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Roar Before the Rolex 24 Recap: Cadillac closes strong, Aghakhani wins VP SportsCar opener

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

Day 2 of Rolex 24 testing at Daytona will be interrupted this afternoon for the first business laps of the 2024 racing season.

The VP Challenge, one of the IMSA governing body's lower-tier series, opens its season with a 45-minute race starting at 2:05. The series will race again Sunday afternoon, starting at 12:20.

IMSA's Michelin Pilot Challenge Series, which begins its 2024 slate with a four-hour race next Friday at Daytona, gets a pair of test stints today, for 90 minutes beginning at 9:30 a.m., and for an hour starting at 4:30 p.m.

The No. 31 Cadillac prototype was fastest in Saturday's first Rolex 24 test session, with Pipo Derani behind the wheel.
The No. 31 Cadillac prototype was fastest in Saturday's first Rolex 24 test session, with Pipo Derani behind the wheel.

LIVE UPDATES DAY 3: Roar Before the Rolex 24, Day 3 of practice racing at Daytona

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But the main attraction remains the 59 cars here for next weekend's Rolex 24, and those get the track three times today — at 11:15 a.m., 3:10 p.m., and finally a two-hour night run from 6:30-8:30.

Those WeatherTech Championship cars are prepping for next weekend's Rolex 24, but also for Sunday's 15-minute qualifying runs for each of the four classes of cars. Qualifying will set the lineup for the 62nd Rolex 24, which goes green at 1:40 next Saturday afternoon.

Cadillac tops final practice with driver Alex Palou

Reigning IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou laid down the quickest lap in the final WeatherTech Championship practice on Saturday night, driving the No. 01 Cadillac to a lap of 1:35.705. Teammate Renger van der Zande had the session's second-fastest circuit with a 1:35.895.

The two-hour practice finished off a busy Saturday that featured three sessions for cars set to compete in next week's 62nd running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

In the LMP2 Class, Scott Huffaker drove the No. 20 MDK by High Class Racing ORECA to a time of 1:38.27. Marvin Kirchhöfer paced the GTD Pro Class, laying down a lap of 1:45.98 in the Pfaff Motorsports No. 9 McLaren. Finally, Eddie Cheever drove the No. 47 CETILAR RACING Ferrari to a lap of 1:45.739 to lead all GTD entries.

GTP: 1. Alex Palou, No. 01 Cadillac Racing, 1:35.705; 2. Connor De Phillippi, No. 25 BMW M Team RLL, 1:35.982; 3. Kevin Estre, No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsports, 1:35.984

LMP2: 1. Scott Huffaker, No. 20 MDK by High Class Racing ORECA, 1:38.27; 2. Matthieu Vaxiviere, No. 88 Richard Mille AF Corse ORECA, 1:38.664; 3. Charles Milesi, No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA, 1:38.674

GTD Pro: 1. Marvin Kirchhöfer , No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports McLaren, 1:45.98; 2. Dirk Mueller, No. 65 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang, 1:46.007; 3. Daniel Juncadella, No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports, 1:46.387

GTD: 1. Eddie Cheever, No. 47 CETILAR RACING Ferrari, 1:45.739; 2. Jan Heylan, No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche, 1:46.007; 3. Miguel Molina, No. 21 Af Corse Ferrari, 1:46.111

Hanson, Porsche pace second WeatherTech Championship practice

With a lap of 1:35.216, Phil Hanson in the No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche topped the board for Saturday's second of three WeatherTech Championship practices.

The lap backed up a strong performance in the day's first session in which Richard Westbrook turned the second best lap at 1:35.398. Pipo Derani, driving the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing entry had the second best lap at 1:35.217.

In the LMP2 Class, Ben Keating in the No. 2 United Autosports ORECA recorded a lap of 1:39.047 to lead the way. Mario Farnbacher, driving the No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin ran a lap of 1:46.066 to set the pace for the GTD Pro entries with Klaus Bachler in the No. 86 MDK Motorsports Porsche leading all the GT3 cars with a 1:45.799 in the GTD Class.

GTP: 1. Phil Hanson, JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche, 1:35.216; 2. Pipo Derani, No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing, 1:35.217; 3. Neel Jani, No. 5 Proton Competition Porsche, 1:35.329

LMP2: 1. Ben Keating, No. 2 United Autosports USA ORCEA, 1:39.047; 2. Paul Di Resta, No. 22 United Autosports USA ORECA, 1:39.094; 3. Connor Zilisch, No. 18 Era Motorsport ORECA, 1:39.343

GTD Pro: 1. Mario Farnbacher, No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin, 1:46.066; 2. Mike Rockenfeller, No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang, 1:46.21; 3. Dirk Mueller, No. 65 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang, 1:46.32.

GTD: 1. Klaus Bachler, No. 86 MDK Motorsports Porsche, 1:45.799; 2. Trent Hindman, No. 92 Kellymoss with Riley Porsche, 1:45.99; 3. Fred Makowiecki, No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche, 1:45.999

Aghakhani, Mars win VP SportsCar Challenge Race 1

The No. 7 Ligier with Alex Kirby at the wheel works through the horseshoe, Saturday, January 20, 2024 during a VP Challenge race at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.
The No. 7 Ligier with Alex Kirby at the wheel works through the horseshoe, Saturday, January 20, 2024 during a VP Challenge race at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.

