This weekend sees the start of the first of the blue riband endurance races on the calendar, the 2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona. On Friday 17th January the three-day test gets underway, known as the Roar Before the Rolex 24, with the race weekend itself beginning on Thursday 23rd January.
Teams and drivers from the European Le Mans Series are competing in Florida, with no less than 22 current and former ELMS champions on the 61-car entry.
In the top GTP category three times ELMS Champion Louis Deletraz is racing for Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing, with 2023 LMP2 champion Alex Lynn joining the Swiss driver in the no40 Cadillac V-Series.R.
Also on the Grand Touring Prototype grid is 2020 champion Filipe Albuquerque who has just announced his return to the ELMS with Nielsen Racing in 2025.Albuquerque is also racing for Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing in the no10 Cadillac V-Series.R and will be teammates with ELMS race winners Will Stevens and Brandon Hartley.
2022 ELMS LMGTE Champion Gianmaria Bruni will also be on the GTP grid in the no85 JDC Miller Motorsports Porsche 963.
Other familiar names to ELMS fans who will be on the GTP grid are Neel Jani, Tristan Vautier, Nico Pino, Fred Vesti and Nick Yelloly.
The 12 strong LMP2 category sees familiar team names such as United Autosports, TDS Racing, Inter Europol Competition, AF Corse and AO Racing.Amongst the strong entry is no less than eight ELMS driver champions.
Three-time ELMS Champion Paul Loup Chatin is racing in the no18 Era Motorsport Oreca and will be joined by ELMS regular David Heinemeier-Hansson.2022 LMP3 Champion and LMP2 race winner Malthe Jakobsen is racing in the no4 Crowdstrike Racing by APR Oreca.
2018 LMP3 Champions Job Van Uitert and John Farano join forces again at Tower Motorsports, with 4 Hours of Le Castellet race winner Sebastian Alvarez joining them in the no8 Oreca.
2019 LMP3 champion Mikkel Jensen with compete alongside ELMS race winner Charles Milesi in the no11 TDS Racing Oreca.
Reigning LMP2 Pro Champion Matthieu Vaxiviere and 2019 ELMS LMGTE and reigning 24 Hours of Le Mans Champion Nicklas Nielsen will be racing the no88 AF Corse Oreca in Florida. 2023 LMP2 Champion James Allen will be in the no22 United Autosports USA Oreca this weekend.
Other familiar names on the LMP2 grid include Ben Hanley, Tom Dillmann, Bijoy Garg, Rodrigo Sales, Mathias Beche and Paul Di Resta.
The 16 entries in the GTD Pro category with feature four ELMS Champions, including reigning LMGT3 Champion Andrea Calderelli in the no9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2.
Double LMGTE Champion Alessio Picariello will be racing in the no77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992).2021 LMGTE Champion Miguel Molina is racing the no 81 Ferrari 296 GT3, while the Spaniard’s fellow Champion Matteo Cressoni will be in the no20 Proton Competition Porsche alongside ELMS regulars Richard Lietz and Claudio Schiavoni.
The final class at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 is the GTD category with a mammoth 22 entries in total, which will feature six current and former ELMS Champions.
Reigning LMP2 Pro/Am champion Alessio Rovera is racing for Triarsi Competitizione, the Italian driver competing in the no023 Ferrari 296 GT3.
2020 LMP3 Champion Tom Gamble and 2023 LMGTE Champion Zacharie Robichon join forces at Heart of Racing Team, competing in the no27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.
2022 LMP2 Pro/Am Champions Salih Yoluc and Charlie Eastwood will be competing together again in Florida, this time at the wheel of the no36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R.
2019 LMGTE Champion Alessandro Pier Guidi is the final ELMS champion on the list, the Italian racing the no21 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3.
Other familiar names on the GTD grid include Sarah Bovey, Michele Gatting, Rahel Frey and Karen Gaillard in the no83 Iron Dames Porsche 911, as well as Valentin Hasse Clot, Nicki Thiim, Arthur Leclerc and Conrad Laursen.
The full entry list for the Roar Before the Rolex 24 can be found on the IMSA website HERE.
