IMSA Testing Day One: Teams get an early start on 2024 in four-day test at Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The first day of the four-day IMSA sanctioned test at Daytona International Speedway kicked off Wednesday with both prototype classes on track for the first day, GTPs and LMP2s.
Many of the teams at the test are working to get back into the swing of things and get used to being back on track, but there is more than meets the eye.
The goal is to try new things and get acclimated back into the car for some drivers, while new drivers get used to their new home heading into 2024.
While it is testing and a full grid won’t be on track this week, there is a lot to take away, especially on Day 1:
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Iron Lynx Hits The US Soil
The #63 Iron Lynx Lamborghini has finally hit US soil and there was a lot to be excited about in the team’s first test at Daytona.
Although the team will not be partaking in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, citing “being behind” in regard to the development of the car, the team will be expected to be on the grid for the other four endurance races during the 2024 season.
Romain Grosjean, Daniel Kyvat, Mirko Bortolotti and Andrea Calderelli, who was the opening driver for the test, all are a part of the team’s first US test, and there are definite signs that this team has potential.
While it can be difficult to take what you see from a test, the Iron Lynx definitely has speed and could be a wild card manufacturer in the future.
The only issue is due to the team only running a limited endurance schedule, there may be some early deficiencies that will set the team back compared to the other manufacturers on the grid, but Iron Lynx should find some sort of chance at still battling for a podium potentially in Year One.
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The #40 is Finding Rythm
Another one of the new GTP cars on the grid for 2024, the Wayne Taylor #40 Acura, has a stacked lineup for 2024 but in some of their first runs prior to next season, the team is honing in, looking quick on track at Daytona.
Wayne Taylor Racing, a team that came just a thread away from potentially winning a title in 2023 has gone all-in for 2024, given the firepower of its driver lineup. However, the team is also looking to get back to the top of the podium as well.
For it being a newer grouping, the No. 40 looked quite smooth on-track, moving through the esses in the infield road course with ease, no surprise for a Wayne Taylor machine at Daytona.
There is definitely a level of intrigue with how WTR’s all-star cast will do but one thing is for certain: all of the drivers are ready for the experience.
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Speaking of the No. 40, here's a bit more ...
The first few hours of testing in preparation for a new season can be a bit unnerving.
“It messes with your brain a little bit,” Jenson Button said. “Every time we come in, we sit down and look at all the data and look at what happened and what we want to happen. It takes time."
Button, the 2009 Formula One world champion, helped Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti kick off its expansion to a two-car team as a four-day test for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship began Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway.
Former Formula One great Jenson Button is all smiles heading into his first full-time season of racing since 2019. Photo courtesy IMSA.
Sixteen cars and 50 drivers in the two prototype classes – Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) – participated in Wednesday’s opening day. All four classes, including Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) and GTD PRO, will test Thursday, with Friday and Saturday reserved for the GT classes.
The event is the only IMSA-sanctioned test until teams return to Daytona Jan. 19-21 for the Roar Before the Rolex 24, the prelude to the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona, Jan. 27-28.
For WTRAndretti, the test was a welcome necessity. The team is adding a second GTP car and a new GTD entry to its stable, making for a busy first day on DIS’s 12-turn, 3.56-mile circuit.
“It’s like a new team,” said Filipe Albuquerque, who returns for his fourth season with the team. “There are so many more people with two (GTP) cars. I don’t recognize most of them. It’s kind of crazy. Now we have like eight drivers on the team. It’s interesting because we have such a good bonding already on the first day.”
Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor seem as if they're saying, "Bring on the Roar Before the 24 and the Rolex 24 Hours"! Photo courtesy IMSA.
Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor return to the No. 10 Acura ARX-06 as the full-season drivers for 2024, joined in the five IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races by Brendon Hartley and in the Rolex 24 by 2022 Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson. The team’s new sister GTP car – the No. 40 ARX-06 – features Jordan Taylor and Louis Deletraz, with IndyCar driver Colton Herta joining for endurance races and Button for the twice-around-the-clock challenge.
Jordan Taylor is returning to his father’s team for the first time since 2019 when the top prototype was the Daytona Prototype international (DPi). The changes, he says, are astonishing.
“Last time I was here, we had one car and maybe 20 people,” said Jordan Taylor, who drove for Corvette during his hiatus from the family team. “Now it’s two cars in prototypes and one car in GTD. A million new faces, new people to work with and a lot of drivers on the team. A lot of people to get to know and learn from. It’s been a great transition back to prototypes.”
In GTD, WTRAndretti will field the No. 45 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 with Kyle Marcelli and Danny Formal as the full-season drivers. They will be joined by Graham Doyle for the Michelin Endurance Cup races and Ashton Harrison at DIS.
“It’s a dream come true for me,” said Formal, a two-time champion in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America. “I’ve been wanting this since I was a little boy… I love (GTDs).”
Two 3.5-hour sessions opened the test Wednesday, with two more daytime sessions and a three-hour night session scheduled Thursday. For all participants, the track time is an important step toward the 2024 sports car season – especially for drivers just entering their second season with the hybrid-based GTP cars.
“It’s very complex, as every driver says,” Button said. “It’s understanding what’s happening when – from when you hit the brakes to when you are at full throat at the exit and there’s so much happening. It’s understanding that and reading that and balancing the car. I worked to a point where I was balancing the car well, and I loved it.”
--- By Jeff Owens, IMSA Wire Service
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FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, there was a lot to gain from Day One of testing at Daytona.
For many of the drivers mentioned, this is a chance to get back into the cockpit and get acclimated for the upcoming season with their teams. However, for teams it’s about making the right adjustments and putting the pieces together to have a successful Rolex 24 and IMSA season.
Although it wasn’t a full group of cars on-track with all classes taking part Thursday, there were definitely some keys to take away in regard to how the car is performing under the weather conditions to working on different packages on track. Each team had something to show for their efforts and there is excitement to see how teams will perform with all four classes on grid Thursday.
With all the entries set to take the track in Day Two, it should provide for great mock racing views for teams, with drivers getting the chance to work on more natural passing in traffic.
It’s more than likely that drivers won’t be aggressive on track, trying to save equipment and allow for the most test time allocated to the team. But don’t be surprised to see some new things tried for the entries on-track, especially the prototypes.