Classic 24 Hours at Daytona

Photos and text by  Gary Rosier

Over 130 cars and more than 200 drivers participated in Historic Sportscar Racing’s inaugural Classic 24 Hour event at Daytona International Raceway this past weekend, November 12-16th. 

It featured period race cars from 1962 to 2010. But even more than that, it is also the season finale of the 11 race 2014 season in the Trans Am series. Sports cars from around the world are entered and all will compete on the famed 3.56 mile road course. The list reads like a who’s who from some Hall of Fame era of exotic racing drivers and machinery!

The Classic 24 even features the Ford GT40’s from the first Daytona 24 Hours in 1966. David Hinton, president of the Clearwater-based sanctioning body (Historic Sportscar Racing, hsrrace.com) said “I bet you its over $30 million in cars on this grid right now”. No one holds anything back either, it’s that ever competitive desire that these drivers all have and the need to win is what drives them. These cars, from past to present, were meant to be driven!

More than 130 cars - each set to run four shifts, in rotation over a 24 hour period, comprise six different era’s of sports cars. It is not a continuous race, but rather sports cars from different eras who take their turns via different classes, competing one hour at a time. Each of the six class winners, which are classified from Group A to Group F, will be determined by the number of total laps completed.

The overall plan was to celebrate auto-racing history. They certainly did that, but along the way, someone MADE HISTORY! Amy Ruman (#23 Red Corvette) became the first woman to claim overall victory in a professional automobile race at Daytona. It was her 5th career win (TransAm Series) and at 40 years young, is a second generation driver out of Ohio (Ruman Racing).

Lyn St. James was a noted female driver on a pair of class-winning teams in the Rolex 24, but this was Amy’s alone and in front at the end. Congratulations to Amy and her team on such a historic accomplishment.

Winners: Group A - Marc Devis and Christien of Belgium in their ‘65 Lola T70 (#11 Zerex car) 76 Laps

Group B - Robert Boller and Josh Boller, USA, in a ‘76 Chevron B36 (#119, Red White and Blue car) 75 Laps

Group C - Tommy Dreelan and Aaron Scott, Great Britan, in a ‘87 Porsche 962 (#14, Leyton House) 81 Laps

Group D - Paul and John Reisman, USA, ‘02 Lola B2K/40 (#9, yellow and blue) 81 Laps

Group E - Doug Smith and Andy Wallace, USA, ‘05 Audi R8 (#38, White ADT car) 88 laps

Group F - Paul and John Reisman, USA, ‘06 Porsche Boxster 3400 76 laps (not on the registry “A” must have been a late entry but note that they were entered and drove two cars!)