61 cars will take the grid for the 2025 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
GTP: A total of 12 cars make up the headlining class for 2025.
Porsche: The undisputed 24 Hours of Daytona, king amongst all brands, Porsche looks to defend their glory from 2024 and achieve their 20th overall Daytona win as a constructor and 24th as an engine manufacturer. The German brand will show up with the same cars as last year.
Porsche Penske Motorsport set the standard in all endurance sports car racing in 2024. The factory Porsche team locked up both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar and FIA World Endurance Championship titles.
The defending Rolex 24 winning entry, #7 Porsche 963, is set to be driven by Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy, and Laurens Vanthoor.
The #6 Porsche 963 will be piloted by Mathieu Jaminet, Matt Campbell, and Kevin Estre.
Porsche will continue to supply two customer 963s for the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. Gianmarina Bruni and Neel Jani will drive the #5 for Proton Competition, while Tijmen van der Helm and Bryce Aron are slated to drive the #85 for JDC-Miller Motorsports.
Cadillac: Change is the theme for Cadillac going into 2025. “Gone” is Chip Ganassi Racing, and “In” is two new partnerships across the WEC and IMSA. Additionally, GM’s Formula One dream will finally become a reality. As far as the Rolex 24 is concerned, Cadillac will reunite with its original winning program, Wayne Taylor Racing. WTR looks to tie the now absent Chip Ganassi Racing with their 6th win, the highest number of overall Rolex 24 victories by a team. Cadillac will also retain factory-level efforts with Whelen Action Express Racing. All Daytona driver lineups for this brand are fully confirmed.
#10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R (Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque, Will Stevens, Brendon Hartley)
#40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R (Jordan Taylor, Louis Deletraz, Alex Lynn, Kamui Kobayashi)
#31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R (Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, Frederik Vesti, Felipe Drugovich)
BMW: BMW is back for its third year of the M Hybrid V8. Fielded by Team RLL, the program looks to rebound after mechanical problems plagued their 2024 Rolex 24 efforts. Additionally, the manufacturer hopes to end a nearly 5-decade drought since their last overall win in 1976. BMW had an engine win in 2013 courtesy of Riley.
#24 BMW Team RLL M Hybrid V8 (Philipp Eng, Dries Vanthoor, Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello)
#25 BMW Team RLL M Hybrid V8 (Marco Wittmann, Sheldon van der Linde, Robin Frijns, Rene Rast)
Acura: A familiar name has returned to IMSA in Meyer Shank Racing. Despite what was once thought of as a “messy breakup” following the tire pressure scandal in MSR’s 2023 Rolex 24 win and subsequent IMSA absence in 2024, both parties have seemingly “reconciled” and will pick up where they left off in 2025, this time with a 2-car fleet. MSR is seeking their fourth win in the Rolex 24 and their third with Acura.
#60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian ARX-06 (Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, Scott Dixon, Felix Rosenqvist)
#93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian ARX-06 (Renger van der Zande, Nick Yelloly, Álex Palou, Kakunoshin Ohta)
Lamborghini: Lamborghini will make their debut with the SC63 in the upcoming Rolex 24. Fielded by Iron Lynx, Lamborghini announced that they would step away from the FIA World Endurance Championship after the new 2-car per manufacturer requirement went into effect.
#63 Lamborghini Iron Lynx SC63 (Mirko Bortolotti, Romain Grosjean, Daniil Kvyat, Edoardo Mortara)
The most notable absence of GTP class is Aston Martin. Aston Martin announced they would skip the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, citing their preference to continue testing and developing their car. Instead, Aston Martin will make their global racing debut with the Valkyrie AMR-LMH in the FIA World Endurance Championship Qatar 1812km. They will also make their IMSA debut in the 12 Hours of Sebring, becoming the first car to use LMH specifications to race in the IMSA GTP class.
In addition to current offseason storylines, Hyundai made a significant announcement as the Korean brand will create an LMDh with Hyundai’s luxury staple, Genesis. The Genesis GMR-001 will aim to debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship by 2026 and, subsequently, IMSA in 2027.
