The 2025 VSCA SportsCar Championship began with a dramatic 24 Hours of Daytona at Daytona International Speedway. In an electrifying race featuring fierce competition, the #48 Velocity Racing Ferrari 499P emerged victorious, marking the first win for Ferrari's new prototype in the series. Drivers Eric Jaeger, Ryan Reader, Mark de Lange, and Jelle Giesen executed a near-perfect strategy, overcoming early damage and staying consistent through the night.
The Velocity Racing Ferrari’s triumph also came about after an incident knocked the #79 Digital Chicane Acura out of contention just three laps before the finish. The Acura, piloted by Colton Salek, Wilson Brewer, Matthew Oravecz, and Quinn Mitchell, had to settle for second place after a collision with a slower LMP2 car. Despite the setback, the Acura team celebrated their resilience in battling back from earlier difficulties to claim a podium spot.
Cadillac's Rollercoaster Performances
While Ferrari celebrated its victory, Cadillac teams showcased mixed fortunes. The #32 Wastegate Racing Cadillac V-Series.R climbed from an 11th-place start to finish third, despite an incident involving a GT car in turn seven during the night hours that set the team back several laps due to damage sustained.
The #577 Valkyrie Exype Cadillac V-Series.R faced post-race penalties that dropped them to fourth, despite leading an impressive 407 laps.
The #51 World of SimRacing Team Cadillac V-Series.R endured its own challenges. Despite a significant collision with a car exiting the pits, the team finished seventh.
A Night of Incidents and Drama
The 12-turn, 3.56-mile track at Daytona proved unforgiving for many competitors. Eight full-course yellows consumed over three hours of race time, creating opportunities and setbacks for various teams. Ferrari’s #37 W2 e-ProGP car led 37 laps before retiring on lap 42 following a crash, while the #4 Fischer Motorsport Porsche suffered various incidents including a major crash in turn 3 during the night, ultimately finishing ninth.
The #88 PULSAR Torreense Porsche faced a grueling race marked by penalties, including an hour-20 incident with the #46 Rising Panda Racing Acura. Despite these hurdles, the Porsche team managed a fifth-place finish, while the #46 Acura, making its GTP debut after moving up from LMP2 class last season, secured sixth after a series of minor on-track incidents.
Post-Race Quotes
Mark de Lange, #48 Velocity Racing Ferrari 499P: "Honestly, it’s hard to believe that we've won. To win here and this race means a lot to me personally as both team manager and as a proud driver for Velocity Racing. Everyone did an amazing job during the race and I’m especially very proud to win our very first official race in the VSCA SportsCar Championship."
"We needed the Full Course Yellows to make up for our mistake and damage in the beginning of the race to get back on the lead lap, but more importantly the team did incredibly well to stay clear of any incidents and we all drove amazing stints. Strong and consistent lap times without any mistakes. That’s exactly what got us back in contention."
"We will stick to our philosophy and won't change our approach for the next races. Our goal was and will be to do consistent and clean laps. That's what gets you strong finishing positions and race wins.
Wilson Brewer, #79 Digital Chicane Acura ARX-06 GTP: "We are super happy with the overall result of this race, especially it being the first time any of us have run an endurance race in the GTP class! We were so close to taking the win but that unlucky incident with three laps to go took us out, ending our race a bit early."
Quinn Mitchell, #79 Digital Chicane Acura ARX-06 GTP: "It’s a little bitter sweet, finishing in pit lane after contact with another car, but that’s racing sometimes. This is the best finish I’ve ever had at Daytona and doing it in such a competitive field is really special."
"During my last stint around sunrise I was at my most fatigued, still trying to pull back laps to the leader and making sure that our next driver was ready to go. As a team our biggest moment was a wreck we were involved in that put us multiple laps back and really gave us a mountain to climb the rest of the race."
Colton Salek, #79 Digital Chicane Acura ARX-06 GTP: "We're happy with a podium here, but we can't help but be a little bit disappointed with our incident with about three laps to go. If not for that crash we'd have won the race, so obviously just an unfortunate situation, glad to still come away with good points here in Daytona."
"Our speed was fantastic, but it was hard for us to succeed with our overnight crash and then serving five drive-throughs for off-track incidents."
“Overall, i think it's a lot of mixed emotions from us in the #79 team. We felt like we could have won that race if not for the crashes overnight, and we almost feel like we still have something to prove going into Long Beach."
Championship Standings and Looking Ahead
Following their Daytona triumph, the #48 Velocity Racing Ferrari leads the GTP championship standings with 454 points. Wastegate Racing and Digital Chicane trail closely, ensuring a tight race for the season.
In the Endurance Cup standings, the #577 Valkyrie Exype Cadillac holds a narrow one-point lead over the #88 PULSAR Torreense eSports Team Porsche.
The championship continues with the MV Skinlab Grand Prix of Long Beach on February 8, promising another thrilling showdown as teams prepare for a challenging street circuit.
Related Links