The customer trio gunning to defend Corvette's 2025 GTD win in the Rolex 24

Picking a winner in GTD at this year’s Rolex 24 is as tough as ever. The 21-car class, which features teams representing nine manufacturers, is stacked with top teams and drivers all battling for a spot in the history books and, of course, a priceless Rolex Daytona timepiece.

In 2025, the big story was the breakthrough for Corvette Racing, with AWA capturing the Z06 GT3.R’s first-ever 24-hour race win for GM’s young, growing customer GT3 operation. Capturing two wins in a row will be tough, but Andrea Hidalgo, Corvette Racing’s newly appointed program manager, can afford to feel confident. Corvette brings strength in numbers, with three cars and three promising driver line-ups.

Though the entry list doesn’t feature the name AWA, the team is indeed back to defend its crown under a new identity: 13 Autosport. Orey Fidani, who now fully owns the outfit following Andrew Wojteczko’s decision to step back, brings Matt Bell and Lars Kern back for another tilt, with British racer Ben Green in the fourth seat.

“New name, same people, little bit more to it than that, but not much,” Fidani, a two-time Bob Akin Award winner, told RACER. “Nothing’s changed really in terms of operations and how we’re running and our crew and everybody, just [that] I’ve taken ownership of the team.

“It’s making us more stable to have a bigger shop, and we’ll have a new two-story pit lane setup. Instead of funding one through me from Andrew, everything’s directly through me now, which is a little more streamlined and just makes things easier.”

Last year, the team proved that having a Bronze-graded driver in your line-up doesn’t hinder your chances of taking home the biggest prize if you’re smart with strategy. For that reason, Bell believes he could be flying back to the UK with a second watch to wear on his other wrist. “The team has retained all its staff through the ownership change, there’s big investment gone in from Orey, and we’re all really happy ahead of the season,” he added.

Starpower and experience give DXDT an edge. Brandon Badraoui/IMSA

DXDT is back too, with factory driver Charlie Eastwood leading the line here in Florida. The Irishman believes the team is ready to reach victory lane for the first time in IMSA.

Why? The team now has a season under its belt to build on and has assembled a line-up capable of fighting at the sharp end. The two Silver-graded drivers, Salih Yoluc and Mason Filippi, will benefit from the firepower of both Eastwood and IndyCar ace Scott McLaughlin. If all goes to plan, they will form a dynamic duo, tasked primarily with taking the fight to the front-runners late in the race, should the crew emerge from the night hours unscathed.

“We think we have a really, really strong chance,” Eastwood told RACER. “We missed a bit of pace earlier in the year last year, which is fairly normal when you’re new to a championship. But by Petit, our pace was good. We’re leaving no stone unturned, and we’re as prepared as anyone at this stage.

“We actually went to Sebring two months ago to try the new Michelin GTD tire and back-to-back test it with the old one ahead of the season. Characteristically, it’s better; you get a bit more feedback from the front axle, and we feel we can load it a bit nicer. Lap time isn’t crazy different, but we found it faster. And that’s part of our drive to make sure we are ready to come here. We have a few items to check off during this weekend, and then we’ll be ready.”

McLaughlin, who briefly looked in the frame for a Porsche GTP drive due to his ties to Penske and his run in the Sanctioned Test, is energized by his late deal to join the Corvette concern.

“I felt I might get a chance with Porsche, and they went their own way with driver count,” he said. ”That was fine, but I just love this race and wanted to be a part of it. I have a pretty good relationship with GM and Corvette, and it worked out pretty well. I know the car really well, so I’m excited by what's ahead.

“We’re going to have to ask Mason and Salih to do a lot of fast times and long stints early on, then hopefully Charlie and I can push hard at the end.”

The wild card for Corvette is the newcomer to the customer stable, DragonSpeed. The U.S.-flagged team heads into 2026 off the back of a hugely impressive 2025 season in GTD PRO with Ferrari. The Elton Julian-led effort, partnered with Risi Competizione for technical support, was a title contender all the way to the end of the season with the 296 GT3.

Rather than stay the course with Ferrari for another championship push, though, DragonSpeed decided before the end of the 2025 season to switch manufacturers. Corvette and GM were chosen, and in the aftermath of Petit Le Mans, the team announced its new direction and got to work.

It’s a big change. The team is learning on the job during the Roar weekend, as the timing of its new chassis delivery meant only a short shakedown was possible before this week. Driver Giacomo Altoe, back with the team, was positive after its first full day running the car on Friday, along with his teammates Henrik Hedman, Casper Stevenson and Matteo Cairoli.

“It’s amazing and a very different feeling than what I'm used to,” Altoe said after his first taste of the Corvette. “Of course, I needed a few laps to adapt. Handling was different, but it's also very different from how I'm seated in the car with the seating position, the sound, and how the car works.

“I still need to go through all the systems, so there is a lot of homework to do. I just need to find out what the car needs, and we will keep progressing.

"I actually really liked being out there in traffic. The rear-view camera works very well, it’s something I like. Henrik is doing well, too, and is really happy with the car. It's a very positive start."

DragonSpeed’s strength is in its breadth of experience in sports car racing, operating at a high level in prototype and GT racing with a variety of cars. There’s also plenty of track time across this weekend and next week in the build-up to the race, which should allow the team enough time to get its teeth into the ins and outs of its new bit of kit.

Normally, you’d rule out a team making a switch in manufacturer just weeks out from the start of a campaign from being a force early on, but what DragonSpeed has proven in the past is that it is a fearless operation capable of springing a surprise.