24 Hours of Daytona: What famous names and Dutchmen are involved?

The Daytona 24 Hours begins January 28 at Daytona International Speedway in Florida. Although this long-distance race is not as well known as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a lot of well-known names participate in it. For example, many former Formula 1 drivers can be found on the field, as there are no fewer than 61 different teams divided into 5 racing classes, but many Dutchmen also compete in the United States. F1 max List the most famous participants.

Ringer van der Zande

In the Netherlands we mainly know Van der Zande from his analytics at Ziggo Sport, but the Dutchman himself is an avid long-distance racer. The driver will compete against eight other cars in the GTP class during the 24 Hours of Daytona with Sébastien Bourdais, a former F1 driver, and Scott Dixon, a big name in IndyCar. As one of two Cadillac Racing teams, the success formation would once again win silver, after all three men had previously won gold at Daytona International Speedway. The last time Van der Zande and Dixon won there was two years ago, and for Bourdais it was a lot longer ago.

Rinus Vicay

Since the IndyCar season hasn’t started yet, Van Kalmthout’s hands are free to look around at other seasons, and so he’s also racing long-distance in Florida. On behalf of TDS Racing, he will be competing alongside nine others in the LMP2 class alongside Stephen Thomas, Mikkel Jensen and Scott Huffaker. Last year, the Dutchman participated on behalf of the Racing Netherlands team, finishing second.

Guido van der Garde and Job van Uetert

Other Dutch players can be found with one of VeeKay’s nine opponents. Van der Garde and Van Uitert will be in action in the other TDS Racing car. Van der Garde was in the same team as an IndyCar driver a year ago, but due to team owner Frits van Eerd’s problems, Racing Team Netherlands will not be driving this year. For Van Uitert, it will feel like a new opportunity, after crashing his car last season before he could take the wheel from his teammate. The team competes with the Dutch also in the LMP2 class.

Roman Grosjean

Another well-known driver who can be found during the 24 Hours of Daytona is Grosjean. The former Haas driver is currently causing a stir in the IndyCar Series, but the Frenchman is also not averse to taking on a different challenge. The man now infamous for his nasty crash in Bahrain will be active in the GTD Pro class, where he will compete for victory with seven other teams.

Colton Harta

Hertha was regularly in the spotlight in Formula 1 last season, with the American linked up with various teams in the sport’s top flight. An IndyCar driver was ultimately unable to gain enough license points, making the switch impossible anyway. Like many IndyCar drivers, the American will also take part in the 24 Hours of Daytona, where he will compete for BMW M Team RLL in the GTP class. So he would be one of Ranger van der Zande’s opponents.

Other Dutch

In addition to the aforementioned nationals, three other Dutchmen participate in the 24 Hours of Daytona. Glenn van Berlo is the only Dutchman who can be found in the LMP3 class, while his brother Kai can be found in the GTD class. He’s not the only Dutchman in that class, because Jeroen Bleekemolen is also active in this type of car.

Other famous names

Although the vast majority of the other names on the entry list will be unknown to many F1 fans, there are still a number of drivers worth noting. Felipe Nasr, for example, the man Max Verstappen beat outside Blanchimont at Spa, has secured a seat at Porsche Penske Motorsports in the GTP class. Former Toro Rosso driver Brendon Hartley will compete in the same class for the Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06. Williams reserve driver Jack Aitken will also be in that class, but with a Whelen Engineering Racing Team Cadillac V-LMDh. Finally, an ex-Formula 1 former driver who is somewhat older, but with a well-known last name. Jan Magnussen, father of Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, will also appear. It competes in the GTD class on behalf of MDK Motorsports.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *