TF Sport to make IMSA debut at Rolex 24 with Aston Martin
Le Mans 24 Hours class-winning team TF Sport has announced it will compete in the 59th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona with an Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
One of the most highly regarded bronze-rated drivers Ben Keating will be joined by Charlie Eastwood, Rolex 24 victor Richard Westbrook and up-and-coming GT racer Maxwell Root.
The UK-based team will enter the GT Daytona class at the opening round of the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The team describe’s it entry as “a guest appearance, with a view to running full-season IMSA campaigns in the future.”
Tom Ferrier, team owner, commented: “We are very happy to be given the opportunity to race at this fantastic event! Thank you to all the partners involved, Total, Rain X, Wynns and Matter, for making it possible. We have a fantastic team and driver line up, so let’s hope we can bring a trophy home!”
Westbrook, is the team’s platinum driver with 11 IMSA wins to his name. Three of those came in Prototype category, driving for Spirit of Daytona Racing, while the remainder were earned in GT Le Mans, driving Chip Ganassi Racing’s works Ford GTs. One of his Ford victories came in the 2018 Rolex 24 Hours, and he’s optimistic that he can add a GTD-class triumph to his résumé.
He said: “I’ve been friends with Tom forever but this will be the first time I’ve raced for TF, so it’ll be odd him being my boss!
“The team has done so well over the last few years and with their current form and our line-up, we’ll certainly be looking for a victory. What makes Daytona special is the atmosphere, it’s the first race of the year so everybody is excited to get going again!”
Keating declared: “I know that my first Le Mans experience came on the heels of me winning the Rolex 24, so why not be with TF Sport at their first Rolex 24 experience, on the heels of just winning at Le Mans? I have never driven the Aston Martin, but I competed against them all year and was very impressed with the GTE car. I expect the GT3 car will handle similarly.”
Eastwood, part of the Le Mans winning line-up this year, stated: “Really looking forward to competing at Daytona. It’ll be the first race for the team and I in America, outside of the World Endurance Championship.
"After winning both the Total 24 Hours of Spa and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it would be great to take the victory at Daytona and complete the trio and I think we’ve got a really good chance."
Root added: “The 24 hours of Daytona holds a special weight with me, watching it for so many years growing up. We have a strong lineup and great partners with Matter and Speed Sport Management to make this weekend possible. Looking forward to getting down to Florida and going Rolex-hunting.”
#97 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage GT3: Ben Keating, Richard Westbrook, Charlie Eastwood, Maxwell Root
Photo by: TF Sport
Racing Team Nederland joins LMP2 field for Rolex 24
Albuquerque keen to defend WEC title alongside IMSA drive
The British pair at the heart of Lexus's sportscar push
Have you heard the one about two British guys driving for a Japanese manufacturer in America’s top sportscar series? Time to sit down and talk with Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat about racing across the pond… and your accent being mistaken for Australian!
Why Peugeot couldn't afford to take a Le Mans gamble in 2022
Ahead of the much-anticipated arrival of its new 9X8 Hypercar, Peugeot revealed that it would not be entering this year's Le Mans 24 Hours with its incoming machinery. Although development restrictions for homologated cars are partially responsible, the French marque can draw on its own lessons from its history in sportscars
Why the GTP name undermines convergence between IMSA and WEC
OPINION: The adoption by IMSA of the GTP name for its forthcoming LMDh versus Le Mans Hypercar era in 2023 appeals to fans of nostalgia - but it undermines the commonality achieved by bringing its rulebook into line with the WEC. GTP or Hypercar, both sides should settle on a single name
Celebrating the weird and wonderful monsters of sportscar racing
Few disciplines of motorsport offer better possibilities to build a colossus of the track than sportscars. For Autosport's recent Monsters of Motorsport special issue, we picked out some of the finest (and not so fine) that have graced sportscar classics including Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring
How Castroneves and Meyer Shank conquered another US classic
Helio Castroneves continued his fine start to life with Meyer Shank Racing that netted the 2021 Indianapolis 500 victory by prevailing in last weekend's Daytona 24 Hours together with teammates Tom Blomqvist, Oliver Jarvis and Simon Pagenaud. As Cadillac fell by the wayside, the Brazilian veteran won out in an all-Acura duel to the finish
How Derani's long road to title success exorcised painful memories
It took Pipo Derani no time at all to establish himself as a winner in IMSA, winning the Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours on his first two starts in 2016. But it took until the final corner of the 2021 season before he could become its champion, the culmination of a journey that he believes has made him a better driver.
The significance of the next step in WEC/IMSA convergence
Following the latest convergence connection permitting Le Mans Hypercars from the FIA World Endurance Championship to compete against LMDh entries in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from 2023, it could open up enticing options not only to manufacturers but also for the calendar and race formats
Why a Mazda IMSA Prototype title would bring bitter joy
Can Mazda win this year’s IMSA Prototype championship? Undoubtedly. But it will be the culmination of an achingly hard struggle, after which the brand has decided to quit. David Malsher-Lopez tells the story of a bizarre blend of heartache and positivity.