- PistonClick Archive The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona

The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona – Full Report – Daytona International Speedway.

A trackside report with photography by Mark Roden of MRA Racing Images

The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona Day 1: Thursday January 23 2025

After a few days in St. Augustine, I returned to Daytona to prepare for race weekend. Now that I had access to the Champions Club facility as well as access to the premium car park. I was able to get more work done using less energy. Stay hydrated and fed, and shoot from some new angles (and heights).

The view from my seat on the observation deck

Practice 1 – Weathertech Championship

I missed the 2nd practice session for Michelin. However, got there in time to see a bit of the Weathertech FP1 Practice. I rolled into the track and made my way across to the bleachers outside turn 5. Parking is just to the side of them and close to the official IMSA video tower. The weather was brisk, but workable. My intention was to sit here for a while and then make my way to the Fan Zone area later.

Qualifying – Mazda MX-5 Cup

This was a 20-minute qualifying session, which made things go by fairly quickly. The Mazdas are really fun to watch, and surprisingly one of the loudest classes of the weekend. I stayed long enough to capture a few laps, and then decided to go ahead and try to park in a better spot since I had pulled into one of the camping slots. While I was shooting, the campers who had the next spot over showed up. I figured it was only a matter of time before I was in someone’s way, time to move.

The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona Mazda MX-5 Cup

Qualifying – Michelin Pilot Challenge

I tried to park in Lot 2A as I had the previous weekend. The attendants directed me to the garage area behind the “main “500 Club” building, where I parked in front of garage 14. These were garages used by other classes but not for Weathertech, so they were free all weekend for Champion Club pass holders.

24 Hours of Daytona Pit Road Patio

I discovered something called the “Pit Road Patio” section. This is an elevated platform running along the back of the pit boxes from the south end up to the main pit road. During the race, this section is reserved for pit crew family, friends, and associates. On Thursday I was able to get up there without any problems.

From what I was told by officials it was available that day only, but would be blocked for the rest of the weekend to all but those who actually belong there (i.e., not me). Below the structure are suites and ground level patios for each pit, which were already being stocked and set up.

24 Hours of Daytona Turn 1

As well as shooting from this elevated platform, I investigated how close I could get to the inside of turn 1. This the entry to the road course and I was able to get fairly close. However there was an emergency vehicle staging area between the final fence and the track. And there was only a small opening that I could shoot through.

This turned out to be too much trouble to deal with from behind the fence and I had no step-stool. Returning to the Pit Road Patio deck once again I took advantage of that “today-only” access for Michelin Pilot Challenge Qualifying and beyond.

I should mention that it was unclear to me whether or not an unvested photographer would be able to get into these areas. I would think that in cases such as this, it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Certainly, I will try it again next year, with or without credentials.

Qualifying – Weathertech Championship

It was very windy up in the deck, and after around 3PM it started getting too chilly for me. Sitting through the Weathertech session but I was getting a little uncomfortable. I decided to head for the car to warm up, snack up, and listen to the broadcast on my radio for a while.

Classic GTP at Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona

On the way to the car, I talked with the ladies in charge of controlling the entrance to the patio area. As we were talking (literally about the weather) I heard some action on the track. There was nothing on the schedule, I suspected this was going to be something I’d want to catch. When I got back to my perch atop that same platform I saw a classic GTP Porsche 962. Which earlier had been on static display in the garage area, running on the track! These were cars from the golden age of road racing, and were some of the most beautiful cars running in that era between the late 70’s up through the mid-90’s.

Weathertech Championship 24 Hours of Daytona

#99 Rothmans Porsche 962-123 GTP (Holbert, Bell, Cobb, Redman, EFR).

24 Hours of Daytona Bridgestone Porsche 962-109 GTP

#86 Bridgestone Porsche 962-109 GTP (Wollek, Ludwig).

24 Hours of Daytona Chevrolet Corvette Camel GT, first of 7 Corvette GTP built by Lola for GM

#4 Chevrolet Corvette Camel GT, first of 7 Corvette GTP built by Lola for GM.

#62 Mazda RX-7-GTO (Halsmer, 1991 GTO driver and manufacturer Championships).

