The eyes of the motorsports world will be affixed on Daytona International Speedway from Jan. 26-29, as competitors from all corners of the world and a variety of racing disciplines convene for the 55th Rolex 24 At Daytona – the season-opening race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 28 and 29 – as well as the four-hour BMW Endurance Challenge for the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge on Friday, Jan. 27.

International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) officials today release entry lists for both events. The Rolex 24 will see 55 competitors for the race’s 55th running, a coincidental parallel occurring for the third year in a row, beginning when the 53rd running of the event featured 53 entries back in 2014. Coverage begins Saturday, Jan. 28 on FOX at 2 p.m. ET, with flag-to flag-coverage available via FOX Sports GO with FS1 authentication.

Twelve cars make up the Prototype class ranks, with Daytona Prototype international (DPi) entrants from Cadillac, Mazda and Nissan joined by a host of global LM P2 spec cars. Defending overall winner Tequila Patrón ESM will kick off its return to full season IMSA competition, taking on what is perhaps the strongest collection of driver lineups in recent history and highlighted by marquee drivers such as four-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon and IndyCar star James Hinchcliffe.

Eleven factory efforts will battle for glory in GT Le Mans (GTLM), with reigning class champion Corvette Racing returning after an exhilarating 1-2 finish in the 2016 Rolex 24. Ford Chip Ganassi Racing brings four of its breathtaking Ford GTs to the fight, as Porsche fields a pair of all-new 911 RSRs and Ferrari returns with a single entry. BMW is entering a pair of cars, one of which being the first BMW Art Car to ever race in the Rolex 24.

The largest class of the field, GT Daytona (GTD), features 27 GT3 spec race cars from nine premium automotive manufacturers, including series newcomers Acura, Lexus and Mercedes. Prototype Challenge kicks off its final season in the WeatherTech Championship with five ORECA FLM09s taking to the track.

The racing action will kick off, however, on Friday with the BMW Endurance Challenge, the first of two new four-hour enduros for the Continental Tire Challenge. The race will feature 38 cars from two classes tearing around the high banks of the World Center of Racing.

The Grand Sport (GS) class welcomes global GT4 spec cars to its ranks for 2017, with 20 cars ready to race. Manufacturers include class regulars Aston Martin, Ford and Porsche, joined by newcomer McLaren. Also featuring 20 entries, Street Tuner (ST) includes a healthy mix of cars from Audi, BMW, Mazda, MINI, Nissan and Porsche.

With one BMW M6 GT3 and four of the best BMW drivers from around the world, Turner Motorsport is geared up for the 55th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona to kick off the 2017 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in just over one week. The 2017 Rolex 24 of Daytona will mark the team’s 354th professional race with BMW.

Less than two weeks ago, the team tested their BMW M6 GT3 at the Roar Before the 24 on the 3.56 mile, 12-turn Daytona International Speedway in preparation for the team’s eighth consecutive Rolex 24 at Daytona.

As years past, the seven time championship winning BMW team’s driver lineup includes some familiar faces as well as some of the best BMW works drivers from around the globe. Turner welcomes Justin Marks back to the blue and yellow for the first time since the 2005.

Marks comes from a long history of racing dating back to the early 2000s as a factory supported BMW driver racing with BMW of North America. Mark’s racing pursuits quickly grew as he drove for Turner Motorsport in 2004 and 2005 in both World Challenge and Grand Am as well as in other series including the American Le Mans Series, the ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR. Marks also recorded a Rolex 24 GT class win in 2009.

Marks will be joined behind the wheel by drivers Jens Klingmann, Maxime Martin and Jesse Krohn. All three return to Daytona with Turner after an impressive fifth place finish last year in the M6 GT3’s world race premier with Michael Marsal. Jens Klingmann will be sharing driving duties in the Turner Motorsport car for the season.

Klingmann returns back behind the wheel of the M6 GT3 after recording two race wins in the 2016 WeatherTech Championship with co-driver Bret Curtis as well as a second place finish in the 12 Hours of Sebring.