LMP2: The Le Mans Prototype 2 class (LMP2) will see 12 cars in the upcoming Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. All cars will be running the Oreca 07 chassis.
Era Motorsport are back to defend their LMP2 crown in the Rolex 24. This year’s lineup includes Tobias Luke, Paul-Loup Chatin, David Heinemeier Hansson, and Ryan Dalziel.
United Autosports will field two Orecas in 2025. Drivers confirmed for the #2 and #22 include but are not limited to Ben Hanley, Daniel Goldburg, and Paul Di Resta.
Crowdstrike Racing by Algarve Pro Racing is ready to return to the track in the Rolex 24 with a mixture of endurance racing veterans and open-wheeled stardom. Car #04 will be driven by George Kurtz, Malthe Jakobsen, Toby Sowery, and Colton Herta.
Tower Motorsports has already announced their full driving lineup for the Rolex 24. Car #8 will feature John Farano, Sebastian Alvarez, Sebastien Bourdais, and Job Van Uitert.
TDS Racing returns to defend their LMP2 class championship in the Michelin Endurance Cup. Their #11 Oreca has Steven Thomas, Mikkel Jensen, Charles Milesi, and Hunter McElrea.
Inter Europol Competition has its full lineup set for the Rolex 24. Car #43 will be driven by Tom Dillmann, Jon Field, Antonio Felix da Costa, and Bjoy Garg.
No longer associated with Inter Europol, PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports will be back to defend their IMSA LMP2 championship. Car #52 will be piloted by Ben Keating, Rodrigo Sales, Benjamin Pedersen, and Mathias Beche.
Over the winter, Pratt Miller Motorsports announced their foray into LMP2 racing for 2025. With a full driving lineup confirmed, the #73 will feature Pietro Fittipaldi, James Roe, Chris Cumming, and Callum Ilott.
Riley ruled the short-lived LMP3 era of IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship racing from 2021-2023, especially when it came to endurance events such as the Rolex 24. In year 2 of Riley’s quest to mirror their LMP3 success in LMP2, they acquired an 11-time Formula One Grand Prix winner. Car #74 lineup: Gar Robinson, Felipe Fraga, Josh Burdon, Felipe Massa.
AF Corse’s PECOM Racing will take to the Rolex 24 grid with drivers Luis Perez Companc, Nicklas Nielsen and Matthieu Vaxiviere. A fourth driver is yet to be announced.
Completing the LMP2 entry list, AO Racing is set to return to the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship with their amusing purple car, better known as “Spike”. The team recently won the 2024 European Le Mans Series title. Driving the #99 in the upcoming Rolex 24 are P.J. Hyett, Dane Cameron, Jonny Edgar, and Christian Rasmussen.
A grand total of 37 cars are comprised of GT3 specifications. The two GT Daytona classes will produce exciting racing with cars built to resemble passenger sports cars that can be purchased from dealer showrooms.
The GT Daytona Pro class (GTD Pro) experienced its share of changes over the offseason. To the surprise of racing fans, popular Ferrari team Risi Competizione will not participate in the 2025 Rolex 24. The team won GTD Pro at Daytona in 2024 and will sit out the 2025 edition of this race.
Despite Risi Competizione’s absence, a Ferrari 296 GT3 will still race in the 2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona courtesy of a new effort from Dragonspeed. Dragonspeed traditionally ran in LMP2 over recent years but has moved their #81 to GTD Pro and so far Albert Costa is the only listed driver.
Reigning IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship GTD Pro Class winning team, AO Racing, and their #77 Porsche 911 GT3R known as “Rexy”, are ready to reclaim their championship crown with drivers Laurin Heinrich, Klaus Bachler, and Alessio Picariello.
Proton Competition will field the other GTD Pro Porsche, with car #20 to be driven by Claudio Schiavoni, Matteo Cressoni, Richard Lietz and Thomas Preining.
Defending Michelin Endurance Cup Champions, Paul Miller Racing, are back in full swing with a 2-car BMW M4 GT3 Evo effort. Driver rosters for car #1 and car #48 are yet to be announced.
