IMSA Race 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona

[joeb]

This event is starting to sneak up on us earlier and earlier every year. The Roar kicks off in a week, with the race 2 weeks after. Will we see a P2 or DW car competitive with the DP's? After the massive bop adjustments in GT, who will be competitive - or will anybody actually show their hand at the Roar for fear of being pegged back? There are a lot of story lines to follow and the plots will only thicken as the day gets closer. And don't forget we now have Radio Le Mans coverage of the IMSA series!


I will update this first post as more info becomes available:

Schedule

Entry List

Timing & Scoring

Timing & Scoring Alternate

Track Map

Weather

Spotters Guides

Radio

Fantasy Racing Challenge

Pit Lane Assignments

Session Results

Video Links: 1 2 VLC

[jasonjessica09]

I actually miss the days where cars won the Daytona 24 by multiple laps. The last team I remember winning the race overall by a hefty margin was TRG in 2003 in the Porsche 911 by 9 laps. Since then I dont think anybody has won by more than 2. In many cases you had 3 cars on the lead lap at the end. I think we know the main reason for that though.

[Matt]

cannot wait.

cant sandbag at the roar or youll be penalized in the rolex proper.

[BudLightJaguar]

Originally Posted by jasonjessica09

I actually miss the days where cars won the Daytona 24 by multiple laps. The last team I remember winning the race overall by a hefty margin was TRG in 2003 in the Porsche 911 by 9 laps. Since then I dont think anybody has won by more than 2. In many cases you had 3 cars on the lead lap at the end. I think we know the main reason for that though.

I agree. Actually I'd like to see some "boring" progression during the 24 hours rather than "close racing" made by pointless FCY's. It's still an endurance race, isn't it? In comparison, in 1970 the margin was 27 laps.

[Giba]

Looking forward a lot to this race, will be interesting to see how fast the new JPD is compared to the MSR Liger

[TF110]

Only watching for lmp2 and gte. The daytona 24 should be one of the "biggest races of the year" in categorial terms. But imo, its only one of "the first races of the year". Hopefully its a decent race though.

[Lanky Turtle]

Originally Posted by BudLightJaguar

I agree. Actually I'd like to see some "boring" progression during the 24 hours rather than "close racing" made by pointless FCY's. It's still an endurance race, isn't it? In comparison, in 1970 the margin was 27 laps.

The free passes definitely boost the number of cars on or near the lead lap, but for the past several years the DP's have been pretty evenly matched speedwise and very reliable. Most of the races would have had a couple cars on the same lap or within a lap anyway. A wave around doesn't help you if you've run a trouble free race and stayed on the lead lap the whole race. Certainly the AMOUNT of cars on the lead lap has been affected by the wave arounds and such. I'd prefer to see a close finish with few cautions but you know what they say about wishing in one hand..............

[isynge]

Daytona's not the classic it could (and should) be, but leaving that aside it marks the end of winter and a return to the real business of cars going in circles. It's not so long since Sao Paulo but still will be good to have something tangible to talk about.

Genuinely intrigued to see how things have moved on in the last 12 months, in particular to what extent the LMP2s can get closer to the DPs. Can't see anything other than a DP winning it over the 24 hours, but if the Ligiers and HPDs can show a decent turn of speed and stay in touch into the night I'll be reasonably encouraged.

[carbsmith]

Originally Posted by Lanky Turtle

The free passes definitely boost the number of cars on or near the lead lap, but for the past several years the DP's have been pretty evenly matched speedwise and very reliable. Most of the races would have had a couple cars on the same lap or within a lap anyway. A wave around doesn't help you if you've run a trouble free race and stayed on the lead lap the whole race. Certainly the AMOUNT of cars on the lead lap has been affected by the wave arounds and such. I'd prefer to see a close finish with few cautions but you know what they say about wishing in one hand..............

Those cars stay on the lead lap the entire race because every time they get 80 seconds or so behind the yellow flag catches them back up.

They've been close—as is all sports car racing these days—but not that close. A lot of DPs with enough speed and reliability to win wouldn't be contenders without FCYs just because of the (lack of) depth of their driver lineup. You don't need to look any further than the winning car in 2013 nearly losing a lap in one stint because Kimball was dead slow.

[BudLightJaguar]

Originally Posted by Lanky Turtle

The free passes definitely boost the number of cars on or near the lead lap, but for the past several years the DP's have been pretty evenly matched speedwise and very reliable.