Steven Aghakhani (MLT Motorsports) got around Alex Kirby with a couple of laps to go and held on to pick up the overall win in the first of two VP SportsCar Challenge races on Saturday afternoon. The second is scheduled for Sunday.

Meanwhile, in the GSX class, Luca Mars, driving a KOHR Motorsports Ford Mustang, rallied all the way from the back to the front and won a thriller at the line, edging Gregory Liefooghe in a side-by-side finish. Mars exited the chicane a few car lengths back but used a run and straight-line speed to get to Liefooghe's inside and won the drag race through the tri-oval.

Kirby came home second to Aghakhani with Cody Ware, Marco Kacic and Brian Thienes rounding out the top five. Among GSX cars, Marc Miller came home third, Michael Cooper finished fourth and Patrick Wilmot came in fifth.

LMP3: 1. Steven Aghakhani, MLT Motorsports, 46:16.827; 2. Alex Kirby, Performance Tech Motorsports, 46:18.065; 3. Cody Ware, Rick Ware Racing with Ave Motorsports, 46:22.573; 4. Marco Kacic, FastMD Racing with Remstar, 46:22.862; 5. Brian Thienes, Forte Racing, 46:23.82

GSX: 1. Luca Mars, KOHR MOTORSPORTS Ford Mustang, 46:58.103; 2. Gregory Liefooghe, Stephen Cameron Racing BMW, 46:58.154; 3. Marc Miller, Thaze Competition Mercedes, 46.59.408; 4. Michael Cooper, Baby Bull Racing Porsche, 47:00.918; 5. Patrick Wilmot, Split Decision Motorsports BMW, 47:03.836

Aitken, Cadillac top early practice leaderboard

The Speedway's Fan Zone now features 50 new tables, made of composite material, replacing the old rubber-coated metal tables.
The Speedway's Fan Zone now features 50 new tables, made of composite material, replacing the old rubber-coated metal tables.

Pipo Derani registered the fastest time in the first of three WeatherTech Championship practices on Saturday morning, coming in with a time of 1:35.372 in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing entry. Derani also topped Friday's late practice with teammate Pipo Derani behind the wheel.

Saturday's time barely edged that of Richard Westbrook in the No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche, as he laid down a lap of 1:35.398.

In the LMP2 class, Nicklas Nielsen topped the charts with a time of 1:38.576 while Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports car led the GTD Pro and GTD contingent with a time of 1:45.844.

Next on Tap is a 45-minute race in the VP SportsCar Challenge set to start at 2:05 p.m. Qualifying was held Saturday morning with Steven Aghakhani claiming the pole for MLT Motorsports.

Rolex 24 leaderboard by class, Practice 1

The crowd in the garage area was growing by the hour Saturday at Daytona.
The crowd in the garage area was growing by the hour Saturday at Daytona.

GTP: 1. Pipo Derani, No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing, 1:35.372; 2. Richard Westbrook, No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche, 1:35.398; 3. Connor De Phillippi, No. 25 BMW M Team RLL, 1:35.68

LMP2: 1. Nicklas Nielsen, No. 88 Richard Mille AF Corse ORECA, 1:38.576; 2. Charles Milesi, No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA, 1:38.619; 3. Malthe Jakobsen, No. 04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR ORECA, 1:38.703

GTD Pro: 1. Tommy Milner, No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports, 1:45.844; 2. Harry Tincknell, No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang, 1:46.357; 3. Michael Christensen, No. 77 AO Racing Porsche, 1:46.402

GTD: 1. Kyle Marcelli, No. 45 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Lamborghini, 1:45.986; 2. Thomas Preining, No. 43 Andretti Motorsports Porsche, 1:46.31; 3. Julien Andlauer, No. 92 Kellymoss with Riley Porsche, 1:46.323

WeatherTech Championship Rolex 24 cars on the track at Daytona

All four manufacturers in the marquee GT Prototype class are among the top-five speeds in the early laps of Session 3 for the 59 entries in next weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Cadillac, Acura, Porsche and BMW have drivers turning laps in the 95-second range on the 3.56-mile road course. The LMP2 cars are hovering in the 1:39 area, while the fastest GT Daytona cars are turning laps in about 1:46.

This practice session lasts until 12:45.

Off and roaring at Daytona: Bubba Wallace (finally) goes out

The No. 77 Ligier, driven by Brian Thienes, qualified fourth this morning for this afternoon's first VP Challenge race at Daytona.
The No. 77 Ligier, driven by Brian Thienes, qualified fourth this morning for this afternoon's first VP Challenge race at Daytona.

Qualifying for this afternoon's 45-minute VP Challenge race is complete and Session 3 for the Michelin Pilot Challenge cars is under way at Daytona.

The weekend's NASCAR connection is finally on the track and up to speed, as the No. 23 Toyota Supra of Smooge Racing has shaken off first-day issues. Bubba Wallace is behind the wheel and getting his first-ever sports-car laps.

Saturday's schedule at Roar Before the Rolex 24

  • 8:40-9:15 a.m.: VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, qualifying

  • 9:30-11: Michelin Pilot Challenge, practice 3

  • 11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m.: WeatherTech Championship, practice 3

  • 2:05-2:50: VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, race 1 of 2 (Peacock)

  • 3:10-4:10: WeatherTech Championship, practice 4

  • 4:30-5:30: Michelin Pilot Challenge, practice 4

  • 6:30-8:30: WeatherTech Championship, practice 5

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: IMSA Roar Before the 24 recap, highlights from Day 2 at Daytona