The Rolex 24 at Daytona
(frequently referred to by its historical title, the 24 Hours of Daytona
) is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is held on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield road course. Since its inception, it has been held the last weekend of January or first weekend of February, part of Speedweeks, and it is the first major automobile race of the year in the United States.
The race has had several names over the years. Since 1991, the Rolex Watch Co. is the title sponsor of the race under a naming rights arrangement, replacing Sunbank
(now SunTrust) which in turn replaced Pepsi in 1984. Winning drivers of all classes receive a steel Rolex Daytona watch.
In 2006, the race moved one week earlier into January to prevent a clash with the Super Bowl, which had in turn moved one week later into February a few years earlier. In effect, these two major events switched dates.
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ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA TICKETS
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Beginnings
In 1962, a few years after the track was built, a 3-hour
sports car race was introduced, the Daytona Continental, which counted towards the
World Sportscar Championship. The first Continental was won by
Dan Gurney, driving a 2.7L Coventry Climax powered
Lotus 19, dubbed the Monte Carlo after Stirling Moss bringing Lotus their first Formula One win at Monaco in 1960 despite being a factory driver for
Porsche at that time. Many
Porsche 718s were driven by
privateers, but these 1600 cc cars were considered rather underpowered for a relatively short and fast race despite having won the twisty
Targa Florio and the tough
12 Hours of Sebring.
In 1964, the event was expanded to 2000 km (1220 miles), doubling the classic 1000 km distance of races at
Nürburgring,
Spa and
Monza. The distance amounted to roughly the half of the distance the
24 Hours of Le Mans winners covered at the time and was similar in length to the Sebring 12 hour race, which was also held in Florida a few weeks later in the year. Starting in 1966, the Daytona race was extended to the same 24 hour length as Le Mans.
24-hour history
As in the
Spa 24 Hours (introduced in 1924) and the
24 Hours Nürburgring (1970), the purpose of the event is to determine which team of drivers can take their
sports car the farthest in a fixed time period, rather than the shortest time over a fixed distance as in most conventional auto races.
Unlike the
Le Mans event, the Daytona race is conducted entirely over a closed course within the speedway arena without the use of any public streets. Most parts of the steep banking are included, interrupted with a chicane on the back straight and a sweeping, fast infield section which includes two hairpins. As unlike Le Mans, the race is held in wintertime, when nights are at their longest. There are lights installed around the circuit for night racing, although the infield section is still not as well-lit as the main oval. However, the stadium lights are turned on only to a level of 20%, similar to the stadium lighting setup at Le Mans, with brighter lights around the pit straight, and decent lighting similar to street lights around the circuit.
In the past, a car had to cross the finish line after 24 hours to be classified, which led to dramatic scenes where damaged cars waited in the pits or on the edge of the track close to the finish line for hours, then restarted their engines and crawled across the finish line one last time in order to finish after the 24 hours and be listed with a finishing distance, rather than dismissed with DNF (Did Not Finish). This was the case in the initial 1962 Daytona Continental (then 3 hours), in which Dan Gurney's Lotus had established a lengthy lead when the engine failed with just minutes remaining. Gurney stopped the car at the top of the banking, just short of the finish line. When the three hours had elapsed, Gurney simply cranked the steering wheel to the left (toward the bottom of the banking) and let gravity pull the car across the line, to not only salvage a finishing position, but actually win the race. This led to the international rule requiring a car to cross the line under its own power in order to be classified. Ironically, Gurney himself fell afoul of the new rule at the Sebring 12 Hours in 1966, when the engine in his race-leading Ford GT failed with two minutes remaining. Gurney, in his frustration, attempted to push his car across the line, leading to his disqualification.
After having lost in 1966 both at Daytona and at Le Mans to the Fords, the
Ferrari P series prototypes staged a triumphant 1-2-3 side-by-side parade finish at the banked finish line in 1967. To celebrate the victory over the rival at his home race,
Ferrari named its V12-powered road car
Ferrari Daytona after the race.
