02 Nov

Largest Parade of Ferraris in History Planned for Daytona Finale December 1 – 4

mondali_1Daytona, Fla. – Next month, Ferrari will return to Daytona International Speedway to write the next chapter of the marque’s history at the storied race track in sunny Daytona Beach, Florida. Ferrari Challenge Teams from Europe, Asia and North America will be competing in runoffs and for the first time in history, the Ferrari Challenge World Finals (Finali Mondiali) will take place on U.S. soil. The finals will take place from December 1-4 and it is shaping up to be a historic event not to be missed by any Ferrarista!

While the Ferrari Challenge World Finals will surely set the stage for an exciting weekend, these competitors will not be alone in braving the legendary banks of Daytona International speedway. Throughout the weekend, XX and F1 Clienti program clients will scream around the 3.56 mile road course in unprecedented fashion to the delight of pilots and fans alike. Fans will also pay homage to the past with historic Ferrari exhibition sessions and witness the future unfold as the Ferrari 488 Challenge car takes to the track for the first time. If all of this weren’t enough, how does the sight of 1,000 Ferraris simultaneously circling the legendary track three-wide sound?

On September 15, 2012, the Guinness World Record for the largest parade of Ferraris ever organized was set at Silverstone Circuit with 964 Ferraris. With strong collaboration from Ferrari owners, the Scuderia will seek to write history by breaking that record at this year’s Finali Mondiali. It is sure to be an unforgettable experience for every participant involved. In addition to the media headlines, social media buzz and lasting memories for all, a commemorative gift will go to each and every participant in the record setting attempt.

All of the on-track excitement will be perfectly complimented with Ferrari hospitality and exciting off-track activities. VIP hospitality packages including premium parking and entry to the Finali Mondiali dinner gala on Saturday evening will be available for Ferrari clients and guests, while a spectacular fan zone experience awaits Ferrari clients and tifosi alike.

Another fan favorite is sure to be the Ferrari Classiche Concours d’Elegance to be held within the infield of the speedway. This collection of rare and historic Ferraris is sure to turn heads and draw crowds throughout the weekend with top honors being awarded by Ferrari. Spectators and participants alike are sure to enjoy the most awe- inspiring of off-track experience at the Finali Mondiali.

If you own a Ferrari, you can help break the Guinness World Record for the largest parade of Ferraris in history at the automaker’s upcoming Finali Mondiali event in December 1 – 4.

Finali Mondiali, to be held for the first time at Daytona International Speedway, is an annual event that marks the end of the Ferrari Challenge race series. In addition to the final race of the Ferrari Challenge season, Finali Mondiali also plays host to other Corse Clienti events, such as XX and Formula 1 car demonstrations.

This year Ferrari has planned something extra-special for Finali Mondiali. The automaker has invited every Ferrari owner in the world to Daytona to participate in a parade lap of 1,000+ Ferraris, which would break the world record for the largest ever parade of Ferraris.

It will all go down under the lights at Daytona on December 3rd. Click here for more information and info on how to buy tickets to Finali Mondiali 2016.

mondali_2Courtesy Ferrari of North America

01 Nov

Entry List Announced for Classic 24 at Daytona presented by IMSA November 12 – 15 Features 174 Race Cars

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The entry list for the 2015 Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Classic 24 Hour at Daytona presented by IMSA, November 12 – 15, has been officially announced and features 174 race cars and a current tally of 300 drivers from around the world.

“We have gone on record recently in saying that the entry list for the second edition of the Classic 24 Hour at Daytona presented by IMSA exceeded even our expectations and hopefully the motorsports world will agree,” said HSR President David Hinton. “The caliber of the historic race cars and the massive mix of legendary stars and historic sports car racing drivers is second to none. This is truly an amazing representation of historic sports car racing machines and the men and women who compete in them and we can’t wait to get back to Daytona in just a few short weeks.”

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In total, the 2015 Classic 24 Hour at Daytona presented by IMSA features entered teams from 15 different countries on four continents.

The diverse background of the international drivers turning out for the Classic 24 Hour should be equally impressive. While minimal additional entries will be accepted – HSR currently has dozens of hopefuls on a wait list – all teams will be able to add drivers to their officially entered race cars in the weeks leading up to the race. A lineup of drivers that is already packed with past and current sports car racing stars will no doubt grow over the next month.

The list of current and legendary drivers confirmed for the Classic 24 includes Jochen Mass, Bobby Rahal, Danny Sullivan, Gijs Van Lennep, Jürgen Barth, Andy Wallace, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Eric Curran, Leh Keen, Scott Sharp, Jim Pace, Gunnar Jeanette, Dieter Quester, Didier André, Jean Marc Gounon, Jules Gounon, Zak Brown, Richard Dean, Jeff Zwart, Cooper MacNeil, Shane Lewis, Jack Baldwin, Mike Skeen and many more.

