As race crews prepared their cars for the start of the Rolex 24 At Daytona and drivers autographed posters that were given to fans as they arrived at the circuit; clouds were forming and the predicted thunderstorms looked to be arriving right on schedule. By the time the pre-race ceremonies were underway the rain was coming down hard and when Grand Marshal Vic Elford gave the command “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines,” it was in a downpour.

Elford is widely considered one of the most versatile racers of the 1960s and 70s. The British driver raced in rally cars, sports cars, Can-Am, Trans-Am, Formula 1 and even NASCAR stock cars. He won the Rolex 24 At Daytona in 1968 and when he spoke at the Rolex Grand Marshal Dinner on Friday, January 29, he was wearing the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona steel watch that he was given for that win.

Elford entertained the attentive audience with several fascinating stories of his racing days such as the development of the Porsche 917 for the 1970 race at Le Mans. Much time, effort and money was spent solely to achieve a target speed of 250 mph at the end of the Mulsanne straight. When they had all of the details and configurations set, they announced that this car would hit the milestone speed with certainty. During the race, however, they were only able to achieve a speed of 243 mph, much to the frustration and disappointment of the engineers. The one thing the engineers didn’t take into account was that tires grow at high speed, limiting the top speed of the car.

With today’s race starting in heavy rain, the pace car controlled the pack until lap five when the field took the green. The racers then charged into turn one side-by-side despite the water on the track, and while exciting to watch, it was clearly difficult to drive in.

By hour two – after 53 laps – there had been five lead changes in the DP class with pole sitter Max Angelelli leading the first five laps until three-time champion Scott Pruett took the lead on lap seven. Other leaders during the first hour were Ozz Negri, Memo Gidley, Dane Cameron, Scott Dixon and Ricardo Zonta, with Dixon setting the fastest race lap thus far at 110:783 mph average speed.

The cessation of rain coincided with a drop in temperature as action on the track heated up with drivers racing as if in a sprint race – lots of dicing and everybody pushing for track position. As darkness came to Daytona International Speedway the atmosphere became almost cathedral-like. The sound of the race cars echoed across the infield and the intonation of the exhaust notes they gave created harmonics that were thrilling.


About Rolex Motorsports - Rolex’s presence in motorsports began in the 1930s with Malcolm Campbell. While wearing a Rolex Oyster in 1935, he was the first person to drive an automobile over 300 miles per hour, setting a new land speed record. Rolex truly solidified its position in the sport in 1959 when it began an association with the Daytona International Speedway in Florida and later became the title sponsor of its pre-eminent endurance race, the Rolex 24 At Daytona, in 1992. It was shortly after its initial affiliation with the race track that Rolex introduced a watch designed for lovers of speed, the Cosmograph Daytona, which allowed its wearer to clock elapsed times and calculate average speeds.

Rolex is involved in sponsorships of some of the most prestigious events in the motorsport industry. Endurance races such as the Rolex 24 At Daytona, The 24 Hours of Le Mans, the European Le Mans Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series have been a critical piece of the Rolex portfolio. In addition, Rolex has supported the bygone era of racing by celebrating design, speed, passion and endurance in sponsoring historic races such as the Goodwood Revival and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, as well as concours events such as The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the Pebble Beach Tour D’Elegance presented by Rolex, and The Quail, a Motorsport Gathering.


For more information about the Rolex 24 At Daytona, event reports or to download high-resolution copyright free images for editorial purposes (print media), please register online at www.caracingnews.com

National Press Information
Media Pro Int’l
Jan Harley
T: (401) 683-8224
E: jan.harley@mediapronewport.com

International Press Information
Key Partners (KPMS)
Karen Cooper
T: (310) 293 7840 or +41 79 267 2300
E: karen@kpms.com

www.caracingnews.com
info@caracingnews.com