Anticipation building for 2013 Rolex Daytona 24H

The stars are already coming out for the 51st Rolex 24 At Daytona. GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series teams are beginning to announce their lineups for the endurance classic on Jan. 26-27, the opening event of the 2013 season.

AIM Autosport With Ferrari – the 2012 Rolex Series GT champion – announced its season lineup for a second team car to compete in the upcoming campaign on Monday in Toronto, joining three Daytona Prototype teams to already set their drivers for the Daytona event.

Max Papis and 2012 GT co-champion Jeff Segal will share the new No. 61 R. Ferri Motorsports AIM Autosport With Ferrari entry. Papis was the 2004 DP titlist and winner of the 2002 Rolex 24, and a veteran of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, major open wheel and Formula One World Championship competition. Defending co-champion Emil Assentato returns to the No. 69 AIM Autosport Team FXDD Ferrari 458 Italia.

Enzo Potolicchio, runner-up in the 2012 Rolex 24, returns to GRAND-AM with a new team, 8Star Motorsports. He will co-drive the team’s new Corvette DP with former Peugeot factory drivers Stephane Sarrazin, Nic Minassian and Pedro Lamy.

Starworks Motorsport enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2012, winning the inaugural Rolex Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the North American Endurance Championship presented by VISITFLORIDA.com in addition to class victories in the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans. Alex Popow and Ryan Dalziel will be the lead drivers of the team’s No. 2 Ford/Riley, and will be joined at the Rolex 24 by four-time Champ Car titlist Sebastien Bourdais and endurance racing veteran Allan McNish.

While GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing won a pair of Daytona Prototype championships, the team continues to seek its first victory in the Rolex 24. Team regulars Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty return to the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette DP in 2013, and will be joined at the Rolex 24 by Darren Law and Memo Gidley.

The first on-track activity for both the GRAND-AM Rolex Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge will be the Roar Before the Rolex 24 test at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 4-6.

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