Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona Preview

The final weekend of January has finally arrived, and it is almost time for the stars and cars of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to take to the high banks of Daytona for the annual twice-around-the-clock classic.  This year could be as exciting as any, with several factors that could factor in to not only the overall winner of the race, but also the respective class winners.  Here's what we think could happen this weekend.

Prototype

The prototype class consists of 12 DPis and P2s that will be fighting for the overall win.  ESM returns to Daytona this year running the Nissan DPi program, with two cars entered, featuring Pipo Derani, Bruno Senna, and Brendon Hartley, among others.  Mazda also have brought two Riley-based DPis, with a relatively unchanged driver lineup that features IndyCar stars Spencer Pigot and James Hinchcliffe.  Three Cadillac DPis are running this weekend, two by Action Express and one by Wayne Taylor Racing.  The Cadillacs have shown great pace this weekend, and it is quite clear the BOP has fallen in their favor.  Rounding out the class are the unmodified P2s.  Rebellion, DragonSpeed, and JDC-Miller Motorsports are running Oreca 07s, PR1/Mathiasen is running the lone Ligier in the field, and Visit Florida has the lone Riley in the field.  The Orecas have proven to be the fastest out of these three P2s, and could possibly compete for the win.

What to Watch For: Electronic issues in the Cosworth steering wheels have plagued the prototypes for the entire year.  If they play a role in the race, the Mazdas could possibly be in the best position, as they are using a different and more robust system.  Otherwise, expect the Cadillacs to dominate.  It is quite possible that any of the three could win overall, and it is my opinion that it will come down to the third and fourth drivers.  If that is the case, Action Express seems to the favorite, specifically the #5 car, featuring Christian Fittipaldi, Joao Barbosa, and Filipe Albuquerque.  The Rebellion Oreca could also put up a fight with their star-studded lineup, but it may not mean much if the Caddys can just drive away on the straights.  The DragonSpeed team destroyed their primary tub in a wreck on Thursday, so just finishing on the podium could possibly be considered a success for the ELMS regulars.

Prototype Challenge

The PC class consists of only five cars this year, with two entries each from Starworks and BAR1 Motorsports, with Performance Tech adding an additional car.

What to Watch For: This class really is up in the air.  With a class this small, it is quite possible just one or two (or even possibly none) will be running at the end.  Each lineup has some pretty big names to it: Ben Keating, Robert Wickens, Chris Cumming (#8 Starworks), Buddy Rice, Gustavo Yacaman (#20 BAR1), Johnny Mowlem (#26 BAR1), James French, Pato O'Ward (#38 Performance Tech), Alex Popow, Conor Daly (#88 Starworks).  It will be the team that is involved in the last mistakes that will win this one.

 GT Le Mans

The GTLM field once again consists of five teams, with Chip Ganassi bringing all four Ford GT teams this year, Corvette bringing their usual two cars, Porsche with two 991s, BMW Team Rahal with two M3s, and Risi with a lone Ferrari 488.  

What to Watch For: The BMWs, Ferrari, and, to a lesser extent, the Porsches have been off-pace since the Roar compared to the Fords and Corvettes.  With this race down to a two team-race, the Fords will have an advantage, with the Corvettes have exactly half of the chance of winning as the Fords.  This same scenario played out at Le Mans last year, and we all know how that ended.  Expect one of the four Fords to be in victory lane come Sunday afternoon.

GT Daytona

The GTD field is wide open this year, with entries coming from all around the world and in all sorts of cars.

Lamborghini Huracan GT3

#11 & #61 GRT Grasser Racing Team

#16 Change Racing

#18 DAC Motorsports

#21 Konrad Motorsport

#27 Dream Racing

#46 EbiMotors

#48 Paul Miller Racing

Lexus RC F GT3

#14 & #15 3GT Racing

Audi R8 LMS GT3

#23 Alex Job Racing

#29 Montaplast by Land-Motorsport

#57 Stevenson Motorsports

Porsche 991 GT3

#28 Alegra Motorsports

#54 CORE Autosport

#59 Manthey Racing

#73 Park Place Motorsports

#991 TRG

Mercedes GT GT3

#33 Riley Motorsports Team AMG

#50 Riley Motorsports WeatherTech Racing

#75 SunEnergy1 Racing

Ferrari 488 GT3

#51 Spirit of Race/AF Corse

#63 Scuderia Corsa

Acura NSX GT3

#86 & #93 Michael Shank Racing

BMW M3 GT3

#96 Turner Motorsport

Aston Martin Vantage GT3

#98 Aston Martin Racing

What to Watch For: I have been eyeing this team since they first tested at Daytona, and I still feel that the Land-Motorsport team are the team to beat in the race, with a lineup including Christopher Mies and Connor De Phillippi.  The Alegra Motorsports Porsche is also worth a watch, as they have had their moments at the top of the charts in testing.  In fact, the vast majority of the field seemingly has a shot at this race.  However, do not expect to see the new Lexus and Acura cars at the front.  They, as one would expect, have had trouble with getting a good setup on their cars as they learn them, so it seems highly unlikely that any of the four combined cars between the two manufacturers will be competitive.  It could be seen as similar to the Ford GT last year, as they struggled at Daytona, but were competitive by the end of the year.