The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R is back for year 2 of operation in 2025. Having put a shaky 2024 season in the rearview mirror, the popular American sports car company and its cult fanbase have a lot to be excited about in the GTD Pro class.
The flagship Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports lineups are fully set for the upcoming Rolex 24. Car #3 will feature Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, and Daniel Juncadella, while car #4 will feature Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, and Nicolas Varrone.
On December 12th, TF Sport, Corvette’s FIA World Endurance Championship team, announced a collaborative effort with NASCAR’s Trackhouse Racing to form Trackhouse by TF Sport. The talent-filled lineup for car #91 includes Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch, Ben Keating, and Scott McLaughlin.
On the opposite side of the GTD Pro class battle for American muscle supremacy, Ford enters their second foray into the Rolex 24 with the Mustang GT3. The 5.4 liter naturally aspirated V8 motor produces a gratifying “growly” sound that fans adore.
The rosters for Ford Multimatic Motorsports brings back familiar drivers. Car #64 has Mike Rockenfeller, Ben Barker, and Sebastian Priaulx, while car #65 has Christopher Mies, Frederic Vervisch, and Dennis Olsen.
Mercedes enters 2 cars in the GTD Pro class for the 2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona from 2 different teams with the AMG GT3 Evo.
Germany’s own Getspeed Performance will field the #69 car, which will be driven by Anthony Bartone, Luca Stolz, and Fabian Schiller. A fourth driver is yet to be announced.
Australia’s 75 Express (formerly known as SunEnergy1 Racing), a team that won 2 out of the last 3 Bathurst 12 Hour races, hopes to win the 24 Hours of Daytona finally. Leading the #75 team are Kenny Habul, Mikael Grenier, Maro Engel, and an unnamed fourth driver.
The Heart of Racing Team are doing a one-off in the GTD Pro class at Daytona with their presumable Hypercar and GTP drivers before the team takes off in the Valkyrie. Driving the #007 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo will be Ross Gunn, Alex Riberas, Roman De Angelis, and Marco Sørensen.
Pfaff Motorsports made their second manufacturer change in the last 3 years, saying goodbye to McLaren in favor of Lamborghini. Driving the plaid #9 Huracan GT3 Evo2 will be Andrea Caldarelli, James Hinchcliffe, Jordan Pepper, and Marco Mapelli.
Last but not least is the oldest current active GT3 car, Lexus. With the RC F GT3, Vasser Sullivan Racing is back to contend in the GTD Pro class. The driver lineup for the #14 car is yet to be released.
Expected to be the most competitively diverse class of the Rolex 24, the GT Daytona (GTD) category will feature 22 cars from 9 different manufacturers.
The defending Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona GTD class winner, Winward Racing, kicks off the GTD class list in their #57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. In addition to winning the Rolex 24, Winward won 3 more races and locked up both the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship and the Michelin Endurance Cup titles. Three of the four drivers from last year’s Rolex 24 winning car are back to achieve Daytona glory again, including Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, Indy Dontje, and Lucas Auer.
Korthoff Competition Motors returns to the IMSA scene for 2025 in their Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. Car #32 will be driven by Seth Lucas, Kenton Koch, Maximilian Götz, and Daniel Morad.
Continuing the Mercedes train, we find Lone Star Racing. So far, only Dan Knox is slated to drive the #80 car.
Vasser Sullivan Racing is set to return to GTD competition with their #12 Lexus RC F GT3. The driver lineup for this car is yet to be announced.
Two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs comprise the GTD category for the 2025 edition of the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
Downsizing from a disappointing 2-car campaign in 2024, Canadian team Andrew Wojteczko Autosport, (better known as AWA), will field the #13 Corvette hoping for better success entering their sophomore year. The full driver lineup is set with Orey Fidani, Matthew Bell, Lars Kern, and Marvin Kirchhöfer.
Longtime SRO GT World Challenge America staple, DXDT Racing, will make their Rolex 24 debut to kick off the second year of their Corvette program. Driving the blue #36 will be Salih Yoluç, Charlie Eastwood, Alec Udell, and Pipo Derani.
Three Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo’s will make up the GTD class for the upcoming Rolex 24.