Porsche repeated this show in their 1-2-3 win in the 1968 24 Hours. After the car of
Gerhard Mitter had a big crash caused by tyre failure in the banking, his teammate
Rolf Stommelen supported the car of
Vic Elford/
Jochen Neerpasch. When the car of the longtime leaders
Jo Siffert/
Hans Herrmann dropped to second due to a technical problem, these two also joined the new leaders while continuing with their car. So Porsche managed to put 5 of 8 drivers on the center of the podium, plus
Jo Schlesser/
Joe Buzzetta finishing in 3rd place, with only Mitter being left out.
In 1972, due to the
energy crisis, the race was shortened to 6 hours, while for 1974 the race was cancelled altogether.
In 1982, following near-continuous inclusion on the
World Sportscar Championship, the race was finally dropped as the series attempted to cut costs by both keeping teams in Europe and running shorter races. The race continued on as part of the
IMSA GT series.
The regular teams were expanded to 3 drivers in the 1970s. Nowadays, often four or five drivers compete, with occasional "taxi" rides for less lucky team mates adding to the total. The winning entry in 1997 featured as many as seven drivers taking a turn in the cockpit.
Grand American & Daytona Prototypes
After ownership problems with
IMSA in the 1990s, the Daytona event aligned with the
Grand-Am series, a competitor of the
American Le Mans Series, which, as its name implies, uses the same regulations as the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, though Le Mans 24H itself is not on the ALMS calendar. The Grand Am series, though, is instead closely linked to
NASCAR and its focus is on controlled costs and close competition.
In order to make
sports car racing less expensive than elsewhere, new rules were introduced in 2002. The dedicated
Daytona Prototypes use less expensive materials and technologies and the car's simple aerodynamics reduce the development and testing costs.
Specialist chassis makers like
Riley,
Dallara,
Lola and
Crawford provide the DP cars for the teams and the engines are branded under the names of major car companies like
Pontiac,
Lexus,
Ford, and
Porsche. Unlike elsewhere, the vehicles are designated
Engine-Chassis
at Daytona (e.g. "Lexus-Riley"), as the chassis makers are relatively unknown and do not sell road cars, similar to many specialised race car manufacturers.
Daytona GTs
The
Gran Turismo class cars at Daytona are closer to the road versions, similar to the GT3 class elsewhere. For example, the more standard Cup version of the
Porsche 996 is used, instead of the usual RS/RSR racing versions. Recent Daytona entries also include
BMW M3s,
Corvettes,
Mazda RX-8s and
Pontiac GTO.Rs.
In an effort for teams to save money, GT rules have now changed to permit
spaceframe cars clad in lookalike body panels to compete in GT (the new
Mazda for example, and the forthcoming
Infiniti G35). These rules are somewhat similar to the old GTO specification, but with rather more restrictions.
The intent of spaceframe-clad cars is to allow teams to save money -- especially after crashes, where teams can rebuild the cars for the next race at a much lower cost, or even redevelop cars, instead of having to write off an entire car after a crash or at the end of a year.
2006 race
In the 2006 event, teams which are traditionally linked to
Porsche made an effort to "reconquer" Daytona, like
Brumos Racing, which has fielded Porsches traditionally numbered as #58 and #59 since the 1970s. Porsche factory drivers were also scattered around the teams running Porsche engines in their DPs, and it was German
Lucas Luhr who set the pole position time with the #23 Crawford-Porsche of Alex Job Racing. In the race, the car that was also driven by
Mike Rockenfeller and
Patrick Long led for some time, but lost time during a repair of a driveshaft, and finished only 3rd ahead of the #58 Red Bull Brumos Fabcar-Porsche with fellow Porsche works driver
Sascha Maassen. Two Riley-Lexus finished 1-2, with Target
Chip Ganassi's all-star line-up of
Scott Dixon,
Dan Wheldon and
Casey Mears taking the overall win.
