ROLEX 24: MOTUL TEAMS READY AFTER SUCCESSFUL “ROAR”

The Rolex 24 hours of Daytona is the yearly inaugural start of the international top tier endurance season. To start the year off with a bang will be putting it mildly. It’s time to kick off the 2021 IMSA racing season, and the news is good! With 49 cars on the grid, thanks to the addition of the LMP3 cars, the Rolex 24 Hour is enjoying its largest grid since 2018. Once again, Motul will serve as IMSA’s official lubricant partner, hosting the Motul Pole Awards. The most significant change to this Rolex 24 Hour race schedule has been the introduction of a 100-minute qualifying race held on Sunday the 24th of January. Perfect for getting the gears spinning and warm up the teams for the challenge ahead.

The most heart-warming story comes from the LMP2 paddock where the Era Motorsport LMP2 team has chosen to set out in one of the most unique racing liveries ever seen. Designed by six-year-old Owen using crayons. Owen participated in a livery design contest and won. In the letter that accompanies the design, the young man stated that the lightning bolts and the flames would be cool for a race car.

For BMW Motorsport, this is the second year the M8 GTLM races in its Motul colours. However, it’s also its last race as the GTLM category is set to disappear at the end of the season. BMW Motorsport is also delighted to announce that another DTM champion has joined their ranks: Timo Glock joins fellow DTM champion Bruno Spengler in the #25 car alongside Connor De Philippi. The 24 car, however, is the car to beat and will be the title defender in the GTLM field (albeit a slightly reduced version compared to last year)

On announcement of the news, Timo Glock said: “It was very exciting for me to drive at the start and get a feel for how everything works, including in the car. It went really well. However, it was obviously a challenge to drive at Daytona for the first time – and in the wet. My goal was to learn as much as possible and to bring the car back in one piece. That worked out wonderfully and I am very happy so far. It is really enjoyable, and I’m looking forward to next weekend. My impressions are very positive, the team is superb, the guys are doing a great job, and it is a real pleasure to work with them. We will now see what next weekend has in store for us.”

After a troubled 2020 season, when Covid-induced travel restrictions prevented the Canadian Pfaff outfit from joining most of the IMSA season, the plaid Motul 911 GT3-R car is back with a vengeance an all-star line-up behind the wheel. Pfaff Motorsport driver Zachary Robichon will be joined by Porsche factory drivers Lars Kern and Laurens Vanthoor. The outfit had a successful “Roar” as they will start from second position in the upcoming race.

Working and bringing everyone together was a huge focus of this week. With all of the new changes, this qualifying race held more value for us as a team to integrate all the new pieces and learn our new roles. I would say as a team we got a lot out of it – and finishing second was just an added bonus. We really won’t know where we stand until race week, but in all, it was a great test to set us up for the real thing.

 “Our good result in the qualifying race has given us extra motivation. The 100-minute event was the perfect way to prepare for the huge task ahead of us. The processes are very tight and well thought out. I firmly believe that everything will come together even better in the lead-up to the 24-hour race. We have a great car, a strong team and a formidable driver crew.”

Check out last year's highlights from the Pfaff Racing Team: