Daytona Rolex 24 test opens

French Viper team unofficially breaks Exxon GTS-1 lap record at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 10) -- Frenchmen Olivier Beretta and Dominique Dupuy drove the Oreca Dodge Viper GTS-R to a lap better than the Daytona International Speedway road course record for the IMSA Exxon Supreme GTS-1 class Friday as a three-day test for the Feb. 1-2 Rolex 24 At Daytona opened. The Viper was clocked at 1:48.288, an average speed of 118.35 mph around the 3.56 mph road course. The fastest lap of the 58 cars entered for the test was a 1:42.096/125.52 mph effort by the Moretti Racing Ferrari 333 SP Exxon World SportsCar of Italian car owner Gianpiero Moretti, Didier Theys, Derek Bell and Antonio Hermann. 14 World Sportscars were on hand Friday, along with 15 GTS-1 cars, four GTS-2 cars and 25 GTS-3 cars. The test continues Saturday. The Oldfield Grandstand is open daily at no charge from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with access through the DAYTONA USA lobby.

IMSA TEST SPEEDS

                                 EXXON WSC
    NO DRIVERS                                CAR                TIME         SPEED
1. 30 Moretti/Theys/Bell/Hermann   Ferrari 333 SP      1:42.096  125.52
2. 16 Weaver/Leitzinger/Dyson/Paul Ford R&S Mk. III    1:42.773  124.70
3.  1 Taylor/Sharp/Van de Poele    Olds R&S Mk. III    1:43.295  124.07
4.  4 Dibos/Pace/Waddell           Olds R&S Mk. III    1:44.042  123.18
5.  3 Evans/Velez/Salazar/Morgan   Ferrari 333 SP      1:45.272  121.74

                                EXXON GTS-1
    NO DRIVERS                                CAR                TIME      SPEED
1. 97 Dupuy/Beretta                 Dodge Viper         1:48.288  118.35
2. 75 Robinson/Hoerr/Baldwin/Sifton Olds Aurora         1:50.851  115.61
3. 74 Stuck/Adam                    Porsche 911 T       1:51.653  114.78
4. 91 Schramm/Hayner                Chev. Camaro        1:52.004  114.42
5. 23 Kyle McIntyre                 Chev. Camaro        1:53.730  112.68

                                EXXON GTS-2
    NO DRIVERS                                CAR                TIME          SPEED
1. 22 Coppelli/Agusta               Callaway Corvette   1:55.063  111.38
2. 56 Snow/Kitchak/Ollila/Lintott   Porsche 911         1:55.158  111.29
3. 65 Saleen/Cobb/Rizzo             Ford Mustang        1:55.682  110.78
4. 47 Safino/Kohler/Reisman/Smith   Ford Mustang        2:22.273   90.08

                                EXXON GTS-3
    NO DRIVERS                                CAR                TIME          SPEED
1. 07 Quester/Duez                  BMW M3              1:58.091  108.52
2.  7 Auberlen/Said/Quiros          BMW M3              1:58.297  108.33
3. 76 Collins/Wagner/Doolin/Brown   Porsche 911         1:59.342  107.38
4. 54 Trott/Spenard/Ruther/Ford     Porsche 911         1:59.750  107.02
5. 36 Matthews/Haywood/Bundy/Murry  Porsche 993         2:00.015  106.78

                                GRAND SPORTS
1.  4 Walton/Knowles/Cochran/Murry    Firebird Formula     1:58.651 108.01
2. 46 Preistly/Pilgrim                Ford Mustang         1:58.724 107.94
3.  3 Cochran/Murry/Walton/Knowles    Firebird Formula     1:58.861 107.73

                                       SPORTS
1.  8 Coleman/Korman                  BMW 328is            2:07.017 100.89
2. 24 Coleman/Ezell                   BMW 328is            2:11.453  97.49

                                        TOURING
1. 88 Kutschall/Stolz                 Honda Prelude Si     2:16.372  93.98

                                        COMPACT
1. 18 Lewis/Johnson                   Mazda Miata          2:25.046  87.81