PARSIPPANY, New Jersey (January 25, 2016) Fascinating. LOOONG! Elusive. Mysterious. The Paul Miller Racing drivers describe the Rolex 24 At Daytona in different words, but they all agree the 2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opener is the race to win. Full-season drivers Bryan Sellers (Atlanta) and Madison Snow (Lehi, Utah) will be joined by their endurance partner Bryce Miller (Summit, N.J.) and Lamborghini factory driver Mirko Bortolotti (Italy) for the 24-hour race at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 30 and 31. The four will alternate stints in the No. 48 Castrol/UIS Lamborghini Huracán GT3, aiming for the top step of the GTD class podium and the prized Rolex watches presented to the winning drivers.
A veteran of eight Rolex 24 races, Sellers knows the elation and the heartbreak of the race. “It’s elusive, it just draws you in,” he said. “I’ve thought I’ve won the race so many times, been in the position to win so many times. I’m sure everybody has that same story, where they were leading by two laps and then they broke. I’ve been on the podium twice and I’ve been able to see the watch and almost touch it!”
Snow has earned two Rolex 24 class podiums in three starts. He says the race is LOOONG! and patience is the key to a good finish: “There is really no reason to even look at the leader board in the beginning of the race because it can all change so quickly. What I try to do the most is enjoy the race and the atmosphere. It’s such a cool environment, especially at night time, so I enjoy every minute of it.”
Miller is competing in his ninth Rolex 24. He has three second-place GT finishes in 24-hour races on two continents – the 2009 24 Hours of Spa and the 2008 and 2011 Rolex 24 At Daytona – so he’s ready for another top finish. But he’s not sharing his secrets or his strategy. Make his word “mysterious” …
Bortolotti is competing in his first Rolex 24, a race he finds fascinating. He drove with the team during the Roar Before the Rolex 24 test in early January, setting the second-fastest GTD class lap on the 3.56-mile infield road course.
“I’m very pleased to join Paul Miller Racing for the Rolex 24 At Daytona. It’s an incredibly fascinating race and I expect very tough competition within the GTD field,” he said. “We worked very well during the Roar test in preparation for this race, so I’m ready and confident going into this challenge. It will be the debut of the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 in North America and we aim for a strong result.”
Paul Miller Racing is a leading GTD team in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The team placed second in the 2014 IMSA series GTD standings and third in 2015.
The Rolex 24 At Daytona is scheduled for Jan. 30 and 31 on the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway infield road course in Daytona Beach, Florida, with green and checkered flags at 2:40 pm EST. The race will be telecast live on Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2 and IMSA.tv, and broadcast live on IMSA Radio. (See IMSA.com for schedules and links.) IMSA.com will also stream audio from all practice and qualifying sessions, plus video from qualifying.
