Young drivers take advantage of the chance to gain valuable knowledge from veteran teammates, including four-time winner João Barbosa

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (26 January 2022) – Sean Creech Motorsport (SCM) comes to theRolex 24 At Daytona with an outstanding lineup of veterans and youngsters eager to make their mark at the legendary endurance classic – and ready to absorb the wisdom and knowledge available to them.

Four-time Rolex winner João Barbosa and sports car veteran Lance Willsey will pilot the No. 33 Sean Creech Motorsport Exelixis Ligier JS P320 for the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. They are joined at Daytona by two of the sport’s most promising young drivers: 18-year-old Malthe Jakobsen and 21-year-old Sebastian Priaulx.

Both youngsters have extensive backgrounds despite their young ages – Jakobsen, from Denmark, began karting at the age of 3, won the Danish F4 title and has driven the LMP3 car in the European Le Mans Series while Priaulx, from Guernsey, UK, started karting at 8, finished second in the 2017 Ginetta Junior series and seventh in the British F4 Championship before heading Stateside, where he won the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup North America title.

While Priaulx’s and Jakobsen’s combined ages still don’t add up to those of each of their co-drivers, both agree that the opportunity to learn the nuances of a 24-hour race from two drivers who have raced a combined 30 Rolex 24s will be key to their success.

“We have learned so much from them already, but I think this week, as we get into the race, we’ll learn even more,” said Jakobsen. “I don’t know what to expect, I’ve only done four-hour races up til now. João has told us that we need to stay as fresh as possible between stints, get some rest instead of sitting in the box – getaway if you can, and focus on your own stuff so you’re ready for the next time you get into the car. If you don’t do that, by the end of the race you’ll just be mentally and physically finished – because it’s not just a 24-hour day. From getting up Saturday, the autograph session, all the stuff before the race to the end of the day Sunday, it’s a long time. So wisdom like that is really good to get from someone like João.”

“It’s the small things,” said Priaulx. “There are so many small but critical things that you don’t know when you’re doing a 24-hour race for the first time. Knowing what to do when you come into pit lane, how to manage the car when it’s cold out at night and you’re on new tires – all the stuff you don’t think about when you’re not used to it. Things won’t always go your way but you keep fighting, because it’s not a sprint race – a lot can happen in 24 hours. I want to win it, but it’s a balance: you have to go into it with 100% commitment but 100% restraint. You can’t just hope for the best, you have to put the work it – you can’t underperform. We all have to be on our “A” game.”

SCM tested several notable young drivers late last year and chose Jakobsen and Priaulx as the best duo to join the team. Barbosa and Willsey saw in both drivers the youth, enthusiasm and outstanding ability that they were looking for, and believe the future is bright for both.

“I see huge potential in both Malthe and Seb to be future stars in this sport,” said Barbosa. “They are very good drivers and they have a great attitude. Malthe might be young, but he’s got more laps in these cars than I do and he is so mature, while Seb has already shown how quick he is, winning the Carrera Cup. I don’t need to tell them what to do on-track, it’s more about what to do in the kinds of race situations that they’ve never encountered before – driving at night, waking up at 3am to go do a double stint.

“Those are the things which can help speed up their learning process, as we’ve done this a few times before so we can help their transition a bit easier. When I was starting out, I learned from guys like Hurley Haywood and Andy Wallace, and they made my life much easier so I’m passing that along. It’s fun to drive with guys like this, with so much passion. We have one of the best lineups out here, so I feel good about our chances.”

“João has been interacting with them from the start regarding the driver’s skill set, while I’ve stressed to them the physical conditioning aspect of it,” said Willsey. “We’re going to expect a lot of them and neither of them has done this yet. It can be very difficult, with so much coming at you from so many directions. It’s been great to bring these two young men on board, to one of the biggest stages in the world – they’re fine young men, and they’re very quick in a race car.”

The Rolex 24 at Daytona takes the green flag this Saturday at 1:40 p.m. Eastern. The race will be broadcast live in the U.S. on the NBC family of networks (NBC, USA and streaming at Peacock TV), while international viewers can watch via IMSA.tv. IMSA Radio will also be available at IMSA.com.

About SCM
Team leader Sean Creech has competed in a multitude of sports car series from 1990 until the present day, including Group C, IMSA GTP, WTSCC, Grand-Am, SRO World Challenge, and IMSA. SCM moves to the WeatherTech Series in 2021 with João Barbosa and Lance Willsey.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 26, 2022) – Corvette Racing begins its 24th season of competition this weekend with the Rolex 24 At Daytona to start the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It’s a new season in more than one way as it marks the team’s first foray into GT Daytona (GTD) PRO competition.

The team logged three days of testing plus Sunday’s 100-minute qualifying race to set the Rolex 24 grid. Throughout the weekend, Corvette Racing engineers gathered useful data on a number of new items that are unique to the GTD-spec version of the Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.

