DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The two prototype classes of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition took to the Daytona International Speedway on Friday.
Updated Grand Touring Prototype cars and a bevy of Le Mans Prototype 2 cars enjoyed a sunny day of running at the IMSA-sanctioned November test.
Speeds aren’t necessarily as important this test as data gathering is for new aerodynamic components throughout the GTP field. Perhaps as important if not more so was the addition of Michelin’s new Pilot Sport Endurance tire for the GTP and LMP2 runners, as cars got more in line with that.
Nick Yelloly in his No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 topped the GTP times in the morning at 1 minute, 35.725 seconds (133.883 mph) with teammate Renger van der Zande doing so in the afternoon at 1 minute, 36.142 seconds (133.303 mph).
In LMP2, Tom Dillmann in the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA LMP2 07 led the morning at 1 minute, 39.224 seconds (129.162 mph) while Charles Milesi topped the afternoon in the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA at 1 minute, 39.176 seconds (129.225 mph)
Heading into the fourth year of the GTP class, the four manufacturers (Acura, BMW, Cadillac, Porsche) running LMDh specification cars all revealed tweaked versions of their vehicles on Friday. The Aston Martin Valkyrie was meant to run, but fought through an electrical issue and is poised for a much busier Saturday.
The three Cadillac V-Series.R cars, adorned in carbon this weekend split between two Wayne Taylor Racing entries and the Whelen Cadillac prepared by Action Express Racing, sport a series of aerodynamic updates. Cadillac described the updates in this statement issued Friday morning:
“As part of its ongoing development to improve performance in the pursuit of podiums and wins, Cadillac has joined other manufacturers in aligning timing of EVO use with the updated aerodynamic homologation for 2026. While the V-Series.R retains signature V-Series production design elements, notable changes include removal of front dive planes and winglets and reshaping the rear wing profile.”
Acura has made some aerodynamic updates as well, having confirmed it has taken one of its evo joker updates. Colin Braun, one of the Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian veteran drivers, explained how the No. 60 Acura ARX-06 felt in the first session of the day.
“A few little aero updates and then there’s a new tire, so a lot is quite different,” Braun explained. “In a way having the new tire is kind of interesting. We don’t have the old tire to baseline. The last time was Daytona (in January). There’s a lot of new variables to learn what’s what, but we’re working through our program.”
Porsche Penske Motorsport’s Josef Newgarden said the updated Porsche 963, with its changes, feels “better in all aspects” and is “more consistent and capable” than when he last drove it at the IMSA-sanctioned test in February.
BMW moved through Friday with two major new things. The BMW M Hybrid V8 itself featured new aerodynamics as outlined earlier this summer, which focused primarily on a new front end, splitter and smaller kidney grille. Then the new team running it, BMW M Team WRT, took its first laps with the camouflage car in an IMSA-sanctioned environment. WRT takes over the GTP effort from BMW M Team RLL.
Thanks to a mix of schedule availability and testing evaluation, two Team Penske IndyCar Series drivers – Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin – are present between the Nos. 6 and 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 cars this week. Both are testing with an eye towards potential inclusion in the team’s Rolex 24 At Daytona lineup.
Both drivers last drove during the IMSA-sanctioned test at Sebring International Raceway in February, so as Newgarden noted, they had a chance to sample the difference in Porsche’s evolution and aerodynamic updates.
“When you drive this car, you have such a feeling of respect, input-wise,” said Newgarden, who was part of the 2024 Rolex 24 winning overall lineup. “You don’t want to be the weak link. You need to know your role.
“(Winning) was different; it felt like being a proud sibling in a way. I was more proud of the work everyone else did! I did a tiny part, but the race was won on the backs of the team, the manufacturer and the other drivers. To be watching rather than doing is different but enjoying it.”
If McLaughlin joins the IMSA lineup, he’d be making his fourth different Rolex 24 start in three different WeatherTech Championship classes in four years. He finished fifth in the No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07 in both 2023 and 2024, with Newgarden also part of the 2023 lineup. This year he shared the No. 91 Trackhouse by TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R in Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), as part of an “all-star” lineup alongside Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch and Ben Keating, where the crew finished ninth.
“I love this race,” McLaughlin said. “It gets the competitive juices flowing, whatever class you’re in. You’re competing for a very expensive (Rolex) watch and a cool trophy. It’s such a fun week too.”
