All 5 IMSA GTP producers – together with Lamborghini’s new SC63 LMDh challenger – shall be in motion on Wednesday and Thursday on the 3.56-mile, 12-turn street course that includes sections of the high-banked oval.
The opening day is for prototypes solely, with GTD contenders becoming a member of on Thursday to make it an anticipated 43 vehicles on observe in whole.
Regardless of having a full season of racing beneath its belt, and successful the title with its Motion Specific-run automobile, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Bourdais believes there stays a lot to be unleashed from the 5.5-liter, V8-powered Caddy.
That course of begins with two day/night time classes this week, forward of the Roar Earlier than the 24 check for all groups on 20-22 January and the Daytona 24 Hours opener on 28-29 January.
“Towards the top of the season with the couple of checks we had, we began to study extra concerning the automobile and what makes it go and what doesn’t work,” stated ex-F1 racer and four-time Champ Automobile champion Bourdais. “It’s simply going to take time.
“Individuals suppose we’ve had numerous testing, but it surely was all centered towards homologation and reliability. We’re nonetheless actually inexperienced on data of the automobile so far as designing setups and getting efficiency out of it.
“Since we homologated the automobile, there’s actually been little time to optimize it and perceive it so far as discovering that final half a second that’s a game-changer once you come to race weekends. It’s going to be a steady studying course of, making an attempt to make numbers fall into place and validate the reads.”
Bourdais will once more be partnered by Renger van der Zande for the total IMSA season, with CGR’s IndyCar star Scott Dixon becoming a member of for the endurance occasions.
Picture by: Richard Dole / Motorsport Pictures
#31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac V-LMDh Cadillac V- LMDh: Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims, Jack Aitken
Within the sister Motion Specific crew, Jack Aitken replaces Alexander Sims alongside Pipo Derani – who claimed his second IMSA top-class prototype title final yr.
“Like every new automobile, you at all times need extra testing, extra apply time,” stated Derani. “Particularly when it’s such a fancy racecar with the hybrid and a heavy automobile makes it for an extended street by way of growth.
“We’re a yr and a bit into the event of this automobile however solely simply now beginning to perceive just a few issues that make sense to the setup and the way we make this automobile go faster. Nonetheless rather a lot to enhance from everybody.
“It’s at all times a studying course of and it’s a must to be humble sufficient to know it’s a must to proceed that approach if you wish to succeed on this collection.”
GM sports activities automobile racing program supervisor Laura Wontrop Klauser stated of the Daytona check: “We’ll be taking all the teachings from 24 hours of racing this yr and apply to see what we will do to prepare for subsequent yr.
“One of many issues that we’re enthusiastic about with our carryover program for ’24 is we’re capable of concentrate on the automobile and understanding it extra in addition to ensuring we’ve all of the help on the GM and Dallara facet prepared to assist the groups achieve success.
“One of the crucial difficult issues this yr has been the dearth of time. We’ve been operating race to race to race, and we’d sometimes slip in a check. Actually, it was our race schedule in 2023 that stored us busy, which was phenomenal as a result of you’ll be able to’t have a greater check than a race to see what you are able to do with the automobile.
“So, will probably be good to be again at Daytona, concentrate on a check plan.”
Cadillac was a contender for victory in final yr’s Daytona 24 Hours but it surely was ultimately outpaced by Acura’s ARX-06 vehicles – though the successful Meyer Shank Racing entry was later discovered to have manipulated tire information and was penalized.
