This weekend’s IMSA-sanctioned take a look at at Daytona Worldwide Speedway supplies rivals within the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship their first likelihood to work with new gear or personnel as they start preparations for the 2025 season.
Main adjustments within the GTP class embrace Wayne Taylor Racing’s transfer to Cadillac; the return of Acura Meyer Shank Racing to the WeatherTech Championship after a yr’s break; modified driver line-ups at Porsche Penske Motorsport and Cadillac Whelen; and the primary IMSA look for the Aston Martin THOR Workforce Aston Martin Valkyrie constructed to FIA Le Mans Hypercar specs.
MSR is again, and again on prime
Meyer Shank Racing regrouped and reorganized their IMSA racing crew in 2024. Now, again in partnership with Acura and Honda Racing Company USA, Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian is re-energized for a two-car assault on the GTP class.
“Being right here makes the world come proper once more,” co-owner Michael Shank mentioned Friday throughout a break at Daytona. “The earth is on the fitting axis. I used to be satisfied on the finish of 2022 we had the fitting group to do that. I do know we nonetheless do, they usually’re all right here with us.”
Shank’s crew was extraordinarily profitable with its 2023 driver duo of Colin Braun and Tom Blomqvist, however misplaced out on the GTP championship as a consequence of circumstances each inside and out of doors the group’s management. Shank noticed sufficient promise in that pairing to name the choice to deliver them again to drive Acura MSR’s No. 60 Acura ARX-06 for 2025 “a no brainer.” Renger van der Zande strikes from Cadillac Racing to the brand new Acura MSR No. 93 automobile, joined by former BMW manufacturing unit driver Nick Yelloly.
Blomqvist paced Friday’s motion at Daytona within the No. 60 Acura, lapping the three.56-mile highway course in 1m35.90s within the afternoon session.
This marks the primary time MSR has fielded two full-time entries in IMSA’s prime prototype class. As a part of a brand new association, HRC US is supplying employees to race engineer the No. 93 automobile, whereas the engineering of the No. 60 automobile stays in-house.
“Definitely, Tom and Colin deserve an actual run on the championship,” Shank mentioned. “David Salters (HRC US president) and I talked and we actually favored Nick, and Renger is plug-and-play.
“It’s difficult,” he mentioned. “One automobile looks like a trip proper now. Working two vehicles ramps issues up exponentially. You’re regularly making an attempt to maintain the 2 teams speaking and speaking,” mentioned Shank. “It’s a novel method of doing issues and completely different than anybody else within the paddock, however I adore it.”
Wayne Taylor Racing’s Cadillac is now a full manufacturing unit effort for Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque and Will Stevens. Michael Levitt/Lumen
Adjustments at Cadillac
Wayne Taylor Racing was one completely satisfied household when Wayne’s sons Ricky and Jordan drove a Cadillac to IMSA’s DPi class championship in 2017. A lot has modified since then.
Each of the junior Taylors joined manufacturing unit packages and gained further IMSA titles (Ricky shared the 2020 DPi crown with Helio Castroneves and Acura Workforce Penske, whereas Jordan gained consecutive GTD PRO crowns in 2020 and ’21 with Antonio Garcia and Corvette). Ricky returned to the house crew in 2021 and when WTR expanded its technical functionality and fielded a pair of GTP-class Acuras in 2023, Jordan adopted.
Now because of its renewed affiliation with Cadillac and an elevated emphasis on sports activities automobile racing at Normal Motors, Wayne Taylor Racing is a full-fledged manufacturing unit crew, with a driver line-up of IMSA champions that features Filipe Albuquerque (teamed with Ricky within the No. 10 Cadillac V-Collection.R) and Louis Deletraz (co-driver with Jordan within the No. 40).
There’s additionally change at Cadillac Whelen as Earl Bamber, who drove for Cadillac within the FIA World Endurance Championship the final two years, joins Jack Aitken within the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Collection.R run by Motion Specific Racing within the WeatherTech Championship.
