[tudor] ROAR BEFORE the ROLEX 24: DAY 1-3

new

« Prev
1
Next »

n7thGear™
N7thGear

n7thGear

Heart broken over loss of my kitty

Posts: 1,397

SIM Racing Titles you are playing in: Real Racing 3, Forza 5, Horizon 2, Project Cars, Grand Theft Auto 5, Formula 1 2014, Gran Turismo, Other
RACE NUMBER:: 7
Favorite Racing Simulator or Game: So Far it is Forza 5 , Horizon 2 , F1 2014 & DTM Experience 2014
Do you enjoy Motorsport News?: Yes

[tudor] ROAR BEFORE the ROLEX 24: DAY 1-3 Jan 10, 2015 5:09:06 GMT -6

Quote

Post by n7thGear™ on Jan 10, 2015 5:09:06 GMT -6

Daytona International Speedway 2015 Edition

ROAR BEFORE THE ROLEX 24: DAY 1

Most teams in IMSA’s Tudor and Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge made the first the travel south to run three days flat out on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway

Teams arrived on Thursday and there are some notable missing cars. Turner Motorsport had a late announcement of their defense of the GTD Title with their Z4 GTD. The car will not make the Roar test weekend. Team RLL has two new BMW Z4s as the previous Z4s have been retired to the motorsports collection. Look for them around the country at special events. They are a site to see up close. The Daytona Prototype field has grown in terms of BMW Power. Dinan has provided engines to RG Racing and Highway to Help both have BMW V8 power built by Dinan. Look for the strong engine package to assist both of these cars during the Rolex 24 Hour. Not only do they make great power but they are ultra reliable. Strongest entry with this engine package may be the Starworks entry. This car will be one to follow with Ruben Barrichello behind the wheel of the DP for this weekend and the Rolex 24 Hour.

Johnson drives Ford Mustang to top of time sheet on day 1 of Continental Tire Challenge Testing at Daytona

Ford Mustang Boss 302Rs Lead Both Grand Sport Sessions
Billy Johnson led Friday’s Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge practice with an unofficial track record lap in the No. 15 Ford Mustang Boss 302R to highlight the opening day of Roar Before the Rolex 24 testing at Daytona International Speedway

"It’s great to be back at Daytona, starting a new year," said Johnson, who ended last season with his first career pole at Circuit of The Americas and a season-ending victory at Road Atlanta in Multimatic’s sister Ford. "Unfortunately, last year started out a little slow for us, but we got some concessions throughout the year, and it’s hard to beat ending a season on a high note like that. Hopefully, we can continue that momentum into 2015 with some good results."

Displacing new co-driver Scott Maxwell atop the timing chart in the afternoon session, Johnson ran a lap of 1:55.794 (110.679 mph). The lap bettered teammate Jade Buford’s Grand Sport (GS) class record of 1:55.824 (110.651 mph), set in qualifying for the 2014 BMW Performance 200 at Daytona.

“It’s great to be back at Daytona, starting a new year,” said Johnson, who ended last season with his first career pole at Circuit of The Americas and a season-ending victory at Road Atlanta in Multimatic’s sister Ford. “Unfortunately, last year started out a little slow for us, but we got some concessions throughout the year, and it’s hard to beat ending a season on a high note like that. Hopefully, we can continue that momentum into 2015 with some good results.”

Max Riddle, the 2014 winner at VIRginia International Raceway, was second with a lap of 1:56.323 (110.176 mph) in the No. 07 TRG-AMR Aston Martin Vantage co-driven by Kris Wilson. Mike McGovern was third with a lap of 1:56.382 (110.120 mph) in the No. 2 Jim Click Racing Ford Mustang Boss 302R.

Greg Liefooghe led both of Friday’s Street Tuner (ST) sessions in the debut of the 83 Next Generation European Porsche Cayman, with his afternoon lap of 2:05.522 (102.120 mph) the quickest of the day in the class.

