The 2020 24 Hours of Daytona (formally the 2020 Rolex 24 at Daytona) was an endurance sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The event was held at the Daytona International Speedway combined road course in Daytona Beach, Florida, on January 25–26, 2020. This event was the 58th running of the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the first of 12 races across multiple classes in the 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as well as the first of four rounds in the 2020 Michelin Endurance Cup.
Background
Preview
NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., who built the Daytona International Speedway in 1959, conceived the 24 Hours of Daytona as a race to attract European sports car endurance racing to the United States and provide international exposure to Daytona. It is informally considered part of the "Triple Crown of Endurance Racing" with the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Then International Motor Sports Association's (IMSA) president Scott Atherton confirmed the race was part of the schedule for the 2020 IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA SCC) in August 2019. It was the seventh consecutive year it was part of the IMSA SCC, and the 58th 24 Hours of Daytona. The 24 Hours of Daytona was the first of eleven sports car endurance races of 2020 by IMSA, and the first of four races of the Michelin Endurance Cup MEC). It took place at the 12-turn Daytona International Speedway combined road course in Daytona Beach, Florida, from January 25 to 26.
Regulation changes Prior to the start of the 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, a series of regulation changes were made, including changes to driver eligibility for the secondary prototype class in the series, the Le Mans Prototype class (LMP2). The rule change stated that each LMP2 team is only allowed to enter one Platinum-rated driver across the entire season, and it must be for the opening round at Daytona, due to the 24-hour-length of this round. A requirement for a Bronze-rated driver for the full season was also passed for the LMP2 class, in addition to the removal of the 24 Hours of Daytona as a points-scoring event for the class, instead only being a round for Michelin Endurance Cup Points.
Change of leadership Four months prior to the event, on September 19, 2019, Scott Atherton announced retirement from his position as the President of the International Motor Sports Association at the end of 2019. He had held that role since the merger of IMSA's American Le Mans Series with the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series in 2014. One month following that announcement, then-director of Mazda's motorsports program in North America, John Doonan, was confirmed to be Atherton's replacement.
Balance of Performance On December 20, 2019, IMSA published a technical bulletin regarding the Balance of Performance (BoP) constraints for the 24 hour event, as well as announcing a revised process for adjusting said constraints from race to race. The constraints were exclusive to the 24 Hours of Daytona and its test session, the Roar Before The 24. In the Daytona Prototype International (DPi) class, the Cadillac DPi-V.R was made 20 kilograms heavier, bringing the car's weight to 950 kilograms. The Cadillac was also given 3.0 liter increase in fuel capacity. The Mazda RT24-P was given a five kilogram weight increase, bringing the total weight to 910 kilograms, 40 kilograms lighter than the Cadillac. By comparison, the Acura ARX-05 merely saw a 2.0 liter increase in fuel capacity.
Roar Before the 24
First day
Mazda Team Joest set the fastest time in the second of the two qualifying sessions in the #77 RT-24P, with a 1:35.794, set by Olivier Pla, as the #77 went on to top the time sheets, having the fastest time of all the entries. The #77 was followed up by the #55, setting a time of 1:35.874, also in the second session, set by Oliver Jarvis. In the LMP2 class, the fastest laptime was a 1:38.315, set by the #52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07.
The #25 Team RLL BMW M8 GTE set the fastest time of a 1:44.239. The highlight of the GTLM class was the Corvette Racing C8.R, which made its first competitive appearance. Sporting two cars, #4 and #5, the #4 set the best time of 1:45.009, placing sixth and seventh in the GTLM field. The AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 set the fastest time of the 1:47.031, with the Grasser Racing Team's #11 Lamborghini Huracán Evo GT3, setting a 1:47.353, followed by the second of the AIM Lexus GT3 cars, third in the GTD class.
Second day The DPi class-leading Mazda Team Joest car from day 1 decreased on their times drastically, to the point that Olivier Pla, who had the fastest time during the first day, set an unofficial time of a 1:33.324, beating the outright track record set by Oliver Jarvis in the 2018 24 Hours of Daytona. Second fastest was the #7 Team Penske ARX-05, setting a 1:33.543. The #6 ARX-05 followed closely behind with a 1:33.565. The #77 Mazda DPi set a 1:33.660 in fifth place. The field was rounded out by the JDC-Miller MotorSports Cadillacs in sixth and seventh and the Wayne Taylor Cadillac last in the DPi field.
The LMP2 class was dominated by the #52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07 once again with a 1:38.056. Second was the #81 Dragonspeed Orcea 07, followed by the #8 team of Tower Motorsport by Starworks.
All seven GTLM's were separated by 0.446 seconds. Risi Competizione's James Calado set a best time in the GTLM field of a 1:42.685 in the Ferrari 488 GTE, edging out Nick Tandy by a thousandth in the Porsche GT Team 911 RSR 19, which is also making a first time appearance, in a revised trim of the 911 RSR. The #4 Corvette C8.R was the third fastest in the GTLM category with a 1:42.793. The #24 Team RLL M8 GTE placed forth and the #912 Porsche placed fifth.