Race 1 of 2 – Mazda MX-5 Cup

For the Mazda race, I let go of the Patio and headed over to the “Horseshoe” turn across from the illuminated carousel. It was getting darker so I switched to the 200mm f/2.8 lens for these shots.

It’s a very popular area for photography during the race after sunset. From here you can get the sunset, the carousel and also an occasional brake glow all in one shot. It is also one of the better areas available to the unvested or non-credentialled photographer. The fence is not difficult to shoot through so long as you keep your angle fairly normal to the track. If you try to cut too much of an angle it won’t work. It’s better to have a stepstool for shooting over the top of the fence.

I was generally pretty happy with the photo work, although I was having trouble with the long shutter pans with these cars. A handful of 4-5 star rated ones that I took was enough for me. The Mazdas are a real pleasure to watch. Although nowhere near as fast as most other classes, they are very loud, and there is something about this class that appeals to me. You have to see them run to fully understand.

Practice 2 – Weathertech Championship

This was the last night practice for Weathertech before the race. Just before the end of the Mazda session, I climbed back up the stairs for the Pit Patio one final time. For the remainder of the weekend, I would have access to the 500 Club building, which was more centrally located than the patio deck. For now, Pit Road Patio deck would suffice.

One special note: Lorenzo Patrese was part of the Cetilar Racing team in the #47 Ferrari 296 GT3 entry in GTD. He is the son of racing legend Ricardo Patrese. Patrese participated in multiple world championship series including Formula 1 from 1977 through 1993.

This first day covering the race weekend was outstanding. Several goals were met, and new shooting perches were discovered. I still do not have credentials for the Rolex (or any other IMSA race). All in all it was a nice day; cold at times, but I have suffered through worse. I have learned a lot about this track make me want to come back again and again. With the exception of the Daytona 500, I am very likely to cover more events there in the future.

Day 2 coverage, coming up next…

The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, Day 2: Friday, January 24, 2025.

On Friday I parked in front of the same garage (14). Quicly making my way to the part of the track which leads into the “Horseshoe” turn 3. This part of the track is fun; the cars are accelerating onto the road course across a slight “S” and then braking hard into turn 3. You can hear the engines growling as they are downshifted, the clicking of various components and the squealing of the brake pads straining under the pressure.

Practice 3– Weathertech Championship

I wasn’t getting great results with panning straight off with the 28-105 lens. I switched to the big one and walked up the fenceline until I could get a nice shot of the rear of the cars.

There are a few great places to catch this type of shot. One of the best is right there on the west side of the Horseshoe, as they go into the turn. From this vantage point you have a fairly good angle of the cars exiting the turn as well. With a good panning technique those bleachers are an excellent backdrop, especially when full of people which makes the background very colorful.

As the main event of the day was approaching, specifically the BMW Endurance Challenge for the Michelin Pilot cars, I thought it would be a good time to check out the garage/pit areas and see about that grid walk (I haven’t been a big fan of the grid walk in recent years, however I have been getting around better lately, so why not?) I left the area and went through the fan zone and then into the garage area. There I found the Michelin entries getting ready to stage, so I took advantage and made it around to as many garages as I could before they got ready to hit the track.

The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona BMW Endurance Challenge

As for the grid walk, it turned into more of a track walk. I managed to get myself up to the Safer Barrier at the very top of the front straight, and I do mean “TOP”. It is difficult to discern just how steep that climb is until you try to walk up it. The Daytona wiki page states that the banking on the front straight is 18 degrees (I believe it!) and the banking in the corners is 31 degrees. I cannot even imagine trying to walk up one of the turns, nor would I try, honestly.

Another great experience was an up close “photoshoot” with the vintage cars. Lucky for me, I was able to walk freely around them, taking photos and doing some video work for the future. It was very nice to see these same cars that I watched at the beginning of my race-going time back in the mid-80’s. Now, 36 years later, here we are again, face to face, both of us a bit worse for the wear but still with a bit of shine left.

