https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs3L_v7TQhI

[h=1]2018 Roar Before The Rolex 24 | A Fan’s-Eye View[/h]


DaedalusZero

 

Teams from the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship testing their cars to prepare for the 2018 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Subscribe to my channel for more HD racing videos!
by Lanky Turtle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vGXLcldzwY

 

/DRIVE

Published on Jan 30, 2014

Ride along with Tommy Milner in the new Corvette C7.R during night practice at the 24 Hours of Daytona.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxOl0b8K6FY

 

Owen looking to over-deliver in U.S. racing return

Saturday, 06 January 2018


By J.J. O'Malley / Images courtesy of United Autosports



The Roar Before the 24 and Rolex 24 At Daytona are providing Will Owen with a perfect opportunity to re-introduce himself to the American motorsports audience.
The 22-year old Texan had been working his way up the American open-wheel ladder through Mazda's Road to Indy since 2013 – winning a USF2000 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2014 – before taking a detour to Europe a year ago. Competing in the ELMS for United Autosports, Owen won races at Silverstone and the Red Bull Ring en route to finishing second in the championship, in addition to placing fifth overall and fourth in LMP2 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Owen is set for another year in the ELMS. But first, he's eager to join United Autosport at the Daytona classic, co-driving the No. 32 United Autosports Ligier JSP217 LMP2 with Paul Di Resta, Hugo do Sadeleer and Bruno Senna – a team car to the No 23 Ligier of Formula 1 great Fernando Alonso, Phil Hanson and Lando Norris.
"The Rolex 24 will be like a re-introduction," Owens said. "I'm running with a lot of pretty big names here at United, so I'm kind of flying under the radar a little bit. My plan is to over-deliver on the track, and maybe re-introduce myself that way. There's a guy from Texas on the team, among people from Brazil, Scotland, Spain and all that. Texas needs to be re-introduced too.
"This will be my first Rolex 24. It's nice to be at a place with a lot of American racing heritage – and endurance racing heritage. And the track's pretty awesome, too."







Owen's American career began with Formula Mazda in 2013, followed by USF2000 in 2014 and the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires the following year, finishing fourth in the 2016 championship.
"I had a real good time racing in the U.S. on the Road to Indy," Owen said. "I learned a ton, about how to go fast in general and racing skills, and I met a lot of great people and raced with awesome things. Then I decided that it was the right time to go sports car racing, and I could learn a different set of skills."
Driving a Ligier JSP217 Gibson in Europe, Owen claimed two victories and three podiums in eight races, in addition to joining the team in its first appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
"A lot of that is due to United Autosports, because I got paired up with such an amazing team that was able to teach me everything I needed to know," he said. "Being with Filipe Albuquerque, he was able to teach me how to set up a car properly and how to manage a race, take care of your equipment. All those skills are really important. Now I feel really well prepared for this year. We're going to go back for the championship."
Winning the ELMS crown is currently Owen's main focus. Eventually, though, he would enjoy returning to American competition.
"My aim is definitely to come back and race in the States at some point," Owen said. "There are definitely a lot of great opportunities in Europe, but it would be nice to race at home and not have to travel back and forth."

 

[h=2]Risi confirms entry through Sebring[/h] Saturday, 06 January 2018


By J.J. O'Malley / Image by Trienitz/LAT



Risi Competizione has confirmed its plans for the two opening races of the season, the "36 Hours of Florida" that span the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, and beyond those events, the Ferrari team will wait and see what gets added to its IMSA schedule.

"We'll do the Sebring test in February, and the race obviously," team manager Dave Sims told RACER. Mr. Risi loves Laguna, and VIR, so maybe there could be some standard events, but we're only confirmed for Daytona and Sebring right now."


As the lone Ferrari 488 entrant in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship's factory-laden GT Le Mans class, Risi's presence has helped the series to boast the participation of five manufacturers-including BMW, Corvette, Ford, and Porsche – at its races. Citing a shortage in funding the Houston-based squad skipped four races in 2017, and with only the first two races of 2018 in play, fans could miss one of IMSA's most popular programs.
On a personal front, Sims has been working on an autobiography that spans his years with Lotus in Formula 1 to his present role running the Risi team. The Briton is aiming for a 2018 release.
"I told the guys it needs to come out by the end of the year," he added. "It's got to happen. And we're doing all the years and all I've done, but we're also putting in inserts between the chapters of what was happening in the world during the years we've covered. It's been good fun."

 

[h=2]Albuquerque Cadillac leads second Roar session[/h] Friday, 05 January 2018


By J.J. O'Malley / Image by Marshall Pruett







Filipe Albuquerque took over where teammate Joao Barbosa left off in Friday's second free practice session at the Roar Before the 24, putting the No. 5 Action Express Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R. at the top of the scoring chart for the second straight session.

Albuquerque led the two-hour session, 1m37.196s, a few ticks quicker than Barbosa's best lap of 1m37.266s in the morning practice of the opening event on the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

Colin Braun broke up the Cadillac logjam with the second-best lap of the afternoon, 1m37.303s in the No. 54 CORE autosport ORECA 07-Gibson. Cadillacs took the next two positions, Renger van der Zande in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac and Tristan Vautier in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona entry, followed by the two Jackie Chan DCR JOTA ORECA 07-Gibsons of Ho-Pin Tung and Robin Frijns.

The session saw both Mazda Team Joest RT-24Ps take to the track for the first time, with Jonathan Bomarito quickest in the No. 55 entry at 1m38.876s, good for 15th of the 20 Prototypes. The team missed the opening practice due to the late arrival of new parts.


The Porsche GT Team ran 1-2 in GTLM, led by Laurens Vanthoor, 1m44.065s in the No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR, the best lap of the day in that category. He was followed by Nick Tandy, 1m44.141s in the team's No. 911 entry.
The No. 11 Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3 led GTD for the second straight session, with a lap of 1m47.175s by Franco Perera. Ralf Ineichen set the fast lap of the class in the morning, 1m47.104s.
The two-hour session, run in chilly 49-degree temperatures, was slowed by three brief red flag periods. Eddie Cheever III had light contact with an infield tire barrier but was able to continue in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Cadillac DPi. There were also a pair of tows for the stopped No. 51 Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GT3 of Daniel Serra and the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports ORECA of James French.

 

[h=2]Eddie Cheever III lands NAEC ride with Spirit of Daytona[/h] Friday, 05 January 2018


J.J. O'Malley / Image by Marshall Pruett




Eddie Cheever III will be competing in the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship's Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup, joining Spirit of Daytona Racing for the classic races at Daytona, Sebring and Road Atlanta.

The 24-year-old native of Rome will join Matt McMurry and Tristan Vautier in the No. 90 Cadillac DPi-V.R., beginning with the Rolex 24 At Daytona.


"It's an unbelievable opportunity," said Cheever, the son of Formula 1 veteran and 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner Eddie Cheever. "It's going to be my first Rolex 24 At Daytona, and I can't wait to try the banking out. I'm from Europe, and it's not very often that you can drive this kind of track. It's going to be my first time with this type of car, and I'm grateful for the team for this opportunity."

Cheever's background includes racing in FIA Formula 3 and Italian Formula 3 – winning six races – and the EuroV8 Series in addition to four triumphs in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.

"The past two years I've been driving for Ferrari, winning the Italian championship with a 458 GT3," he said. "I'm used to the weight of the car. This is completely new, and I'm hoping it's not going take not a lot of time to adapt. I'm sure the team and my two other drivers will help me get faster and faster. I'm sure I will be ready for the race."

 

The RACER Channel
Published on Jan 5, 2018

RACER's Marshall Pruett and Ford Chip Ganassi Racing's Sebastien Bourdais recap a chilly Day 1 at the Roar Before the 24 in Daytona where the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship field is readying itself for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=aBxgMahNLg4

 

WTR's Taylor posts fastest Roar lap in third session
Saturday, 06 January 2018

By J.J. O'Malley / Image by Marshall Pruett

Jordan Taylor posted the fastest time of the weekend to highlight session three of the Roar Before the Rolex 24 on Saturday morning at Daytona International Speedway.
Taylor ran a best lap of 1m37.188s in the defending race-winning No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R. He was followed by the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Cadillac, 1m37.384s set by Tristan Vautier.

"The car is very nice to drive and is very straightforward," Vautier said. "The car was just put together, and we had only a brief shakedown before coming here. It responds really well to anything we do. We've been able to run trouble free, and we hope it continues that way.


