Pre Rolex Material Rolex 04/02/2001   Entry News Subtle Changes   It’s almost inevitable that as soon as this is written it will be out of date, but nevertheless there are some significant ‘adjustments’ going on as regards the Rolex 24 entry. A notable addition is the Konrad Motorsport Lola. Is Franz about to make his B98 and B2K Lolas available for sale? He’s now spent two years with the Lola marque, after a very indifferent start with the Lotus engine in the back of the first one. Jan Lammers was a star on the infield in ’99, but he was made to look very pedestrian on the banking. Success seemed much more likely with the Ford V8 from Le Mans ’99 onwards, but his greatest success came just two weeks ago, with second place at Adelaide. The Risi Ferrari should have just the three drivers for the race, with David Brabham occupied elsewhere in Florida, with Panoz LMP07 testing. The second Dyson / Thetford / Norcold entry has Max Papis and Nic Jonsson alongside Dyson himself and EFR. Papis is rightly a crowd favourite. Among the smaller SRPs, the #22 Archangel Lola features Martin Henderson and Nigel Greensall on the team, both of these two ‘Brits’ having all the speed needed to achieve a class win. How many of the SRPlls will make it through 24 hours? What pace will they set? The ‘pole’ car at the Test Days still only has Jon and Clint Field listed, while the sister #28 R&S also only has two drivers announced so far. Bob Mazzuoccola might have been expected to occupy a Pilbeam MP84 in the race, but he should now be in the #80 G&W Porsche 911 GT3R. Driver line-ups are still blank for both of the Pilbeams. The Bob Akin Motorsports R&S was a slow starter at the Test Days, but the likes of Norman Simon and Mark Simo should have this older chassis at the right end of the SRP grid. Are any more Prototype entries expected? The Brown Motorsports Ferrari? GTS will see the inclusion of the ’99 winner on the entry list in due course, with three of the ’99 class-winning drivers. Andre Ahrle / David Warnock / Hubert Haupt are back for another crack at the Corvette C5-Rs, but the Chevrolet was making its debut two years ago, and is now virtually bomb proof. Can a good GT2 Porsche stay close enough to keep the pressure on? Can a Marcos Mantara? Calum Lockie / Cor Euser / Herman Buurman are likely to be much more competitive than the second Marcos, but both cars have 6.9 litre engines, which were good enough for 300 kph on the banking during the first week of January – once they had been carefully run in. “We've got a really nice balance on the car, but there's a bit more to come yet," explained Lockie. Realistically, they’re chasing first privateer spot in GTS, as the Corvettes and the Saleen are that much quicker. Who will be in the Rocketsports Saleen, with Gentilozzi and Miller? How will the Earnhardts compare with the Fellows / Kneifel / Freon / O’Connell squad? The 911 GT1 brigade add to the GTS intrigue going into the event, while the two Chamberlain Vipers have yet to show their (driving) hand yet. The GT class is brim full of….Porsches. The Jet Motorsports M3 seems to be the only BMW to threaten the GT3Rs and RSs – Jennings / Stuck / Said / Borcheller are as strong a line-up as any in GT (a class without PTG - or Schnitzer, of course). The Mosler MT900R shows real promise, but might need more time for development. Missing from the Test Days were the #86 Freisinger Motorsports GT3RS and the PK Sport GT3R. The latter team felt they ought to have capitalised on the dramas befalling other Porsche entrants in the closing stages last year, but they’ll have to go some to keep in contact with Kaufmann and Bouchut in #86. This car could take on the ‘Barbour ALMS’ role; speaking of which, where are any Barbour or Skea or Alex Job entries? Barbour’s Lucas Luhr completes a very strong group in the #31 White Lightning GT3R – the Pobst / Menzel / Fitzgerald car was quickest at the Tests. David Murry – ex-Skea – adds his name to those of Darren Law / Mat Drendel / Cort Wagner in the #81 G&W GT3R. No Skea or Barbour entries coincides with no Pirelli or Michelin tyres. Dunlop rubber will be gluing a third of the grid to the track. RWS didn’t run in early January, but should be as strong as almost anyone come the race – look out for Luca Riccitelli chasing Bouchut and Luhr for the class pole. Marc Duez joins the blue Red Bull / KTM backed team. Many of the Porsche entries showed their race pace in early January – and they will realistically be aiming to come through in the last quarter. But Porsche have solved those problems that decimated the field a year ago, so expect one of the quicker cars to go through virtually trouble free. As usual, Daytona is shaping up to be a one-off race, attracting both highly serious entries, and the once a year guys. Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport