Rolex 24: Derani and Nasr now rivals in 61-car Daytona field

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — There was a short second of nostalgia contained in the Daytona 500 Membership when reigning IMSA sports activities automobile champions Pipo Derani and Felipe Nasr crossed paths, spoke briefly in Portuguese, then shared a heat embrace.

The Brazilians have been celebrating the championship as teammates solely 10 weeks in the past. Now right here they have been in a hospitality suite inside Daytona Worldwide Speedway getting ready to open the 2022 season as rivals.

Nasr left Motion Categorical Racing after profitable the title to develop into a Porsche manufacturing unit driver. He's tasked with getting ready the Penske Porsche Motorsports LMDh program for its 2023 debut, a job that features driving a Group Penske entry on this 12 months’s World Endurance Championship and a chance to deliver Roger Penske again to the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the primary time since 1971.

However first comes the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the unofficial opening occasion of the North American racing season. As a substitute of being teammates within the sixtieth working making an attempt to defend their total title, Derani and Nasr will likely be rivals.

“We achieved what we meant to realize as a group, Felipe and I, and issues change,“ Derani mentioned. “I’m glad to be right here because the champion. It’s a distinct time, however a improbable time.”

The motion started Friday, the primary of three days of preparation for the twice-round-the-clock endurance race that begins Jan. 29 and ends 24 hours later. Derani is again with Motion Categorical, as is Mike Conway, the group’s endurance driver since 2017. Nasr has been changed by Tristan Nunez, the 26-year-old Florida native and son of former skilled tennis participant and coach Juan Nunez.

Nasr is the defending IMSA champion, however he has solely Daytona then the remaining three IMSA endurance races on his 2022 schedule. He’s dedicated this season to work for Porsche and Penske in an unconventional hole 12 months, leaving solely sufficient free time to help Pfaff Motorsports within the IMSA debut of a brand new GTD Professional class.

It means Nasr gained’t be working for the general race win; the victor will come from the Daytona Prototype worldwide class, the class the place Derani and Motion Categorical are entered. However the Grand Touring class of enhanced manufacturing automobiles, break up it into two divisions starting this 12 months, accounts for 36 of the whopping 61 entrants in subsequent weekend’s race.

“It feels a little bit bizarre, I assume, however I get used to it,” mentioned Nasr. He examined earlier this week at Sebring with Penske, who turns 85 subsequent month, current for the session and their first assembly.

“I’m very enthusiastic about this new problem and since I’ve chosen to be a race automobile driver, challenges make an enormous a part of your profession,“ Nasr mentioned. ”I had the possibility to fulfill Roger in individual... and you may inform he’s tremendous excited on this new undertaking. It’s simply nice to see the identical vitality throughout the undertaking.”

Brazilian drivers Pipo Derani, heart, and Felipe Nasr are interviewed after profitable the IMSA sports activities automobile DPi championship on Saturday night time, Nov. 13, 2021, at Street Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. The Brazilians have been celebrating the championship as teammates solely 10 weeks in the past. Now they're getting ready to open the 2022 season as rivals.

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The observe is open Friday and Saturday for 2 full days of apply and a 100-minute qualifying race Sunday that may set the beginning grid for subsequent weekend.

The overall variety of automobiles planning to begin subsequent Saturday is essentially the most at Daytona since 2014 and drivers have dropped in from all around the world. There are greater than 50 previous Rolex 24 winners unfold by all 5 of the courses.

DPi

The 24 Hours of Le Mans winners are in Daytona, with two-time Rolex winner Kamui Kobayashi again to drive one Motion Categorical automobile together with his WEC championship teammate Jose Maria Lopez making his debut. Conway, additionally part of the champion WEC group, is within the sister Motion Categorical automobile.

IndyCar has a dozen drivers within the discipline, together with all 4 from Chip Ganassi Racing. Ganassi, in his second 12 months because the flagship Cadillac group, has as soon as once more assembled a pair of “star automobiles” by bringing reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou and two-race winner Marcus Ericsson to their first Rolex, whereas six-time sequence champion Scott Dixon is again for the nineteenth consecutive 12 months.

Jimmie Johnson, the seven-time NASCAR champion who will run the complete IndyCar season for Ganassi this 12 months, has additionally returned in a mixed effort between Motion Categorical and Hendrick Motorsports. He’s a part of the No. 48 Cadillac group that was runner-up on the Rolex a 12 months in the past, and Johnson is the centerpiece of the lineup with Kobayashi, Lopez and Mike Rockenfeller.

Additionally within the seven-car prime DPi class is four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, who moved from final 12 months’s total Rolex profitable group to Meyer Shank Racing alongside Simon Pagenaud. The 2 former Penske drivers will each be full-time drivers for Michael Shank in IndyCar this 12 months.

Alexander Rossi, one other Indianapolis 500 winner, will even return for his solely scheduled endurance race of the 12 months. As a result of he’s in a contract season in IndyCar with Andretti Autosport, Rossi informed Wayne Taylor Racing he solely has time to attempt to assist the group defend final 12 months’s Rolex victory alongside Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor; Castroneves was changed by Will Stevens.

LMP2

Pato O’Ward and Colton Herta, two of IndyCar’s younger stars who each have System One aspirations, have teamed with DragonSpeed USA within the Le Mans Prototype 2 class with Devlin DeFrancesco, an upcoming IndyCar rookie, and Eric Lux. Rinus VeeKay can also be within the class that has 10 entrants for the second consecutive 12 months, together with defending Rolex class-winning group Period Motorsport and reigning class champions PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports.

LMP3

The entry checklist within the Le Mans Prototype 3 class expanded from six to 10 within the second season of the class. Riley Motorsports gained each the Rolex and season championship and has returned, and four-time Rolex winner Joao Barbosa is driving for Sean Creech Motorsport.

GTD PRO

This new class changed GT Le Mans this season and is loaded with 13 entries amongst eight completely different producers. Corvette Racing gained each the Rolex and the championship with the No. 3 entry of Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg. The No. 4 Corvette plans to run solely the Rolex after which shift to a full WEC season.

That is the category the place Nasr will compete in a Porsche with Pfaff Motorsports, which moved to GTD Professional after profitable final 12 months’s GT Daytona championship. The Rolex will mark the GTD Professional debuts for Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Lexus.

GTD

The category is now working underneath the identical regulation specs as the brand new GTD Professional class however every group is required to have drivers with lower-ranked bronze or silver scores in its lineups. The category has 22 entries — up from three final season — amongst 9 producers.

Mercedes-AMG introduced each of its groups again that completed 1-2 in final 12 months’s Rolex. Andy Lally, who leads all drivers within the discipline with 5 Rolex victories, returns with Magnus Racing in its debut within the Aston Martin Vantage GT3.

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