DRIVERS OF THE MUSTANG SAMPLING CHEVROLET CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE WILL BE CHASING HISTORY IN THE ROLEX 24
When the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar defending champion Mustang Sampling Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype unloads for the 54th annual Rolex 24 at Daytona, eyes will be turned to the pursuit of history that the four drivers are chasing. In fact, the Mustang Sampling Corvette DP has 16 Rolex Daytona Cosmograph watches with its four pilots; the goal, making it 20 signature timepieces at the end of 24 hours.
This year, Scott Pruett will join his long-time competitors Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa in his pursuit of a record breaking sixth overall victory in the Rolex 24. Pruett currently holds the record for the most victories in the Rolex 24 at Daytona with 10 (class and overall), having scored victories (1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013). Defending series champion Joao Barbosa has three (2003, 2010, 2014), Christian Fittipaldi has two (2004, 2014) and endurance co-driver Filipe Albuquerque has one (2013).
The quartet will be the winningest group to ever start the prestigious Rolex 24 at Daytona with their 16 victories, the previous mark was 11 victories and occurred twice, once in 1980 with Hurley Haywood and Peter Gregg, and most recently in 2001 with Haywood, Bob Wollek and Dorsey Schroeder.
When asked how important it was to help Scott Pruett get his sixth overall victory in the Rolex 24, Joao Barbosa said: “Of course we want to help Scott break the record for most overall victories, that would mean Christian, Filipe and I would also win the race. The Rolex 24 is our biggest race of the season and one of the biggest races in the world so we want nothing more than to drive our Mustang Sampling Corvette DP into victory lane at the end of the race.”
Barbosa was part of Action Express Racing’s debut in 2010 at the Rolex 24, a race that saw the team score a victory in what would be a career defining moment for the Portuguese driver, and one that would be one of his most cherished racing memories.
“Action Express Racing was a new team, and we were racing with a Porsche V8,” said Barbosa. “Against all odds we had a great race and we won; it was an amazing feeling. Then in 2014 we were able to win in our Corvette DP and that was another great moment for the team as we finished first and third. Hopefully this year we can finish first and second as a team, that would be the only thing we could do that would be bigger.”
Team manager Gary Nelson has experienced the highs and the lows of competing in North Americas most demanding race; however, having four drivers who have been victorious in the Rolex 24 gives him even more confidence than ever in the two-time and defending championship winning team as they chase history in this year’s event.
“Every driver in our Mustang Sampling Corvette DP has won this race before,” said Nelson. “Having won the Rolex 24 doesn’t make it easier to win, but it does mean that these four drivers know how to prepare and they know what to expect throughout the event.
“We were really pleased with the communication level between all of our drivers, crew and engineers during the Roar Before the 24, they all have great chemistry together and they all believe in our ‘Expect to Win’ attitude”
When the 54th annual Rolex 24 gets underway, the new IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar era will officially begin, marking the end of the TUDOR era. Christian Fittipaldi hopes to begin the new era like he, Barbosa and Action Express Racing began the previous one, by winning the twice-around-the-clock endurance event.
“We’ve had a great run the last two years,” said Fittipaldi. “We’ve been fortunate enough to win the biggest endurance race in North America with the Rolex 24 in 2014. We also won the oldest endurance race in North America, the Twelve Hours of Sebring last year. All told, our Mustang Sampling Corvette DP ran all but one lap of competition in the past two years and that’s something we’re hoping to carry on into this new era of sports car racing.”
The on-track action begins Thursday, January 28 at 9:25 a.m. ET with the first of two practice sessions leading into Total Pole qualifying. Teams will be back on the high banks and under the lights for night practice at 6:30 p.m. Teams will have a final practice on Friday, and then the 54th annual Rolex 24 begins Saturday, January 30 at 2:40 p.m.
Comments
