ROLEX 24 PRE RACE REPORT
Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing will take to the track for the 64th Running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona for the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener. Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR) holds four victories at the ‘crown jewel’ of the IMSA calendar, taking home the win in 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021, while team co-owner, Wayne Taylor, holds two of his own victories as a driver in 1996 and 1998. The team recently completed the annual three days of testing with the Roar Before the Rolex 24 preparations for the iconic around the clock classic.
In the No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R GTP, seasoned veterans Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque are looking to add to their collection of victories at Daytona alongside teammate Will Stevens, who is looking to claim his first win here at the Rolex 24. Throughout the seven on track sessions during the Roar, the No.10 posted their fastest lap time of 01:36.731 and turned a total of 213 laps around the 12-turn road course.
In the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R GTP, Jordan Taylor three- time Rolex 24 winner is on the hunt for another victory alongside teammate Louis Delétraz and Colton Herta, who is also currently driving as a Cadillac F1 Team test driver and FIA 2 Formula 2 competitor with Hitech Racing. At the annual Roar test days, the No.40 completed a total of 207 laps around the 3.56-mile road course with their quickest time of 01:36.901.
“I always tell our partners and team, you cannot guarantee a win in any sport, but especially in sportscar racing. However, I can guarantee we will be racing for the lead – which makes this weekend so great as we have shown in every session, always in the top five, that we are competitive,” said Wayne Taylor, Team Co-Owner. “Based on last year, it shows that everyone at Cadillac, GM and Wayne Taylor Racing have raised the game. We have a lot of new people on board and our driver line up is absolutely fantastic. The relationship between the drivers is special and between everyone on the team and our partners. There just seems to be a completely new excitement. You do have these up and down years and last year is completely forgotten. I can’t wait to get back here for the race week. I am confident that if we do all the right things and don’t make mistakes, that we have the cars and the team to be on the podium.”
The Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing GTP duo will further their preparations with practice and qualifying this week starting on Thursday, January 22nd. Qualifying is set for 3:10 p.m. ET on Thursday with live streaming available on Peacock. The 64th Running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona green flag flies at 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 24th. Peacock will host all 24 hours of racing coverage and NBC will be on air for the first hour.
Louis Delétraz, full season co-driver, No. 40 Cadillac WTR V-Series.R: “It was great testing with six sessions and every session we tried different things. The Cadillac V-Series.R feels great and I think we learned a lot. I feel good going into the race event. It was nice to work with all the new people we have. Now we get ready to race.”
Jordan Taylor, full season co-driver, No. 40 Cadillac WTR V-Series.R: ” I think we have had a good Roar here over the last three days with no major issues and getting a lot of laps in. All three drivers are comfortable in the car. We made some good changes that we wanted to make after our test here in November and sim testing. Everything seems positive. We worked through a lot of things in pit lane, pit stops, driver change practice – all the little things that can add up over a 24-hour race. We can spend time between now and the Rolex weekend digging through data and seeing all the best options then hopefully hit the track on Thursday with the best overall setup and head into the weekend on the right foot.”
Colton Herta, IMEC co-driver, No. 40 Cadillac WTR V-Series.R: “It’s great to be back here in IMSA with Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing. Another successful few days in the Cadillac V-Series.R. Very productive and everyone is working well. The car seemed to be fast and consistent, so we are very excited going into the Rolex.”
