Tag Archives: Ford GT

Getting ready for the 2019 Rolex 24-Hours at Daytona

That great harbinger of a new year’s racing season gets underway today — the Rolex 24-Hours at Daytona. The official start of IMSA’s ultra-competitive Weathertech Sportscar Championship, America’s answer to the WEC, and the unofficial starting gun for the feast of motorsports that lies ahead of us in 2019, this year’s Rolex 24 will feature a dazzling array of high tech cars and the world’s best drivers.

The grueling overnight marathon inevitably attracts top talent as third and fourth drivers for teams with deep pockets and this year is no exception. In the Prototype class, Acura Team Penske will add Indy stars Simon Pagenaud and Alexander Rossi to their regular two-car lineup of Juan Pablo Montoya & Dane Camron and Helio Catsroneves & Ricky Taylor respectively. Meanwhile Wayne Taylor’s redoubtable #10 Konica Minolta Cadillac gets a serious infusion of star power with Toyota WEC teammates, Le Mans winners and former F1 aces Fernando Alonso and Kamui Kobayashi bolstering regulars Renger van der Zander and Jordan Taylor as they try to defend their overall Weathertech Championship in this crucial first contest. Continue reading →

Race Alert — The 2016 Rolex 24-Hours at Daytona in on!

The unofficial start of the 2016 racing season is upon us with the great endurance race, The Rolex 24-Hours at Daytona, beginning today at 2pm. The complete broadcast and streaming schedule is below.

Jan 30
2:00 – 4:00 PM ET:
4:00 – 10:00 PM ET:
10:00 PM – 7:00 AM ET (Overnight Stream):
Jan 31
7:00 – 10:30 AM ET:
10:30 AM – 1:00 PM ET:
1:00 – 3:30 PM ET (Finale):

Ford GT

This year’s race features the highly anticipated return of a new, badass Ford GT to full competition racing some 50 years after the original prototype car wrested the crown of endurance champion from fearsome Ferrari at Le Mans with a 1-2-3 finish. This new version will be racing in the elite production car category of GT Le Mans under the stewardship of Chip Ganassi & Co. Ganassi has predictably chosen a veteran driver lineup for his two Ford GTs that features the versatile Joey Hand, Indycar veteran Ryan Briscoe, Rolex/Tudor/Weathertech series prototype ace Richard Westbrook and sports car specialist Dirk Müller. Notably absent is the legendary, long time Ganassi pilot Scott Pruett, who has gone off to join Lexus for his swan song. I wouldn’t expect too much from the great looking Ford right out of the shoot going up against a veritable fleet of extremely seasoned GTLM Ferraris, Porsches, BMWs and their Detroit neighbors, the archival Chevy Corvettes, especially in a grueling 24-hour contest. But as the IMSA-backed and newly sponsored Weathertech Sports Car Championship season wears on, the car and the program should come into its own if Ganassi’s and these talented drivers’ track records of success are any indication of future performance.

Either way, today’s race will feature some terrific day-into-night-into-day action that only a true 24-hour, multi-class motorsport spectacle can provide. And as a harbinger for the end of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and a big, juicy appetizer for all the racing to come in 2016, it’s pretty hard to beat.