2018 Daytona 24hr
Discussion
Mrs Chev and I are heading out to Florida for our first trip to Daytona. Very excited - I just felt this might be one of those landmark races that's talked about for years to come. Loads of interesting narrative in both the prototype and GT categories. Will share stories and photos after the race.
chevronb37 said:
Mrs Chev and I are heading out to Florida for our first trip to Daytona. Very excited - I just felt this might be one of those landmark races that's talked about for years to come. Loads of interesting narrative in both the prototype and GT categories. Will share stories and photos after the race.
I went back in the 90's with the big lister and the panoz bat mobiles running and it was a laugh. The Yanks do things a bit different to the french and the germans.a good trip. we also bagged coco beach and cape kennedy plus good old orlando while we were there
have fun
itsallyellow said:
First big race of the year coming around fast!
Any news on any tv coverage for 2018?
Cheers
Not yet, but it the past it has sometimes popped up on the Motors(port)TV schedule with a few days to go, here's hoping, IMSA should be great this year, it'd be a shame if there's no coverage.Any news on any tv coverage for 2018?
Cheers
chevronb37 said:
Mrs Chev and I are heading out to Florida for our first trip to Daytona. Very excited - I just felt this might be one of those landmark races that's talked about for years to come. Loads of interesting narrative in both the prototype and GT categories. Will share stories and photos after the race.
That sounds brilliant - may be just a bit jealous! Already keeping an eye on the IMSA/CTSC races this year as they look very interesting with fantastic grids - the CTSC especially looks amazing with a great list of manufactuers taking part. Fingers crossed that the BoP is a little fairer this year for IMSA, though, and rewards the correct teams. But I'll look forward to the reports - hopefully as good as this superb thread:https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Edited by MikeT66 on Thursday 4th January 05:45
MikeT66 said:
chevronb37 said:
Mrs Chev and I are heading out to Florida for our first trip to Daytona. Very excited - I just felt this might be one of those landmark races that's talked about for years to come. Loads of interesting narrative in both the prototype and GT categories. Will share stories and photos after the race.
That sounds brilliant - may be just a bit jealous! Already keeping an eye on the IMSA/CTSC races this year as they look very interesting with fantastic grids - the CTSC especially looks amazing with a great list of manufactuers taking part. Fingers crossed that the BoP is a little fairer this year for IMSA, though, and rewards the correct teams. But I'll look forward to the reports - hopefully as good as this superb thread:https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Edited by MikeT66 on Thursday 4th January 05:45
I'm really intrigued by IMSA this year. Just heard the Cadillacs will be running with a 5.5l engine this year. I wonder if that will increase efficiency slightly but at the expense of performance? They had speed to give away last year so probably a shrewd move. The big story for me is the Penske and Joest effect. I genuinely think we have four manufacturers in with a shot at pretty much every race. And that's before you factor in LMP2, Alonso(!) and the bulging GTLM field. Really fascinating season in prospect!
I don't know much about the Conti series; what are the big stories and what should I be looking for ahead of the four hour race at Daytona?
Graham said:
chevronb37 said:
Mrs Chev and I are heading out to Florida for our first trip to Daytona. Very excited - I just felt this might be one of those landmark races that's talked about for years to come. Loads of interesting narrative in both the prototype and GT categories. Will share stories and photos after the race.
I went back in the 90's with the big lister and the panoz bat mobiles running and it was a laugh. The Yanks do things a bit different to the french and the germans.a good trip. we also bagged coco beach and cape kennedy plus good old orlando while we were there
have fun
The American race experience is very different to Europe, that's for sure. Although I've been to a VLN race, I've not done N24 yet but understand it's bloody mental. Le Mans and Spa 24 Hours both extremely different experiences and all part of the rich tapestry of the sport. I just love exploring new circuits, series and experiences!
chevronb37 said:
Thanks, Graham. I remember reading the race reports from the 90s - I had a love affair with the 333SP so was always rooting for a Maranello victory. I bet there was an awesome variety of shapes and sounds to savour back then.
the 333sp was an awesome motor with a noise to die your.. definitely a car in my dream garage. got a load of photos from the 333sp at daytona somewhere..The noise the panoz made was unbelievable. you didnt so much hear the nosie as feel it. It gave them a problem in long races as the drivers couldnt do more than a single stint at one time...
The GT1 / LMP1 battles were great. The viper was a GT1 back then too and you have the 911 and the clk
I live about 60 miles from Daytona International Speedway and have done the Rolex 24 about 10 times.
A couple of observations that 1st time visitors may want to consider:
Although Florida does not have a winter in the usual meaning of that word, night-time temperatures can often drop to uncomfortable levels during the race.
On several occasions in my experience, it has rained long and hard enough for the race to be stopped. That's fine if you are in a cozy RV, but in a tent or rental car it can be pretty miserable.
The facility itself is so enormous and the crowd so (relatively) small that the event is somewhat devoid of atmosphere, compared to Le Mans, the 500 or 12 Hours of Sebring.
