“A lullaby of exhaust notes. Rolex 24hr”
The Rolex 24hr at Daytona was amazing this year, to say the least. Vendors and carnival rides, campgrounds and BBQs. In the dead of a cold winter to some, thousands flock to Daytona Beach this January. This year long Rolex race series kicks off with a grueling endurance event. Unmatched speeds in the straights to abrupt braking in the turns; cars claw, fight and pull their way for any advantage. There are no time-outs or second chances in this event. Some have not much more than four rolling wheels left at the end, but alas, they’re finishing the race. Teams consist of multiple drivers and dozens of pit crew, but only one car. You can easily lose yourself in the race as time slips away, day becomes night and night becomes day. Leave your yard work at home, your suit at the office and embrace the Daytona experience.
It seems unjust to not mention the support of the special fans that keep this series alive in the US. I met groups from as far away as Canada and as close as next door who drove down to watch. In the span of three days Daytona International Speedway transforms into a world unto itself. You will see some fans sleeping in their cars and some sleeping in $700,000 motor coaches. Walking by campsites, people ask you to join in and eat some food. Our neighboring RV was kind enough even to run his cable to our rig so we could watch on our TV, which was exactly the affable nature of everyone present. We were all there for one thing and one thing only…racing.
It is here where you can easily make your way through garages as the teams prepare their cars. You can be walking and see team owners and drivers having lunch right by you. They really make it a hands-on event and get the fans feeling involved in the experience. The PCA had a big section for their members to park in looking right onto the track, alongside a tent with food and friends. Take a break down to peruse the merchandise stands and collect some racing memorabilia and perhaps a program. At night you can fall asleep immersed in a lullaby of exhaust notes. If you decide to take a 3am stroll, you see headlights scream by in sporadic orders on a track 3.56 miles long and only 20-percent lit. You see the carousel in the infield brightly illuminated, people resting for the few hours they allow themselves and glowing embers of fires simmered down. Slowly you take a breath and realize your watching something special with every passing lap.
“At 3:00AM, the engine sounds seemed to disappear”
No one ever associates Florida with cold weather, but this January Mother Nature played a cruel joke. Grey skies, strong winds at night and cold dense air made for a rather chilly weekend. With looming rain on the radar for the start at 3pm, teams scurried to replace tires and drivers for the first hour. The race started with about 3 laps paced, and 5 minutes of full course cautions. Once the rain cleared it was smooth sailing with only a light sprinkle later. Although the cars ran great, teams were always adjusting the cars’ suspensions in the morning to help keep the tires planted, as well as once it warmed up in the afternoon. Such skills and strategy make anyone respect the sport in its entirety. When to change drivers, when to fuel, how to manage varying weather conditions are all determining factors in a 24-hour race to prove who the true champions are.
This event hosts two types of cars sharing the track for the 24 hours. First is the Daytona Prototype, which allows the use of different model chassis and certain production motors, all varying enough to make it a very competitive field. There is also some room for aerodynamic adjustments, but not much. The second field of cars is the GT Rolex Sports Car Series. There are Mazdas, Fords, BMWs, Porsches and more that take part, so no matter what your taste, you’ll have a team to root for. Many fans had their eyes on a late entry Daytona Prototype #9 car from Action Express Racing. The team owner, Bob Johnson, and his close ties with Brumos proved worthy, and with an average speed of 111.93 mph, they took 1st and weeks prior they were unknown contenders. Besides the #01 Ganassi-Riley BMW who finished 50 seconds behind, no other car was within even 4 laps of the victors.
Speedsource owner Sylvain Tremblay and their #70 Mazda RX-8 led a strong team and took 1st in the GT series. The GT field was competitive throughout the race, and some teams advanced as other fell back. One team in particular that was on everyone’s radar was Turner Motorsport. Will Turner owns this well-known BMW specialty shop in New England and has been in racing for years. However, this year was his team’s first year entering a car that they had never previously raced in a GT class: the No. 94 NorthWest/Turner Motorsport BMW powered M6. No one knew how Turner would fare, but after watching #94 finish I would assume most are expecting to see them next year. The car ran like a top with minimal flaws for the whole 24 hrs. Aside from a slipping alternator belt, the infamous cabin heat causing ‘melting shoes’, and an intake duct collapsing, all went very well. Will Turner said he now knows what to do for next year, and I believe him. Turner took 8th spot, marking the overall success of their first year at the Rolex 24.
If anyone saw a camera crew following the Turner team, it was Veloz Media. They are documenting the team’s build of car #94, from beginning to end, in “Journey to 24″. It seems more than a regular old racing documentary, and it shows the courage to step on new ground. The teasers leading up the race can be found online and I have to say, you are in for a treat. After meeting with Brian Restuccia, Veloz Media’s Marketing Manager, he let me in on a bit of the filming. What I witnessed was an intense, in-your-face documentary. The cameras didn’t stop rolling for more than 31 hours. Turner’s crew granted them full access to shoot at their garage in Amesbury, MA, and Veloz Media has captured the trip from there all the way to the pits, garages, and after race party all in Sony HD. Miguel Aponte-Rios, the core of Veloz Media, is also responsible for bringing the live web feed to Turner’s site if you were one of the many who tuned in. Every member of his crew was extremely welcoming and I am looking forward to seeing many more projects from this firm.
A long weekend has come and gone. Assessing the damage in the last hour while walking back to the car, it looked like a war zone behind the pit wall. Last bits of burning flames, deserted tents and chairs destroyed by short bursts of wind and rain. In a surreal way it almost embodied the 24hr race. Everyone came in as a unified whole eagerly anticipating the event, and in turn many left broken pieces of what they had brought behind. With a stomach full of bratwurst and all the racing fumes I could digest, I head back. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, and for at least one weekend a month I call Daytona Speedway home. If you couldn’t make it out this year make sure you plan to in the future, because I promise it is unlike any event you will ever see.
For Veloz Media
Jeffrey Thomas Brown
Jeffrey Thomas Brown is an avid motorsport enthusiast who resides in Clearwater, FL. When he was a young teenager he moved from Rhode Island to Florida, where he studied the arts, photography, and writing at St. Petersburg College in Tarpon Springs. As a hobby he enjoys working on his E30 M3 and participates in events hosted by his local BMWCCA chapter, as well as any other local races. He currently works for T-Mobile USA, but is pursuing a career in professional racing journalism and media. Veloz Media has opened their doors to help him make this dream a reality. THIS STORY WAS PUBLISHED ON MARCH 2010′s ‘NORTHLANDER MAGAZINE’ for Porsche Club of America
