Believe it or not, the 2024 IMSA season begins this weekend (kind of) at Daytona
This weekend's IMSA test at Daytona International Speedway will feature most -- but not all -- of the cars you'll see on many of the series' grids in the upcoming 2024 season, which begins with the non-points Roar Before the 24 in mid-January, followed by the legendary Rolex 24 Hours endurance race at Daytona at the end of January.
So let's take a look at what may happen and what to potentially expect from most teams, particularly those with new drivers or car designs:
There Are Plenty of Storylines For IMSA’s Daytona Test
The Rolex 24 at Daytona is more than a month away, with cars beginning to hit the track in the middle of January for the preceding Roar Before the 24. However, most entries who will be on the grid come January will be seeing an early glimpse here this week with an IMSA-run testing at Daytona.
The tests, which will run across a four-day span, will take place from Wednesday, December 6th through Saturday, December 9th, with the prototypes running on the 6th and 7th, and the GTD entries testing the 7th, 8th and 9th.
December 7th is listed as the only day in which all classes will be testing at once, with both the prototype classes and GT classes receiving their own personal testing days on the other schedule days.
While not every team will be attending this test, there are many exciting, new pairings and cars that will get their first taste of the track at Daytona prior to January, with some intriguing storylines to discuss.
GTP
Overall, the GTP class isn't seeing huge changes compared to some of the other classes. However, some of the newest entries to the grid will see some time on track this week.
The major team to be at Daytona is the newest manufacturer in the GTP field, Lamborghini, with Iron Lynx's SC63, which will be making its stateside debut technically, having done all its prior testing overseas in Europe.
Also seeing track time will be the second entry for Wayne Taylor Racing, which hypothetically replaces the Meyer Shank Acura team in terms of two Acura entries on the grid.
Beyond getting the chance to see some of the new teams and how they perform, it will be interesting to see the inaugural, defending GTP champs get some testing in for year two with Action Express Racing's Whelen Cadillac set to be on track with most of the factory regulars joining.
Obviously, this test will be important for some of the newer entries as forementioned, especially for the team at Iron Lyn, which has yet to race at any of the IMSA tracks. But teams such as Porsche Penske and Wayne Taylor Racing, who have new drivers in the mix for 2024, should be able to get some valuable time in the seat prior to the real stuff starting in January.
LMP2
LMP2s will be on the light side in terms of entries taking part in the Daytona testing this week. However, there still are teams that should gain some valuable track testing results by the end of Thursday.
The newest tandem, Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports, should get some valuable information on their entry given that Inter Europol joins the fold for the upcoming IMSA season after grabbing a Le Mans class win last year.
Beyond Inter Europol, there won't be too many other major changes other than a few driver moves that will truly be important towards getting some test time. But it still will be interesting to see how the teams will do with some of the tire compounds and different setups as well.
GTDs
The GTD Pro and GTD classes may be the most intriguing group of cars who will be at testing this week, with the two major teams to watch being Ford Multimatic and Pratt Miller Racing, with their Mustangs and Corvettes respectively.
Being able to see both new cars on track will not only be a treat to see but also should be good for both teams to get more acclimated with their new machines, especially Multimatic and their stacked driver lineup.
Paul Miller Racing will also get its first taste of GTD Pro this week, testing for the classes three days and Wayne Taylor will have their third entry on the IMSA grid, with their GTD entry also testing as well.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this week's testing will have a lot to gain for many teams, while for others this may be more about getting used to being back on track and gaining seat time.
The one true factor for the week that could be a positive for teams will be the weather. The current weather forecast is expected to be on the cold side for most of the event. That could allow for a good preview as to how each car may respond come January for the Roar Before the 24 and the Rolex 24. But given how unpredictable the weather has been in recent years, it may be hard to judge.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what teams strategize to work on and also with the new tire compounds come 2024, in what should be an exciting upcoming season.