“We’re working on the Cayman, which feels a lot different from the (BimmerWorld Racing) BMW we raced last year,” Liefooghe said. “Fortunately, the guys at Next Level European and BGB did a great job prepping the car. Obviously, it’s fast right out of the box, and we’re happy with the results so far – even though it’s just practice. I’ve had four podiums at Daytona [for BimmerWorld, including second last year]. Hopefully, we can go one step above that this year.”

James Vance, who shares the No. 87 Rebel Rock Racing Porsche Cayman with Dr. Ramin Abdolvahabi, was second with a lap of 2:05.718 (101.942 mph), followed by Tyler Cooke in the No. 81 BimmerWorld Racing BMW 328i, 2:05.804 (101.873 mph).

Sadly Oak Racing will not be running its Ligier coupe in 2015; happily Michael Shank Racing has purchased one, so TUSC fans will still get to see this beautiful cutting-edge car. Photo Credit:Chris Jasurek

BMW of North America today announced a multi-year partnership with Daytona International Speedway to serve as the title sponsor for the season-opening IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race. In 2015, the two-and-one-half-hour race, which is officially titled the BMW Performance 200, will run on Friday, Jan. 23, as part of the Rolex 24 At Daytona Weekend.
This will be the fourth-straight year BMW has served as the title sponsor for the CTSCC season-opener

Once again, the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates organization is among the favorites to win the Rolex 24 At Daytona, with a high-profile two-car team featuring stars from IMSA, IndyCar and NASCAR.

Intimidating on paper, the lineup was even more so on Friday, the first day of the Roar Before the Rolex 24 test sessions. Ganassi cars led both practices on the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway road course, in preparation for the Jan. 24-25 season-opening event of the IMSA-sanctioned TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

That lineup includes former DAYTONA 500 champion Jamie McMurray, who will co-drive the No. 02 Ford EcoBoost/Riley DP with former Indianapolis 500 champions Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan plus 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year Kyle Larson.

McMurray covets a Rolex 24 win – and the championship Rolex watch awarded to winners – which should surprise no one. He’s the consummate big-stage performer. In addition to his DAYTONA 500 triumph he also has a Brickyard 400 victory and a win in Daytona’s summer event, the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola. His other NASCAR wins have come at Talladega Superspeedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“The Rolex 24 is definitely on my bucket list,” McMurray said. “The watch – to me, that’s the trophy. I don’t even know if I’d wear it, if got one. I think I’d just look at it.”

McMurray’s teammate Scott Pruett has five Rolexes to peruse. The co-driver of the No. 01 Ford/Riley – teamed with Joey Hand, Charlie Kimball and Sage Karam – is trying to become the only driver to win the Rolex 24 overall title six times. Pruett and Hurley Haywood share the all-time record of five overall victories. Four of Pruett’s wins have come as a lead driver for Ganassi Racing.

“The record is always a big deal but I never think about it,” Pruett said. “My focus is on the here and now.

“But every year, there’s just something magical about coming to Daytona. I raced here for the first time [in 1985] and it’s still just as exciting for me now as it was then.”

The first practice session was topped by the No. 02 with a fast lap of 128.926 mph (1 minute, 39.406 seconds), with Dixon at the wheel. The No. 01 logged second-fastest at 128.798 (1:39.505) with Hand driving. In the afternoon, Hand had the best lap of the second session and the day overall – 128.937 (1:39.397). Ozz Negri was second-fastest in the No. 60 Honda/Ligier JS P2, at 128.782 (1:39.517).

“It’s great … to jump in the car and have a good feel for the car and be able to go quick right away,” Hand said. “It’s a great feeling for sure. I just hope it stays that way all the way through the end of this race. “

Scott Pruett, Driver – No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing w/ Felix Sabates Ford EcoBoost/Riley:

“It’s exciting for me to be involved with Ford, period, no matter what we do. Putting them back in victory lane at Sebring overall was magical. If we could get to victory lane here with Ford, it would, again, recreate that magic that’s there.”

