DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — As practice begins for the 63rd running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona at Daytona Int’l Speedway, the headlining GTP class takes on a very different appearance than last year.
While there are a dozen ultra-sophisticated Acura, BMW, Cadillac, Lamborghini and Porsche hybrids are back for another season of ultra-fast sports prototype competition, with Lamborghini set for its Daytona GTP debut.
All entries will be using VP R80 fuel to put their Michelin rubber to the tarmac.
But apart from those constants, every marque and/or team is different in some way from their 2024 version be it with a new driver lineup or new – or at least different — alliances between manufacturers and teams.
Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian team co-owner Mike Shank explained the team’s changes since it made its last IMSA start in 2023.
“The (Acura GTP) program has certainly progressed since 2023, but we kept our GTP team intact last season and added to our capabilities as well,” he said. “We were back on track with the Acura ARX-06 two and a half weeks after Petit Le Mans last fall, and we picked up right where we left off. Our expectation is that we’ll be competing for podium finishes at the Rolex 24 Hours.”
A similar reunion comes with Cadillac and Wayne Taylor Racing, having won Rolex 24s and titles together in their past collaboration.
“It’s really like the family has come back together,” Taylor said. “Of all the programs I’ve done this program, I am more passionate about this than any other one.”
Additionally, the Cadillac V-Series.R uses the Dallara-built chassis. WTR’s Filipe Albuquerque had been in the ORECA-based Acura ARX-06 the past two seasons but feels at home in the Dallara.
“When I went back to the Dallara simulator in Indianapolis, I could see the box with my name and some (driving) gloves that I left there from the past,” Albuquerque said.
“We just picked up where we left off and the good people are still around. Obviously, there are more people around because there is now the electric part of the car, which in the past there was not. But it’s not totally new.”