The twice-around-the-clock endurance race around at the 3.56-mile road course inside the Daytona International Speedway presents a number of challenges and elements that aren’t found anywhere else in racing, according to two members of Corvette Racing:
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/Sirius XM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I love this event and being at Daytona. You’re going to straight into it and starting the season with one of the most important races. There’s no way to ease into things. You have to be on it, and this sets the tone for the season. It’s a unique situation compared to Europe. I’ve done this event several times now, so I’m used to it. Plus it’s a unique setting. The track is cool and fun with the banking. Plus you have a GT class that is this big. It’s an event we all look forward to every year.”

NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Daytona is always cool because it’s this big, standalone event. Yes, it’s part of a points-scoring championship but it’s still the Daytona 24 Hours. So it’s always cool. It’s different this year, especially for us on the 4 Corvette side for two reasons. For one, we have this new-spec C8.R GTD car so that’s different and new. I was telling someone the other day that Corvette Racing have been coming here for years and years and years with the same kind of formula and the same knowledge about how things should play out. This year it’s all a bit different and new. It’s fresh and very interesting to go into something new while learning and experimenting while not really knowing how things will work. Plus it’s a single event for our side of the garage before we go off to the WEC. But Daytona still has that big atmosphere and big levels of anticipation of what’s coming and what’s ahead of you.”

CORVETTE RACING BY THE NUMBERS AT DAYTONA

• 0.034: As in seconds – the winning margin of victory in Corvette Racing’s 1-2 finish at the 2016 Rolex 24. It is the closest finish in race history.
• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car going on 24 years: Corvette Racing and Chevrolet.
• 2: Number of the overall winning Corvette C5-R in the 2001 Rolex 24. Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell, Chris Kneifel and Franck Freon completed 656 laps for 2335.36 miles in the winning effort.
• 4: Rolex 24 wins in 11 tries for Corvette Racing: 2001 overall, 2015 GTLM (Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen/Ryan Briscoe), 2016 GTLM (Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler) and 2021 GTLM (Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg)
• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.
• 29: Number of GTLM wins for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014. Corvette Racing moves to GTD PRO starting with this year’s Rolex 24.
• 24: Drivers who have driven for Corvette Racing at Daytona – Justin Bell, Ryan Briscoe, Nicky Catsburg, Kelly Collins, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Marcel Fässler, Ron Fellows, Franck Freon, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, John Heinricy, Chris Kneifel, Robin Liddell, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Simon Pagenaud, John Paul Jr., Andy Pilgrim, Mike Rockenfeller, Scott Sharp, Alexander Sims, Nick Tandy and Jordan Taylor. The list will grow by one with the addition of Marco Sorensen for this year’s race.
• 25: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen.
• 31: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999.
• 69: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 were produced that year.
• 120: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 112 in North America and eight at Le Mans.
• 250: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.
• 49,723.16: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing at Daytona. That’s more than two full trips around the Earth at its equator (approx. 24,900 miles).
• 333,179.36: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon!
What’s New on the GTD PRO Corvette?
There have been lots of questions about changes to the Corvette C8.R for the IMSA GTD PRO class. There is quite a bit of work the Corvette Racing team has undertaken to transition the car from GTLM spec to meet GTD technical regulations. Here are a handful of key areas:

1. The mass of the C8.R is increased by 65 kilograms (143 lbs.) relative to Daytona 2021. To accommodate the ballast box required by the GT3/GTD regulations to hold the extra weight, the Corvette Racing team had to reconfigure the entire passenger side floor compartment. This required the move of the air conditioning unit, fire bottle, battery box and other electronics. This was no small feat with integration requiring significant effort by the Corvette Racing engineering team.
2. The 2022 Corvette GTD entry is running on customer Michelin tires, which are required for the category. This is a change from GTLM where the C8.R ran on confidential tires – ones that were specifically designed for Corvette Racing.
3. The power output of the C8.R’s flat-plane V8 is significantly reduced under GTD rules. The difference between the size of this year’s Daytona air restrictor and 2021 is nearly 1.7 mm.
4. Related to that, the GTD PRO Corvette is running with a higher angle of attack on the rear wing than previous years. This creates a greater level of drag on the race car and significantly reduces top speed.
5. The addition of ABS is required under GT3/GTD rules. As many observers are aware, Corvette Racing tested this in competition for the first time last year at Belle Isle in the GTLM Corvette. The system continued to be improved throughout testing late last year and early this season both virtually and in the real world.
6. The differential of the Corvette C8.R must now comply with GT3/GTD regulations. A limited slip differential configuration is permitted with a single homologated set of ramps. This required removal of some tuning options previously available on the GTLM Corvette.
7. Unlike other GTD teams, the C8.Rs are required to run with torque axle sensors. These directly measure the output of the Corvette engine and the data is used by IMSA for the BOP process.

