On the eve of the Roar Before the 24, US team Scuderia Corsa finished preparing its 488 GT3 Evo 2020, the car it will use for the two-day event that decides the starting grid for the 24 Hours of Daytona. Qualifying for the endurance marathon and season opener is on Sunday 24 January. A one-and-three-quarter hour session will follow free practice when the cars can find their ideal set-up on the fearsome banking of the high-speed American track.
Ferrari no. 63 will be driven by the new crew of Bret Curtis, Ed Jones, Marcos Gomes and Ryan Briscoe. For Ed Jones, Roar will also offer a chance to familiarise himself with Daytona International Speedway, a track new to him. However, there will be few surprises for last year's winner Briscoe or for Gomes who was poleman two years ago.
For Scuderia Corsa, the Daytona event also heralds the start of a new season in the GTD class, in which it aims to play a leading role. The team has already mounted the podium in 10 of the 12 circuits on the 2021 calendar. The two odd ones out are Mid-Ohio and Daytona itself.
Gomes has already started preparing for the race. "I'm really excited to get to the ROAR", said the Brazilian. It will be an excellent opportunity to meet my teammates and engineers. I hope to do a good job and get a good result in the qualifying race”.
For Briscoe, Roar is an opportunity to work with the new team. "I think the biggest thing is this weekend is a win for the fans", commented the American. “They get two races in sort of back-to-back race weekends, it’s exciting. It puts a bit of pressure on the teams and drivers to measure their competitiveness a bit. It is a week before the biggest race of the year. You must take care of the equipment while trying to get a result. There will be a new strategize approach to the race. For me coming into a new team and a new class, it gives me a chance to experience real-world race experience before the main event. We can get down driver changes and the nuances of racing. Any driver doing something new will appreciate the time to do this before the race.”
Curtis sees Roar as a chance to build rapport with his teammates. "I'm looking forward to getting in the No." 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 with the guys", said Curtis. “We’ll need to get some laps in and work on the setup. It’s nice having the ROAR one week before the race, it makes for a short week to the 24 Hour which I know we’re all excited to tackle.”
Finally, Jones is aiming to be ready for the Florida date. "I'm really looking forward to the ROAR because it's my first time at Daytona", Jones explained. “I’m excited to see how the Ferrari feels. It will be a new experience for me. Doing the Gulf 12 Hours in the McLaren GT3 was actually a perfect warmup, it was the perfect way to get used to a GT3 car before Daytona. I’m really looking forward to working with the team and getting to know the other drivers.”