"The team has good chemistry and everyone in the driver lineup has come up to speed. No problems so far, and that's what you want in this kind of racing."
Romain Dumas led the LMP2 competitors, third overall at 1m37.537s in the No. 54 CORE autosport ORECA 07-Gibson.
"The ORECA is very nice to drive," Dumas said. "Today is only testing, but the team is very strong and all is running very good so far."
While Cadillac led the third consecutive session, three rival Daytona Prototype international manufacturers continue to improve. Nissan's Pipo Derani ran a lap of 1m337.917s in the No. 22 Tequila Patron Nissan Onroak DPi; Dane Cameron ran 1m38.099s No. 6 Acura Team Penske Acura ARX05; and Harry Tincknell matched Mazda's best with 1m38.876s in the No. 55 Mazda Team Joest RT-24P.
Two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso improved on his final four laps of the morning, ending with a weekend best of 1m38.072s in the No. 23 United Autosports Ligier JSP217 Gibson, good for 11th overall in the session.
Scott Dixon ran the fastest lap in GTLM, 1m44.282s in the No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT, while Matteo Cairolli led GTD, 1m47.125s in the No. 59 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R. Both times were run early in the session but were off the quickest laps in the respective classes from Friday.
All 50 entries participated in the 90-minute session, which was run in sunny but chilly 48-degree temperatures.
There were two brief red flag cessations. Bill Auberlen came to a stop in the No. 25 BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTLM, but was able to refire and continue. Kyle Marcelli had an off-track excursion and continued in the No. 14 3GT Racing Lexus RCF GT3 late in the session. However, he pulled to a stop between Turns 1 and 2 of the superspeedway after instructions from his crew to stop when he radioed that he was overheating.

 

[h=2]Nasr nips Vautier as Cadillacs rule Roar qualifying[/h] Sunday, 07 January 2018


By J.J. O'Malley / Images by Galstad, Cleary, Dole/LAT



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Felipe Nasr led Sunday morning's back-and-forth qualifying session at the Roar Before the 24, leading a top-four Cadillac DPi-V.R sweep. Nasr unofficially eclipsed the Daytona International Speedway Prototype track record with a lap of 1m35.806s, driving the in the Action Express Racing No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac.

Each of the three IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship classes held a 15-minute qualifying session. On the line – choice of pit and garage locations for the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 27-28.

"We felt pretty confident," Nasr said. "We felt the car was behaving well. Myself and Filipe (Albuquerque) in our sister car gave everything we had. The times were pretty close up in front. Some cars are not showing fully what they can do, but I know we are. I pushed 100-percent – nothing to hide here."
Nasr denied a solid effort by Tristan Vautier, who came back again and again to top the efforts of Nasr and Albuquerque in No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac. Vautier ran 1m36.037s in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Cadillac, followed by Albuquerque, 1m36.135s.









"All the Cadillac teams came here in good spirits," Vautier said. "We wanted to show what we had and we pushed flat out the whole test, because we want to maximize everything we have for the race and we think it's the right thing to do.
"I gave it all I had. We pushed each other to learn more about the car. Our car hit the ground for the first time on Jan. 2. It's been pretty straightforward, with no major issues. The setup we showed up with seems to be in the window. We're looking forward to the race."
Renger van der Zande was fourth in the defending race-winning No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R, 1m36.481s, as Cadillacs led the opening six practice sessions in the Roar test prior to qualifying.
Penske Racing took fifth and sixth positions. Dane Cameron – 1m36.988s in the No. 6 Acura ARX05 DPi – was followed by Ricky Taylor, 1m37.231s in the No. 7. Next was Pipo Derani, 1m37.245s in the No. 22 Tequila Patron ESM Nissan Onroak DPi, followed by Harry Tincknell, 1m37.263s in the No. 55 Mazda DPi.
Alex Brundle led the LMP2 contingent with a lap of 1m37.510s in the No. 78 Jackie Chan DCR JOTA ORECA 07-Gibson.Formula 1 ace Fernando Alonso qualified the No. 23 United Autosports ORECA 07-Gibson 12th of the 20 Prototypes, at 1m37.515s.
Joey Hand – who won the GTLM pole en route to capturing class honors in the 2017 Rolex 24 – led GTLM qualifying. Hand ran a 1m43.610s in the No. 66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT, 0.03 seconds better than Oliver Gavin, 1m43.640s in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R. Ryan Briscoe was third in the No. 67 Ford GT, followed by Earl Bamber in the No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR.
"This was unique – my first garage pole," Hand said. "But hey, if somebody says qualify, and you can get a pole, no matter what it is, I take it, and chalk this up on my list. You're always trying to win practice, top win qualifying, so we went for it."
Mirko Bortolotti nipped Andy Lally for GTD bragging rights. Bortolotti ran 1m47.374s in the No 11 GRT Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3, followed by Lally, 1m47.436s in the No. 44 Magnus Racing Audi R8 GT3. The tight session saw the top 18 cars within one second.
A 30-minute practice session was held prior to qualifying. Cadillac led for the sixth consecutive session, led by Vautier's 1m36.960s – making the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona entry the fourth different Cadillac to top the practice charts. Hand led GTLM, 1m44.132 in the No. 66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT, followed by Oliver Gavin in the No. 4 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R. Andrea Caldarelli paced GTD, 1m47.913 in the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3.