F1Weekly Podcast # 976
Play Podcast: 01-24-23f1weekly976.mp3
NASIR RETURNS FROM THE ROAR BEFORE THE DAYTONA 24HRS. WE HAVE A BOUQUET OF INTERVIEWS STARTING WITH WAYNE-TAYLOR RACING AND MICHAEL ANDRETTI, THEN WE BRING YOU CHASE BUSCAGLIA YOUNG KARTING PHENOM. MOTORSPORTS MONDIAL CHOCK FULL ONCE AGAIN! WITH… BONUS INTERVIEW IN THE BREAK!!
NEWS FROM DAYTONA…MERCEDES DOMINATE ROLEX 24 GT QUALIFYING!
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Tried and true trumped new and unproven Sunday at Daytona International Speedway in qualifying for the GT Daytona (GTD) and GTD PRO classes of the 61st Rolex 24 At Daytona, the opening round of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Eight Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing Entries on Track This Weekend at the IMSA Roar Before the Rolex 24 At Daytona Test
Three Mercedes-AMG GT3 Teams To Be Joined By Five Debuting Mercedes-AMG GT4 Entries for Daytona International Speedway IMSA Test
Mercedes-AMG drivers produced the four fastest laps in the combined 15-minute session at the annual Roar Before the Rolex 24, led by Philip Ellis in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. Ellis pushed the V-8-powered machine around the 3.56-mile, 12-turn Daytona road course in 1 minute, 46.093 seconds for an average speed of 120.799 mph to earn the Motul Pole Award for the GTD class and the overall top starting spot among the 33 GT entries.
That bested similar Mercedes driven by Fabian Schiller, Mikael Grenier and Maro Engel. Schiller came closest, clocking 1:46.312 in the No. 75 Sun Energy 1 GTD entry. Engel, who managed 1:46.784 in the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing entry, was the Motul Pole Award qualifier in the GTD PRO class.
There is no split grid between GTD PRO and GTD in WeatherTech Championship races, so all 33 cars (24 in GTD, nine in GTD PRO) will line up in order based on their qualifying times. Although the cars are identical, different driver rating requirements and the level of additional factory support involved makes it unusual for one GTD entry to beat the GTD PRO field, let alone three.
“The last half of the 2022 season, we were really, really strong, and the plan was basically to keep that momentum going into this year,” said Ellis, who earned his first career IMSA pole. “The team did great work in the offseason during the winter, and I think all the Mercedes did a great job.