“Roar Before The 24” at Daytona International Speedway features from the UK The Franchitti brothers, Justin Wilson, Tim Sugden, Darren Manning, Luke Hines, Robin Liddell, Ryan Dalziel and Derek Johnstone
Top class drivers from the UK, including current Indycar champion and 2007 Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti and 2008 Daytona GT class winner, Yorkshireman Nick Ham are set to participate in this weekend’s three-day test in preparation for the 2010 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
The test commences Friday, January 8 at the 3.56-mile (5.73-kilometre) banked track and goes through Sunday. It will boast an entry list including some of the best drivers from the U.K., Europe and around the world.
Franchitti is one of four Indy 500 champions entered for the test and the 24 hour classic race at the end of January, whilst five drivers from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series are entered for this weekend’s test. Other notable drivers include NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars AJ Allmendinger, Bobby Labonte, former F1 driver from Brazil, Ricardo Zonta and Hollywood heartthrob star Patrick Dempsey. Legendary four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will race in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona alongside two-time defending Rolex Daytona Prototype champions Alex Gurney (son of 1962 Daytona Continental winner Dan Gurney), and 1996 Champ Car titlist Jimmy Vasser.
Franchitti won the 2008 24 Hours of Daytona with Pruett, Rojas and Juan Pablo Montoya – all will drive for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, in separate BMW-powered Riley Daytona Prototype cars. Montoya will try to avenge a 0.167-second defeat in last year’s race.
Franchitti’s brother, Marino Franchitti from Edinburgh will drive with Rojas – the first Mexican driver to win a major international sports car racing driving championship – and fellow Briton Justin Wilson from Sheffield, who has four starts in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona .
Edinburgh-born Ryan Dalziel will race with an international line-up from Action Express Racing, Daytona Prototype champion Terry Borcheller from the USA, Rolex 24 GT winner Joao Barbosa from Portugal and Mike Rockenfeller from Switzerland. Dalziel will announce at the test he will drive fulltime this season with Starworks following the Rolex 24 effort.
The UK Radical Cup champion and amateur racer, Derek Johnston from Nottingham, won the 2009 Rolex 24 Driver Challenge presented by Sunoco, will drive for Doran Racing, a former 24 Hours of Daytona team winner.
Another Yorkshireman, Darren Manning will compete with Spirit of Daytona, alongside NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Paul Menard, 2004 Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia from Spain. The latter two won last year’s race with Donohue and Darren Law.
Robin Liddell also originally from Edinburgh moves from a Pontiac GXP.R to a Chevrolet Camaro in attempt to win his first Rolex 24; he’ll share the car with Dane and UK resident Jan Magnussen and Andrew Davis from the USA.
Bradford’s Tim Sugden returns to Daytona seeking his first victory at the track alongside James Walker from Jersey - the two are teammates with J Lowe Racing.
Young British driver, Luke Hines, will make his Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona debut with Miller Barrett Racing.