“I’m actually excited, and it’s nice to be again within the IMSA paddock,” Bamber mentioned. “Motion Specific is an understated crew, however you simply need to look behind the hauler to see what number of IMSA championships they’ve gained. That reveals the pedigree. They gained the (GTP) championship in 2023 and it’s nearly forgotten, however they’re a world-class group.
“I really like the collection, and it’s nice to see what the highest prototype class has grown into,” he added. “The numbers and the extent of competitors between the producers is phenomenal. I feel it’s a golden period of motorsport and sports activities automobile racing in America, and I’m desperate to sink my tooth into it.”
Aston Martin’s Valkyrie made its debut at Daytona within the arms of Ross Gunn, Alex Riberas and Roman De Angelis. Brandon Badraoui/Lumen
Aston Martin arrives with Coronary heart of Racing
One automobile attracting loads of consideration on the Daytona take a look at is the No. 23 Aston Martin Valkyrie ready by Aston Martin Coronary heart of Racing Workforce.
If the automobile appears a bit completely different than the opposite eleven GTP class prototypes current on the take a look at, that’s as a result of it’s constructed to FIA Le Mans Hypercar specs, fairly than the customary-in-IMSA LMDh platform. The Valkyrie is the primary LMH-spec automobile to take part in IMSA-sanctioned exercise. By Steadiness of Efficiency changes, each LMDh and LMH platforms are eligible to compete within the WeatherTech Championship and the WEC.
The Coronary heart of Racing is not any stranger to IMSA, because the crew has competed for a number of years within the GTD and GTD PRO lessons, claiming the 2022 GTD championship with driver Roman De Angelis and arising arising simply 4 factors shy of this yr’s GTD PRO title with driver Ross Gunn.
“It’s an extremely proud second for everyone at The Coronary heart of Racing and Aston Martin to see the automobile out right here within the first official capability for the IMSA collection,” mentioned crew principal (and IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup driver) Ian James. “Simply seeing it coming by on the excessive Daytona banking put a giant smile on my face. It’s been quite a lot of onerous work, I gained’t deny that. However this has been the belief of a dream. Because of [team co-founder] Gabe Newell’s imaginative and prescient, we’re right here right now. We couldn’t be extra excited to enter 2025, not solely persevering with to be part of IMSA, but additionally within the prime class.”
Aston Martin and Coronary heart of Racing haven’t introduced when the Valkyrie will make its IMSA and worldwide race debut throughout the 2025 season.
“We’ve executed some sturdiness testing and a little bit little bit of growth testing into the efficiency testing,” James mentioned. “However now we’re additionally making an attempt to combine all of the IMSA-specific necessities onto the automobile and operating programs checks. We’ll begin to search for a bit extra velocity as these two days go on and because the season progresses.”
The Aston Martin accomplished 96 laps on Friday, together with 65 within the afternoon session. The automobile’s lap occasions typically improved by a tenth or two with each run within the afternoon, ending with a cumulative 1.1-second achieve over the morning.
“It’s fairly onerous to get observe time at Daytona,” mentioned James. “It’s vital to be out right here with everyone else for the primary time within the automobile with any site visitors – we’ll be with the GT lessons tomorrow – simply to get a greater learn on what we want out of the automobile.”
Notes:
- Andrea Calderelli set the quickest time within the morning session at 1m35.930s within the No. 63 Lamborghini Iron Lynx Lamborghini SC63.
- BMW M Workforce RLL was on the tempo all day, operating second and third quickest in every session.
- Porsche Penske Motorsport is rotating six drivers over the weekend as its Nos. 6 and seven vehicles pursue completely different take a look at packages. The crew’s full-time 2025 WeatherTech Championship drivers Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet (No. 6) and Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy (No. 7) are joined at Daytona by IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup pilots Julien Andlauer and Kevin Estre.
- Friday’s quickest LMP2 class entries had been Paul Di Resta (No. 22 United Autosports ORECA LMP2 07) in Session 1 and Malthe Jakobsen (No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA LMP2 07) in Session 2.
Testing at Daytona continues for the GTP and LMP2 contestants Saturday, together with a two-hour night time session. A dozen GTD and GTD PRO entries be part of the prototypes on Saturday earlier than having the observe for his or her unique use on Sunday.