#99 Rothmans Porsche 962-123 GTP (Holbert, Bell, Cobb, Redman, EFR)

Bridgestone Porsche 962-109 GTP at Daytona 2025

#86 Bridgestone Porsche 962-109 GTP (Wollek, Ludwig)

#4 Chevrolet Corvette Camel GT, first of 7 Corvette GTP built by Lola for GM

#62 Mazda RX-7-GTO (Halsmer, 1991 GTO driver and manufacturer Championships)

Race – BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona

Back to the Horseshoe turn went I, capturing the beginning laps of the Endurance Challenge. I really didn’t need too much more in the way of photos for this class, and I wanted to conserve my energy for the big day(s) of the Rolex, so I left after about an hour, feeling secure that I got what I needed for the day. It was not a very long day, but worth the effort that I put in, especially in the garage area.

BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona Race Results:
P1 Uretsky/Cooper | #44 Accelerating Performance McLaren Artura GT4.
P2 Mars/Heylen | #28 RSI Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS.
P3 Michaelian/Johnson | #59 KOHR MOTORSPORTS Ford Mustang GT4.

I drove back to the hotel in mid-afternoon, settled in and got everything ready for the next experience–the main event–the Rolex 24 hour race.

The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, Days 3 & 4: Saturday/Sunday, January 25-26, 2025.

(Zoom-zoom…)

Race day. My third Rolex was now upon me. I got to the track well in advance of the start, in fact so early that I wasn’t sure what to do with myself during all of the time that I had available (shoot, maybe?). At 8:58AM I was at my car, and by 8:59AM I was taking my first shots of the vintage cars by the Horseshoe. The race started at 1:40PM, so that’s almost 5 hours ahead. But, lucky me, I had a camera card to fill, so out I set out to fill it.

Some up close and personal shots in the garage area

Some of the cars being staged

Pre-race ceremonies, including some Rexys and Spikes walking the front stretch grass

Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona – Green Flag

After my romp through the garages, I decided to check out how it was looking on the observation deck. I hadn’t been up there yet but thought that it would be a good indication as to how good the view would really be. As it turns out, it was quite good.Taking a seat aligned with the start/finish line, I stayed there for almost 2 hours, as the people slowly filed in from all directions, through the driver introductions, and finally, for the start.

I had the pleasure of talking with a few people during this “wait period”, such as Zach, who I discovered was the official Rolex photographer for the event. I also met John and Caesar, who I had met before in the lot 2A parking area. We all hung around until it was time to go to work getting that starting line shot of the #24 BMW GTP as it crossed the line, signifying the start of the 24 hour clock.

Within a minute, the #2 United Autosports LMP2 piloted by Nick Boulle spun around the turn 2 area, just after the entrance to the road course. Following the first 15 minutes of racing, the leader board showed Dries Vanthoor in the #24 BMW Team RLL GTP. Keating in the Wynn’s liveried PRI mathiasen Motorsports #52 LMP2 Oreca. Andrea Caldarelli in that beautiful #9 GTD PRO Lamborghini, and Elliott Skeer in the #120 Porsche bringing up the GTD class lead.

After a good and mostly clean start the laps began to unfold, with a gradual diminishing of the crowd on the observation deck. After a while, I left too, as I wanted to get some more daylight pans while I was still fresh, and get situated eventually for those wonderful sunset shots outside turn 5, the “Western Horseshoe”.

Starting line shot of the #24 BMW GTP and some others from the opening laps

2 Hour Update.

I started to do my rounds about 3:30, hitting the Horseshoe Turn 3 first. I absolutely love this corner; it is one of the most versatile points on the track for photos. It is relatively quick to get from one side to the other, and the exit side has bleachers so you can sit if you want to (or need to). For now, standing at the fence was enough for me, and the lighting was good from this side early in the afternoon.

At the 2 hour mark the #93 Meyer Shank Acura, driven by Kaku Ohta, was leading the GTP class. This car’s livery reminds me of former era GTP cars, with its simple white/black with red trim design and unassuming Phillips 66 logo on the tail fin. Visually it is very striking, and one cannot forget the fact that one Alex palou will at some point be behind the wheel.

Just after 2 hours into the race, there was a full course yellow due to a car spinning out and hitting the tire barrier; the #11 LMP2 driven by Hunter McElrea, who I remember from the Nashville Indy Music City Gran Prix in 2023. He came in 2nd in that race (Indy NXT) behind Christian Rasmussen, who competed not only in the Indy NXT series that year but also in the Era Motorsport #18 LMP2, as well as being a co-driver in this year’s AO Racing #99 “Spike” LMP2 car alongside P.J. Hyett, currently leading in the LMP2 class. Incidentally, the other AO Racing entry, the #77 “Rexy” Porsche, came in to the closed pits and had to serve a drive-through penalty as a result.