The Chevrolet Fan Experience
Chevrolet aficionados will have no shortage of things to see and do at the Rolex 24. That’s because three locations around Daytona International Speedway – the Chevrolet Experience Center, the Chevrolet Injector and Chevrolet Motorsports Display – will be full of Chevrolet vehicles that spectators can learn more about throughout the weekend.

Each location will open at 9 a.m., Friday and Saturday; and 8 a.m., Sunday.

The Chevrolet Experience Center is located next to Victory Lane. The main attraction for Corvette enthusiasts is the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 – a nearly mirror image of the Corvette C8.R race car. Among its features is a 5.5L, flat-plane V8 capable of reaching 8,600 rpms. The 670hp output is the highest for any naturally aspirated V8 produced by any production car in the world.

In addition, Chevrolet vehicles on display at the Experience Center include the 2022 Corvette Stingray IMSA GTLM Championship Edition, Camaro ZL1, Tahoe High Country and Colorado ZR2, plus a Corvette Z06 chassis.

The Chevrolet Motorsports Display in the Fan Midway will have a number of attractions:
• Production vehicles such as the Corvette Stingray with the Z51 package, Tahoe RST, Blazer RS, Colorado Z71, Silverado 2500 HD Crew Carhartt, Camaro ZL1, a Corvette C8.R showcar and a Stingray cutaway chassis.
• Samples of Chevrolet engines, performance parts and accessories available to fans for purchase from local Chevrolet dealers
• Corvette Racing t-shirts for fans who sign up with Chevrolet

At the Chevrolet Injector, nearly 20 different Chevrolet vehicles are on display throughout the four levels of fan access. Models include Trax LT, Equinox RS, Traverse Premier, Trailblazer ACTIV and RS, Blazer Premier and RS, Silverado 1500 Trailboss, Silverado HD and 2500 Crew Cab LTZ, Corvette Stingray Convertible, Camaro ZL1 and 2SS Coupe, Colorado Z71 Crew Cab and ZR2, Suburban 4WD High Country and Tahoe LTZ

As at the Chevrolet Motorsports Display and Chevrolet Experience, Chevrolet product specialists will be on-hand to answer questions on each model of Chevrolet vehicle throughout the weekend.

Corvette Z06 at Barrett-Jackson
Also of note, the first 70th Anniversary Edition 2023 Corvette Z06 off the production line will be auctioned Saturday at the annual Barrett-Jackson event in Scottsdale, Ariz. Corvette Racing veterans Oliver Gavin and Ron Fellows will be on-hand and take part in the auction.

Net proceeds from the sale of these cars benefit Operation Homefront. Celebrating 20 years of serving America’s military families, Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive – not simply struggle to get by – in the communities they have worked so hard to protect.

Corvette Racing at Daytona
1999
No. 2 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/John Paul Jr. – 3rd in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Scott Sharp/John Heinricy – 12th in GTS

2000
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 2nd in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 10th in GTS

2001
No. 2 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Chris Kneifel/Franck Freon – 1st in GTS (overall win)
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Dale Earnhardt/Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 2nd in GTS

2014
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 10th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Robin Liddell – 5th in GTLM

2015
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 1st in GTLM (Magnussen fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Simon Pagenaud – 3rd in GTLM (Gavin pole)

2016
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 2nd in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 1st in GTLM (Winner by 0.034 second)

2017
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 4th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 9th in GTLM

2018
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 3rd in GTLM (Magnussen pole)
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GTLM

2019
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 6th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM

2020 (Rolex 24 – January)
No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 4th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 7th in GTLM

2020 (WeatherTech 240 – July)
No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM

2021
No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 1st in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 2nd in GTLM
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 80 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Daytona Beach, Fla. (January 26, 2022) — The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 will lead the 61-car IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship field to green for the 60th Running of the Rolex 24 at DAYTONA. Co-drivers Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque, Will Stevens and Alexander Rossi will attempt to secure the team’s record fourth consecutive victory and their fifth in six years. As Grand Marshal, Wayne Taylor, Team Owner of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05, will have the honor of giving the starting command. The race, which acts as a home event for himself and son, Ricky, is a unique chance for the family to make history.

Taylor, a two-time winner of the Rolex 24 as a driver, and a four-time winner as a team owner, is chasing a record-breaking fourth consecutive overall victory in this year’s event. Wayne Taylor Racing has emerged victorious in four of the past five contests. Triumph for Taylor and his team on January 29th will tie the all-time record for overall victories by a team and extend their unmatched run of dominance at Daytona in the DPi era.

