Rolex 24 hours at Daytona .

[rlenis]

Hello everyone.
This is my first time posting in this category. I am a regular poster in F1.
I would like to get some feedback about Rolex 24 hrs race at Daytona from those who have any knowledge from this series. I am contemplating attending the event for the first time and would like to know more about it..
thanks in advance..

[grandam]

It's a great event to attend. Are you able to go all for days than get the 4 day package.If you can't get the infield and grandstand ticket. on raceday there's a massive autograph session. There's lots of things to do in the infield. At night they have movies playing,fireworks and other things. The racing is great. The race isn't decided till the last hour.
Here are some websites
http://www.daytonainternationalspeed...24_at_daytona/

http://www.grand-am.com/Home.asp

[grandam]

You have drivers form different series compete.
Nascar
Jeff Gordon
Jimmie Johnson
Tony Stewart

IRL
Scott Dixon
Dan Wheldon
Scott Sharp
Helio Castroneves
Sam Hornish Jr

Champ Car
Paul Tracy
Katherine Legge

F1
JJ Lehto
Gastón Mazzacane

entry list for test days
http://www.grand-am.com/Events/Entry...sp?EventID=176

[grassrootsracer]

Go! It's awesome. I would suggest hooking up with Grassroots Motorsports while you're there, as they have a great area set up for the fans. http://www.grmotorsports.com/

[Danske]

I would like to get some feedback about Rolex 24 hrs race at Daytona from those who have any knowledge from this series. I am contemplating attending the event for the first time and would like to know more about it..

Have you been following the series or are you asking for even basic information about it?

As for attending it, pack for all weather conditions. It may be Florida but it's still late January. Pack for warm, cold, windy and wet weather (it theoretically could even snow). It's a long night in January (not like that pansy race in June ), and even if it's not that cold the humid air can make a breeze very chilly.

[rlenis]

Have you been following the series or are you asking for even basic information about it?

.

I do not follow the series at all but I do follow some of the drivers from other categories (IRL, NASCAR) . From what I hear there are a lot of activities in the middle section of the track which is accessible to fans depending on your tickets. I would like to get some more info about the cars.. "Daytona prototypes" which I know nothing about, the racing involved.. (different classes racing at the same time) are there many accidents?
Can you use your tickets to go in and out of the track at anytime you want during the 24hrs or are they fixed for specific reserved times?

thanks for the info so far.

[Mecca of Speed]

For the 24, there are two classes the Daytona Prototypes and the GT cars. The Prototypes are the faster class, with a mix of chassis and engine manufactures. As you know, for Daytona there are a bunch of guest or one off drivers that often race due to there schedule being open and a general interest in the event.

In the past there have been some interesting teams that run just Daytona, but you would have to check the entry list to see who is in this year.

You will also find some drivers in Grand Am also run in ALMS so the talent pool is pretty deep.

The number of incidents varies with conditions and how tight the field is running. I guarantee there will be contact, but don’t expect “the big one” like you can in NASCAR restrictor plate races.

There is also contact from tight racing as teams can get in some pretty good scraps during the race.

To avoid all the technical info I would recommend checking out their website for the basic information.

If you followed any open wheel racing in the States the last 5-10 years many of the drivers that could not land fulltime rides in open wheel are now in Grand Am or ALMS.

[grandam]

nice article

http://www.daytonaintlspeedway.com/530654.html

[Danske]

I'm not going myself, so I may have some of this wrong, but you can get access to the paddock and the garage viewing area (Daytona has an elevated, windowed area for fans to watch from). You'll also want good walking shoes to view from several different areas both in the grandstands and the infield. You may not care about the midnight showing of the Rocky Horror Picture show, the ferris wheel, or the wine and cheese tasting party. You can come and go as you please so you don't have to sleep in the grandstands and eat only vendor food (but you can if you want to). You can also rent a scanner and listen to the team and TV production radio frequencies during the race.

Calling the Daytona ticket office may or may not help. It's understandably very NASCAR-oriented and you may get someone who doesn't even know the Rolex 24 exists.

For a little more detail in the technical area, it's not a constructor-oriented formula like F1. A lot of the teams will be using the same chassis and engines in the DP class. The series isn't a battle of billion-dollar budgets and isn't trying to field the fastest cars the world has ever seen. What you will have is seventy-plus (across the two classes), mostly closely-matched (within each class) cars all fighting to be first across the line after twenty-four hours. With traction control being eliminated this year there may be a lot of tail-wagging action too.

[Danske]

Oh, and on the accident issue, I'd say the most would occur as a result of the mixed-class format. There are a lot of ways that drivers can inadvertantly get into trouble when the classes mix going through turns, especially if they try it three or more abreast.