The equally impressive racing machines these drivers and other Classic 24 competitors will race in the Daytona event is a rolling collection of top sports cars and prototypes from the past 50 years.

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The Classic 24 features six period-correct run groups rotating through a full 24 hours of racing on the 3.56-mile Daytona road course. The run groups, which include various classes of similar-era race cars, each take to the track four times throughout the 24 hours. The competitors in each group covering the most total distance in the shortest amount of time in their group’s four sessions will be “crowned” Classic 24 at Daytona champions.

Group A – 1960 – 1972: The oldest and perhaps most memory-stirring division, Group A features such legendary race cars as the Ford GT40, Lola T70, Chevron B8, Ferrari 365 GTB, Lotus Elan, Alfa Romeo GT Jr., several 1960s-era Corvettes and Mustangs, including a Shelby GT350, and a strong field of early Porsche 911s. A debuting entry not frequently seen in the United States is the French-built Matra MS630.

Group B – 1973 – 1982: Evoking the same emotion and memories of Group A with a little more turbocharged power and wide-body aerodynamics, Group B has attracted four Porsche 935s, six BMW CSLs, two Greenwood Corvettes, a Dekon Monza, several Porsche 911 RSRs and Carreras and big-bore Mustangs, Camaros and Corvettes. This group also features several of the ultra-quick and classic Chevron Lola and March open-cockpit sports prototype race cars.

Group C – 1983 – 1993: The prime of the GTP and Group C era is at the heart of this run group. A strong lineup of six Porsche 962s will share the class spotlight with two Jaguar XJR-5s, a Jaguar XJR-7 and a Porsche Fabcar. Several production-based race cars are also in Group C as is the debuting Aston Martin AMR-1 prototype that raced at Le Mans.

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Group D – 1994 – 2002: Historic but familiar, the highlight machines in Group D include several Riley & Scott Mk IIIs and Daytona Prototypes, a Lola B2K, Crawford DP03 and GT Porsches, Corvettes, Vipers and even a TVR T400R. A debuting entry of note in this class is the Saleen S7R GT1.

Group E – 2003 – 2012: This group lets ALMS and Le Mans prototypes that couldn’t race at Daytona in their day a chance to take to the high banks. Two Audi R8s, a pair of Pescarolo 01 LMPs and a Porsche RS Spyder highlight the group that also includes three Oreca FLM09s and several different Daytona Prototypes. GT cars are plentiful too and include several Porsche 996, 997 and 991 models, two LMS Audi R8s and a Camaro, Ferrari F430 and Nissan GTR. Another entry not frequently seen in the U.S. is the debuting BMW Alpina B6 GT3.

Group F – HSR Cars: This group produced some of the closest and most competitive racing in last year’s inaugural Classic 24 at Daytona. Home to HSR classes that are not represented in the other five other groups, Group F also lets competitors with race cars that were never eligible to compete at Daytona a chance to build a little history of their own on the legendary track in the Classic 24. Offering a mix of machinery from six different decades, this group is also home to the oldest car in the Classic 24, a 1962 Lotus Super 7.

The entry list for the 2015 Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Classic 24 Hour at Daytona presented by IMSA is available by clicking here.

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Of interest to Connecticut race fans will be the eye-catching 2007 Pescarolo Judd LMP of David Porter, of Darien. Porter challenged the Rogers Motorsports Audi team for the 2014 Classic 24 Hour win and has no intention of coming up short this year.

“To win the race is the hopeful accomplishment, that’s it,” Porter said. “We had the fastest car in every session last year and, unfortunately, I didn’t put on my best driving performance and screwed up. We ended up four laps down and, even with a car that fast, you can’t make back four laps. I want to redeem myself in my own mind as much as anything else. I’m looking forward to this so much. Sitting on that grid at 4:30 in the morning under the lights is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.”

Story & Photos Courtesy HSR & IMSA

About HSR: Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) was formed in the mid-1970s with an event at Road Atlanta. There was one goal then and it remains true today: to celebrate the race cars from our past. As a “time machine” of sights and sounds, HSR provides a venue for competitors and spectators alike to share in the wonderful history and excitement created by the cars that competed at race tracks around the world. HSR currently sanctions seven vintage and historic racing events at some of the world’s most renowned race tracks, including Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway, Daytona International Speedway and the Grand Prix of the Americas. The complete schedule and full event information can be found on HSR’s website at www.HSRRace.com. The Classic 24 Hour at Daytona, presented by IMSA, has a dedicated website at www.Classic24hour.com. HSR and the Classic 24 are also on Facebook and Twitter – in addition to the HSR YouTube channel.