Erik Valdez, Driver of the No. 88 Rebel Rock Racing Porsche Cayman, Cast Member of USA Network’s Graceland:

“Driving at Daytona is so much fun it should be illegal. It was interesting driving the track for the first time, trying to figure it out – especially in the mix with faster GS traffic. I admit to spinning once in the kink, but I was able to correct it and keep going. I’m not podium potential at this time, but I know where I can pick up some speed. Remember, it’s my first time here, and it’s not just any track – it’s Daytona.”

Simon Pagenaud, Driver – No. 4 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R:

“It’s been a real pleasure to join the Corvette Racing team, and it’s great to be part of the Team Chevy family. The Corvette C7.R is a beautiful car – really a super-cool race car. It’s very close to what I feel in a single-seater. I have to get used to the brakes and how it feels with the weight compared to an IndyCar.”

Scott Sharp, Owner/Driver – No. 1 Tequila Patrón ESM HPD ARX-04b/Honda:

“The Honda coupe ran flawlessly all day. It is difficult for us at the moment because we’re trying to finish the second car in the garage. Today we ran six drivers in the one car. Our focus was cycling through the drivers, getting laps and being comfortable in the car. The Roar Before the 24 is deceiving because you always think you have a lot of time here and that’s not the case. Before we know it, we’re qualifying and racing the Rolex 24. It is important that every Tequila Patrón ESM driver gets laps during this three-day test. We’ve worked through a few things. I think everyone is pleased so far and we’ll make changes overnight.”

Memo Rojas, Driver – No. 0 DeltaWing Racing Cars with Claro/TracFone DeltaWing DWC13

“This is my first day in the DeltaWing. It’s a very unique feeling, because I’m driving one of the most revolutionary cars in the history of motor racing. But as unique as it looks, it drives really well. Most drivers, including myself before I drove it, think ‘how does it turn?’ I can tell you – it turns very well. We were third quickest and I had a quick lap. But this is just the first test. There’s a lot of work to do. I’m really happy working with all the crew, with Tim Keene, who I know very well, and with (race engineer) Alan Mugglestone.”

Marc Goossens, Driver – No. 33 TI Automotive/ViperExchange.com Dodge Viper SRT GT3-R

“The team did a lot of development work last year with the car which is carrying over into this year. We tested here in November, showed some good pace here, and we are just working on a comfortable car, which we have right now. That consistency in the car is really the only thing we need to be working on. That’s what you need here, on the long runs, the double stints; you need to have a comfortable car that is easy to manage through traffic.

Renger van der Zande, Driver – No. 8 Starworks Motorsport ORECA FLM09

“We’re still sorting out some problems with the car, so there’s more to come. Last year, we had 27 fastest laps (in the Rolex 24), so our speed here is very good – which we showed again today.”

With 2014 Daytona ST pole winner Jeff Mosing missing the Roar due to family commitments, Justin Piscitell stepped up to join defending class champion Eric Foss in the No. 56 Murillo Racing/Mosing Motorcars Porsche Cayman. The team won at Daytona last year in a BMW 328i, but switched to Porsche midway through its championship season. Mosing missed sharing last year’s title after sitting out the race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with back spasms on the eve of the event.

Continental Tire Challenge competitors will get a pair of sessions on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s opening one-hour session begins at 11:05 a.m. ET, with a second practice at 2:55 p.m. Sunday opens with one-hour practice at 9 a.m., followed by a final 45-minute period at 1:35 p.m.

Prototypes found on the track!

The good news in P is that the top class is still well-subscribed. The less-than-excellent news is that some teams—and some diversity—have departed. This is offset by some new teams joining, or switching cars.

Prototype is almost a two-tier class, with the heavier, more powerful Daytona Prototypes generally beating the more nimble but less speedy P2s. The P2s are generally the fan favorites, and generally make up less than a quarter of the P-class grid.

