I'm headed to Daytona to watch the Rolex 24 this weekend for the first time. I know basically nothing about IMSA and have no background on any of the teams or drivers that will be there. Do you guys have any reading suggestions for background that might make the race more interesting to watch?
I havn't watched this video, but it should be a good start.https://youtu.be/RLJ_gYDozoY
My first one I went to was 01 or 02, I forget. I think 02.
Anyway, it was something that my father took me to on a whim - "Want to go to a race tomorrow in Florida? It's sports cars" "Sure"
We're about 9 hours of driving from there.
I didnt know anything and just took it all in. The garage access. Seeing the various cars in the infield (some awesome stuff to be seen - I saw my first GTR there). The sounds!
Just take it all in. Have an idea of what classes there are, outside of that - just enjoy.
Download the IMSA app also. Before the event it is great to show the differentiation in classes and explanations. During the race, it broadcasts and has T&S. Pretty handy to have on your phone.
First thing I would recommend is bookmarking our schedule and fan guide for this year's race:
Schedule + Fan Guide | 2022 GRM Experience at the Rolex 24 At Daytona
And this video should give you a decent understanding of the track layout:
Something I like doing is picking a team and or driver and "adopting" them for the race. I become a ravenous fan of theirs for the week, following everything they do. This year it is the Weathertech #79.
Thanks for all the links so far. Do you pick a team with a compelling story, personal history, or just randomly?
Go here: https://spotterguides.com/portfolio/22_imsa/ and, if you can print out the spotters guide. It will really help with keeping track of who is who.
In reply to Berck :
Sometimes it is a driver I like (Borris Said, Bill Auberlen, Formula 1 guys), Sometimes it is a specific team (Audi, Porsche, RLL), sometimes it is a car (Oreca Vipers, delta wing nissan, Audi R8), sometimes it is just a paint scheme that i like, and sometimes it is a story that develops over the weekend. I remember one year a driver was really nice to my son during the autograph session, so we followed that team pretty closely.
Berck said:Thanks for all the links so far. Do you pick a team with a compelling story, personal history, or just randomly?
My first time I went I was pulling for the Toyota DP cars (this was first or second year of DP and they hadnt, yet, changed to Lexus) because, well, I OWNED a Toyota (MR2).
Since then I pull for certain drivers because of their history or attitude (Scott Pruett - "Hi to my family back home!" ha). And sometimes it's because the car LOOKS cool. It's hard not to pull for Zanardi when he came back in 2019 or 2020, just because of the situation and his pedigree.
911 is my favorite car, so I am biased, but when Pfaff came out and had that plaid livery I was sold on them, always pull for them in GTD now.
Pruett retired. Said is gone (always a SUPER nice guy!), so it's always looking for a new favorite driver. So sometimes it's just a team or how the car looks. I like Andy Lally a lot (I havent looked to see if he's there this time, not looked at full line up yet). Again, sometimes it's not 'the best' driver, just a person you really like - Lally has done cool giveaways for charity, he skateboards too!, for example.
Go through the autograph line, see who seems the coolest/nicest and go with them. Or maybe walk around the garages on Friday and see who is super nice and adds to your experience.
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