Last weekend, the Daytona International Speedway opened its doors for the annual Rolex 24. The spectacular race in the city of Florida is the season opener of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar championship.

As generally known, the competition on the racetrack in Daytona is hard. The combination of 24 hours driving time, permanent position changes, varying power relations, and unpredictable challenges lead to a race that requires maximum focus by the pilots and racing teams.

During the 24 hours of Daytona, there are five classes. The prototype classes DPi, LMP2, LMP3, and the GT3 vehicles in the classes GTD Pro and GTD. Especially the GTD- and GTD Pro classes are interesting to us because our KW customers are participants.

In the GTD Pro class, Pfaff Motorsports (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), #1) was able to speed up on position five. After a total of 728 laps, the Porsche pilots Klaus Bachler, Laurens Vanthoor, and Patrick Pilet were steering the car over the finish line.

Moreover, the BMW M4 GT3 (#1) by Paul Miller Racing was one of the few racecars that were able to drive safely and without major problems over the finish line. They made it to position 8 in the GTD class.

Both Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) by Wright Motorsports reached position 9 (#16) and 11 (#77). KW customer team AO Racing (#80) – also in a Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) – made it to the 14th place.

The racetrack in Daytona is characterized by its banked curves and infield passages which have to be mastered with a lot of skill and focus. In addition, the racetrack is only 20 % illuminated at night which further complicates the racing conditions.

Photos: Pfaff Motorsports Facebook, Wright Motorsports Facebook, AO Racing Facebook, Paul Miller Racing Facebook