Two of the top P2 teams, Extreme Speed Motorsports and Oak Racing, will curtail and cut their programs in 2015, with ESM running a single or occasionally a pair of HPD ARX-04b-Hondas only in the North American Endurance Championship events (Rolex 24, Sebring, Glen Six Hours, and Petit Le Mans) instead of two cars at all events as they did in 2014. Oak is out altogether, focusing on sales of Oak and Ligier customer cars, having proved the quality of its products in 2014.

The gorgeous golden Shank DP will be replaced by an equally gorgeous Honda-powered Ligier coupe for 2015

Replacing these teams in the P2 ranks will be longtime Daytona Prototype campaigner Michael Shank Racing, which is switching to the new Honda-powered Ligier coupe for 2015, and DP/GT veteran Krohn Racing, running an Ligier-Judd in the NAEC events.

Owner-driver Tracy Krohn and regular co-pilot Nic Johnsson will be joined in the Krohn Ligier by WEC stars Alex Brundle and Oliver Pla—a very quick lineup in a quick chassis.

The Daytona Prototype regulars are returning for 2015, with one very welcome addition: Bob Stallings’ Gainsco team, which withdrew after memo Gidley’s horrific collision at the 2014 Rolex, will be back on the grid (Gidley himself is still mending but is expected to make a full recovery.) The team might not make it back for the Rolex, but plan to enter later events.

Hey OMPRACING! Watch a very cool docu from last year:
WTR at the 2014 Rolex 24 - "Through the Driver's Eyes"

Last Edit: Jan 12, 2015 5:55:43 GMT -6 by n7thGear™

n7thGear™
"Like drivers in an endurance race, n7thGear goes for that extra mile"™
Audi Sport Team Joest FTW
TWITCH TV

"Racing is my life! Anything that happens before or after is just waitng! Well in between, life is not too bad either so here I am sharing it with you!" ~Andre Lotterer
#JB17 #keepfightingmichael

n7thGear™
N7thGear

n7thGear

Heart broken over loss of my kitty

Posts: 1,397

[tudor] ROAR BEFORE the ROLEX 24: DAY 1-3 Jan 10, 2015 8:08:03 GMT -6

Quote

Post by n7thGear™ on Jan 10, 2015 8:08:03 GMT -6

Massive Airborne DP Crash Ends Saturday Morning Test

Saturday morning’s test session at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 was cut short after a massive airborne accident for the No. 50 Highway to Help Riley-Dinan DP in the Daytona tri-oval.

Byron DeFoor was at the wheel of the Daytona Prototype when eyewitnesses said it suddenly spun backwards, caught air and went into the catch fence.

The car landed upside down on its roof on the racing surface entering Turn 1. DeFoor was taken to the infield medical center and per IMSA, was evaluated and released.

Per a Continental Tire spokesperson, it was reported that the right rear lost air pressure, which sent the car into a spin through the infield. As this was an isolated incident, there have been no other issues reported.

DeFoor co-drives this weekend with David Hinton, Jim Pace and Dorsey Schroeder, the last of whom is set to make his racing return for the first time since the 1990s.

After its accident Saturday, the Doran-run Highway to Help operation has also left the track. It marks the second team to pack up early from this year’s Roar, along with the DeltaWing, which had an accident later Saturday. Both are expected back for the Rolex 24 at Daytona itself.

***TRG-AMR had a thrash overnight to put together its backup car for Saturday’s running, after Christoffer Nygaard had a rare incident on Friday. Nygaard lost the car exiting out of Bus Stop, and the chassis sustained major structural damage. The backup car the team switched to today is the chassis run in a handful of World Challenge races last year.

***The new low downforce aero package for the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ligier JS P2 Honda arrived late Friday afternoon from Onroak Automotive, and was put on the car before Friday’s second test session. Additionally, Curb Records returns as a partner for 2015, and the team name continues as Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian.

