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Sports cars to Roar Before the 24 at Daytona Jan. 17-19

Tune-up weekend final chance to prepare for Rolex 24-hour race

By Don Coble, don@claytodayonline.com
Posted 1/9/25

DAYTONA BEACH – Fans attending the Roar Before the 24 sportscar practice weekend at the Daytona International Speedway Jan. 17-19 will quickly notice what was old is new again in sportscar …

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Sports cars to Roar Before the 24 at Daytona Jan. 17-19

Tune-up weekend final chance to prepare for Rolex 24-hour race


Posted

DAYTONA BEACH – Fans attending the Roar Before the 24 sportscar practice weekend at the Daytona International Speedway Jan. 17-19 will quickly notice what was old is new again in sportscar racing.

After being part of the Acura factory team for the last seven seasons, Wayne Taylor Racing returned to Cadillac for the IMSA WeatherTech season.

Taylor will bring two cars and eight drivers, including his two sons, to the Roar next weekend and return a week later for the 63rd Rolex 24, America’s premier 24-hour endurance race at the 3.56-mile road course.

During a two-day test at Daytona in November, the team shook down their two new cars. They logged 491 laps, not focusing on speed but trying to learn the differences between the Acura and the latest Cadillac.

All four full-season drivers – Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque in the No. 10 Cadillac V-Series.R and their Endurance Cup co-driver, Will Stevens, were joined by Jordan Taylor and Louis Delétraz from the No. 40 car took turns behind the wheel, and all said there was a noticeable difference.

“It is very interesting to drive the new Cadillac,” Albuquerque said. “It is very different from when I drove the DPi. For me, Cadillac’s highlights are always power. The throttle response is amazing and how it deploys the power to the wheel is very, very nice and natural. Our process is obviously ongoing, and I am looking forward to more time in the car.”

Wayne Taylor has three prototype championships — 2005, 2013 and 2017. Jordan won titles in 2013 and 2017, while Ricky co-drove with his brother those years. He broke away from the family operation for five years and won a championship in 2020 with Roger Penske’s Acura team.

Now, the team has the brothers and a familiar manufacturer back in the same garage.

“It has been great coming back to Cadillac and driving the new V-Series.R. It has its driving style-wise: the way it feels, the way you attack corners, the setup changes are different, the terminology is all different,” Jordan Taylor said. “It has been a lot to learn, but it is nice to get a head start here in November before the year ends. We should get a good head start from this test and go into the off-season with more ideas to return to the Roar.

“We are all excited to start the season next year. I think there are a lot of expectations for big results. Obviously, last year, we had two wins, and the team would like to increase that, and I think we will have a great chance to with Cadillac.”

The Taylors are from Zellwood Station, near Apopka. Between them, they have 66 career sportscar victories.
Jordan Taylor said the team would review their notes from the test and work with Action Express Racing, another Cadillac team, to find more speed before returning for the Roar before the 24 in two months.

“First impression of the car is that it gives you confidence. I think it follows what we expect: the car is forgiving to drive and seems good in all types of corners,” Jordan said. “There is a learning curve for us on how the systems work and all the buttons and things work.

“We are all looking forward to comparing notes next week and seeing how all our different experiences between Will (Stevens) driving for a different manufacturer and from the other four of us and Alex Lynn, who has experience in the Cadillac and our new (manufacturer) teammates at Action Express. All of us working together to hopefully create the best of our three different worlds throughout the year.”

All four racing classes will be on the track simultaneously during the twice-around-the-clock race on Jan. 24-25, making it a challenge for the faster prototypes like the Taylors drive and the slower 37 GT cars in the lower two classes.

All classes will practice at 11 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 17, at the Roar and again at 3 p.m. On Saturday, practice sessions are scheduled for 11:15 a.m., 3:10 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Another session is scheduled for 9:45 a.m. on Sunday, while the LMP2 and GTD classes can return at 2:30 p.m. for one final session.

There will also be support races from the VP Challenge CSX/GTDX, Challenge P3 and Michelin Challenge Series.

For tickets, visit daytonainternationalspeedway.com.