Of course, we have to keep in mind that cars in the past decades weren't very reliable by today's standards.

[TRspitfirefan]

Originally Posted by BudLightJaguar

Of course, we have to keep in mind that cars in the past decades weren't very reliable by today's standards.

I think that part of the reason that race cars tend to be more reliable these days, is that the designs are not really pushing very many limits, compared to the sports storied history. The current "IMSA" Prototype is a pretty generic racing chassis, with relatively boring well sorted drive trains. It really takes a lot of the intrigue out of the sport, particularly the endurance rounds.
The Lemans LMP1 class is the one exception to this trend and in that class, the cars and the racing are AWESOME!! The Lemans 24 hour race in 2014 was the best Endurance race I've ever seen.

[jasonjessica09]

Originally Posted by BudLightJaguar

I agree. Actually I'd like to see some "boring" progression during the 24 hours rather than "close racing" made by pointless FCY's. It's still an endurance race, isn't it? In comparison, in 1970 the margin was 27 laps.

The 2000 Daytona finish where the Viper beat the Corvette by 45 seconds felt much more thrilling than any of these sprint finishes involving DP cars. I think the cars themselves was one reason but also that was a genuine fight rather than feeling artificial.

[jasonjessica09]

What has been your most memorable Daytona's to watch. My memories of watching the race goes back to 1991 myself. I enjoyed 1994, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2003.

I bet that very few folks who have memories of this race going back to the 90's will rank any one after 2003 as memorable. Personally I paid no attention to the Daytona 24 at all between 2004 and 2011. The Corvette DP and the huge GTD field in 2012 brought only a very slight interest back. Of course it was TUSC in 2014 made it a prime date on the calendar for me once more.

[jimclark]

Originally Posted by jasonjessica09

What has been your most memorable Daytona's to watch. My memories of watching the race goes back to 1991 myself. I enjoyed 1994, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2003.

How things change.....

When you started watching, I started losing interest in what it was becoming....

[Nick Woodbury]

Originally Posted by jasonjessica09

I bet that very few folks who have memories of this race going back to the 90's will rank any one after 2003 as memorable. Personally I paid no attention to the Daytona 24 at all between 2004 and 2011. The Corvette DP and the huge GTD field in 2012 brought only a very slight interest back. Of course it was TUSC in 2014 made it a prime date on the calendar for me once more.

Originally Posted by jimclark

How things change.....

When you started watching, I started losing interest in what it was becoming....

Rant alert!
I share some of your points in regards to the Rolex 24's fall from grace (in a manner of speaking). It truly is saddening to see how the 24 Hours of Daytona, once so steeped in sports car racing history, has fallen so far since the introduction of the Daytona Prototype Formula in 2003, not only in popularity but in prestige and in relevance. Gone are the days where true endurance could be enjoyed in its purest form. No gimmicks, no nascar, all the prestige and ambiance of a world class event like in the 1970's with the FIA World Championship for Makes, in the 80's during the fabulous GTP/Group C era, and during the early to mid 90's during the World Sports Car Era. But since the advent of Grand-Am and their cost saving Daytona Prototype Formula, and with it...the lack of international relevance, that all has been irrevocably squandered. All that ambiance, all that prestige is thrown out the window. As a result...crowds have practically disappeared and most of the media attention along with it, the cars are no longer interesting both aesthetically, or technologically. You have these last minute gimmicky dash to the line finishes brought on by unnecessary yellow flags thrown by the soft heads at race control.

I think it was Leo Parente who said it best wayyy back in a 2010 Fast Lane Daily Shakedown episode where he brilliantly explains everything that the Rolex 24 used to be, and everything that is wrong with it today...feast your ears; http://youtu.be/9Gs5T7e9QbY?t=39s

Now, don't get me wrong...the TUDOR Merger has certainly injected some life back into the 24 Hours of Daytona with huge grids and some internationally relevant cars, more big name drivers of today, and the coming together of the two series fans. However, can that last? Especially considering how poorly the 2014 edition was operated in terms of balance of performance, race control decisions and the excessive yellow flags? Only time will tell.

I'm sure these loathing sentiments have been re-hashed countless times in the past couple of years, but I wanted to give my two cents.

[Lanky Turtle]

Originally Posted by jasonjessica09

What has been your most memorable Daytona's to watch. My memories of watching the race goes back to 1991 myself. I enjoyed 1994, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2003.

