It’s safe to say that all eyes in the Corvette racing world were on the new Corvette Z06 GT.3R as it made its track debut at the “Roar Before The Rolex 24” event.
This was Chevrolet’s first all-new racecar that met stringent FIA technical regulations for the GT3 competition bracket.
The design and development of this mid-engine missile were collaborative efforts between the legendary Pratt Miller Motorsports and GM’s Competition Motorsports Engineering division.
The 2024 Rolex 24, which will be held from January 27th to 28th, will be the first outing of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO category. It also marks the start of IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.
Fortunately, our good friends at FastCarPhoto were on hand to capture photos of the new privateer GT3.Rs in action for this event. Our readers will undoubtedly remember their stunning race action photos from our article Kurt Roussell Keeps The Racing Action In Focus.
Thank you, FastCarPhotos, for these great photos!
Back-To-Back Excitement
The first weekend of January was traditionally the date for the “Roar Before the 24. ” However, the COVID-19 pandemic changed all that.
It forced the Roar to be rescheduled to the weekend before the Rolex 24 at Daytona for many reasons. Qualifying for the starting grid was held on the Friday before the race but is now held on Sunday afternoon during the Roar weekend.
The result is a boon for devoted race fans who can afford to attend both weekends. They get a weekend of testing and qualifying action followed by the historic race the following weekend.
This year, several practice sessions were held between Friday, the 19th, and Sunday, the 21st, to help fine-tune the cars and acclimate drivers to Daytona’s unique tri-oval configuration.
A special Saturday night session allowed drivers to qualify for nighttime racing at the event. The Roar weekend also included Michelin Pilot Challenges and two 45-minute VP Racing SportsCar Challenges that kept the fans’ focus trackside.
Corvette On The Grid
For our first time out with the new GT3.R, lap times show that we’re as good as anyone in the GTD class. Lap times for the first ten cars in our class were within a second of each other.
And while we’re at it, this is a deep class with 13 cars in the GTD class. Of course, it’s not where you are on the starting grid that matters, but where you end up after 24 grueling hours of head-to-head racing.
Pratt Miller Motorsport’s Corvette Racing, featuring Garcia, Sims, and Juncadella, holds down the 32nd spot on the grid. The 38th spot on the starting grid goes to the AWA team, which includes Mantella, Varrone, Merrill, and Eastwood.
43rd place goes to AWA again, with Fidani, Bell, Kern, and Lynn behind the wheel. The 44th grid spot goes to Milner, Catsburg, and Bamber, driving for Corvette Racing sponsored by Pratt Miller Motorsports.
Of course, before you ask, Jordan Taylor is starting the race in fifth position, driving for Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport in their Acura ARX-06.
62nd Running
Famed film and television producer Jerry Bruckheimer will deliver the most famous words in motorsports.
As this year’s 62nd Grand Marshall, Bruckheimer is undoubtedly familiar with Daytona. He filmed portions of the 1990 movie Days of Thunder at the track. Bruckheimer’s latest project is an as-yet-untitled Formula One racing feature for Apple Original Films.
The film will star Brad Pitt and have seven-time Formula One champion Sir Lewis Hamilton. Regarding real racing action, expect it to be tight and a constant see-saw battle.
The famous sports car course delivers 3.56 miles of heart-pumping action, with most of the high-banked tri-oval in use. The Rolex 24 at Daytona has a well-deserved reputation for thrilling racing.
Go Corvette Racing!
How To Watch The Rolex 24 Hours Of Daytona
Platforms: Peacock, NBC, and USA
How to Watch: All 24 hours are on Peacock, 1:30 to 2:30 pm are on NBC, 2:30 pm to 8 pm are on USA, 10 pm to midnight are on USA, 6 am to noon on USA, and finally Noon to 2 pm, are on NBC.
Start Time: 1:40 pm, Saturday, January 27th. Ends: 1:40 pm, Sunday, January 28th.
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