Coming into and going out of the “Horseshoe” Turn 3

4 Hour Update.

At the 4 hour mark, I was taking some of the last sunset shots from turn 5, a scene that I had scheduled in my thoughts and very much planned out. By now I had been at the track 9 hours, and was still in good spirits. The fog of sleep deprivation had not taken over yet, and I knew where the coffee was if I needed it. Before I made it down there I turned around and grabbed a few parting shots from the exit of the Horseshoe turn. From here I get some of the best front end shots, and even though they are shot through the fence (I had no step-ladder this year) my focal length is sufficient to wipe out most traces of it.

On track, the #7 Penske Porsche 963 driven by Laurens Vanthoor was leading in the GTP department, and Dane Cameron had taken on driving duties in the #99 “Spike” LMP2 of AO Racing, leading that class. Nick Boulle had clawed his way back to P2 after that opening lap spin.

Leader Board at 4 Hours:
GTP: Vanthoor, #7 Porsche Penske 963.
LMP2: Cameron, #99 AO Racing ORECA LMP2 07.
GTD PRO: Priaux, #64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3.
GTD: Stevenson, #27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO.

Some images prior to sunset

Along the way toward my sunset perch I met Peter and Darrell, who have been coming to the 24 Hours of Daytona since 1968 (when I was less than 3 years old). They had it all set up; RV, tarp cover, grill, and one heck of a nice view along the fence. They must have been right there in the 80’s and 90’s when I was watching IMSA racing in Texas.

Peter and Darrell Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona

Two guys watching a bunch of cars going down the track

The Sunset Shots.

Sunset at Daytona during the 24 hour race is a special thing. The lighting can be magnificent; add these fine racing machines, and you’ve got yourself a very memorable view. It is the last vestige of natural light before the descent into darkness and the long trek toward morning, with many miles to go before we sleep.

Except for Alex Palou. That car (#93 Acura GTP) came to a stop on the backstretch after having advanced into P4, with an apparent mechanical failure, about the same time as the Tower Motorsports LMP2 spun and returned to the pits.

After sunset I kept walking around the “West Horseshoe” (turn 5) and continued to the far bleachers sitting just before the exit from the road course. From this position I was able to catch more good examples of rotors glowing under massive corner braking and the carousel in the distance, a shot that I have been wanting to get since my first Rolex.

6 Hour Update

A little after 7PM, the engine blew in the #44 GTD Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo. While something like this certainly comes under the heading of “that’s racing”, there was something special about this ride. Andy Lally was driving the #44 on its 171st lap when it let go, in what would be his last race in IMSA.

It was announced last year that Lally would be retiring as a driver to become the president of another series that I follow, Trans Am. He holds numerous records, including the most GT class wins (26). Although he is officially “retired”, he has stated that he will still participate in the Rolex going forward. I wish him good fortune with the Trans Am series, and I suspect that there will be a further resurgence of that class of racing.

44 GTD Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo at Daytona night racing

My last shot of Andy Lally, just minutes before his engine seized.

8 Hour Update

Eight hours into the race, 13 hours at the track. I have to admit, I was glad to get past this mark, as it was my previous “best finish” (at last year’s race). Before that, my only other Rolex was 2023 when I made it just a little past sunset, about 6 hours into the contest. Now I was in uncharted territory, and I still felt relatively fresh.

There was a long full course yellow caused by an incident with the Heart of Racing #007 GTD PRO Aston Martin. Loosing it’s left rear wheel a little past the 7 hour point in the race. During this time I was trying to get some pan shots in the area inside the apex of turn 6, where the safety trucks normally sit.

The caution was compounded about 20 minutes later by another incident. This involved several cars after the #40 Wayne Taylor Cadillac GTP spun on the restart and got hammered from the side by another car. Casualties included the #73 Pratt Miller Motorsports LMP2. Which I believe is the car that hit the #40 after it spun. The #2 United Autosports LMP2, #77 AO Racing “Rexy” Porsche, #9 Pfaff Lamborghini and the #48 Paul Miller Racing BMW.

