Rolex 24 entry drops to 60 with Team Tonis withdrawal

IMSA has released an updated entry list for the 64th Rolex 24 At Daytona and preliminary Roar Before The 24 test days, confirming a 60-car grid. It confirms that Team Tonis, fronted by former Champ Car World Series driver and IMSA Prototype Challenge champion Tonis Kasemets, has withdrawn its No. 61 ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2 from the field.

The entry will not be replaced and instead, the LMP2 class will have just 13 cars.

• REVISED ENTRY LIST

While Proton Competition is understood to have been in contact with IMSA about returning to the series with its Porsche 963 as soon as Daytona, the late withdrawal of Team Tonis did not allow for enough time for the team to be added to the field.

The updated entry list issued today confirms most of the recent driver announcements from the participating teams. The only vacancies that haven’t been announced are the fourth driver for RLL Team McLaren’s No. 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo in GTD PRO, and the fourth driver of the No. 19 Van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo in GTD.

228 drivers from 30 countries are set to take part in this year’s race, including at least 65 previous Rolex 24 overall and class winners, 52 IMSA champions, and “more than 50” overall or class winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, plus several recent Formula 1 veterans, NTT IndyCar Series champions and race winners, and NASCAR Cup Series drivers.