About IMSA: The International Motor Sports Association, LLC (IMSA) was originally founded in 1969 with a long and rich history in sports car racing. As presenting sponsor of the Classic 24 Hour at Daytona, IMSA embraces that history by supporting all involved in returning iconic race cars and drivers that have been responsible for many great moments throughout decades of IMSA-sanctioned competition to the race track. Today, IMSA is the sanctioning body of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the premier sports car racing series in North America. IMSA also sanctions the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda, as well as four single-make series: Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama; Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin; Ferrari Challenge North America; and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America. IMSA – a company within the NASCAR Holdings group – is the exclusive strategic partner in North America with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) which operates the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The partnership enables selected WeatherTech Championship competitors to earn automatic entries into the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. For more information, visit www.IMSA.com.

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03 Nov

First Vintage 24 Hour Race at Daytona Nov. 12-16

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Daytona, FL –The traditions of the 24 Hours of Daytona will be revived and relived at full speed on the high banks and infield road course of Daytona International Speedway from November 12-16, 2014 at Historic Sportscar Racing’s inaugural Classic 24 race weekend.

The inaugural HSR Classic 24 Hour Daytona vintage races are dedicated to cars and drivers that raced in Daytona’s classic endurance races of the past. High speeds, high banks and a long night of six period-correct race groups competing on a rotating schedule, the Classic 24 is open to all significant Daytona sports cars that raced from 1961 through 2010.

The Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 will be the longest and the toughest vintage and historic car race in North America, an American-flavored version of the Le Mans Classic 24 hour historic car race that runs every other summer on the famous Le Mans 24 hour circuit in France. Competitors will race on the full nine-turn, 3.56-mile Daytona 24 Hour road-oval circuit that includes the infield road course and the steeply banked 2.5 mile Daytona “tri-oval”.

Since 1966 the 24 Hours of Daytona has been a premier fixture on the international racing calendar. Originally the opening race of the World Sports Car Championship the Daytona 24 Hour has long been a magnet for European and Asian racing teams.

“That Daytona tradition will continue in the Classic 24 Hour on November 15th and 16th,” said HSR President David Hinton. “This event really struck a nerve internationally. We already have over 140 entries in the six race groups for the Classic 24, many from European teams. The latest is a Porsche 907/LH entered by Willi Kauhsen Motorsport to be driven by Le Mans winner Jurgen Barth.”

A fleet of European Group C prototypes from the 1980s is expected, along with a cadre of Daytona’s endurance racing’s all-stars. Five-time Daytona 24 Hour winner Hurley Haywood leads a cast of Daytona superstars who will race in the inaugural Classic 24 on November 15-16, 2014.

Joining Haywood on the Classic 24 grid will be Porsche factory racer Patrick Long, 1989 Le Mans winner Jochen Mass, Daytona, Le Mans and Sebring winner Andy Wallace, three-time Daytona 24 Hour winner Brian Redman, Brian Johnson (Lead Singer, AC/DC), two-time Daytona 24 Hour winner Elliot Forbes-Robinson, Forest Barber, World Touring Car Champion Dieter Quester, Sebring 12 Hour winner John Fitzpatrick, grand prix and sports car ace Arturo Merzario, two-time Grand-Am GT Champion Leh Keen, GTD Championship-leader Cooper MacNeil, Rolex 24 winner Rob Dyson and son Chris Dyson in one of their Rolex 24 winners.

An early Classic 24 entry is the Porsche 934 raced by the late Bob Wollek in the 1976 and 1977 World Championship in races such as the Le Mans 24 Hours and 1,000kms of the Nurburgring.

The Classic 24 Hours’ six race groups will be organized chronologically and correspond to the history of the 24 Hours of Daytona and its ancestor, the Daytona Continental.

Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 – Race Groups

  • Group A – Sports racers, prototypes and GT (Grand Touring) cars from 1960 through 1972. Corvettes, early Porsche 911s and Ferraris.
  • Group B – Cars from 1973 through 1982 – Corvettes, Porsche 934 and 935 Turbos, BMW 3.5 CSL. Porsche Carrera RS and RSR.
  • Group C – Cars from 1983 through 1993 – Group C and GTP
  • Group D – Cars from 1994 through 2002 – GT1 and World Sports Cars such as the Ferrari 333SP
  • Group E – Cars from 2003 through 2010 – Audi R8, Daytona Prototypes
  • Group F – HSR Group (HSR approved racing sports and GT cars)

“The Classic 24 hour race starts with the green flag for Group A at 1:00 PM on Saturday, November 15, 2014 and Group F goes under the checkered flag at 1:00 PM Sunday November 16th,” said Hinton. “Each group races for one hour…four times, day and night.”

Friday November 14th will feature a full slate of HSR races starting at 8:00 AM with qualifying races for the Classic 24 beginning at 9:30 AM. Friday’s races conclude with the 5:00 PM Bob Woodman Tires International/American challenge. Weekend passes start at $35.00 per person.

For more information, visit Classic24Hour.com.

[Source: Sports Car Graphic]