The GT class saw, as usual, virtually dozens of Porsches, and their faster drivers like
Wolf Henzler. The Pontiac GTO.R of experienced team
The Racer's Group not only set the GT pole, but also lead much of the early part of the race, battling with the best 911s of the new 997 series, finishing 10th overall ahead of 21 prototypes. The #36 TPC Racing Porsche, driven by
Randy Pobst, Driver/Owner
Michael Levitas,
Ian Baas and
Spencer Pumpelly, did three laps more, taking the GT class win plus ninth overall, though.
[1] The second best non-
Porsche 996 GT was the other TRG GTO.R at 26th overall, 13th in GT.
[2]
Star drivers appearances
As the Rolex 24 has a winter date during off-season for other racing series, many top class drivers are able and willing to take part in the Rolex if sponsorship commitments allow this. The track's marketing machine has aggressively sold the roll call of champions, with track officials focusing on the presence of professional-level racing champions and superstars in the race.
Recently retired NASCAR star
Rusty Wallace joined IRL star
Danica Patrick in the 2006 race, while
Tony Stewart has gained a reputation of "checkers or wreckers" after his gallant 2004 drive with a badly stricken car in the lead, while attempting to nurse it to victory with less than 20 minutes remaining, the rear suspension collapsed and Stewart crashed. Indy 500 champions
Buddy Rice and
Dan Wheldon have also made appearances in the race, with Wheldon's 2006 victory in the Rolex the first time a reigning Indy champion had won the classic. Previous Rolex 24 races have featured
Dale Earnhardt,
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (the two were paired in the 2001 race, a memorable moment in the history of sportscar racing, and it is said they began this revival of the all-star format),
Jimmie Johnson,
Greg Biffle,
Paul Tracy,
Sébastien Bourdais,
Kurt Busch,
Kyle Petty, and stars who have raced in every major form of motorsport.
The drivers seem to enjoy the all-star showdown, although the presence of these "ringers" has, along with the formula governing the cars, drawn the ire of sportscar-racing purists, who tend to view the series as a dumbed-down version of "real" sportscar racing. Many observers, on the other hand, believe the presence of these visiting stars is beneficial. They argue the racing only intensifies when a handful of top-flight drivers from other forms of motorsport decide to take on the road racing aces. For example, the star power added to the field created some passionate driving in the 2006 race.
The 2007 Rolex field featured
Jeff Gordon in the Wayne Taylor Racing #10 SunTrust Pontiac, Indianapolis 500 champions
Hélio Castroneves and then-reigning IRL and Indianapolis 500 champion
Sam Hornish, Jr. in a Michael Shank Racing Lexus, with
Bobby Labonte,
Jimmie Johnson, 1996
CART Champ Car champion
Jimmy Vasser,
Juan Pablo Montoya, and
Kyle Petty in the race.
Jimmie Johnson was a member the 2008 Rolex 24 field, in the reigning Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing #99, which featured Lowe's colors along with its traditional red for the race. Former winner
John Andretti was also in the field, along with former Formula 1 driver
Juan Pablo Montoya, who took first place in the 01 Chip Ganassi Target car. The Chip Ganassi team became the first team in the history of the race to win three consecutive years.
