O'Gara Motorsport Pre-Daytona Report

O'Gara Motorsport, and drivers Bill Sweedler, Townsend Bell, Edoardo Piscopo and Richard Antinucci, will make their IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship team debut in the No. 11 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 in this weekend's Rolex 24 At Daytona at Daytona International Speedway (DIS), January 28 - 31.

The 54th running of the twice-around-the-clock race kicks off the 2016 IMSA racing season and can be seen live in combined and continuous programming on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), FOX Sports 2 (FS2) and IMSA.com. Coverage begins Saturday at 2 p.m. EST on FOX Sports 1 to open 16 hours of live Rolex 24 programming across its FS1 and FS2 cable networks. The remainder of the race can be followed through live streaming and commentary on IMSA.com.

O'Gara Motorsport has stepped up to IMSA GTD competition this year after a championship-winning 2015 season in the IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series. Fellow champions Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell, who co-drove to the 2015 IMSA GTD title, will pilot the No. 11 for the full season while familiar team drivers Edoardo Piscopo and Richard Antinucci have joined the team for this weekend's Rolex 24.

O'Gara is one of the premier teams, and the nation's top Lamborghini dealer, that will help the iconic Italian manufacturer debut its Huracán GT3 in North America this season. The No. 11 O'Gara Motorsport machine is one of five Lamborghinis entered in the Rolex 24.

"North America is the biggest market for Lamborghini, so having a full complement of vehicles here was fundamentally important," said Tom O'Gara, O'Gara Motorsport Team Owner. "The racing end of it needs to drive the sales end of it. At the same time, with the enthusiasm for the car, Lamborghini never anticipated selling as many of the GT3 cars as they have. They are way beyond their expectations."

This weekend's debut race follows a productive Roar Before the Rolex 24 At Daytona test earlier this month where the O'Gara Motorsport team and drivers worked together on the GTD program for the first time in IMSA-sanctioned competition.
 

"It's exciting to get started with a new team and build the chemistry, but we also have high expectations to be successful quickly," Bell said. "Tom has made a big commitment to launch a top team and we are eager to show him what we're capable of."

Sweedler and Bell will be co-driving together for the fourth-consecutive year in 2016. They won the IMSA GTD championship together one year after co-driving on the 2014 Rolex 24 At Daytona GTD-winning team.

"Townsend has been a great teammate and friend," Sweedler said. "Our first race, our maiden voyage, was at Sebring in 2012, that race we won and we haven't looked back. It is exciting to come in here as the GTD champions. It's clearly a stout class, we are thrilled to have Edoardo and Richie on our team and we look forward to posting a good result."

Italian drivers Piscopo and Antinucci both make their Rolex 24 debuts this weekend, but each brings a strong resume of career experience to the "World Center of Racing." Piscopo also carries a strong piece of advice given to him by 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans winning co-driver Dr. Helmut Marko.

"As my former mentor Dr. Marko used to tell me, 'If you do not learn a track in two sessions you are not meant to do this job,'" said Piscopo, who had never driven at Daytona before the Rolex Roar test. "I am very motivated. It must be like that. Otherwise, it means you are in the wrong place."

Antinucci was born in Italy and raised there and in the United States. He won the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Pro Driver Championship with O'Gara Motorsport last year and is looking for even bigger things in 2016.
 

"A new season always brings optimism and some promise," Antinucci said. "I feel great and am very motivated to be racing for this brand new team. Everything about this program is exciting, the quality competitors and manufacturers out there, the prestigious races we are in. It doesn't get any better for a GT driver. I am truly grateful to Lamborghini and O'Gara for their support in this adventure."

While the Super Trofeo, that Piscopo and Antinucci know well, and the Huracán GT3 are both Lamborghinis, the similarities end there.

"It is a totally different beast," Piscopo said. "The Huracán GT3 has way more downforce, you can brake much later. Everything is more extreme. It is a world-class car. I am personally very happy to represent Lamborghini and O'Gara."

The Rolex 24 At Daytona begins with practice and qualifying and the race's only night practice on Thursday, January 28. Final practice on Friday sets the stage for Saturday's start to the Rolex 24 At Daytona, with the green flag scheduled to fly at 2:40 p.m. EST.

Noteworthy

- Bell has at least two very good reasons for wanting to win another Rolex watch this weekend. "It's a fun event and I will also remember our first win there in 2014 and the dramatic fashion of it all," Bell said. "I'm not one for collecting things, but I must say I wear that Rolex with pride. I hope each of my two boys get one someday from Dad so motivation is high to pull it off again!"

- Drivers fitness is a key to success in the Rolex 24. "I stay up with endurance training," Bell said. "Running, cycling, a little motocross thrown in too, really love the physicality, rhythm, and focus required." Antinucci's routine includes some mental fitness. "I've been doing some long duration exercises and some long stretching sessions, as a form of meditation in order to get accustomed to the endurance required for this race," Antinucci said. Piscopo is maintaining his usual full load of fitness work. "I have been training hard like always," Piscopo said. "It is very exciting to race in Daytona, but at the end every single race is important and needs preparation. You are only as good as your last results so you always need to prove yourself no matter what event you approach."