“We are looking forward to being back at Daytona for our eighth race start for the Rolex 24,” Will Turner said. “Although we had a strong finish last year, Daytona has still remained that one race that we dream about winning. I think that with a full season under our belts with the M6 GT3, we have enough experience and familiarity with the car to do really well if we can avoid trouble and any mechanical issues. Here goes another Rolex 24 and to another year with the M6 GT3.”

Turner welcomes some new and returning partners for the 2017 season including Katerra, IHG Rewards Club, H&R Springs, aFe Power, Motul Lubricants, Borla Exhaust, The Hilliard Group and Pagid Brakes.

On track action begins on Thursday January 26th with practice and then qualifying. Visit IMSA.come to view live timing and scoring from each session.

The 55th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona will take the green flag at 2:40pm ET on January 28th, 2017 and will be televised LIVE from Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida on Fox Sports 1.

Follow Turner Motorsport on social media for all the unique behind the scenes look into the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Driver Quotes:

Justin Marks – No. 96 BMW M6 GT3
"This is a program I'm really excited about. I have a lot of fond memories with Turner Motorsport from earlier in my career so to kind of come home to one of the teams that is familiar is going to be a lot of fun. The IMSA GTD class is quickly becoming one of the most competitive and diverse in all worldwide GT racing. Turner and BMW have had a lot of success in North America so I think we'll be very good so I'm very much looking forward to driving the M6 GT3."

Jens Klingmann – No. 96 BMW M6 GT3
"I'm really excited coming back to Daytona with Turner Motorsport. We are going into our second season with our BMW M6 GTD and after scoring 2 victories last season the expectation are high. We've got a strong package including a very strong driver line up and strategy for the Rolex 24 I can't wait for the race to start and hope to see many, many BMW and Turner fans supporting us on and off track!"

Jesse Krohn – No. 96 BMW M6 GT3
"I am really looking forward to going back to Daytona. Last year was the first for me in the Rolex 24h and it was the first year for the BMW M6 GT3. Since then everyone has learned a lot more about the car and I am sure we have taken a step forward. I am also very happy to share a car with Maxime Martin, Jens Klingmann and Justin Marks. We all have experience from the Rolex 24h and I could not wish for a better lineup for the next weeks race."

Maxime Martin – No. 96 BMW M6 GT3
“Daytona is one of the races that I always look forward to competing in each year. Last year, Jesse (Krohn), Michael Marsal and Markus Palttala had a great run so I look forward to repeating a strong race again behind the wheel of our BMW M6 GT3.”

With the introduction of new race cars and the anticipation of expanding grids in several of its sanctioned series, International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) officials today announced some organizational changes to the IMSA Competition team heading into the 2017 season.

Geoff Carter, who joined the sanctioning body as senior series manager for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship prior to the 2015 racing season, has been promoted to senior director, technical regulations and compliance. Carter will continue to serve as chair of IMSA’s technical committee, and now has a dedicated role as the primary technical liaison with manufacturers and teams. He is responsible for the technical management for all IMSA-sanctioned series. A search for a new WeatherTech Championship manager is under way.

Kyle Novak adds the position of race director for the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge in 2017 to his existing race director duties for the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama and the IMSA Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama. Novak originally joined IMSA’s Race Control team in 2015 as race director for the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo North America.

“As more competitors join IMSA’s racing platforms, it has created the opportunity for our competition team to grow as well,” said IMSA Vice President, Competition Simon Hodgson. “Geoff Carter has provided strong leadership since the formation of IMSA’s technical committee, and has played a pivotal role in conjunction with the technical committee in the development of IMSA’s BoP process and expanding technical capability. He has earned this promotion.

“The increased interest we’ve seen in both the WeatherTech Championship and Continental Tire Challenge heading into the 2017 season provides an opportunity for Beaux Barfield to focus his attention on the WeatherTech Championship while Kyle Novak takes over similar responsibilities in the Continental Tire Challenge. Kyle has done an excellent job with some of our single-make championships and we are pleased to be able to expand his role and responsibilities.”

The 2017 IMSA season gets under way on Jan. 26-29 at Daytona International Speedway, highlighted by the four-hour BMW Endurance Challenge for the Continental Tire Challenge on Friday, Jan. 27 and the 55th Rolex 24 At Daytona on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 28-29.

For a short time each spring, streets in Long Beach, California are blocked off for an action-packed racing weekend fit for one of the largest entertainment markets in the world.

One of two street-circuit races on the schedule, and coming on the heels of the two longest races of the season, the annual IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship visit to Southern California is a 100-minute street fight known as the BUBBA Burger SportsCar Grand Prix. The race is part of North America’s most prestigious street circuit event, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, which features the Verizon IndyCar Series.

“I think 2017 is going to be especially exciting for IMSA here,” said Grand Prix of Long Beach President and CEO Jim Michaelian. “We will be introducing the GT Daytona (GTD) category for the first time as a part of the IMSA program here. That whole class will be new to our viewers and I think that will certainly enhance the show.”

Continuing to enhance the show each year is one of the goals for the Grand Prix, as Michaelian considers the event to be largely part of the entertainment business, being so close to Los Angeles.

“What we do is afford someone an opportunity to come down for one weekend and see a broad spectrum of all these various types of racing, and one of the ways we’ve continued to maintain popularity is to increase the entertainment portion of the experience of fans that come to this event,” explained Michaelian.

Over the course of the weekend, nearly 150,000 fans will visit the circuit to a variety of racing action, along with additional displays such as the Lifestyle Expo, Mothers Exotic Car Paddock and concerts on Friday and Saturday evening that keep fans engaged through the night.

“Most attendees are coming out to Long Beach in April to have a good time in the sun,” Michaelian said. “That’s what they expect and that’s what we hope to deliver every year. The fact that we’ve been doing this for 42 years is an indication of the level of success that we’ve had.”

HISTORY

In 1975, over 46,000 fans gathered to watch the first Grand Prix in Long Beach, won by Brian Redman in a Boraxo Lola T332.

Formula 1 took to the track the following year with some success but Chris Pook, organizer of the Grand Prix of Long Beach, was eager for more. In 1977, his circuit found that success when Mario Andretti crossed the finish line first, becoming the first American to win an F1 United States Grand Prix race.

Formula 1 races continued to be held at in Long Beach until 1983, after which CART races were added to the schedule. Andretti also won the first CART race held at the circuit in 1984.

The course configuration itself has changed almost 10 times over the 42-year history of the track, but has remained the same since 2000 at 1.968 miles. Toyota has also been the longtime sponsor of the event, first putting its name on the GPLB in 1980.

DRIVER PERSPECTIVE

Lawson Aschenbach, driver of the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Audi R8 LMS GT3: “Long Beach is one of the crown jewels in North American racing. A victory is a prestigious accomplishment for any driver. The fans come out in full force each year and create an atmosphere second to none. It's a major event that showcases excitement and intense rivalry on track.

“The circuit has a broad range of corners for a street course. The hairpin is as slow as it gets in racing, but that is balanced by the high speed of turn one. The track suits our Audi Sport R8 well as downforce can play a key factor in the heavy brake zones and high speed corners.

“I've circled that race on my calendar and can't wait to get out there!”

TRACK PERSPECTIVE

Shoreline Drive: The longest straightaway on the circuit is anything but straight, as the track sweeps to the right in the center of its run. High-downforce cars thrive through this section, though bravery is needed to attack it in any style of car. Braking into Turn 1 provides one of the better opportunities for passing on this notoriously tight circuit.
Turns 2 – 3, Fountain Complex: This quick pair of turns borders the outside edge of a gorgeous active fountain. The low-speed complex of turns features multiple changes of direction and can create problems for the overly ambitious racer.
Turn 11, Hairpin: The tightest turn on the entire WeatherTech Championship calendar, the final turn at Long Beach is an incredibly small radius right-hander that navigates a full 180 degrees of directional change. As teams have found out in the past, there is only one line through this corner, and an incredibly important decision must be made on approach, as a good exit onto the front straight is key.