***Chip Ganassi Racing only expects to run one car for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The majority of the team’s personnel will be in the midst of a hectic preseason IndyCar testing schedule. The third driver for that car alongside Scott Pruett and Joey Hand will be announced at a later date.

***A new round of FIA driver rating updates was issued on Thursday, however there were no drivers actually changed; a host of those running the Rolex 24 or the full TUDOR Championship season were added. Notable drivers added include Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas and Sylvain Tremblay all as Golds, with Brian Alder, Sam Brabham, Nick Mancuso, Jon Miller and Robert Thorne all added as Silvers.

You can view the latest listings here

***Historic Sportscar Racing, Ltd.’s Classic 24 at Daytona has been renewed for a second season, and will return November 14-15, 2015. “Entries and attendance at the inaugural Classic 24 exceeded all our expectations,” said David Hinton, HSR president, and a co-driver in the aforementioned No. 50 Highway to Help Riley-BMW.

Michael Shank Racing took its first turn atop the charts during the second Roar Before the 24 test session on Saturday. The warm, early afternoon setting saw the No. 60 Ligier JS P2-honda achieve a 1:39.418, which was almost matched by the No. 5 Action Express Corvette DP’s 1:39.445.

The CORE autosport PC team led its class in the No. 54 car (1:42.902), the No. 25 BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 led GTLM (1:45.000) and Konrad Motorsport was quick in GTD with its No. 28 Porsche 911 GT America (1:47.567).

Action Express Corvette DP fastest in third Saturday test

Christian Fittipaldi led the third of four test sessions planned for the day at Daytona International Speedway, clocking a 1:39.933 as higher temperatures slowed the field. The Brazilian’s No. 5 Action Express Corvette DP edged the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Riley-Ford EcoBoost DP (1:39.948). VisitFlorida.com Racing’s No. 90 Corvette DP was third (1:40.006), just 0.073 seconds off of Fittipaldi.

Times slightly improved as the late afternoon session drew closer to sunset and temperatures slowly decreased. RSR Racing led PC again in the No. 11 entry (1:41.865), Porsche North America led GTLM with the No. 912 911 RSR (1:44.316) and GTD honors went to the Viper Exchange team’s No. 33 Dodge viper GT3-R (1:47.373).

Rolex 24 TV, Streaming and Radio Details Announced

A two-hour FOX broadcast network telecast kicks off more than 15 total hours of live FOX Sports television coverage of the 53rd Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 24-25.

The FOX telecast begins at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 24, moments before the green flag waves for the first round of the 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.

It is the second consecutive year that the Rolex 24 telecast has opened on the broadcast channel, which is widely distributed in approximately 115 million homes in the United States.

“The Rolex 24 At Daytona is the center of the motorsports universe each January, attracting attention from fans of many different racing series,” said David Pettit, International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) vice president, marketing.

“FOX network television coverage enables us to reach those fans and introduce new viewers to our unique and exciting brand of motorsports. We are grateful to our partners at FOX Sports for helping us maximize this opportunity for all our stakeholders.”

FOX Sports’ coverage will total 15.5 hours across the FOX, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2 television platforms.

In addition, FOX race coverage streams live on FOX Sports GO, the app that provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content at home or on-the-go. The complete schedule is as follows:

Saturday, Jan. 24 (All times ET)
2-4 p.m. FOX Network
4-8 p.m. FOX Sports 2
8-10 p.m. FOX Sports 1

Overnight (Jan. 24-25)
10 p.m.-7 a.m. IMSA TV on IMSA.com (live video streaming and commentary)

Sunday, Jan. 25
7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. FOX Sports 1

The Rolex 24 will be the third consecutive TUDOR Championship event to feature FOX Network coverage. The inaugural season in 2014 closed with back-to-back FOX telecasts of events at Circuit of The Americas and Road Atlanta around the network’s NFL programming.

