Anyone’s Guess Who May Prevail Following Paul Miller Racing’s Move to GTD PROJanuary 11, 2024By Jeff OlsonIMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Full. Deep. Loaded. Stacked.Those words have been used to describe the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class for the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.And every word is accurate.Twenty-four cars, 22 teams and 11 manufacturers are set to compete in the largest of the series’ four classes when the season gets underway Jan. 27 with the 62nd Rolex 24 At Daytona. “What a spectacle this sport has become,” said Kyle Marcelli, who joins Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti, one of the top full-time newcomers in the GTD class. “IMSA is thriving right now, not just in the GTD class, but in all categories. There’s more investment into this sport now than ever. It’s just so exciting. It’s a great time to be a part of this sport.” The 2023 GTD season was the year of Paul Miller Racing as they captured five wins and clinched the championship with still a race to go. Co-drivers Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers and the No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 have moved to the GTD PRO class for 2024, and the door appears wide open to see who their successor will be atop the GTD crop. Consider this: There were six races last season that Paul Miller Racing didn’t win, and those six were split among five teams. Only one, the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3, claimed the top step of the podium more than once. The No. 27 is the top returning team in GTD for 2024. Roman De Angelis and Marco Sorensen are back as full-time drivers, with Zacharie Robichon joining for the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races. Team principal Ian James is on board for the Rolex 24, where he, De Angelis and Sorensen aim to defend their class win from a year ago.Vasser Sullivan’s No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 won the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen last year, a day when the team swept victories in both GT classes. In an effort to strengthen from within, the No. 12 has shuffled the lineup slightly for ’24. Frankie Montecalvo is back for the full season. Parker Thompson moves from endurance races only to a full-time ride, with Aaron Telitz doing the opposite. It had been more than a decade since Turner Motorsport failed to win a race in an IMSA-sanctioned top-tier series GT class, but that was the case in 2023. Patrick Gallagher and Robey Foley finished second three times last year in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 and return this year as full-time drivers with the intent of returning to victory lane. “The 2024 season will see a renewed emphasis on the IMSA GTD championship with a focus on one BMW M4 GT3,” team owner Will Turner said. “Whether two, three or four drivers behind the wheel of the No. 96 machine, we are looking to be even more competitive than we were last year.”Other returning teams to watch include Forte Racing, which hopes to build on the momentum of an inspirational win to close the ’23 season at Motul Petit Le Mans. Misha Goikhberg and Loris Spinelli return in the No. 78 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 for the season. And never count out a team that has five-time Rolex 24 winner Andy Lally on the roster. He returns with John Potter (full season) and Spencer Pumpelly (endurance races) in the No. 44 Aston Martin Vantage GT3. There are some new or new-ish GTD teams to keep an eye on as well. AWA was successful last season in the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) class and now embarks as a customer team for the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, running a pair of cars.Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti partnered with Racers Edge Motorsports to run six GTD races in 2023, but that was with an Acura NSX GT3. Marcelli and Danny Formal return for a full-season go in the No. 45 WTRAndretti Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 this year.The “other” Andretti team, a separately operated Andretti Motorsports outfit operated by Jarett Andretti, competed part time in GTD in 2023 with a different manufacturer, while also running a full LMP3 schedule. Jarett Andretti has moved the operation full time to a Porsche 911 GT3 R in GTD with co-driver Gabby Chaves.Considering the car count, the number of manufacturers and level of talent in GTD, the season opener will set the table for the remainder of the WeatherTech Championship season.“The talent level is so high from (GTD) teams, manufacturers and drivers,” Marcelli said. “This race is more difficult than ever to win, and I think we realize that. We want to win. We expect ourselves to be in contention, but we realize at the same time that this is now the most difficult GT3 race in the world to win.” The 2024 season begins Jan. 19-21 with testing at the Roar Before the Rolex 24. Live coverage of the 62nd Rolex 24 At Daytona begins Jan. 27 at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC, with continuing coverage on USA Network and Peacock. |
