Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway ushers in the new racing season each year with two days of adrenaline-pumping preparation, a four hour Endurance Challenge, and the Rolex 24 hours of thrilling competition on the track. I didn’t make it to the event this year (January 24 – 26), but experienced racing enthusiast Kim Crumb brought back a few photos for us.
The Volkswagen Motorsport trailer was there again, but like in 2019 there were no Volkswagens in the race. That didn’t stop the Volkswagen fans from bringing their campers for the weekend. I wonder if they get any sleep. Does the drone of engines through out the night qualify as “white noise”?
Volkswagen Auto Group (AG) was well represented at Daytona. There were a number of Audi RS 3s all operating with a Volkswagen 2.0 Turbo engine. Audi RS 3 #54 came all the way from Minnesota as part of the JDC Miller team and placed 3rd in the TCR (Touring Car) class in the four hour BMW Endurance Challenge on Friday, January 24.
The Rolex 24 starts on Saturday afternoon and finishes on Sunday. Six Lamborghinis raced in the GTD (Grand Touring Daytona) class and came in 1st, 2nd,14th, 15th, and 16th. Wow! Three Porsche 911 RSRs placed in the same GTD class placing 4th, 5th, and 9th. Wow, again! Just completing the grueling 24-hour race is a victory in itself. It means the car didn’t fail or crash and drivers’ skills were tested and proven. All in all, a very spectacular year for Volkswagen AG.
Oh, and the winner of the 2020 Rolex 24? The Konica Minolta Cadillac team in their #10 Prototype. Congratulations to them for winning two consecutive years!
Written by Cindy Zipf, 2020
Photos by Kim Crumb