A New Era

The Dawning Of A New Day For Prototype Racing Eqs Suv

For the average non-enthusiast, when you say “Daytona,” they most likely think of NASCAR and the Daytona 500. Perhaps some may even know that the Daytona 500 kicks off the season, like having the Super Bowl Week 1. But those who follow sports car racing know Daytona not for the 3.5 hours that they go in an oval, but rather for the 24hour road race held within its confines every year.

The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona is one of the most important races that most folks have never heard of. Like NASCAR, it kicks off the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Calendar. It’s also part of the unofficial Endurance Racing Triple Crown. That triumvirate also includes the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Daytona is a unique spectacle in that it features European-style endurance road racing but in the confines of one of the most famous banked-oval race tracks in the world. The cars round most of the tri-oval, darting into a series of sweeping curves, and then back out onto the track, taking to the banks at high speeds. As part of that high-speed run, there’s a quick dart into an infield chicane and then back out to the other massive banked turn. The cars come onto the front straight and the uniquely banked stop-start line, before darting back down into the infield roadcourse portion of the track again. And they do this for 24 hours.

This year is a special one for IMSA and WeatherTech, as it marks the start of a new era for its highest level of racing. The new Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) brings in new technologies and bridges the gap with Europe’s World Endurance Championship. Oh yeah, did we mention there are multiple endurance series, and in each series, there are multiple classes? The GTP consists of the fastest cars in IMSA, and are advanced prototypes. They are followed by the LMP2 and LMP3 (Le Mans Prototype) classes, as well as multiple GT classes, which are heavily modified road cars. The GT cars include race versions of the Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche 911, McLaren 720S, MercedesAMG GT, and BMW M4, as well as entrants from Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lexus, and more. It’s a crowded field, where drivers must negotiate faster and/or slower traffic, as well as try to compete in their own race.

The new GTP class is designed to lower budgets as well as make it easier for teams to enter races in other series. All teams use a jointly developed kinetic energy recovery (KERS) hybrid system, mated to an engine of their choice. Automakers all work with chassis makers such as Dallara, Oreca, Ligier, and others. This doesn’t mean that it’s a spec series at all. For example, the allnew Cadillac V-LMDh (for Le Mans Daytona hybrid) incorporates a GM-designed 5.5-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine. That routes power to the rear wheels, but also uses the common hybrid system. When the Cadillac and other GTP cars pull out of the pits, it’s on electric power, and then the gas engine roars to life about halfway down the pits. The V-LMDh also features unique Cadillac styling, including the telltale headlight and taillights.

Other entrants in the new GTP class include Porsche, BMW, and Honda/Acura. The Porsche 963 features a chassis from Multimatic and uses a twin-turbocharged V8. The Acura ARX-06 also features a twinturbo V8, as does the BMW M Hybrid V8. Every vehicle was impressive, but the sound of the naturally aspirated Cadillac V8 stole the show. As mentioned, each automaker could work in its brand’s design language, and Porsche and BMW delivered. The former features the brand’s signature curvaceous styling, and the latter boasted a massive twin-kidney grille with an LED outline that was instantly recognizable at night.

There’s a lot to take in with regards to new regulations, new powertrains, and new teams. If you’ve been watching endurance racing for years as I have, what doesn’t change is the spectacle. Daytona is unique in that you can watch the entire race from high up in the grandstands. In most road courses, you have your short part of the track you can watch from, and will have to change spots to watch elsewhere. The spectacle of watching dozens of race cars drive all-out (there really isn’t “nursing the car” in endurance racing anymore) through a sunset, a 10 pm fireworks show (while the race is going on), and one of the most incredible sights—the sunrise while cars are still underway.

Spectators tend to focus on the start and finish, but in the middle, let the incredible show of multi-class racing wash over them. In the 2023 edition of the Rolex 24 Hours of Le Mans, there was a heated battle between Acura and Cadillac, with Acura finally edging out victory in the final moments of the race. As much as I was glued to the finish, I was equally following the suit of other spectators—taking in the fact that I was watching some of the most advanced cars in the world race. The races within races. Picture, competitors from North America, Europe, and Asia, then envision V8s competing against V12s and six-cylinder engines. All of this takes place under the lights, in the dusk and at dawn. What a spectacle. If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend it.