The #12 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 set the best time in GTD with a 1:46.754, followed by the #86 Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 at a 1:46.873. The #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 posted a 1:46.919.
Practice The first practice took place on the morning of Wednesday, January 22, 2020. The track was damp, therefore times would not be at their quickest. Juan Pablo Montoya in the Team Penske #6 Acura ARX-05c was able to lead the first practice with a time of a 1:49.719, completing only six laps. Olivier Pla in the #77 Mazda RT-24P placed second close behind the Acura setting a 1:49.956 on the car's final practice lap. In total, both Mazda cars completed 36 laps. The fastest Cadillac DPi-V.R. was the #85 JDC-Miller MotorSports with a 1:50.316. In LMP2, David Heinemeier Hansson was the fastest driver in the category setting a 1:52.193 in the #8 Tower Motorsports Oreca 07. The #81 DragonSpeed Oreca 07 was second in LMP2 with a time of 1:53.555 set by Henrik Hedman.
The GTLM category was led by Porsche, with both 911 RSR 19's finishing first and second. The fastest of the factory RSR-19's was driven by Laurens Vanthoor in the #912, who set a 1:57.001. The #3 Corvette Racing C8.R fastest time was 1:57.991, which was fast enough for third place. In GTD, #88 WRT Speedstar Audi Sport R8 LMS driven by Mirko Bortolotti set a 1:58.763 to lead the class. The #9 Pfaff Motorsport Porsche was within a hundredth of a second of the leading R8 LMS. Shane van Gisbergen placed the #12 Lexus RC F GT3 in third place in the class.
The second free practice was a drier one, led by #7 Acura ARX-05c. Ricky Taylor set the fastest time with a 1:34.904. Oliver Jarvis placed the #77 RT-24P in second place with a 1:35.119. The #81 DragonSpeed Oreca 07, driven by Ben Hanley, finished first in the LMP2 class, with a 1:37.418. Nicolas Lapierre put the #8 Tower Motorsports Oreca 07 in second place, setting a lap time of 1:38.371. Gabriel Aubry would put the Oreca 07 of #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports in third place.
Though not fastest initially, the #912 Porsche 911 RSR 19 was able to best the Corvette Racing C8.R's who started the second practice fastest in the GTLM field by the end of the session. The #912's time was a 1:42.508, which was under three tenths of the record in GTLM set by Nick Tandy in the previous generation 911 RSR. Turner Motorsport finished on top of the GTD class, followed by the Pfaff Motorsport Porsche. The top two were followed by Lamborghinis, with the GRT Grasser Car in third and the #48 Paul Miller Racing car in fourth place.
In Free Practice 3, Filipe Albuquerque was able to set the fastest time in the DPi class for the #31 Action Express Cadillac time, setting a 1:34.914. Another Cadillac followed behind him, with Renger Van Der Zande setting a 1:35.246 for the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing team. The #5 JDC-Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac rounded out the top three cars in the DPi class, with Joao Barbosa clocking a 1:35.478 time. Neither of the two Mazdas, the #55 and #77, could partake in the third practice session and instead were in the garage. In the LMP2 class, the #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports entry was the fastest, with Gabriel Aubry setting a time of 1:37.084. Colin Braun in the #81 DragonSpeed Oreca 07 was second and Ryan Dalziel in the #8 Tower Motorsports Oreca 07 rounded out the top three in LMP2.
The #912 Porsche 911 RSR-19 continued to top the GTLM class, with Mathieu Jaminet clocking a 1:43.301. Augusto Farfus in the #24 BMW M8 GTE was able to post a 1:43.611, good enough for second in the 48 laps it ran in total. The sister #25 BMW was in the garage to fix a broken fuel pump, and only managed to complete 11 laps. Frederic Makowiecki was able to place the second of the Porsches, the #911 in third, setting a 1:43.863. In GTD, the #16 Wright Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R topped the class with Klaus Bachler posting a 1:46.128. The #9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche entry was behind in second, with Dennis Olsen setting a 1:46.203. Towards the end of their practice session, the #9 team lost its power en route to the pit box. The #48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo rounded out the top three in GTD, with Andrea Caldarelli posting a 1:46.216.
Cadillac's success from last practice carried over to the next day for the final practice of the Rolex 24, on Friday before the race. The #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac led at the end of the final practice, improving its position from second in the previous practice session. Their fastest driver was the endurance veteran Kamui Kobayashi, his best lap being a 1:35.340. Second in the DPi class was Helio Castroneves in the #7 Team Penske Acura, which recovered well, sustaining its speed from its earlier sessions despite crashing in qualifying the previous day. Castroneves' time was 1:35.733, 0.393 seconds off the pace of Kobayashi's time. Sébastien Bourdais drove the #5 JDC-Mustang Sampling Cadillac to third overall, with a time of 1:36.031. In LMP2, the #8 Tower Motorsports Oreca 07 was the fastest, with Nicolas Lapierre setting a 1:37.230 to lead the class. The PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07 was second quickest, with Gabriel Aubry posting a 1:37.249. The #38 Performance Tech Motorsports Oreca 07 cause a red flag that would end the session, as it crashed into the tire barrier at turn six, with the car's underbody leaned on top of the barrier.