Each telecast averaged more than one million viewers, with peak audiences in excess of two million which were notable high points in viewership.

IMSA.com will provide live high definition streaming coverage of the overnight hours, as well as live in-car camera footage and IMSA Radio commentary throughout the race.

IMSA Radio will feature the broadcast team of John Hindhaugh from Radio Le Mans as well as Jeremy Shaw and Greg Creamer.

Last Edit: Jan 10, 2015 19:02:22 GMT -6 by n7thGear™

n7thGear™
N7thGear

n7thGear

Heart broken over loss of my kitty

Posts: 1,397

[tudor] ROAR BEFORE the ROLEX 24: DAY 1-3 Jan 12, 2015 5:27:24 GMT -6

Quote

Post by n7thGear™ on Jan 12, 2015 5:27:24 GMT -6

UPDATE: Byron DeFoor is OK after the massive airborne accident at Daytona, ending Saturday morning's test.

The weekend has come to a close. What appears to be the largest field in history is loading up their cars en route back to the their shops to look over their data and make last minute chances to compete for the historic 50th running of the Rolex 24 Hour endurance race at Daytona International Speedway (see schedule below)

The weather this weekend was ideal and not like anyone would have imagined as it is January. Florida or not the high 60s and mid 70s were welcomed by the teams. Will this continue to the actual race? One can be hopeful! Final sessions were spent practicing driver changes, tire changes and refueling in the pits. Teams set out to figure out what exactly they need to do in the short 18 day break between this event and the actual racing weekend.

By mid afternoon the paddock was nearing 50% full as haulers began heading to the highway and back to their homes. The Corvette DP still was the car to beat in DP while Ferrari, a newcomer, was fastest on Sunday in their 458 Italia Grand-Am. A Mustang driver by Billy Johnson was able to end the reign of the BMW M3 holding the top time with a quick lap around the track. A familiar BMW 328i from RACE Epic/Murillo Racing held the top spot on the ST class.

Sunday morning at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 the times increased, but the session leader remained the same in the form of the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP.

Sebastien Bourdais led the one hour, 45-minute seventh session of this weekend’s test, which marks the third straight session the No. 5 car has led overall and in Prototypes.

Granted, the best time in the wet conditions at Daytona International Speedway was only a 1:51.835, but it was important for the field to get some wet-weather running in.

Other class leaders included Earl Bamber (No. 912 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR, GT Le Mans), Renger van der Zande (No. 8 Starworks Motorsport Oreca FLM09, Prototype Challenge) and Andy Lally (No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT America, GT Daytona).

Of note, Turner Motorsport made its maiden appearance of the weekend, with Markus Palttala banking 15 laps in the No. 97 BMW Z4 GT3.

Only 32 cars took times in the session. The eighth and final session of the weekend is scheduled from 2:40 to 3:40 p.m. ET and local time. Further rain is expected throughout the day.

Rubens Barrichello has ended the eighth and last session of the 2015 Roar Before the Rolex 24 test on top in the No. 7 Starworks Motorsport Riley-Dinan BMW.

The No. 57 Krohn Racing Ligier JS P2 Judd led the majority of the session, with Olivier Pla on top. But the times fell in the final minutes, with Richard Westbrook and then Barrichello edging ahead. Barrichello’s best time was 1:47.230.

Only 11 cars took times in the final session of the weekend, and with the wet conditions there were no improvements compared to the rest of the weekend.

Other session eight leaders included Markus Palttala in the No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW Z4 GT3 (GT Daytona) and Pedro Lamy in the No. 98 Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin Vantage GTE (GT Le Mans).

Lamy was the only GTLM car to go out in the session, and none of the Prototype Challenge field was out either.

For the weekend, Jordan Taylor was fastest in the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP at 1:39.181, with that time set in the third session of the weekend Saturday morning.

