DTM champion Rast reunites with G-Drive Racing for Daytona 24
Three-time DTM champion Rene Rast will return to prototype competition at the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship season-opener next month, leading G-Drive Racing by APR's Daytona 24 Hours driver line-up.
The Russian entrant, continuing its partnership with Algarve Pro Racing, will make its Daytona debut as part of its preparations for a return to the World Endurance Championship with a single ORECA 07 LMP2 next season.
It will run two ORECAS in the LMP2 class at Daytona, with Rast joined in its #26 entry by former IndyCar racer Ed Jones, FIA Formula 3 graduate Oliver Rasmussen and bronze-rated Francois Heria.
The second car will be shared by Formula 2 veteran Luca Ghiotto, European Le Mans Series race-winner James Allen, 17-year-old FIA F3 racer Tijmen van der Helm and team regular Jon Falb, who won the LMP2 Pro-Am title in the ELMS with G-Drive by APR this season.
Rast, 35, is set to make his first outing in a prototype since Daytona 2019 with Mazda, ahead of his role in leading development on Audi's upcoming 2023 LMDh racer.
A class-winner at Daytona in 2016 with Magnus Racing's Audi R8 in the GT Daytona class, Rast finished third outright in 2017 in a Spirit of Daytona Racing-run Riley.
He was a G-Drive regular during the 2016 WEC season, taking a single victory in Bahrain.
Rast won 2016 WEC Bahrain finale with G-Drive
Photo by: Motorsport Images
G-Drive team principal Roman Rusinov will not be competing at Daytona, but welcomed Rast's addition to the team.
“G-Drive Racing has been the most successful team in the LMP2 class over the last decade so the interest in our first participation in the Daytona 24 hours was very high,” he said.
“As always, we carefully approached the choice of drivers, and I think we have assembled the best possible team, which is a mix of youth and experience.
“I am especially glad that my friend Rene Rast has returned to our team. His speed, experience, and past success at Daytona make him extremely valuable for the team and I’m sure we have all ingredients for victory in this iconic event.”
WEC outfits United Autosports, DragonSpeed, Racing Team Nederland and High Class Racing have already committed to entering LMP2 cars Daytona, with the latter trio all planning full-season IMSA campaigns.
How the next step in the IMSA and WEC convergence can reunite multiple fronts
OPINION: Following the latest convergence connection permitting Le Mans Hypercars from the World Endurance Championship to compete against LMDh entries in the IMSA SportsCar Championship from 2023, it could open up enticing options not only to manufacturers but also for the calendar and race formats
Why IMSA glory for Mazda would be a bittersweet ending
Mazda believes it has never had a better chance of clinching the title in IMSA's Prototype division. Achieving this goal would be the bittersweet culmination of an achingly hard struggle, after which the brand has decided to quit
The groundbreaking new boss leading GM's sportscar assault
After taking over Corvette Racing from long-time custodian Doug Fehan, 34-year-old Laura Wontrop Klauser is leading General Motors through a transitional phase in sportscar racing. Here’s how she got into her dream role and what she plans to do with it
Nine things to look out for at the 2021 Daytona 24 Hours
After a 100-minute sprint race to whet the appetite, the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship gets underway properly this weekend. With plenty of significant changes during the winter, here are the key points you need to keep an eye on
Why Magnussen is relishing a fresh start in sportscars
Having gone over seven years without a race win through spells with McLaren, Renault and Haas, Kevin Magnussen's departure from Formula 1 for IMSA with big-hitter Chip Ganassi Racing could give him what he craves most - a chance of success
Oliver Gavin's Corvette Racing highlights
Oliver Gavin has stepped down from the full-time Corvette Racing line-up after a stellar career with the team spanning nearly 20 years. He looks back on a stint that encompassed, among other successes, five Le Mans 24 Hours victories
The 12 greatest Sebring 12 Hours ranked
The 2020 edition of the Florida sportscar classic is finally taking place this weekend, eight months after its traditional date in March. That meant there was plenty of time for Autosport to pour over its previous 67 races and select the best
When Porsche became a giant-killer
In the first of a new series celebrating underdog achievements from the annals of motorsport history, we revisit the 2015 Petit Le Mans - where a tyre advantage in appallingly wet conditions helped the GT cars overcome the prototypes