DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Thirty-one cars are slated to participate in three days of IMSA-sanctioned testing this weekend at Daytona Int’l Speedway in the first official preparations for the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Testing gets under way Friday morning on the 3.56-mile circuit that annually hosts the Rolex 24 At Daytona and runs through Sunday afternoon.
Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) machines will have the track to themselves all day on Friday, with Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) entries joining the action for a full day of testing on Saturday that will include a two-hour night session. Sunday’s pair of sessions will be reserved for GTD PRO and GTD entries only.
The test sessions are not open to the public and all teams are not required to participate. However, a stout field will be on hand, led by 12 Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) machines, including each of the six manufacturers expected to compete in the top WeatherTech Championship class in 2025. Defending GTP and Rolex 24 At Daytona champions Porsche Penske Motorsport return with a pair of Porsche 963 entries, with the privateer 963 entry from JDC-Miller MotorSports also on hand.
Three Cadillac V-Series.R entries are expected, including the Cadillac Whelen entry and the debut of both Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R machines as the team switches back to Cadillac machinery in 2025 after a two-year run with Acura.
Speaking of returns, Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian is back in the IMSA paddock after a one-year absence with a pair of Acura ARX-06 entries. BMW M Team RLL will have its pair of BMW M Hybrid V8 GTPs on track as well.
Lamborghini Iron Lynx, which participated in IMSA-sanctioned testing last fall at Daytona prior to its GTP class debut in March’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, is also entered for this weekend’s test with its SC63 prototype with an eye toward its Rolex 24 At Daytona debut in January.
While the GTP field has been well-stocked with a stout field of hybrid-electrified Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh) race cars since its debut at the start of the 2023 season, the IMSA paddock will get its first glimpse of a Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) race car this weekend. The Aston Martin THOR Team will field the V12-powered non-hybrid Aston Martin Valkyrie at the test.
Seven LMP2 entries are expected, including a pair from United Autosports and single-car entries from CrowdStrike Racing by APR, Tower Motorsports, TDS Racing, Riley and AO Racing. All seven are ORECA LMP2 07 prototypes.
The GTD PRO class sees five entries led by defending WeatherTech Championship class champions AO Racing with its No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R. Ford Multimatic Motorsports will have a pair of Ford Mustang GT3s, with a single BMW M4 GT3 EVO from Paul Miller Racing and one Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3.
Seven teams have filed GTD entries. Aston Martin is one of three manufacturers with two GTD cars slated for the test, the No. 19 van der Steur Racing Vantage GT3 Evo and the No. 44 Magnus Racing Vantage. Ferrari also will have a pair of 296 GT3s at the test – the No. 34 Conquest Racing entry and the No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari – as will Porsche with the No. 83 Iron Dames 911 GT3 R and the No. 120 Wright Motorsports entry. Series newcomers DXDT Racing will have the lone Corvette Z06 GT3.R at the test.
The test represents the first official activity for IMSA officials and the GTD PRO and GTD competitors to begin using new-for-2025 torque sensors on all cars. Torque sensors – which have been present on GTP cars since the class’ reintroduction in 2023 – are expected to be a valuable Balance of Performance tool to ensure parity among the various makes and models participating in the WeatherTech Championship GT classes.