I bet that very few folks who have memories of this race going back to the 90's will rank any one after 2003 as memorable. Personally I paid no attention to the Daytona 24 at all between 2004 and 2011. The Corvette DP and the huge GTD field in 2012 brought only a very slight interest back. Of course it was TUSC in 2014 made it a prime date on the calendar for me once more.

I wasn't a fan of '94 because the GTP's were gone and I didn't like the new SRP's, or '03 because by then I liked the SRP's and the DP's debuted in small numbers.

All of the 80's races were classics for me starting with '83 when Foyt jumped in Preston Henn's 935 and won. This was the first 24 I remember on TV and then the next year was my first one in person when Kreepy Krauley won. The Foyt/Holbert team battles and then the Jags later on were all awesome.

1998 was another big year for me as it renewed my interest in the sport with the Panoz's and 911GT1's up against the Ferrari 333's.

One DP era one that stands out for me was 2006 when Alex Job showed up with the Porsche Crawford which was the class of the field easily, but then they had problems in the night and fell back aways, but climbed back up to 3rd by the end.

[jasonjessica09]

This year's race can go a long way to restore prestige if it can just be officiated properly and driven responsibly. I.E. Few FCY's and nothing that feels artificially contrived. There is a reason why we are NOT nascar fans.

I watched the Leo video link and it was a very good one as you said I think 2016 can really be a launchpad to bringing unique cars back to the race with GT3 coming in. I think that will be a huge deal! I said this before in another thread but I'll say it again. I think the 2016 Daytona 24 could have the best GT field in north american sportscar history.

[Lagunaseca_4life]

Meh.....I changed my cable provider due to outrageous new rate,needless to say I no longer have fs1 or 2.so looks like I'm going to be missing out on this one,at this point there hasn't been any roar or rolex entry lists released yet or any exciting full season news.not much to get me amped for this race or season so why bother :/

[BullMan]

My favorite Daytona 24 is probably 1998. That was the year SpeedVision showed all 24 hours live. I can't even tell you who won, but it was so awesome to see the whole race live. I wasn't much of a sportscar fan back then (I had not yet achieved post-NASCAR enlightenment) but I did enjoy it. 2001 was another good one with Dale Earnhardts in the Corvette. Since then, I only remember the 2010 race just because the NASCAR owned Action Express team showed up in the first ever race and won. That was pretty funny, in several ways.

I want to go to the race one day. I'll wait until 2017 though.

[Matt]

I liked 2011 when FLM ran a DP.

[Lanky Turtle]

Not exactly an entry list, but the pit assignments for the Roar reveal 48 cars plus 5 TBA's. I don't see any big surprises on there.

http://www.imsa.com/sites/default/fi...01.02.2015.pdf

[BudLightJaguar]

Originally Posted by jasonjessica09

What has been your most memorable Daytona's to watch.

There's something magical about the 1998 race. High-revving Ferrari against GT1 cars.

And of course, maybe not so much as a race, but as an experience the 2013. Because I was there. Learned a lot of things I didn't know before that weekend. Like how much wind do these cars produce at top speed or how everything vibrates when the races is on.

[ATLFalconsFAN]

Originally Posted by Lanky Turtle

Not exactly an entry list, but the pit assignments for the Roar reveal 48 cars plus 5 TBA's. I don't see any big surprises on there.

http://www.imsa.com/sites/default/fi...01.02.2015.pdf

There will be no surprises. This is simply a Grand Am 2.0 "prestigious" race.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by Lanky Turtle

Not exactly an entry list, but the pit assignments for the Roar reveal 48 cars plus 5 TBA's. I don't see any big surprises on there.

http://www.imsa.com/sites/default/fi...01.02.2015.pdf

Thanks for posting, I missed the announcement of a Spirit of Race GTLM. Also, I thought that Action Express was running a 3rd car for Daytona?

This is also the first entrylist we've seen for the Roar which begins in a few days.

[carbon_titanium]

Originally Posted by joeb

Thanks for posting, I missed the announcement of a Spirit of Race GTLM. Also, I thought that Action Express was running a 3rd car for Daytona?

This is also the first entrylist we've seen for the Roar which begins in a few days.

SoR GTLM entry is basicly the AF Corse customer car already announced some time ago. The second AXR car is the #31 used last year by marsh racing.