The factory-supported Aston Martin team, The Heart of Racing Team, kicks off their 2025 GTD class campaign in the #27 car with a talented driving lineup comprised of Zacharie Robichon, Mattia Drudi, Tom Gamble, and Casper Stevenson.
Making the jump from the Michelin Pilot Challenge, van der Steur Racing will field the #19 Aston Martin with drivers Rory van der Steur, Valentin Hasse-Clot, and Maxime Robin.
Magnus Racing completes the Aston Martin trio. A veteran-filled driving lineup will see the #44 car being piloted by Spencer Pumpelly, John Potter, and Andy Lally. On December 4th, 2024, Lally made the surprising announcement that the 2025 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona would be the final race of his driving career. The 49-year-old will assume a new motorsports role as the President of the Trans Am Series.
The Ferrari 296 GT3 overwhelmingly dominates the GTD class with a whopping number of seven cars for the upcoming Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
As expected, AF Corse is coming to Daytona with 2 Ferrari’s. The #21 driver lineup is fully, set with a driving lineup comprised of Alessandro Pier Guidi, Lilou Wadoux, Simon Mann, and Kei Cozzolino. The sister #50 car, at the time of this article, has confirmed only Custodio Toledo as part of their driving lineup.
Family-owned Trisari Competizione is expanding to a 2-car team for the upcoming Rolex 24. Car #023 has returning drivers Onofrio Trisari, Charles Scardina, Alessio Rovera, and Riccardo Agostini. The drivers for the #021 car are yet to be announced.
Conquest Racing is back in 2025. The full Rolex 24 lineup for car #34 is Cedric Sbirrazzuoli, Giacomo Altoè, Manny Franco, and Daniel Serra.
Cetilar Racing is back in action with their #47 Ferrari. Over the last 3 years, this team has gained a cult following, being deemed the “underdog Ferrari GT team”. So far, only Roberto Lacorte is slated to drive for the team at the time of this post.
The last of the Ferrari bunch, and the newest of the entries for the Italian brand, is Inception Racing. Inception Racing had a year to remember in 2024 that saw the team achieve an unlikely pole position in that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The lineup for the #70 car includes Brendan Iribe, Frederik Schandorff, Ollie Milroy, and an unnamed fourth driver.
Lamborghini entered two Huracan GT3 Evo2’s in the GTD class for the 2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Wayne Taylor Racing picks up where they left off in with the #45 car. Danny Formal, Trent Hindman, Graham Doyle, and Kyle Marcelli have announced a full driver lineup.
Forte Racing returns to the IMSA scene in 2025. So far, the only announced drivers for the #78 car are Misha Goikhberg and Parker Kligerman.
Moving from Acura, Gradient Racing says hello to the Ford Mustang GT3 in 2025. Joey Hand is the first driver announced to pilot the #66 car for the Rolex 24.
There is an unusually low car count in the GTD class for the Porsche 911 GT3R. Only 2 Porsches make up the GTD grid in this class.
Iron Dames, the all-female driving program from Iron Lynx, will run a Porsche in their 2025 IMSA starts. The lineup has increased from 3 to 4 members. Driving car #83 in the Rolex 24 will be Sarah Bovy, Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting, and Karen Gaillard.
Coming off a title in the 2024 GT World Challenge America Pro Class, Wright Motorsports enters Daytona to repeat the same glory they reached a few months prior. Driving the #120 Porsche in the upcoming Rolex 24 will be Adam Adelson, Elliott Skeer, Tom Sargent, and Ayhancan Guven.
Rounding out the GTD class grid is the lone BMW M4 GT3 Evo fielded by Turner Motorsport. Driving the #96 will be Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher, Jake Walker, and Jens Klingmann.
These are the teams and drivers to look for in next month’s exciting 24 Hours of Daytona! 2025 will surely be another fantastic race to remember.
IMPORTANT DATES:
JANUARY 17–19 Roar before the 24
JANUARY 22-24 Rolex 24 at Daytona Practice & Qualifying sessions
JANUARY 25-26 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona Race
Image: Joseph Landy-Pavlon