This year’s Rolex 24 hour race at Daytona International Speedway was a record breaker. But the biggest talking point was the astonishing number of tyre failures which forced the race favourites to retire…
The Daytona 24 hours was run at a record pace, and it took everyone by surprise. The 36 year old distance record was broken by more than 100 miles, and with just four caution periods, totalling 20 laps, the whole rhythm was like nothing we have seen at Daytona for years.
Daytona is the start of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscarseries, one of the three great titles to be won in North American endurance racing alongside the Sebring 12 hours in March, and the Petit Le Mans in October. IMSA has its work cut out to balance the performance of the cars before its headline event, as the FIA has its work cut out to establish true performance before its headline event, Le Mans. The 2018 Rolex 24 hours at Daytona broke the race distance record by over 100 miles, resulting in an 808 lap race.
Practice and qualifying, therefore, is relatively unimportant. With history demonstrating that caution periods, 21 in 2017, would dictate the strategy more than anything else and with the threat of rain, few paid much attention to the times.
Fernando Alonso was one of two full time F1 drivers who raced at Daytona (Lance Stroll was the other). They joined seven full time Indycar drivers and four former Indy 500 winners.
The cars are these days set up for that final run to the flag, a two-...