Other class fastest times from the weekend included Colin Braun (No. 54 CORE autosport Oreca FLM09, PC, 1:41.769), Earl Bamber (No. 912 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR, GTLM, 1:44.316) and Marc Goossens (No. 33 Riley Motorsports Dodge Viper GT3-R, GTD, 1:46.948).

Teams will reassemble in a little more than a week to load in before the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Two factory teams have packed up after completing their tests at this year’s Roar Before the Rolex 24. Both Corvette Racing and SpeedSource Mazda are satisfied with their efforts and opting not to partake in Sunday’s running. As both the Corvette C7.R and Mazda SKYACTIV-D prototypes were new a year ago, the development and progress made on both cars in the 12 months since has been evident.

***Performance Tech Motorsports also has departed after an incident Saturday. The team also leaves with one less driver, with David Ostella reportedly having left the team. Only Jerome Mee and James French’s names were listed on the team’s No. 38 Oreca FLM09 as of Saturday, and with Dalton Sargeant also out of a ride, the team has several vacancies to fill ahead of the Rolex 24.

***Meanwhile Turner Motorsport rolled out its No. 97 BMW Z4 GT3 for its first running at this year’s Roar Sunday morning. Markus Palttala was first out during the drizzly first session of the day, and seventh session of the weekend.

***The Team Seattle/Alex Job Racing entry will stick to just a three-driver lineup of Ian James, Mario Farnbacher and Alex Riberas in the No. 23 Porsche 911 GT America for the Rolex 24.

***Englishman Martin Plowman was hopeful to spend time in the second BAR1 Motorsports car, the No. 16, besides the No. 61 he’s in this week to sort out setup differences. Plowman also had his whole family on site beyond his fiancée Nicole, with parents Mark and Anita, his “nan” Sheila and family friend Ian all at the track.

***As of Sunday morning, Tequila Patron ESM was still building up its second HPD ARX-04b coupe in hopes of running it later in the day.

***The new RG Racing, LLC team has had a solid first weekend of testing with its No. 66 Riley-BMW. Team principal and co-driver Robert Gewirtz told Sportscar365 he expects a four-driver lineup for the Rolex 24. The team’s equipment was acquired from Michael Shank Racing and the former GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing and Team Sahlen operations.

***This weekend’s Roar test features approximately 2,500 tires from Continental Tire split between the TUDOR Championship and Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, and also covering both slick and rain tires. Approximately 10,000, if not more, are expected for the Rolex 24 week.

***Over the weekend it was announced that Chicago-based integrated sports marketing and media services agency rEvolution has acquired Indianapolis-based Act(s) Marketing, which serves as Continental Tire’s official sponsorship marketing agency.

Tequila Patron ESM’s new HPD ARX-04b turning laps at Daytona International Raceway for this weekend’s Roar Before the Rolex 24 test. Drivers Scott Sharp and Ed Brown expand on the weekend and the team’s progress with its new car.

The team is set to embark on a busy 2015 season split between a full year in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the four Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup rounds in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

More beautiful race cars from Sunday:

I tried the livery below in Real Racing 3 but I ran out of layers haha

FOX Sports’ coverage will total 15.5 hours across the FOX, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2 television platforms.

In addition, FOX race coverage streams live on FOX Sports GO, the app that provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content at home or on-the-go. The complete schedule is as follows:

Saturday, Jan. 24 (All times ET)
2-4 p.m. FOX Network
4-8 p.m. FOX Sports 2
8-10 p.m. FOX Sports 1

Overnight (Jan. 24-25)
10 p.m.-7 a.m. IMSA TV on IMSA.com (live video streaming and commentary)

Sunday, Jan. 25
7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. FOX Sports 1

The Rolex 24 will be the third consecutive TUDOR Championship event to feature FOX Network coverage. The inaugural season in 2014 closed with back-to-back FOX telecasts of events at Circuit of The Americas and Road Atlanta around the network’s NFL programming.