2007 Rolex 24 At Daytona
- See 2007 Rolex 24 At Daytona
Statistics
Porsche has the most overall victories of any manufacturer with 21, scored by various models, including the road based 911, 935 and 996. Porsche also won a record 11 consecutive races from 1977-1987 and won 18 out of 23 races from 1968-1991. Other manufacturer's win totals:
- 5 wins: Ferrari '63, '64, '67, '72, '98,
- 4 wins: Ford '65, '66, '97, '99
- 3 wins: Lexus '06, '07, '08
- 2 wins: Chevrolet '69, '01, Jaguar '88, '90, Nissan '92, '94, Pontiac '04, '05,
- 1 win: Lotus '62, BMW '75, Toyota '93, Oldsmobile '96, Dodge '00, Dallara-Judd '02
Drivers with the most overall wins
- 5 wins: Hurley Haywood '73, '75, '77, '79, '91
- 4 wins: Pedro Rodriguez '63, '64, '70, '71; Bob Wollek '83, '85, '89, '91; Peter Gregg '73, '75, '76, '78; Rolf Stommelen '68, '78, '80, '82
- 3 wins: Andy Wallace '90, '97, '99; Butch Leitzinger '94, '97, '99; Derek Bell '86, '87, '89; Scott Pruett '94, '07, '08
Overall winners
Year
| Date
| Drivers
| Team
| Car
| Car #
| Distance
| Championship
|
3 Hour distance
|
1962
| February 11
| Dan Gurney
| Frank Arciero
| Lotus 19B-Coventry Climax
| 96
| 502.791 km
| World Sportscar Championship
|
1963
| February 17
| Pedro Rodríguez
| North American Racing Team
| Ferrari 250 GTO
| 18
| 494.551 km
| World Sportscar Championship
|
2000 km distance
|
1964
| February 16
| Pedro Rodríguez Phil Hill
| North American Racing Team
| Ferrari 250 GTO
| 30
| -
| World Sportscar Championship
|
1965
| February 28
| Ken Miles Lloyd Ruby
| Shelby-American Inc.
| Ford GT40 Mk.II
| 73
| -
| World Sportscar Championship
|
24 Hour distance
|
1966
| February 5 February 6
| Ken Miles Lloyd Ruby
| Shelby-American Inc.
| Ford GT40 Mk. II
| 98
| 4157.222 km
| World Sportscar Championship
|
1967
| February 4 February 5
| Lorenzo Bandini Chris Amon
| SpA Ferrari SEFAC
| Ferrari 330 P4
| 23
| 4083.646 km
| World Sportscar Championship
|
1968
| February 3 February 4
| Vic Elford Jochen Neerpasch Rolf Stommelen Jo Siffert Hans Herrmann
| Porsche System Engineering
| Porsche 907LH
| 54
| 4126.567 km
| World Sportscar Championship
|
1969
| February 1 February 2
| Mark Donohue Chuck Parsons
| Roger Penske Sunoco Racing
| Lola T70 Mk.3B-Chevrolet
| 6
| 3838.382 km
| World Sportscar Championship
|
1970
| January 31 February 1
| Pedro Rodríguez Leo Kinnunen Brian Redman
| J.W. Engineering
| Porsche 917K
| 2
| 4439.279 km‡
| World Sportscar Championship
|
1971
| January 30 January 31
| Pedro Rodríguez Jackie Oliver
| J.W. Automotive Engineering
| Porsche 917K
| 2
| 4218.542 km
| World Sportscar Championship
|
6 Hour distance
|
1972
| February 5 February 6
| Mario Andretti Jacky Ickx
| SpA Ferrari SEFAC
| Ferrari 312PB
| 2
| 1189.531 km
| World Sportscar Championship
|
24 Hour distance
|
1973
| February 3 February 4
| Peter Gregg Hurley Haywood
| Brumos Porsche
| Porsche Carrera RSR
| 59
| 759 4108.172 km
| World Sportscar Championship
|
1974
| No race due to an energy crisis
