Roe Takes on Daytona
Daytona International Speedway is bustling with race teams and drivers from all over the globe, as the first race of the IMSA season is upon us.
The Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona is North America’s most prestigious sports car race. From sunrise to sunset and through the night, this 24-hour marathon race tests the limits of both driver and machine.
James Roe makes his IMSA debut this weekend, driving for the Oshkosh Corporation owned – Pratt Miller Motorsport’s LMP2 entry. The 26-year-old will compete in the No. 73 ORECA 07 alongside drivers Pietro Fittipaldi, Callum Illott and Chris Cumming. The 12-entry LMP2 class is seeing a boom in popularity with veteran teams and drivers participating.
And at the “Roar Before the 24” this past weekend, Roe and his Pratt Miller team found good pace, logging laps in six of the practice sessions.
“The Roar weekend was great,” said Roe. “This was my first time in the car and at Daytona Speedway. So, there were many new things to take in, from the car itself, to tire management, traffic management and fuel saving. All important things for the race. The team has been awesome, and my teammates are super helpful at getting me up to speed in a new program.”
The IMSA series features multi-class racing. That means there are FOUR different classes of cars on track at the same time. Part of the driver’s skill is navigating the varied speeds of the cars around you. In addition, for an endurance race like Daytona, each entry will have up to 4 drivers who share the seat throughout the 24 hours.
“Endurance racing has always appealed to me,” continued Roe. “And when the opportunity presented itself to not only compete in one of the world’s largest races, but also expand our racing program for our partners, it was a no brainer.”
The 63rd Rolex 24 at Daytona will have flag to flag coverage this weekend on Peacock. In addition, broadcast coverage of the race coverage will begin Saturday, Jan. 25 at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC and move to USA Network from 2:30-6:30 p.m. The conclusion of the race is back on NBC from noon to 2 p.m.
“Looking forward to getting my first ever endurance race under my belt,” says Roe. “And fingers crossed my three teammates and I will be fighting for a win when hour 24 comes around.”
63rd Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona
Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, Florida
Race Day/Time: Saturday, January 25 – 1:40 p.m. ET
NBC Network Coverage: LIVE, Saturday, January 25 – 1:30-2:30 p.m. ET; Sunday, January 26, 12:00-2:00 p.m. ET with remainder on USA and Peacock
Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET in the U.S.; International feed coverage on IMSA.tv and YouTube.com/IMSAOfficial (outside U.S.)
Live Qualifying Stream: Thursday, January 23 – 2:05 p.m. ET on Peacock and IMSA.tv (in the U.S.) and YouTube.com/IMSAOfficial (outside the U.S.)
Circuit Type: 3.56-mile, 12-turn road course
Classes Competing: Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), Grand Touring Daytona (GTD)
Race Length: 24 hours
Team Instagram: @PrattMiller