car, the No. 21 AF Corse entry, was sixth in its class. Cannizzo acknowledged the challenge, 'We are the best car on the infield, but we lack straight-line performance, making our race difficult. We'll manage our package with strategy and see our final position.'
Head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing, Stefan Wendl, expressed confidence in the team's progress, noting significant improvement over last year's struggles with torque sensor issues.
Wendl stated, 'Last year, we faced last-minute challenges. This time, I feel better prepared. Our drivers and team chiefs show more confidence, and I hope for a successful race.'
Development work continues on the successor to the current Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, with a planned debut in 2027. Wendl assured that progress is on track.
Heart of Racing has yet to determine Tom Gamble's replacement in the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo for clashing WEC weekends. Team principal Ian James confirmed that new recruit Eduardo Barrichello will undertake a full season in the GTD entry.
James hinted at potential changes, stating, 'We're figuring out the second car. We have options, and [Dudu] is a strong Silver in our lineup.'
Rolex 24 class pole-sitter Zach Robichon and Mattia Drudi will return to the team's No. 27 WEC car, joining James in an unchanged lineup.
United Autosports team principal Richard Dean clarified the full-season driver lineups for its two WeatherTech Championship LMP2 entries. Paul di Resta returns to the No. 2 Oreca 07 Gibson for the full season, except for the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park WEC weekend. Mikkel Jensen joins Phil Fayer in the No. 22 car for all seven rounds.
Dean mentioned that di Resta's replacement for CTMP will be announced soon, with Ben Hanley, Gregoire Saucy, Hunter McElrea, and Rasmus Lindh in the lineup for this weekend.