|
1975
| February 1 February 2
| Peter Gregg Hurley Haywood
| Brumos Porsche
| Porsche Carrera RSR
| 59
| 4194.015 km
| World Sportscar Championship IMSA GT Championship
|
1976
| January 31 February 1
| Peter Gregg Brian Redman John Fitzpatrick
| BMW of North America
| BMW 3.0 CSL
| 59
| 3368.035 km
| IMSA GT Championship
|
1977
| February 5 February 6
| Hurley Haywood John Graves Dave Helmick
| Ecurie Escargot
| Porsche Carrera RSR
| 43
| 4208.499 km
| World Championship of Makes IMSA GT Championship
|
1978
| February 4 February 5
| Peter Gregg Rolf Stommelen Toine Hezemans
| Brumos Porsche
| Porsche 935/77
| 99
| 4202.319 km
| World Championship of Makes IMSA GT Championship
|
1979
| February 3 February 4
| Hurley Haywood Ted Field Danny Ongais
| Interscope Racing
| Porsche 935/79
| 0
| 4227.039 km
| World Sportscar Championship IMSA GT Championship
|
1980
| February 2 February 3
| Rolf Stommelen Volkert Merl Reinhold Joest
| L&M Joest Racing
| Porsche 935J
| 2
| 4418.615 km
| World Sportscar Championship IMSA GT Championship
|
1981
| January 31 February 1
| Bobby Rahal Brian Redman Bob Garretson
| Garretson Racing/Style Auto
| Porsche 935 K3
| 9
| 4375.355 km
| World Sportscar Championship IMSA GT Championship
|
1982
| January 30 January 31
| John Paul Sr. John Paul Jr. Rolf Stommelen
| JLP Racing
| Porsche 935 JLP-3
| 18
| 4443.334 km
| IMSA GT Championship
|
1983
| February 5 February 6
| A.J. Foyt Preston Henn Bob Wollek Claude Ballot-Lena
| Henn's Swap Shop Racing
| Porsche 935L
| 6
| 3819.167 km
| IMSA GT Championship
|
1984
| February 4 February 5
| Sarel van der Merwe Tony Martin Graham Duxbury
| Kreepy Krauly Racing
| March 83G-Porsche
| 00
| 3986.023 km
| IMSA GT Championship
|
1985
| February 2 February 3
| A.J. Foyt Bob Wollek Al Unser Sr. Thierry Boutsen
| Henn's Swap Shop Racing
| Porsche 962
| 8
| 4027.673 km
| IMSA GT Championship
|
1986
| February 1 February 2
| Al Holbert Derek Bell Al Unser Jr.
| Löwenbräu Holbert Racing
| Porsche 962
| 14
| 4079.236 km
| IMSA GT Championship
|
1987
| January 31 February 1
| Al Holbert Derek Bell Chip Robinson Al Unser Jr.
| Löwenbräu Holbert Racing
| Porsche 962
| 14
| 4314.136 km
| IMSA GT Championship
|
1988
| January 30 January 31
| Raul Boesel Martin Brundle John Nielsen Jan Lammers
| Castrol Jaguar Racing (TWR)
| Jaguar XJR-9
| 60
| 4170.905 km
| IMSA GT Championship
|
1989
| February 4 February 5
| John Andretti Derek Bell Bob Wollek
| Miller/BFGoodrich Busby Racing
| Porsche 962
| 67
| 3557.873 km†
| IMSA GT Championship
|
1990
| February 3 February 4
| Davy Jones Jan Lammers Andy Wallace
| Castrol Jaguar Racing (TWR)
| Jaguar XJR-12D
| 61
| 4359.970 km
| IMSA GT Championship
|
1991
| February 2 February 3
| Hurley Haywood "John Winter" Frank Jelinski Henri Pescarolo Bob Wollek
| Joest Racing
| Porsche 962C
| 7
| 4119.341 km
| IMSA GT Championship
|
1992
| February 1 February 2
| Masahiro Hasemi Kazuyoshi Hoshino Toshio Suzuki
| Nissan Motorsports Intl.
