The 24 Hours of Daytona is a perseverance race for sports vehicles and models held yearly at Daytona International Speedway starting around 1966. The race is considered as one of the best motorsport occasions on the planet.
Along with 24 hours of Le Mans and 12 hours of Sebring, Daytona’s 24-hour race frames the informal Triple Crown of perseverance dashing.
Titles were changing, Daytona 24h was consistently there
Daytona 24 Hours is running on the 3.56-mile (5.73-km) consolidated street course at the Daytona International Speedway, utilizing the infield street course. Starting around 1991, because of sponsorship reasons, the race is known as Rolex 24 at Daytona. This race was a piece of various contests (IMSA GT Championship, World Sportscar Championship, Rolex Sports Car Series). As of late, starting around 2014, this race is an installation in the IMSA Sportscar Championship.
Since its origin, the race has been generally held during the last few days of January or during the principal few days of February. It is the principal significant vehicle race in the United States and it is likewise the initial race in the schedule of each rivalry.
Daytona 24h record holders: Hurley Haywood and Scott Pruett
In Daytona 24h Hall of Fame, two drivers are on the first spot on the list with five generally triumphs – Hurley Haywood and Scott Pruett. Haywood was winning somewhere in the range of 1973 and 1991, Pruett gathered his five prizes somewhere in the range of 1994 and 2013.
Four-time champs are Pedro Rodriguez, Bob Wollek, Peter Gregg and Rolf Stommelen. Eight drivers scored three successes: Brian Redman, Andy Wallace, Butch Leitzinger, Derek Bell, Juan Pablo Montoya, Memo Rojas, Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa.
Porsche is the best maker, Chip Ganassi Racing is the best group
The most predominant games vehicle brand in Daytona 24h history was Porsche, with 18 by and large successes as a constructor and 22 successes as a motor provider. Riley Technologies is in the runner up, scoring ten by and large successes with their models somewhere in the range of 2005 and 2015.
Passage has six successes as a motor provider while Ferrari gathered five successes both as a vehicle and motor maker. With regards to individual groups, Chip Ganassi Racing is the best group with six successes.
First games vehicle race at Daytona was held in 1959
The tale about sports vehicle dashing at Daytona International Speedway began in 1959, that very year when the race track was opened. The debut 6-hour/1000km race on the first 3.81-mile course was held in April. The race was essential for the USAC Road Racing Championship. The primary champs were Argentinians Roberto Mieres and Anton von Dory in the #86 Porsche 718 RSK.
In the following two years, Daytona turned into the NASCAR-just circuit. In 1962, Daytona 3 Hour Continental race was presented, as a piece of the FIA International Championship for GT Manufacturers. The race had this status for a long time, with Dan Gurney winning in 1962 with Lotus 19B and Pedro Rodriguez winning with Ferrari 250 GTO in 1963. In 1964, the distance was multiple times greater. Pedro Rodriguez was the champ once more, offering the vehicle to Phil Hill. In 1965, the victors of the 2000 km race were Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby in the #73 Ford GT.
1966 – twice nonstop interestingly
And afterward, in 1966, the 24-hour race was held interestingly at Daytona. The race was still area of the planet Championship. The initial 24-hour victors were equivalent to the prior year – Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby. They were driving the #98 Ford GT for Shelby-American Inc, covering the distance of 4,157 kilometers. Two other Ford GTs required the second and the third spot. It was an astonishing year for Ford on the grounds that the American maker scored 1-2-3 triumphs at 12 hours of Sebring and 24 hours of Le Mans sometime thereafter.
Lorenzo Bandini and Chris Amon took the victors’ distinctions in 1967, driving Ferrari 330 P4. One year from now, five drivers took an interest in the race with plant entered #54 Porsche 907 LH: Vic Elford, Jochen Neerpasch, Rolf Stommelen, Jo Siffert and Hans Herrmann. It was like that since two other Porsches broke or crashed out during the race.
Pedro Rodriguez was first to arrive at four successes
In 1969, two American drivers Mark Donohue and Chuck Parsons scored a triumph for an American group (Penske Racing) with Lola T70-Chevrolet. Porsche 917 K was a triumphant vehicle in 1970 and 1971, the twice with Pedro Rodriguez as a group part, so the Mexican set a standard with four generally speaking successes.
The energy emergency in the mid 1970s caused the shortening of the race in 1972 to 6 hours, while the race was totally dropped in 1974.
