ROCK HILL, S.C. (January 19, 2022) – The 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season begins now at Daytona International Raceway. First up is three days of testing, known as the ‘Roar Before the 24,’ followed by the main event, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, January 27 – 30.
It’s been a short offseason, but CORE autosport has been preparing for Daytona long before the final checkered flag of the 2021 season. Now with one season of LMP3-class competition under its belt, returning drivers Jon Bennett, Colin Braun and George Kurtz are read to hit the ground running with sportscar veteran Nic Jönsson along for the season opener.
The No. 54 Ligier JS P320 will have a different but familiar look when it rolls off the truck at Daytona. For 2022, CORE welcomes back Flex-Box as a program partner adding a splash of blue to CORE’s orange and white livery. Flex-Box is an international leader in the design and production of shipping containers.
The Roar Before the 24 is one last tune up session before the big show, plus a 100-minute qualifying race on Sunday, January 23, that will set the grid for the Rolex 24 race. The qualifying race will be the second race of the weekend for Bennett and Kurtz as the two have also entered the IMSA Prototype Challenge race. The three-hour event takes place on Saturday, January 22, and utilizes the same LMP3 car CORE uses in the WeatherTech Championship.
The Rolex 24 gets well and truly underway with practice sessions beginning on Thursday, January 27, leading up to the green flag on Saturday, January 29, at 1:40pm ET. The first hour will be broadcast live on NBC with continuing coverage on Peacock and USA.
Noteworthy
- CORE finished fifth in last year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona
- CORE won its Rolex 24 debut in 2014
- Jon Bennett and George Kurtz will have driving duties for the qualifying race
- CORE took part in a December test at Daytona
- Nic Jönsson last raced with CORE in 2017 when CORE had a Porsche 911 GT3 R entered in the GT Daytona class
Jon Bennett
Driver: No. 54 CrowdStrike / Flex-Box Ligier JS P320“We will use the Roar to fine tune the setup, practice driver changes and the crew will sharpen their emergency car repair skills such as front bodywork swaps. With a successful Roar test, our Rolex 24 preparation will be off to a smooth start.
“George and I are quickly building chemistry and a string of success in LMP3. Racing hard in the tough Prototype Challenge field is excellent preparation for the Rolex 24 without adding wear to our Rolex race car.
“I really enjoy the drama and buildup to the start of the Rolex 24 and I like being the starting driver. My next favorite time is around 2:00am. There’s a calmness in the early morning that is gratifying.
“The most challenging time at the Rolex 24 are the thousands of decisions made while working through traffic. It’s a thin line between aggressive speed and the conservative choices required for racing without contact.
Colin Braun
Driver: No. 54 CrowdStrike / Flex-Box Ligier JS P320“I think the most important thing for the Roar test is to make sure everyone is comfortable with the car and to run through team procedures and driver procedures. Running through those processes is probably more important than finding the last ounce of speed out of the car for the Roar weekend.
“We have quite a few GT cars this year. The DPi and P2 cars are much faster in a straight line and at Daytona that makes it pretty easy for them to get around us. But you’ll find that the LMP3 and the GT cars have a fairly similar lap time at Daytona. The close proximity in speed of the GT and LMP3 cars will make things interesting.
“It seems like every year at Daytona you’re driving flat out the whole time. Getting through the night is important and I think with about six hours to go, everyone’s strategies will come together. The cars are so reliable and our guys at CORE do such a good job preparing the car that we can pretty much drive as hard as we want the whole race.”
George Kurtz
Driver: No. 54 CrowdStrike / Flex-Box Ligier JS P320“I’m very excited to be racing with Jon and Colin again in 2022. After a great test in Daytona last month, we are ready to hit the ground running and focus on getting everything we need out of the car.”
“Racing in the IMSA Prototype Challenge with Jon during the Roar weekend is an added bonus where we can get even more seat time and hopefully challenge for a win.
“The field for the Rolex 24 has nearly a dozen more cars than last year, so I expect traffic to be extra challenging this year. If we can drive smart and stick to our strategy, I think we have a great shot at taking the win. It would be great to add a Rolex watch to the trophy case!”
Nic Jönsson
Driver: No. 54 CrowdStrike / Flex-Box Ligier JS P320“The main goal at the Roar test is to find a good balance of the car, try to figure out fuel consumption, go through all the stuff such driver changes and its procedures.
“Qualifying is always a good indicator if you have the ultimate speed in the car, but the actual qualifying position doesn’t really mean anything more than bragging rights and to maybe get a bit of confidence that we have a fast car. But for the overall chance of winning the race, it has no real impact.
“The strategy for a 24-hour race is to get all the drivers settled into a comfortable pace and try to stay on the lead lap. If you have a good night with no unscheduled stops, you will most likely be in contention for a good result. The first 15-18 hours is all about staying out of trouble and taking care of the car to be in good shape for the last six to eight hours when you will switch to more of a sprint race mode.
“The hardest part of a 24-hour race is to have the patience and mental strength to stay calm if you happen to go a lap down the first 10-12 hours and just stick to your plan. But with the engineering and experience we have in this team, this is one of the strengths of CORE.”