That said, infield parking/camping has been sold-out prior to the last three runnings of the event - this is largely due to the presence of Lake Lloyd in the middle of the infield (created by the excavation of dirt to make the banked track), so infield capacity is less than half that of it's twin-sister facility at Talladega AL. If you don't have camping/parking infield tix yet, you better hurry.
The racing spectacle is fantastic - and if you are into race-car photography it is also outstanding.
You may not tarry after the event - DIS staff and local plod are pretty shameless in kicking everyone off the property once the watches have been handed out. As a paying guest, I've always found that to be a little offensive.
In general, Daytona Beach budget hotels are terrifyingly uninhabitable.
Despite all this, I like the Rolex 24 (and the "Roar before The Twenty Four") - but it is nothing like as good as the race at Sebring in March.
A couple of observations that 1st time visitors may want to consider:
Although Florida does not have a winter in the usual meaning of that word, night-time temperatures can often drop to uncomfortable levels during the race.
On several occasions in my experience, it has rained long and hard enough for the race to be stopped. That's fine if you are in a cozy RV, but in a tent or rental car it can be pretty miserable.
The facility itself is so enormous and the crowd so (relatively) small that the event is somewhat devoid of atmosphere, compared to Le Mans, the 500 or 12 Hours of Sebring.
That said, infield parking/camping has been sold-out prior to the last three runnings of the event - this is largely due to the presence of Lake Lloyd in the middle of the infield (created by the excavation of dirt to make the banked track), so infield capacity is less than half that of it's twin-sister facility at Talladega AL. If you don't have camping/parking infield tix yet, you better hurry.
The racing spectacle is fantastic - and if you are into race-car photography it is also outstanding.
You may not tarry after the event - DIS staff and local plod are pretty shameless in kicking everyone off the property once the watches have been handed out. As a paying guest, I've always found that to be a little offensive.
In general, Daytona Beach budget hotels are terrifyingly uninhabitable.
Despite all this, I like the Rolex 24 (and the "Roar before The Twenty Four") - but it is nothing like as good as the race at Sebring in March.
chevronb37 said:
Cheers, Mike - really appreciate you reading the account. I'm in the middle of the Indy 500 report at the moment. Just got to the bit where the sight of Simon Pagenaud's Penske made me cry. I get a bit overwhelmed with this stuff.
I'm really intrigued by IMSA this year. Just heard the Cadillacs will be running with a 5.5l engine this year. I wonder if that will increase efficiency slightly but at the expense of performance? They had speed to give away last year so probably a shrewd move. The big story for me is the Penske and Joest effect. I genuinely think we have four manufacturers in with a shot at pretty much every race. And that's before you factor in LMP2, Alonso(!) and the bulging GTLM field. Really fascinating season in prospect!
I don't know much about the Conti series; what are the big stories and what should I be looking for ahead of the four hour race at Daytona?
For IMSA, I still can't see anyone properly challenging the Cadillacs. Acuras will be slightly behind. Intrigued by see ing how well Alonso does in the Ligier, though. This must be his first step to getting a drive at Le Mans 24hr, so it's certainly going to be interesting to see if one of the great F1 drivers can make the switch to Sportscars - I suppose like they all used to do in the 50s/60s, like Jim Clark et al.I'm really intrigued by IMSA this year. Just heard the Cadillacs will be running with a 5.5l engine this year. I wonder if that will increase efficiency slightly but at the expense of performance? They had speed to give away last year so probably a shrewd move. The big story for me is the Penske and Joest effect. I genuinely think we have four manufacturers in with a shot at pretty much every race. And that's before you factor in LMP2, Alonso(!) and the bulging GTLM field. Really fascinating season in prospect!
I don't know much about the Conti series; what are the big stories and what should I be looking for ahead of the four hour race at Daytona?
GTLM looks bloody close - all cars at Roar within a second of each other... apart from the new BMW which was a bit off the pace. Interesting that Ford/Porsche got accused of sandbagging when the GT/new 911 first raced, but similar accusations have not yet being fired BMW's way. Hopefully BoP will be correct, though, and keep the racing tight.
As for CTSC, Ford have the Mustang GT4 up against Aston Martin Vantages, Audi R8s, Porsche Caymans, Mercedes-AMG GTs, McLaren GT4s and BMW M4s. It's a packed grid and, with the cars the closest to street-spec, should provide some real thrills I think.
At the moment, the WEC could, I think, learn a quite bit from across the Atlantic.
Looking forward to that Indy 500 report!
MikeT66 said:
chevronb37 said:
Cheers, Mike - really appreciate you reading the account. I'm in the middle of the Indy 500 report at the moment. Just got to the bit where the sight of Simon Pagenaud's Penske made me cry. I get a bit overwhelmed with this stuff.
I'm really intrigued by IMSA this year. Just heard the Cadillacs will be running with a 5.5l engine this year. I wonder if that will increase efficiency slightly but at the expense of performance? They had speed to give away last year so probably a shrewd move. The big story for me is the Penske and Joest effect. I genuinely think we have four manufacturers in with a shot at pretty much every race. And that's before you factor in LMP2, Alonso(!) and the bulging GTLM field. Really fascinating season in prospect!
I don't know much about the Conti series; what are the big stories and what should I be looking for ahead of the four hour race at Daytona?
For IMSA, I still can't see anyone properly challenging the Cadillacs. Acuras will be slightly behind. Intrigued by see ing how well Alonso does in the Ligier, though. This must be his first step to getting a drive at Le Mans 24hr, so it's certainly going to be interesting to see if one of the great F1 drivers can make the switch to Sportscars - I suppose like they all used to do in the 50s/60s, like Jim Clark et al.I'm really intrigued by IMSA this year. Just heard the Cadillacs will be running with a 5.5l engine this year. I wonder if that will increase efficiency slightly but at the expense of performance? They had speed to give away last year so probably a shrewd move. The big story for me is the Penske and Joest effect. I genuinely think we have four manufacturers in with a shot at pretty much every race. And that's before you factor in LMP2, Alonso(!) and the bulging GTLM field. Really fascinating season in prospect!
I don't know much about the Conti series; what are the big stories and what should I be looking for ahead of the four hour race at Daytona?
GTLM looks bloody close - all cars at Roar within a second of each other... apart from the new BMW which was a bit off the pace. Interesting that Ford/Porsche got accused of sandbagging when the GT/new 911 first raced, but similar accusations have not yet being fired BMW's way. Hopefully BoP will be correct, though, and keep the racing tight.
As for CTSC, Ford have the Mustang GT4 up against Aston Martin Vantages, Audi R8s, Porsche Caymans, Mercedes-AMG GTs, McLaren GT4s and BMW M4s. It's a packed grid and, with the cars the closest to street-spec, should provide some real thrills I think.
At the moment, the WEC could, I think, learn a quite bit from across the Atlantic.
Looking forward to that Indy 500 report!
Appreciate the other words of guidance from people on the thread. Can anyone suggest the best spots for an amateur photographer? Ideally without having to work through the fencing - it's hard work shooting conventional oval racing, particularly IndyCar when the buggers are travelling at 230mph!
Matt Harper said:
Roar 2018 - These are NOT my pics - credits to my buddy, Bo Ives of La Bomba Racing, Sebring.
Top ones were shot from the infield (Geico Campground) in Turn 3 - bottom ones from the bleachers in the run-up to the horseshoe.
Thanks for posting those, Matt - great shots.Top ones were shot from the infield (Geico Campground) in Turn 3 - bottom ones from the bleachers in the run-up to the horseshoe.
New colour scheme on the Ford GT looks miles better than the rather brash and cheap one of the previous seasons.
It will be interesting to see what Ford decide to do once the GT program is finished. Any US race fans hearing any rumours? Will they make the step up to a full DPi Prototype or just stick with the Mustangs in CTSC?
Edited by MikeT66 on Wednesday 10th January 06:00
Great photos – cheers!
I agree, Mike, the old Ford colours were pretty dire! I wonder whether the company will change its stance on customer GTE cars? Having bulldozed its way to Le Mans victory in 2016, it felt a bit like ‘job done’ but I’m impressed it’s stuck with both IMSA and WEC. It’s good for both series but I must confess that I found the early days of the programme extremely cynical, especially the behaviour at Le Mans.
I agree, Mike, the old Ford colours were pretty dire! I wonder whether the company will change its stance on customer GTE cars? Having bulldozed its way to Le Mans victory in 2016, it felt a bit like ‘job done’ but I’m impressed it’s stuck with both IMSA and WEC. It’s good for both series but I must confess that I found the early days of the programme extremely cynical, especially the behaviour at Le Mans.
I found the whole story of the GT quite interesting (and mirroring the original GT40 in many ways, bizarrely). Ford knew that they couldn’t make a Le Mans/GT winner from the Mustang (their only other choice), so looked at the regulations and said “We’ll build a car to match those.” Cynical? Possibly. Playing by the rules? Yes – as much as Porsche and the 917, for example. Plus, they were invited to join GT racing by the other manufacturers despite not having the required number of road cars.
I watched Le Mans in 2016 – all but a couple of hours around 3.00-5.00am. I remember ranting at the TV (much to the amusement of Mrs.T66 and our hosts) when the ACO ruled against one of the Fords running without position lights, and the car had to make a lengthy stop to get it fixed. Ford made the same call later against Ferrari. It wasn’t the best sportsmanship, undoubtedly, but I sort of enjoyed the needling between the two again. Ford vs. Ferrari – all over again!
It would be great if some privateers could get racing the GTs and put some more classic colours on them, certainly (Gulf, anyone?) – I’ve never really liked Ganassi’s red/white/blue schematics on any of their cars.
I watched Le Mans in 2016 – all but a couple of hours around 3.00-5.00am. I remember ranting at the TV (much to the amusement of Mrs.T66 and our hosts) when the ACO ruled against one of the Fords running without position lights, and the car had to make a lengthy stop to get it fixed. Ford made the same call later against Ferrari. It wasn’t the best sportsmanship, undoubtedly, but I sort of enjoyed the needling between the two again. Ford vs. Ferrari – all over again!
It would be great if some privateers could get racing the GTs and put some more classic colours on them, certainly (Gulf, anyone?) – I’ve never really liked Ganassi’s red/white/blue schematics on any of their cars.
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