Nine cars in new GTDX class for VP Racing SportsCar Challenge at Daytona

Nine late-model GT3 cars are set to take part in the opening rounds of the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, taking place during the Roar Before The Rolex 24 at January at Daytona, Jan. 17-19.

They'll be the first competitors in the new GTDX (GT Daytona X) class, joining eight previous-generation LMP3 cars, and 16 GT4 cars in the GSX (Grand Sport X) class for a total of 33 entries. The GTDX class is open to GT3 models that have been in service for at least one year, and will not be equipped with IMSA-mandated torque sensors.

Turner Motorsport will field two original-spec BMW M4 GT3s, one for Vincent Barletta (No.95) and one for Jake Walker (No.6). Walker will already be pulling "double-duty" as he also makes his second Rolex 24 At Daytona start for Turner. A trio of BMWs is completed by Samantha Tan, owner/driver of ST Racing, who makes her long-awaited IMSA competition debut in the No.28 M4 GT3.

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Another driver pulling double-duty between the Rolex 24 and VPRC is Adam Adelson in the No.24 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, joining the No.32 GMG Racing Porsche, with a driver to be revealed later. Adelson comes into 2025 as the reigning GT World Challenge America Pro Champion.

AF Corse and Conquest Racing will each enter two Ferrari 296 GT3s. Second-generation driver Matias Perez Companc - son of Luis - and former US Olympic Snowboarder AJ Muss will drive the No.50 and No.66 Ferraris, respectively. Perez Companc graduates from Ferrari Challenge North America, while Muss enters as the reigning Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Pro-Am title winner.

At Conquest Racing, the father-son duo of Dave Musial Sr. and Jr. will each drive their own Ferraris, the No.20 and No.99, as they also make the step up from Ferrari Challenge.

The VP Racing SportsCar Challenge field will also feature eight V8-powered LMP3 cars that were retired from service in all ACO-sanctioned series, but will feature prominently here at Daytona.

The defending champion team MLT Motorsports is yet to announce a driver for its No.54 Ligier JS P320, one of six Ligiers in the LMP3 class. They're joined by two Duquiene D08s from Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports. After winning the 2024 Prototype Cup Germany Championship in the same car, Valentino Catalano and Markus Pommer will each drive one of the two Gebhardt Duquienes.

The 16-car GSX field does not feature last year's champion team KoHR Motorsports, but it does feature three new Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2s. One of them, the No.68 RAFA Racing Toyota, will be driven by three-time Call of Duty World Champion Ian "Crimsix" Porter, making one of the more unusual 'esports-to-real racing' conversions in recent memory with a background in the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America. There is also a previous-gen GR Supra EVO1 listed, the No.8 RAFA Racing Toyota for Brazilian Kiko Porto.

There are four BMW M4 GT4s, including EVO models for Chris Walsh (No.10 Carrus Callas Raceteam) and Roland Krainz (No.19 Auto Technic Racing). Three Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 'Evo's are entered, from FastMD Racing with Remstar, Rebel Rock Racing, and 89x. Drivers for these three cars will be announced later, along with Automatic Racing's last-gen Vantage GT4.

Three Porsche 718 Cayman GT4s are in the field, including the No.2 Czabok Simpson Motorsports Porsche for Jackson Lee, and the No.4 Di Benedetto Racing Porsche of Justin Di Benedetto from Canada. And Gregory Liefooghe is in the only Ford Mustang GT4, the No.43 from Stephen Cameron Racing.

The IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge races at Daytona start Saturday, January 18 at 2:00 PM EST and Sunday, January 19 at 1:20 PM EST. Both races will air live on Peacock in the United States, and on YouTube and IMSA TV in over 200 countries worldwide.