One of my favorite annual events is the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 2010 race marked my fifth consecutive year attending the world renowned endurance race. It's so much fun to photograph with four full days of action and each day offering something different. I try to attend all four days but making the last one becomes my own personal endurance test after walking all over the Daytona Speedway for three days to get the images you see here. Having pit and garage access is a definite plus when searching for the right angles and getting up close to drivers like actor Patrick Dempsey and their cars. It starts with practice on Thursday which is the least crowded and the best time to roam the garage and ends on Sunday with the finish of the 24 hour race. Friday is the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race which was won by Rum Bum Racing's #13 BMW M3 Coupe driven by Gianluis Bacardi and Matt Plumb. Early Saturday morning the spectators file into the infield to stake their precious bit of space and set up camp to watch the upcoming 24 hours of racing action. By Saturday night the party is in full effect and it's safe to say the ferris wheel isn't the only thing that's spinning.
Before the cars are brought out onto the starting grid for the Rolex 24 a fine selection of historic race cars take to the track for a few laps and it's always fun to watch that blast from the past. This year the usual practice of the team and drivers walking out to their starting position with their cars was washed out by rain and was about the only downer of the four day weekend. I sat in my car while it poured, bummed that I would miss the start of the race and literally five minutes before the green flag dropped the rain stopped and I was able to hurry over to my favorite spot for an awesome start. Not only was the track extremely wet for the start the drivers were crazy as the picture above shows when these three cars went three wide on the first lap as they exited the international horseshoe. It was spectacular and amazing when you consider how hard these drivers were racing for the lead with only 23:59 left on the clock! When the checkers flew 24 hours later the un sponsored #9 Porsche Riley from Action Express Racing pulled into victory lane stunning the competition with a win in their first race. The 755 laps logged by Action Express Racing on the 3.56 mile road course was the second highest in Rolex 24 history and the 52.303 sec. margin of victory was the third closest finish in the events history. In addition there were 53 lead changes which is second most in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. The #70 SpeedSource Mazda took top honors in the GT class with drivers Jonathan Bomarito, Nick Ham, David Haskell and Sylvain Tremblay behind the wheel and finished eighth overall. You can check out all finishing positions here and see how your favorites did. These galleries are from my own laps around the track in my quest to cover the race and convey what it's like to be there. Take a look around and then start planning your own trip for the next Rolex 24!
