Kevin Magnussen Expects a Challenging 24 Hours of Daytona

The Danish BMW works driver anticipates a tough challenge when the 24 Hours of Daytona at Daytona International Speedway gets underway on Saturday afternoon.

Kevin Magnussen and his teammates from BMW Team WRT will start this year’s edition of the 24-hour race at Daytona International Speedway from ninth on the grid when the green flag drops on Saturday evening Danish time. This sets the stage for a hard-fought battle in the 11-car GTP class, where the Belgian factory team will have to rely on strategy and consistency.

“Unfortunately, we haven’t quite managed to match the performance level of our competitors, especially Porsche and Cadillac. As things stand, we are therefore not among the fastest on outright pace, which means our race will depend heavily on running a clean event without mistakes. We simply need to focus on making the right decisions, staying on the lead lap and getting through the race safely, so that we have a strong car to fight with in the final hours on Sunday,” says Kevin Magnussen.

The 24-hour race at Daytona International Speedway serves as both the season opener and the highlight of the American IMSA season, in which Kevin Magnussen – alongside his full campaign in the FIA World Endurance Championship – competes in the championship’s three biggest races. At Daytona, the Dane shares his BMW M Hybrid V8 with Austria’s Philipp Eng, Germany’s Marco Wittmann and Switzerland’s Raffaele Marciello.

It is the second year in a row that Kevin Magnussen will be fighting for BMW M Motorsport at Daytona. Last year, the Dane’s car started from pole position after an impressive qualifying performance and remained in contention for victory until the final hour, when an unscheduled pit stop forced the team to settle for fourth place, just outside the podium.

“It’s a great way to kick off the motorsport season. Daytona is an iconic venue for any motorsport fan, and the atmosphere is always fantastic. I’m looking forward to starting a new season with BMW M Motorsport and Team WRT, and after many days of preparation, I’m now just excited to get to work,” adds the Dane.

The four BMW drivers will take on the challenge together with their teammates in the factory team’s second car against nine other entries in the GTP class, with competitors including Porsche, Aston Martin, Cadillac and Acura. The overall field also features the LMP2 and GTD classes, bringing the total number of cars on the 5.7-kilometre circuit to 60.

This year’s edition of the 24 Hours of Daytona at Daytona International Speedway gets underway on Saturday, 24 January, at 13:40 local time.