DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Perfect racing weather, a large crowd, and intense competition marked the opening six hours of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opening 64th Rolex 24 at Daytona. Under sunny skies and temperatures in the low 70s, Porsche Penske Motorsport set the early pace, with the No. 7 Porsche 963 leading the field after six hours, driven by Laurin Heinrich.
From the very start, the defending race-winning Porsche 963s charged to the front of the 60-car, four-class field, establishing a fast early rhythm that quickly put pressure on rival Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) teams. While the speed was impressive, many drivers were quick to point out that a 24-hour race is far from decided in the opening hours, especially with the demanding overnight portion still ahead.
Just before the six-hour mark, Heinrich passed Tijmen van der Helm in the No. 85 JDC-Miller Porsche to take the lead. Van der Helm, running an alternate pit strategy, soon made a stop and dropped down the order. Nick Yelloly, driving the pole-sitting No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06, moved into second place, while Rene Rast was third in the No. 24 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8, marking the Belgian team’s first U.S. race with BMW’s GTP program.
“I think that may be the last of the Porsches we’ve seen,” joked Yelloly’s teammate and pole-sitter Renger van der Zande after completing his opening stint, referring to how quickly Porsche asserted control of the race.
The Nos. 6 and 7 Porsche 963s grabbed the top two spots within minutes of the green flag and exchanged positions during pit cycles. However, the No. 6 Porsche suffered damage after contact with a slower car around the three-hour mark, requiring multiple pit stops and forcing the team into recovery mode.
At six hours, Porsche still held the lead by more than a second, with competitors acknowledging that the fight may ultimately come down to stopping the dominant German manufacturer.
“I think we have an advantage in cooler conditions,” said Sheldon van der Linde of BMW. “But the Porsches are fast in all conditions and seem to be controlling the race right now.”
In the LMP2 class, Jonny Edgar led for AO Racing in the No. 99 ORECA LMP2 07. Despite being involved in a multi-car accident on the opening lap and briefly going a lap down, the team recovered impressively. Edgar held a margin of more than a second over Alex Quinn in the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA. The LMP2 field was responsible for all five early race cautions.
The GTD PRO class initially featured a strong showing from Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports, but after six hours, Paul Miller Racing moved to the front. Neil Verhagen led in the No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, followed by Marvin Kirchhoefer in the No. 3 Corvette, with Nico Varrone third in the No. 4 Corvette. The top three cars were separated by less than three seconds.
“The start was a little wilder than expected,” said Nicky Catsburg, who opened the race in the No. 4 Corvette. “There was a lot of debris and cars going off, so I focused on staying out of trouble. The car feels very good, but it’s still early in the race.”
In GTD, Ferrari dominated early with a 1-2 position for the new Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO. Frederik Schandorff led in the No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari, ahead of Thierry Vermeulen in the No. 34 Conquest Racing Ferrari. Dudu Barrichello, son of former Formula 1 driver Rubens Barrichello, ran third in his Rolex 24 debut driving the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.
The race saw five caution periods, with 55 of the original 60 cars still running after six hours.
All four class leaders earned points toward the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, which spans five endurance races: Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Road America, and the Petit Le Mans finale. Points are awarded to the top three in each class, with all other finishers also earning points toward the sub-championship.
Live coverage of the race continues on Peacock in the U.S. with NBC Sports commentary, and internationally on the IMSA Official YouTube channel with IMSA Radio coverage.