Packed Rolex 24 grid gives race "a survival feel" - Cameron
Former IMSA SportsCar Championship title winner Dane Cameron is predicting this weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona season opener will be a "wild one".
The Meyer Shank Racing Acura driver, who won the title with Juan Pablo Montoya and Penske in 2019, believes the increased number of cars for this year and the addition of the LMP3 class to the grid will result in more yellow-flag safety car periods and will change the dynamic of the race.
"It is going to have a different feel this year," said Cameron who has switched to the Shank team after the end of Penske's involvement in the Acura Daytona Prototype international programme.
"It's the most cars we've had here for a long time, a new category, new teams, new cars and new drivers to this event.
"Last year especially, with so few cars, the pace was crazy all day, with big stretches of green flag. I think this [year's race] is going to be pretty far from that — it is going to have more of a survival feel to it."
The 49 cars on the grid for the Rolex-sponsored 24 Hours at Daytona represents an increase of 11 cars on the 38 that started the race last season. It is the biggest grid at Daytona since 2018 when 50 cars started.
LMP3, which is making its debut in the main IMSA series this weekend, provides seven of the cars in the race.
The Rolex 24 was interrupted by only six safety cars over the course of the 24 hours last year and the 2018 event by just four. The 2019 edition, which was wet for much of its duration, included 16 safety car and a 90-minute red-flag period before the race was brought to a premature finish two hours early.
Montoya, who will race the Shank Acrua ARX-05 in the four IMSA enduros this year alongside full-season drivers Cameron and Olivier Pla, suggested that a cautious approach in traffic will be required this weekend.
"The 24 Hours is pretty unique in the way you spend so much time in traffic," he said. "This year they have added LMP3, so it is going to be even crazier in the way you catch them - just being patient and just being smart will make a huge difference."
AJ Allmendinger is the fourth driver in the Shank Acura this weekend.
The Daytona 24 Hours begins at 3:40pm local time in Florida. The grid has been set by a 100-minute qualifying race, which took place last weekend at the conclusion of the official pre-event Roar test.
Related video
Remembering the 1990 Daytona 24 - Jaguar domination
Rolex 24: Nasr leads at start, trouble strikes key runners
The British pair at the heart of Lexus's sportscar push
Have you heard the one about two British guys driving for a Japanese manufacturer in America’s top sportscar series? Time to sit down and talk with Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat about racing across the pond… and your accent being mistaken for Australian!
Why Peugeot couldn't afford to take a Le Mans gamble in 2022
Ahead of the much-anticipated arrival of its new 9X8 Hypercar, Peugeot revealed that it would not be entering this year's Le Mans 24 Hours with its incoming machinery. Although development restrictions for homologated cars are partially responsible, the French marque can draw on its own lessons from its history in sportscars
Why the GTP name undermines convergence between IMSA and WEC
OPINION: The adoption by IMSA of the GTP name for its forthcoming LMDh versus Le Mans Hypercar era in 2023 appeals to fans of nostalgia - but it undermines the commonality achieved by bringing its rulebook into line with the WEC. GTP or Hypercar, both sides should settle on a single name
Celebrating the weird and wonderful monsters of sportscar racing
Few disciplines of motorsport offer better possibilities to build a colossus of the track than sportscars. For Autosport's recent Monsters of Motorsport special issue, we picked out some of the finest (and not so fine) that have graced sportscar classics including Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring
How Castroneves and Meyer Shank conquered another US classic
Helio Castroneves continued his fine start to life with Meyer Shank Racing that netted the 2021 Indianapolis 500 victory by prevailing in last weekend's Daytona 24 Hours together with teammates Tom Blomqvist, Oliver Jarvis and Simon Pagenaud. As Cadillac fell by the wayside, the Brazilian veteran won out in an all-Acura duel to the finish
How Derani's long road to title success exorcised painful memories
It took Pipo Derani no time at all to establish himself as a winner in IMSA, winning the Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours on his first two starts in 2016. But it took until the final corner of the 2021 season before he could become its champion, the culmination of a journey that he believes has made him a better driver.
The significance of the next step in WEC/IMSA convergence
Following the latest convergence connection permitting Le Mans Hypercars from the FIA World Endurance Championship to compete against LMDh entries in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from 2023, it could open up enticing options not only to manufacturers but also for the calendar and race formats
Why a Mazda IMSA Prototype title would bring bitter joy
Can Mazda win this year’s IMSA Prototype championship? Undoubtedly. But it will be the culmination of an achingly hard struggle, after which the brand has decided to quit. David Malsher-Lopez tells the story of a bizarre blend of heartache and positivity.