Each telecast averaged more than one million viewers, with peak audiences in excess of two million which were notable high points in viewership.

IMSA.com will provide live high definition streaming coverage of the overnight hours, as well as live in-car camera footage and IMSA Radio commentary throughout the race.

IMSA Radio will feature the broadcast team of John Hindhaugh from Radio Le Mans as well as Jeremy Shaw and Greg Creamer.

Last Edit: Jan 12, 2015 5:51:48 GMT -6 by n7thGear™

n7thGear™
N7thGear

n7thGear

Heart broken over loss of my kitty

Posts: 1,397

[tudor] ROAR BEFORE the ROLEX 24: DAY 1-3 Jan 12, 2015 5:34:23 GMT -6

Quote

Post by n7thGear™ on Jan 12, 2015 5:34:23 GMT -6

IMSA President and COO Scott Atherton is unconcerned with the differential in car count for this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, which sees a reduction from 67 starters in 2014 to a projected 53 for this year, based on the entry for the Roar Before the Rolex 24.

The car count change thus far has had a two-pronged effect. Drivers have expressed the traffic situation has improved; the downside is that there have also been a bevy of professional drivers pounding the pavement this week seeking a ride.

But as IMSA prepares for the first race of the second season of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, the overall optics are that last year, there were almost too many cars per track guidelines.

According to Atherton, this year’s projected field should fit better for most tracks.

“Typically when you talk about car counts and content in general, more is better” “But there were many times, if not every time, last year, where we were oversubscribed.

“Thankfully, those venues that are part of the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup, which for obvious reasons attract the highest grids, have the highest level of capacity.”

Atherton didn’t want to dismiss the car count change, but he also noted there was no reason to be apologetic or negative about the 53 cars.

Further to that point, upon release of the entry list this week, the ACO called specifically to congratulate IMSA on its depth of field.

Considering some years in the past have featured some smaller, sub-50 car grids at the marquee endurance events and considering some other doomsday scenarios for 2015 forecast a low to mid-40s car count, Atherton said 53 was nearly a perfect number.

“If you look at the glass-half-empty story, you could say last year was 67 and the year before that was 59,” he said.

“But there are 53, really high-quality cars that includes many never before seen examples in the Prototype and GT category, and frankly with more coming.

“Quite honestly, there was a time not long ago we would have turned cartwheels for a 53-car entry.”

In terms of the full-season entry list, Atherton expects between high-30s and low-40s for the balance of the season after the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the second round of both the overall season and the Patron Endurance Cup.

Atherton said Turner Motorsport’s announcement to kick off the week that it was returning was a “pleasant surprise,” and also important to have another class champion return to the series to defend its title.

One potential race format change could occur later this year at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in May, although nothing is decided yet, Atherton said.

A year ago, the Prototype and GT Le Mans classes and Prototype Challenge and GT Daytona classes ran separate two-hour races, to generally positive feedback.

The plan is for that to continue; however, if the car count is low enough to fit track and pit lane specifications, the four classes could be combined into one race.

“It’s a great question, and one we’re not prepared to answer one way or another at this point,” Atherton said. “We believe we have an opportunity to combine them and have it make sense, but that decision hasn’t been made.

“We’d have to work directly with the track. The numbers are right at the very limits of their capacity, so we would have to decide we would make in concert with the promoter as to how to best to position it. We have the option now to go one way or another.”

title

[tudor] ROAR BEFORE the ROLEX 24: DAY 1-3

Post by n7thGear™ on Jan 10, 2015 5:09:06 GMT -6

Post by n7thGear™ on Jan 10, 2015 8:08:03 GMT -6

Post by n7thGear™ on Jan 12, 2015 5:27:24 GMT -6

Post by n7thGear™ on Jan 12, 2015 5:34:23 GMT -6

HEADLINES

RALLY

FIA WTCC

INDYCAR UPDATES

Twitter FIA

DTM