“It’s the 60th anniversary of the Rolex 24 at DAYTONA and we’re going for four straight wins in a row,” said Team Owner Wayne Taylor. “As we all know, we won the pole by winning the Roar and we’ve done all the right things so far. We have really good drivers and really good team and the weather conditions are certainly going to play a significant role in this race. Driving in 31-35 degree temperatures is going to make it extremely hard for guys to get out of the pits and keep it on the track when the surface is so cold. I see lots of yellows coming and it’s important for us to stay on the lead lap and try and be fast at the very end. It’s the biggest field in recent memory so it’s going to be fun. I look forward to this race and I love everything about it. Looking forward to the start.”

After becoming the most prolific qualifier in IMSA history in 2021 and winning the Michelin Endurance Cup, veteran and two-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Champion Ricky Taylor returns for a full-time season with extreme focus on achieving a third Rolex 24 at DAYTONA victory and a second in row.

“It’s such a special feeling to start on the pole for the Rolex 24,” said Ricky Taylor. “Although, from a race perspective, the impact is minimal compared to other events, the prestige of leading the field to green for the biggest race of the year is a fantastic feeling. The strategy is always based around staying on the lead lap and having a car in good condition to go to the finish. Starting from the front doesn’t change our end goal so we will stick to the plan that seems to have worked a few times in the past especially with the amount of cars on track. We faced a bit of adversity at the Roar with some eventful sessions. But the team is performing very well and executing as always. So that’s all we can hope to take through to the race.”

Returning full time co-driver of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 and 2021 Michelin Endurance Cup Champion Filipe Albuquerque, who has won at Daytona twice in DPi and once in GT machinery, looks to achieve victory with WTR for the second consecutive year.

“We started 2022 on the right foot after winning the qualifying race and gained some points,” acknowledged Filipe Albuquerque. “It’s good to start on pole for the race, but it doesn’t mean much in terms of the results of the race. You can see that we started from last in a 100-minute race and we ended up winning. It’s going to be a long race, but the most important part is going to be avoiding contact with the GTDs, LMP2s and other cars since there are going to be 61 cars on track. I don’t think a lot of people are going to take risks in the beginning. We’ll evaluate the pace of everyone and then we need to learn during the few days in between the Roar and Rolex on how we can go faster, so we can be there in the last hour.”

Will Stevens will make his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship racing debut during the Rolex 24. He’ll look to carry a strong result into his endurance driver role for the remainder of the season.

“Starting on pole is obviously the best place to start, it’s the position to get the cleanest start let’s say and hopefully be able to control the pace of the race from there,” explained Will Stevens. “Any advantage we can get with the field being so tight in terms of performance we need to try and gain from. I think the main priority is to keep our race car in good shape until the morning. With these long races, you can’t win in the first few hours, but on the other hand, you have to stay in contention as much as you can. There really is no room to just cruise around. It’s all about risk reward for 20 hours of the race. The final few hours are where we can really start to push towards the end! From the first test day that I completed with these guys, I could see why they have been so successful here. That exact feeling has carried through every day at the Roar. The atmosphere in the team is great and everyone is pushing towards the exact same end goal. We have worked through the things we need to in order to make sure we have the best race car come the start of the Rolex 24 on Saturday. Ricky and Filipe did an awesome job in the Roar and now we have a few more days to make that car even better in the areas we know we need to work on.”

Seven-time INDYCAR race winner, 2016 Indianapolis 500 champion, 2021 Baja 1000 Winner, 2021 Rolex 24 Champion and 2021 Endurance Cup Champion Alexander Rossi will attempt to score another prestigious victory with Wayne Taylor Racing at the 2022 Rolex.

“Race week is finally here and I can’t wait to get back on track and get to work,” said Alexander Rossi. “The team did an amazing job yet again during the Roar and we were able to make the most of the qualifying race which has afforded us the opportunity to start the race from pole. We know that there is a long way to go and a huge amount of eyeballs are on us as we try to go for four-in-a-row so we will have to make sure that we are up to the challenge.”

Thursday, January 27th will mark the start of the Rolex 24 at DAYTONA weekend with Practice 1 at 11:05 a.m. EST. Green flag for the 24-hour battle drops at 1:40 pm EST on January 29th.
ABOUT KONICA MINOLTA

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the Workplace of the Future. The company guides and supports its clients’ digital transformation through its expansive office technology portfolio, including IT Services (All Covered), intelligent information management, managed print services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been included on CRN’s MSP 500 list nine times and The World Technology Awards recently named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for fourteen consecutive years, and received Keypoint Intelligence’s BLI 2021 A3 Line of The Year Award and BLI 2021-2023 Most Color Consistent A3 Brand Award for its bizhub i-Series. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for nine consecutive years and has spent four years on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list. Konica Minolta partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and works to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit us online and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 effort and Wayne Taylor Racing is supported by an outstanding lineup of partners including Harrison Contracting, Acura Motorsports, Hammer Nutrition and CIT.