I met Luke in turn 6 who I ended up walking around with for quite some time. From turn 6 around to the bleachers facing south and to the exit of “big” turn 1. Then we headed across the front side of Lake Lloyd which stretches across the backstretch. Arriving at the carousel.

Roaming around that place at night with the race going on is a real experience. One with a lot of lights and color, rich texture, sounds and friendly people and campfires around every turn. It is something that I cannot express in photos completely, you just have to do it to understand fully.

By now I was ready for a bit of sleep. I went to the Champions Club first and got some food, then sat in my car for a while to relax. An idea was brewing and I needed some energy to do it. That idea was getting over to the main grandstands and get back before daybreak. I knew from last year that Lot 4 clears out gradually as the night wears on. My plan was to recharge, then drive over there and park as close to the gate as I could and hoof it to the grandstand entry, which was not too far, or so i thought…

Infield sights and interesting things to see

10-12 Hour Update.

At 1AM I had taken my last photo from the observation deck. Having gone upstairs one last time around 11:30 to get some backup shots and really just to enjoy being there with almost no one else around. Actually, I was alone for most of that time, occasionally seeing another photographer taking some shots but that was about all.

I noticed from my photo set that the #93 had rejoined the race, having repaired whatever malfunction they suffered a few hours before. I can’t express enough how much I like the looks of this car.

The “Rexy” GTD PRO car also made it back in. Rexy was several laps down by now, and even the #73 was still pulling down laps around 11:45 as was the #48 BMW. I didn’t see the #40 GTP Cadillac again nor the Pfaff Lamborghini. I suppose it was lights out for those two.

At this point it was time to start thinking about the wee hours and what would become of them, and of me.

View from the Observation Deck Daytona 24 hour race

Late Night on Observation Deck

Grandstands.

I needed to sit for a while downstairs and charge my battery since it was almost finished. That provided more time to rest and get some coffee in me. I took the opportunity to watch a couple of hours of the race on the big screens along with the 4 other people in the room at the time.

I finally walked out of the side door and into my car, and then drove to Lot 4. Now, the walk from Lot 4 to the edge of the grandstands is really not that far. However, to get to the single open gate, which was the one on the far side of the massive grandstand structure, well, that is a much different story.

The grandstand structure itself is 3/4 of a mile long end to end. From Lot 4 you can add another 3/8 of a mile. So this was a bit over a mileand an eighth. After 17-ish hours at the track. At 1:30 in the AM. I seem to recall muttering “Brilliant idea, just brilliant” at some point during my walk. It seemed to take forever, but it was probably no more than around 20 minutes.

Riding an escalator up into one of the so called “injector” gates led me straight to the third level. I walked from there into a stepwell which deposited me at the front of a seating area looking out over the track and directly facing the pit boxes to the south of the starting line.

View from grandstands Daytona 24 hour race

A seat with a view of the pits at night

From the grandstands, the pit boxes are easy to see. Everything is well lit, and from where I was I could see them all from end to end. As for photography, some were better lit than others. I concentrated on the closest ones and waited for the cars to come in for their scheduled stops. Considering how much effort it took to get over there, I was surprised to see from the time stamps on my photos that I only stayed for just over forty minutes. It seemed longer, but by this time I was more than a little sleep deprived and my mental capacity was fading fast, so I suppose it all makes sense.

After I was finished with the pit box photos, I packed up my gear and retraced my steps back to my car sitting in the Lot 4 car park. I still had the intention of making it all the way to the end of the race, and setting up for sunrise photos. Thinking about it now, I probably should have stayed where I was; I could have done some great work from out there shooting back across the main straight. But by this time I was getting cold, tired, and I had had just about enough of everything. I’ll chalk that up to lessons learned and do it next year.

Pit box action around 4:30 AM

That Last Little Bit.

My final shot was taken at 6:12AM. I was so very close to sunrise but I had nothing left to give at that point. As I drove out of the track the sky was already beginning to glow. I briefly entertained the idea of going back and setting up again, getting those shots I had planned to get. It certainly would have been worth the effort.

But I was too tired, and I remember thinking that I hadn’t much left in the way of creativity; it would simply be a waste of shutter clicks. I guess in the end, I need something to improve upon for next year, so why not have the goals of achieving the sunrise, and making it all the way to the end?