Next weekend sees the 52nd running of the USA’s most famous sportscar race, the annual Rolex 24 At Daytona, when this year’s Sunoco Challenge Champion Bradley Smith steps up to compete in a car that has the potential to feature high in the overall rankings.
The 2013 Radical SR3 Challenge Champion earned his once-in-a-lifetime prize by achieving the highest score in the contest sponsored by Anglo American Oil Company (the official European distributor for Sunoco Race Fuels). Since his achievement was confirmed in October last year, the 22-year old from Billericay has travelled to Daytona twice: once for an initial appraisal of the track and to drive a Chevrolet Corvette-based Daytona Prototype for the first time, then secondly for the ‘Roar’, the official test held over three days at the beginning of January for all competitors taking part at Daytona.
During the first visit to the track in November, Bradley drove a 2013-specification Daytona Prototype run by the Action Express team, where he was shown the ropes by 2010 Rolex 24 At Daytona Champion Joao Barbosa. His second visit for the ‘Roar’ test saw him become acquainted with the team he will be joining for the race and their 2014-specification Whelen Motorsports sponsored DP car run by Marsh Racing.
Since then, Bradley has attended the recent Autosport show, where he was interviewed on the main stage and in a press conference on the Sunoco stand, about the challenge he faces when he lines up to start the biggest race of his life so far:
"After an exciting build up I can’t wait for the race. Between now and then I’m looking at data and preparing myself as much as I can, as I really want to make the most of this fantastic opportunity. As the DP cars are very different from what I’ve driven in the past, I’m hoping to get more seat time during the free practice sessions next week ahead of qualifying and the race itself.”
For the race, Bradley will be joined by three highly experienced drivers, each taking turns at the wheel during the 24-hours of action: Boris Said from Escondido California, Eric Curran from Holyoke Massachusetts and former Le Mans and F1 driver Max Papis from Como in Italy. With this illustrious line up and the car running in the top category, there is potential for a high placing, although Bradley is realistic about his Daytona inauguration:
“Of course, my target is to finish and get a good result and, if everything goes well, we have the car and the team to achieve this. Although you never really know until the race, during the test I was pleased with my pace against some of the other more-experienced drivers. Above all, this a great opportunity for me to gain invaluable experience and, whatever happens, it’s going to be a great boost for my career in motorsport.”
Supporting Bradley from the sidelines will be the driving force behind the Sunoco Challenge driver-development programme Anders Hildebrand, Managing Director of Anglo American Oil Company:
“Bradley is the fifth driver we have put forward to race in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Because of the way we have devised the points system, each winner has earned their place at the wheel of a Daytona Prototype for what is the biggest sportscar race in the USA and one of the world’s most prestigious motorsport events. It’s therefore great to see how our up-and-coming stars of the future rise to the occasion and how they compare against some of the more experienced and well-established drivers. From what I've seen so far, Bradley has shown tremendous speed and on-track maturity, which are essential assets to become a successful endurance racer.”
The 52nd running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona hosts the first round of the newly formed TUDOR United SportCar Championship, which sees Daytona and Le Mans Prototypes officially racing together for the first time.
Competitors get the green light at 2.10 EST (7.10 GMT) on Saturday 25th January and finish at the same time on Sunday. 67 cars are scheduled to line up on the grid, with Bradley listed to drive car #31, theWhelen Motorsports entry one of 11 Daytona Prototypes and six Le Mans Prototypes that will be competing for overall honours in the top category.
