- 2026 HSR IMSA Classic Featuring Rolex 24 At Daytona Cars from 1990 – 2010 an All-Riley Prototype Top-Three Overall Sweep with Jim Matthews, Jim Farley and Todd Sloan
- 2000 Dodge Viper GTS-R Captures HSR IMSA Classic GT Honors as Florent Moulin Scores Second Major HSR Victory at Daytona in a Row
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (January 29, 2026) – The Second Annual Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) IMSA Classic became an “Instant Classic” this past Saturday with a capacity field of memorable cars from IMSA’s past appropriately setting the stage for that afternoon’s start of the record-setting 64th running of the IMSA Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Early morning fog gave way to the day’s first beams of sunshine minutes before the scheduled 8:50 a.m. EST start and the quality field of historic cars and notable drivers capably shined in the spotlight for a featured 30 minute sprint witnessed by the already huge crowd of race fans and thousands of IMSA competitors and team members taking in some memorable sights and sounds from the past.
The top-three overall and Prototype class finishers alone well represented the race’s featured era that showcased authentic and period-correct Rolex 24 At Daytona sports cars between the years of 1990 – 2010.
The overall winner was the 1996 Riley & Scott Mk III now owned and driven by Jim Matthews. One of the best known Riley & Scotts, the car won both the Rolex 24 and 12 Hours of Sebring in 1996 and now has an IMSA Classic race victory in the current chapter of the car’s record book of achievements. Matthews, a Riley stalwart who campaigned both Riley & Scott open-top cars and Riley Daytona Prototypes in the prime of his racing career, called on Bill Riley and his championship-winning team to prepare the 1996 Mk III they all know well.
Matthews and Riley also played a role in the second-place finishing 2002 Riley & Scott Mk IIIC that Matthews also owns and didn’t hesitate to make available to Ford Motor Company CEO and avid HSR competitor Jim Farley. The two Rileys were the IMSA Classic pacesetters all weekend, and Matthews and Farley put the crowning touch on a fast and fun three days at Daytona International Speedway with the one-two finish.
Completing the Riley trifecta was multiple HSR Classic Endurance Championship presented by Mission Foods Run Group Champion Todd Sloan in his ex-Michael Shank Racing 2007 Riley XI Daytona Prototype.
Chip Vance actually made it four Rileys in the overall finishing order with a fourth-place run in his ex-SunTrust/Riley Motorsports Riley XI Daytona Prototype, but for a time even the Riley top three looked to be in jeopardy.
Driving his immaculate Iconic Racing 2000 Dodge Viper GTS-R in the GT division, frequent HSR competitor Florent Moulin moved into the top-three overall behind Matthews and Farley early in the race. Moulin was taking it to the majority of the Prototype ranks in the 8-liter V-10 powered Viper, but a fueling miscue stopped the charge but not his winning GT class bid. Moulin recovered to take IMSA Classic GT win, his second major triumph at Daytona in less than three months after driving the Viper to a Run Group victory this past November in the HSR Classic Daytona 24 Hour presented by Mission Foods.
The pristine Viper’s recent success at Daytona comes more than 25 years after the car finished fifth in the inaugural Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Rolex 24 At Daytona in 2000.
Moulin completed the overall top-five behind the four Rileys and was followed to the line by winning HSR competitors Colin Dougherty and Cory Friedman. Dougherty, the 2023 HSR Driver of the Year, finished second in GT and sixth overall in his DAS Sport 2001 Porsche 996 GT3 RSR while Friedman took third and seventh outright in his 1995 No. 14 Autometrics Porsche 993 RSR.
Friedman and his father, Gordon Friedman, have been fixtures in both HSR and contemporary racing with Autometrics for well over 30 years. They campaigned in their primes several cars in the IMSA Classic featured 1990 – 2010 era, and Saturday’s GT podium Porsche was the same one the Autometrics team ran in the 2001 Rolex 24 At Daytona. It was the only air-cooled, normally aspirated Porsche competing that year, and one of the last of that legendary type and generation to run in the Rolex 24.
Jim Matthews, Driver – 1996 Riley & Scott Mk III: “This is a very special place and the 1996 car I would say is probably the most famous Riley, winning at Daytona and Sebring and racing at Le Mans. It actually has a little more power than the Riley IIIC because of the 1996 air restrictor rules versus 2002. Bill Riley and the team helped us all weekend, but Bill couldn’t be with us for the race because he was over getting ready for the Rolex 24 with his GTD Mustang.”
Jim Farley, Driver – 2002 Riley & Scott Mk IIIC: “It was great! I really enjoyed it and Saturday morning’s feature race was really different than Friday night under the lights. I just want to thank Riley, the whole team and Jim (Matthews) for the privilege of driving a piece of history. This is an experience I will always treasure always treasure. And what’s great about racing is that you are living in the moment, right here with everyone else that loves it. I am sure glad I am not playing golf! This Riley is a breakthrough car. It had a six-liter V8 engine, a very innovative rear suspension and was one of the first with paddle shifters. I think, as Americans, we should all be really thankful to the Rileys for producing this kind of stuff.”
Todd Sloan, Driver – 2007 Riley XI Daytona Prototype: “It was awesome to be out there with the other Rileys. Bill Riley is here, they build such great race cars, and I just feel so privileged to be here with all of the other competitors. It was an awesome race and an awesome experience. I can’t thank HSR enough. I want to thank my team and my crew. To be able to be here is just amazing. Driving under the lights on Friday night in practice too. It all just really makes the hair stand up on you. great, great event and we are very privileged to be here.”
Flourent Moulin, Driver – 2000 Dodge Viper GTS-R: “I was surprised by the pace of the car Saturday morning. I really, really pushed hard. I really cannot drive this thing faster. At some point I was in P3 overall but on the last lap I ran out of fuel! I managed to still make it to the finish line for GT. It is great. It is so fantastic to be here during the Rolex 24. Thank you so much to HSR. It is so nice and absolutely amazing.”
Next up on the 2026 HSR calendar is the start of right full-season championship schedule at Sebring International Raceway with the HSR Sebring Pistons and Props presented by Alan Jay Automotive Network, February 12 – 15. The popular Pistons & Props event makes a race date swap this year with the HSR Sebring Classic 12 Hour presented by Mission Foods, which returns to its traditional December date after one year running this past March the weekend before the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race.
About HSR: An International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) property, Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) was formed in the mid-1970s with an event at Road Atlanta. There was one goal then and it remains true today: to celebrate the racing cars from the past. As a “time machine” of sights and sounds, HSR provides a venue for competitors and spectators alike to share in the wonderful history and excitement created by the cars that competed at race tracks around the world. HSR currently sanctions eight vintage and historic racing events at some of the world’s most renowned race tracks, including Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway, Daytona International Speedway and more. The complete schedule and full event information can be found on HSR’s website at www.HSRRace.com. Look for the HSR Channel on YouTube and follow HSR on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HSRrace/ and on Twitter X at @HSR_race and Instagram @HistoricSportscarRacing.
