Action Shifts into High Gear Today at Daytona International Speedway
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) competitors from across the United States and across the pond and beyond have arrived at the “World Center of Racing” for the ninth running of HSR Classic Daytona presented by IMSA 24-hour race this weekend at Daytona International Speedway.
The 2023 edition of the HSR Classic Daytona 24 has attracted the usual triple-digit entry of former race winners, debuting contenders and motorsports and automotive industry notables, in addition to a strong lineup for the HSR Daytona Historics, the Classic 24 companion event that is a points-paying round for HSR’s season-long racing series and championships.
Spectator tickets for the HSR Classic 24 can be purchased exclusively at Daytona International Speedway Gate 40 beginning today. Fans and followers around the world who can’t be in Daytona this weekend can view the HSR Classic 24 race action in livestream coverage simultaneously on HSR’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HSRrace and the official HSR YouTube channel.
The HSR Classic Daytona features seven different run groups – A through G – competing in succession for a full 24 hours on the iconic Daytona 3.56-mile road course. Each group – with C and D sharing the track while competing for respective group honors – runs four times throughout the 24 hours with the individual segments clocking in at just under one hour in length. It all adds up to 24 straight hours of historic and vintage sports car competition with the winners of each run group presented with HSR Classic 24 edition B.R.M. Chronographes luxury watches.
HSR Classic Daytona presented by IMSA Run Groups:
Group A – 1962-1972: Featuring the oldest cars in the Classic 24, Group A is home to legendary and early FIA-era prototype and GT machines that raced in various national series and world championship competition. This year’s battle looks to be between at Ford GT40 Mk I, a Lola T165 and a Lola T70, but a nice array of GT machines from the era could step up to challenge, including a variety of Porsche 911s, Jaguar E-Types, two 1960s-generation big-bore Camaros and a pair of Lotus Elans. Two must-see entries are the 1965 No. 5 Ford GT40 Mk I (shown at top) legendary Formula 1 designer and Red Bull Racing Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey, who co-drives with Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley. The other is a spot-on replica of the Briggs Cunnigham No. 22 “Le Monstre” Cadillac (above) that raced at Le Mans in 1950. Englishman Derek Drinkwater both built and drives the mammoth rebodied Cadillac that makes its first North American appearance.
Group B – 1973-1982: Even the newest cars in Group B are now over 40 years old, but the ultra-quick sports prototypes and turbocharged, wide-body GT cars still put on a show comparable to modern-day competition. All-time “HSR Classics” career race winners Gray Gregory and co-driver Randy Buck top the sports prototype contingent in Gregory’s 1974 No. 26 Chevron B26, but they will have their hands full with a pair of Porsche 935s, a “Baby Turbo” Porsche 911 RSR, BMW CSL and a quick 1982 IMSA GTO Camaro. One notable entry in the Group B GT ranks is the 1979 No. 35 De Tomaso Pantera (above) that is co-driven by veteran top-tier sports car driver and Le Man class winner Ralf Kelleners.
Group C – 1983-1993: Appropriately named, Group C features the legendary Group C and original GTP era of the mid-1980s and early ’90s. This year’s gems include a GTP Jaguar XJR-7, March-Chevrolet 85G, a Porsche 962C and even a Porsche Fabcar “Camel Lights” entry. Group C also typically features one of the most exciting GT battles with Porsche 944 Turbo Cup and 964 models on the front line. A Group C entry to keep an eye on is the Rogers Motorsports 1985 No. 44 Group 44 Jaguar XJR-7 co-driven by Doug Smith and James Gue.
Group D – 1994-2003: Sharing the track with Group C, competing entries in Group D include historic yet familiar sports prototypes and European and American-made GT cars. Sure to steal the spotlight is the 1998 No. 27 Ferrari 333 SP of Graham Adelman that was prepared and maintained in its prime by Doran Racing and Kevin Doran, who will be back at the helm again at the Classic 24. The Ferrari will battle with at least one Riley XX Daytona Prototype while GT will see Camaro and Mustang entries from the era take on several Ferrari 360 Challenge and Porsche 996 Cup competitors.
Group E – Modern Prototype and GT: Run Group E this year looks like a battle between later generation Daytona Prototype “DP” cars and a nice entry of more contemporary LMP3 “P3” machines. The GT ranks are packed with Porsches but 981-generation Cayman Club Sport models outnumber the 997 Cup car entries. Still looking for an “HSR Classics” overall run group victory after coming so close last year, an expected Group E frontrunner is the Hudson Historics 2014 No. 33 Corvette Daytona Prototype (above) of John Reisman and two-time IMSA Daytona Prototype champion Eric Curran.
Group F – Current Prototype and GT: The fastest run group in the Classic 24, Group F features top-tier LMP1 and final-generation DPi prototypes that have been retired from competition for at least five years. The main battle should come down to a Pescarolo Judd LMP1 and the Matador Racing 2017 No. 02 Cadillac Dallara DPi of Pierce Marshall and Eric Foss. If either prototype falters, some fast Porsche 991.2 and Audi R8 LMS GT3 entries could step up to battle for the overall podium if not the run group victory. Juan Gonzalez and all-star co-drivers Butch Leitzinger and Andy Wallace return in the GMT Racing 2007 No. 18 Pescarolo Judd LMP1 that the team drove to its latest Classic 24 win at Daytona in 2021.
Group G – HSR Cars: Group G is home to HSR classes not represented in other groups. Offering a mix of primarily production cars from six different decades of competition, Group G includes many of the same teams and race cars that compete in HSR’s Vintage GT and Historic GT groups and the HSR Classic RS Cup and HSR Stoner Car Care Global GT series. A nearly even split of various Porsche, BMW and Audi models from all generations make up the majority of the entries and take on an Aston Martin, Mazda MX-5 and more. The diverse mix in Group G also includes an Australian-built Python SR Mk II roadster and a 2000 Caterham C400.
A competitor test day on Wednesday kicked off the 2023 HSR Classic Daytona presented by IMSA. The full-day test set the stage for the following four days of official competition, which culminates with the classic 24-hour race from 2 p.m. ET Saturday straight through to the final checkered flag 24 hours later at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The Classic 24’s just over 12 hours of daytime livestream coverage begins just before competitors in Group C and D, which have the honor of starting the race this year, begin their pace laps at 2 p.m. Saturday. Classic 24 programming then runs straight through the next six hours covering the opening rounds for all competing race groups before signing off for the night just after the traditional fireworks display at 8 p.m. during the Group A race.
The live feed returns Sunday morning at 7 a.m. for another six-hour block of coverage featuring the fourth and final rounds that will determine the overall winners for all run groups, ending with the final checkered flag at 1 p.m.
In addition to a triple-digit entry of rare and memorable racing machines, the HSR Classic 24 driver lineup is a talented collection of HSR champions who will be joined by a parade of past and present motorsports notables and industry leaders.
Among the top names entered in the HSR Classic 24 and the weekend’s accompanying HSR Daytona Historics races are Newey, Farley, Wallace, Leitzinger, Kelleners, Foss, Curran, Gue, Smith, Ray Evernham, Dan Ammann, Guy Cosmo, Jonathan Bomarito, Darrin Brassfield, Tom Long, Sean Rayhall, Tony Ave, Corey Fergus, Louis-Philippe Dumoulin, Hugh Plumb and more.
For the second consecutive year, the overnight time change from EDT (Eastern Daylight Time) to EST (Eastern Standard Time) – when U.S time “falls back” an hour – will see repeat 1 a.m. sessions early Sunday morning. Group G runs its second of four sessions at 1 a.m. EDT and will be followed by the third round for Group A at 1 a.m. EST.
Information on the 2023 HSR Classic Daytona and the HSR Daytona Historics, including the event schedule and much more, can be found by clicking here. Spectator ticket information may be found at HSRTickets.
The 2023 HSR Classic Daytona presented by IMSA entry list can be found by clicking here.