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Roar Before the 24 recap: Cadillac 1-2 in Rolex 24 at Daytona qualifying; new track record

ryan pritt and ken willis, daytona beach news-journal
·4 min read

DAYTONA BEACH — As lunchtime approaches next Saturday, the 59 cars making up the Rolex 24 field will be rolled onto the starting grid to begin the 2024 racing season.

The order in which they're lined up will be determined this afternoon at Daytona International Speedway, where the preseason test weekend ("The Roar Before ...") concludes with 15-minute qualifying sessions for each of the four classes of Rolex 24 cars.

The day's first on-track activity will be one last test stint for the Michelin Pilot Challenge Series, which opens its season next Friday. That shakedown session runs from 10-11:15 a.m.

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DAY 2 ROUNDUP Revisit Saturday's second day of Rolex 24 testing at Daytona.

Team wait in line for inspection, Sunday, January 21, 2024 on the final day of the Roar Before the 24 at Daytona International Speedway.
Team wait in line for inspection, Sunday, January 21, 2024 on the final day of the Roar Before the 24 at Daytona International Speedway.

Next will be the second of the weekend's two VP Challenge Series races, a 45-minute sprint beginning at 12:20 p.m.

Up next is a final 25-minute practice (1:25 to 1:50) for Rolex 24's top class, the GT Prototypes.

Then comes three qualifying runs, each 15 minutes, beginning at 1:55 with the GTD and GTD Pro classes. LMP2 cars are next, at 2:20, and finally the 10 GTP machines at 2:45.

With that, the Roar is silenced and the track quiets down until Wednesday, when the long Rolex weekend springs to life and officially opens the international racing season.

New track record for Rolex 24 qualifying; Cadillac in a 1-2 sweep

Driver Pipo Derani celebrates after winning the pole position during Roar Before the 24 pole qualifying for the Rolex 24 at Daytona at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024.
Driver Pipo Derani celebrates after winning the pole position during Roar Before the 24 pole qualifying for the Rolex 24 at Daytona at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024.

Pipo Derani, driving the No. 31 prototype for Whelen Cadillac Racing, posted a new track record to take the pole position for next weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The Brazilian racer, part of the 2016 Rolex winning team, toured the 3.56-mile layout in one minute, 32.656 seconds. His lap time was less than a 10th of a second faster than the 1:32.727 posted by Sebastien Bourdais in Chip Ganassi Racing's No. 01 Caddy GTP.

ROLEX 24 QUALIFYING: Rolex 24, Daytona track records fall as Derani, Bourdais give Cadillac front row sweep

Fastest in the other three Rolex 24 classes:

LMP3: Ben Keating, No. 2 Oreca, 1:38.501.

GTD Pro: Seb Priaulx, No. 77 Porsche 911, 1:44.382 (track record for that class).

GTD: Parker Thompson, No. 12 Lexus, 1:44.494.

Crew members of Proton Competition's No. 55 Ford Mustang GT3 go through post-qualifying tear-down Sunday in the Daytona garage.
Crew members of Proton Competition's No. 55 Ford Mustang GT3 go through post-qualifying tear-down Sunday in the Daytona garage.

Aghakhani, Mars sweep VP SportsCar Challenge races

For the second day and race in a row, Steven Aghakhani picked up the overall win and Luca Mars prevailed in the GSX Class in the VP SportsCar Challenge.

Aghakhani held off Cody Ware, using good drive out of the infield and onto the banking in Turn 1 to gather separation after field lined up for a one-lap sprint following a caution flag. Ware was penalized 10 seconds in the postrace and settled for an eight-place finish, giving Marco Kacic the runner-up spot.

Mars dominated the GSX contingent a day after coming from the rear of the field and completing a pass at the finish line in a thrilling first race.

The VP SportsCar Challenge, now in its second year of existence, consists of LMP3 and GT3 cars. Each race was 45 minutes long.

LMP3: 1. Steven Aghakhani, No. 6 MLT Motorsports; 2. Marco Kacic, FastMD Racing with Remstar; 3. Miguel Villagomez, Escuderia ABRO

GSX: 1. Luca Mars, No. 59 KOHR MOTORSPORTS Ford Mustang; 2. Michael Cooper, No. 55 Baby Bull Racing Porsche; 3. Gregory Liefooghe, No. 43 Stephen Cameron Racing BMW

Rolex 24 tickets still available, here's how to get them

Race fans brave the cold and a strong wind as they check out the garage area, Sunday, January 21, 2024 on the final day of the Roar Before the 24 at Daytona International Speedway.
Race fans brave the cold and a strong wind as they check out the garage area, Sunday, January 21, 2024 on the final day of the Roar Before the 24 at Daytona International Speedway.

As the Roar Before the Rolex 24 prepares to wrap up, tickets remain for next week's 62nd running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Tickets remain on sale at daytonainternationalspeedway.com with different packages available. Four-day general admission passes with garage access are $130 with two-day passes, set for Saturday and Sunday, going for $90. Single-day tickets for Thursday, Friday and Sunday are also available.

Practices for the Rolex 24 will get back underway on Wednesday after a two-day break.

Michelin Pilot Challenge testing is complete

The fifth and final session of the weekend has concluded for the cars of IMSA's Michelin Pilot Challenge Series, which will open its season Friday with the four-hour BMW Endurance Challenge.

Overall fastest, and obviously fastest in the Grand Sport class, was Todd Coleman in the No. 88 Aston-Martin. His fastest lap covered the 3.56-mile course in one minute, 53.502 seconds.

In the Touring Car class, fastest was Bryan Ortiz in the No. 6 Honda Civic, with a time of 1:58.148.

The No. 6 Ligier, driven to Saturday's VP Challenge win by Steven Aghakhani, is pushed through the garage prior to Sunday's second 45-minute VP race.
The No. 6 Ligier, driven to Saturday's VP Challenge win by Steven Aghakhani, is pushed through the garage prior to Sunday's second 45-minute VP race.

Next up is the second of two weekend races for IMSA's VP Challenge Series. That 45-minute sprint goes green at 12:20.

Roar Before the Rolex 24: Sunday schedule

Race fans brave the cold and a strong wind as they check out the garage area, Sunday, January 21, 2024 on the final day of the Roar Before the 24 at Daytona International Speedway.
Race fans brave the cold and a strong wind as they check out the garage area, Sunday, January 21, 2024 on the final day of the Roar Before the 24 at Daytona International Speedway.

  • 10:15-11:15 a.m.: Michelin Pilot Challenge, practice 5

  • 12:20-1:05 p.m.: VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, race 2 of 2 (Peacock)

  • 1:25-1:40: WeatherTech Championship, practice 6

  • 1:45-3:20: WeatherTech Championship, qualifying (Peacock)

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: IMSA Roar Before the 24 recap, Day 3 at Daytona; new track record!