Haywood and Gregg ruled during the 1970s
In 1973, Hurley Haywood began his triumphant streak, scoring his first triumph with #59 Porsche Carrera RSR of Brumos Racing, imparting the vehicle to Peter Gregg. Haywood and Gregg were the champs again in 1975, driving a similar vehicle.
Peter Gregg scored his third win in succession in 1976, driving the BMW 3.0 CSL close by Brian Redman and John Fitzpatrick. Hurley Haywood got back to the top platform spot in 1977, sharing the #43 Ecurie Escargot Porsche Carrera RSR with John Graves and Dave Helmick.
Four drivers with four successes
Then, at that point, in 1978, Peter Gregg was the champ once more, along with Rolf Stommelen and Toine Hezemans in the Porsche 935. It was the fourth success for Gregg and he attached with the record-holder Pedro Rodriguez. Hurley Haywood went along with them on the rundown with his fourth triumph in 1979, sharing the Interscope’s Porsche 935 with Ted Field and Danny Ongais.
Rolf Stommelen turned into the fourth driver with four successes in 1982 when he was driving Porsche 935 along with John Paul Senior and John Paul Junior.
WSC exited Daytona, IMSA took over in 1982
The period of 1982 was the one when World Sportscar Championship did exclude Daytona 24h in its schedule interestingly, endeavoring to reduce expenses by keeping the two groups in Europe and running more limited races. The race was still essential for the IMSA GT Championship.
A control of Porsche went on during the 1980s. Porsche 962 was the triumphant vehicle multiple times somewhere in the range of 1985 and 1991. Puma intruded on that control with two successes in 1988 and 1990.
Fifth win for Haywood in 1991
The triumph of the #7 Joest Racing’s Porsche 962C in 1991 was a noteworthy second in light of the fact that Hurley Haywood scored his fifth win and turned into the sole record-holder. For one of his colleagues, Bob Wollek, it was the fourth success. Other co-drivers were Frank Jelinski, Henri Pescarolo and John Winter.
Later during the 1990s, three successes of the Japanese producers followed. Nissan R91CP was a successful vehicle in 1992, Toyota Eagle MkIII in 1993 and Nissan 300 ZX in 1994. Among the drivers of Cunningham Racing’s Nissan 300 ZX was Scott Pruett, who scored his first win at Daytona.
Seven victors of Daytona 24h in 1997
Two drivers for each group contended in the debut Daytona 24h. During the 1970s, the number expanded to three drivers. The groups were growing as the years progressed and the outright record was set in 1997 when seven drivers took part in the triumph.
The successful vehicle was the #16 Riley &Scott MkIII (Ford) of Dyson Racing. Drivers were Rob Dyson, James Weaver, Butch Leitzinger, Andy Wallace, John Paul Jr., Elliott Forbes-Robinson and John Schneider.
The Rolex Sports Car Series was laid out in 2000
In the last part of the 1990s, the race was important for the United States Road Racing Championship. Then, at that point, in 2000, it was changed over into the debut period of the Grand American Road Racing Championship.
Rolex, which was the naming supporter of Daytona race, turned into the naming backer of the whole contest in 2002, so it was renamed into the Rolex Sports Car Series. From that point forward, Daytona 24h was the season-opening race of that title and it kept that status likewise after a consolidation with the American Le Mans Series in 2014.
Ten successes for Riley’s Daytona Prototypes
During the 2000s, the Daytona Prototype vehicles showed up, with Riley Technologies as the suspension maker with most successes. The series of wins began in 2005 and ten triumphs went to Riley’s record until 2015. The best group was the Chip Ganassi Racing with six successes. Scott Pruett was multiple times among the CGR winning teams, last time was in 2013 when he arrived at Hurley Haywood’s five successes.
In 2014, Daytona 24h turned into a piece of the IMSA United SportsCar Championship, along for certain other American works of art – the 12 Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans and Six Hours of the Glen. Those four races are framing the North American Endurance Cup inside the IMSA Championship.
Long evenings at Daytona International Speedway
Daytona’s principle distinction in contrast with the more renowned 24 hours of Le Mans is the point at which the race is held. Not at all like Le Mans, the best American perseverance race happens each January or February. It implies that the evenings are longer and contenders are tested by lengthy stretches in obscurity.
During the night hours, Daytona Speedway’s lighting framework is at simply 20% of its most extreme to keep vehicles more reliant upon their headlights and it makes the race considerably really testing.