| Nissan R91CP
| 23
| 4365.700 km
| IMSA GT Championship
|
1993
| January 30 January 31
| P. J. Jones Mark Dismore Rocky Moran
| All American Racers
| Toyota Eagle MkIII-Toyota
| 99
| 3999.027 km
| IMSA GT Championship
|
1994
| February 5 February 6
| Paul Gentilozzi Scott Pruett Butch Leitzinger Steve Millen
| Cunningham Racing
| Nissan 300ZX
| 76
| 4050.090 km
| IMSA GT Championship
|
1995
| February 4 February 5
| Jürgen Lässig Christophe Bouchut Giovanni Lavaggi Marco Werner
| Kremer Racing
| Kremer K8 Spyder-Porsche
| 10
| 3953.192 km
| IMSA GT Championship
|
1996
| February 3 February 4
| Wayne Taylor Scott Sharp Jim Pace
| Doyle Racing
| Riley & Scott Mk III-Oldsmobile
| 4
| 3993.298 km
| IMSA GT Championship
|
1997
| February 1 February 2
| Rob Dyson James Weaver Butch Leitzinger Andy Wallace John Paul Jr. Elliott Forbes-Robinson John Schneider
| Dyson Racing
| Riley & Scott Mk III-Ford
| 16
| 3953.192 km
| IMSA GT Championship
|
1998
| January 31 February 1
| Mauro Baldi Arie Luyendyk Gianpiero Moretti Didier Theys
| Doran-Moretti Racing
| Ferrari 333 SP
| 30
| 4073.507 km
| U.S. Road Racing Championship
|
1999
| January 30 January 31
| Elliott Forbes-Robinson Butch Leitzinger Andy Wallace
| Dyson Racing Team Inc.
| Riley & Scott Mk III-Ford
| 20
| 4056.319 km
| U.S. Road Racing Championship
|
2000
| February 5 February 6
| Olivier Beretta Dominique Dupuy Karl Wendlinger
| Viper Team Oreca
| Dodge Viper GTS-R
| 91
| 4142.258 km
| Rolex Sports Car Series
|
2001
| February 3 February 4
| Ron Fellows Chris Kneifel Franck Fréon Johnny O'Connell
| Corvette Racing
| Chevrolet Corvette C5-R
| 2
| 3758.398 km
| Rolex Sports Car Series
|
2002
| February 2 February 3
| Didier Theys Fredy Lienhard Max Papis Mauro Baldi
| Doran Lista Racing
| Dallara SP1-Judd
| 27
| 4102.153 km
| Rolex Sports Car Series
|
2003
| February 1 February 2
| Kevin Buckler Michael Schrom Timo Bernhard Jörg Bergmeister
| The Racer's Group
| Porsche 911 GT3-RS
| 66
| 3981.839 km
| Rolex Sports Car Series
|
2004
| January 31 February 1
| Christian Fittipaldi Terry Borcheller Forest Barber Andy Pilgrim
| Bell Motorsports
| Doran JE4-Pontiac
| 54
| 3013.98 km†
| Rolex Sports Car Series
|
2005
| February 5 February 6
| Max Angelelli Wayne Taylor Emmanuel Collard
| SunTrust Racing
| Riley MkXI-Pontiac
| 10
| 4068.300 km†
| Rolex Sports Car Series
|
2006
| January 28 January 29
| Scott Dixon Dan Wheldon Casey Mears
| Target Ganassi Racing
| Riley MkXI-Lexus
| 02
| 4205.82 km
| Rolex Sports Car Series
|
2007
| January 27 January 28
| Juan Pablo Montoya Salvador Durán Scott Pruett
| Telmex Ganassi Racing
| Riley MkXI-Lexus
| 01
| 3826.972 km
| Rolex Sports Car Series
|
2008
| January 26 January 27
| Juan Pablo Montoya Dario Franchitti Scott Pruett Memo Rojas
| Telmex Ganassi Racing
| Riley MkXI-Lexus
| 01
| 3981.839 km
| Rolex Sports Car Series
|
2009
| January 24 January 25
| David Donohue Antonio García Darren Law Buddy Rice
| Brumos Racing
| Riley MkXI-Porsche
| 58
| 4211.009 km
| Rolex Sports Car Series
|
† - Races were red flagged during the event due to weather or fog. The official timing of 24 hours did not stop during these periods.
‡ - Race record for most distance covered
References
- TPC Racing - Porsche Supercharger and Turbo Specialist - Rolex 24 Champion - Home
- http://www.grand-am.com/Events/SessionResults.asp?SessionID=625