By: J.J. O'Malley 7 hours ago It’s going to be extremely difficult for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing to top last year’s performance in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.The two Ganassi Ford GTs led all but 10 laps en route to a 1-2 finish in the GT Le Mans category in the 2018 event, giving event Grand Marshal and team boss Chip Ganassi his 200th triumph as a car owner. The Fords ran 1-2 for the final 18 hours, 47 minutes, with the No. 67 of Richard Westbrook, Ryan Briscoe and Scott Dixon won by 11.18 seconds over teammates Joey Hand, Dirk Mueller and Sebastien Bourdais in the No. 66 entry. Despite those statistics, Westbrook said it was a flat-out battle all the way.“Last year, we had the pace,” Westbrook admitted. “But pace doesn’t mean anything if you can’t execute in a 24-hour race. We definitely had the reliability, and we executed really well. We had no issues on the track or in the pits for both cars.”

Dominance aside, Westbrook looks back at last year’s event as a solid two-car battle.“It was a straight fight between two Fords,” Westbrook recalled. “We had no team orders. It was flat-out racing for 24 hours. Even though it was Ford-Ford, I thought the race was fascinating from my point of view. We were trying to outsmart our teammate in the pits. Chip’s a racer, and he wanted us to race. We could have taken each other out, but we didn’t. It seemed like ages that we were one second apart. It was fantastic to be part of it.”

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Westbrook expects a different scenario for the 2019 edition of the Rolex 24.“I don’t expect it to be the same this year,” he said. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be a better race. The balance of performance is different. We had an advantage here last year. Maybe it was a grip thing; we seemed to be able to take off when the others couldn’t get that foot down coming out of the corners, which is so important here. It’s going to be closer this year.We’ve got a new tire this year, and it’s going to be important to see which manufacturer, which team is going to make that tire work.”

By: J.J. O'Malley | 24 hours agoBen Keating and Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsports will honor Wynn’s in 2019 with a throwback livery.The team’s No. 33 Mercedes-AMG GT3 will carry the multi-color scheme that Hotchkis Racing ran in 1987, when team drivers John Hotchkis, John Hotchkis Jr. and Jim Adams began the season with a fifth-place overall and GTP finish in that year’s SunBank 24 At Daytona, driving a purple Porsche 962 in the Camel GTP class.

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The livery is in honor of the 50th anniversary for Wynn’s, the automotive products technology company celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2019. Wynn’s has entered into a partnership with Keating and Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsports for this year’s 50th anniversary IMSA season, and will carry the new scheme beginning with this weekend’s Roar Before the 24 and continuing through the season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.The Wynn’s automotive technology products line started in 1939 and continues a heritage of automotive excellence today with an array of products designed to effectively treat and improve a car’s engine.

By: Marshall Pruett January 3, 2019 5:58 AM How did Wayne Taylor sign Fernando Alonso and Kamui Kobayashi to drive his Cadillac DPi-V.R at Daytona? What does he think of his son Jordan’s social media profile? Is he interested in fielding an IndyCar Series effort, and will his team assist McLaren at the Indy 500? And would Wayne Taylor Racing continue if both his sons left to drive for other IMSA teams?The South African WeatherTech SportsCar Championship team owner pays a visit to the Marshall Pruett Podcast to answer those questions an more ahead of the Roar Before The 24.International audio link: https://marshallpruett.podbean.com/e...-wayne-taylor/

By: J.J. O'Malley January 3, 2019 11:50 AM A year ago, two-time Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso made his first visit to Daytona International Speedway for media day festivities that kick off the Roar Before the Rolex 24.Alonso went on to finish 13th in the Prototype class in his sports car debut, driving a Ligier-Gibson LMP2 for United Autosports in the 2018 Rolex 24 At Daytona.Thursday, Alonso returned to Daytona for media day leading up to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship opener, wearing a brand-new black with blue trim uniform for Wayne Taylor Racing. On Friday, Alonso and co-drivers Kamui Kobayashi, Jordan Taylor and Renger van der Zande will get behind the wheel of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R, joining a 47-car entry list for three days of testing on the 3.56-mile circuit.

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“This year, I’m coming to Daytona with a lot more experience,” Alonso said. “It’s not my first time in an endurance race [like a year ago]. Now, I know the traffic, I know the night, I know the circuit as well. This year, I’m in a very competitive environment with a very competitive team that’s had a lot of success here at Daytona. I’m hoping to be more competitive, and enjoy the race more this year.”Team owner Wayne Taylor began negotiations to land Alonso shortly after the checkered flag on the 2018 event. The announcement didn’t come until mid-December.“I met Fernando at last year’s race, and shortly after the event [United Autosports team owner] Zak Brown and I started talking about it,” Taylor said. “Fernando seemed really interested, but there was some stalling, so we started talking to other drivers. Then all of a sudden, Zak asked if we still had a seat for Fernando, and we said sure.”While negotiations for Alonso dragged on for many months, the deal for Kobayashi quickly fell into place.“We were studying available drivers, and comparing average lap times, and I came upon Kamui Kobayashi,” Taylor said. “So I called him at home one night — it was around 3 a.m. his time. So I put the phone down and he called me straight back. I asked if he would like to drive for us at Daytona, and he said, “Yes, very much.” So we did the deal on the telephone.” Kobayashi visited the WTR shop in Indianapolis for a seat fitting.“He’s a superstar, and he’s down to earth,” Taylor said. “After this test, he’s going to the Konica Minolta headquarters in Japan, which is a big deal.”After racing for five seasons in Formula 1, Kobayashi went to endurance racing, finishing second overall in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in two of the last three years.“This is a good opportunity for me, to come to race a sports car in America,” Kobayashi said. “I think the United States has a different type of sports car racing, and it’s going to be quite interesting. I know Wayne Taylor Racing is one of the best teams in the States, so I’m quite happy to join. I knew Fernando from Formula 1, along with being teammates in the sports cars in Europe. He’s fast; he’s good; he’s a world champion. It’s a good package for the 24-hour race. Cadillac has been quite strong here, but obviously I think the driver lineup is probably the strongest part for us.”Jordan Taylor won the Rolex 24 in 2017 for his father, joining a lineup that included NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon in the debut of the Cadillac DPi-V.R.“Today was the first time I met Fernando,” Jordan Taylor said. “Kamui came up to Indianapolis for a seat fitting, so I got to spend time with him there. Having Fernando as a teammate is exciting, and having both of them is super exciting. They bring all the experience to our team from Formula 1, Super GT, Super Formula. They also have tons of tire testing behind them, so they can really expedite our learning process for our first time with the Michelin tires.” The car owner expects to have good chemistry among his regular drivers and the visiting veterans.“I think this is going to be a great experience for Jordan and Renger, because both of these guys are superstars,” Wayne Taylor said. “I’ll think they’ll learn some things. I don’t see anyone being miles faster than anyone else. I think everyone will settle in and be comfortable, and we’ll find out during the race who’s the quick one, and then we’ll decide how to go.”

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