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Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 – Report and Photos

1984 Porsche 956C Picasa
1984 Porsche 956C

The Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 was held November 12-16 at the 12-turn, 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway road course in Daytona Beach, Florida. The debut event was organized by Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) and sponsored by BRM, Heacock Insurance and Brumos Porsche.

The Classic 24 was open to cars with a racing history divided into six groups, set by when the car raced. Group A was for cars from the 1960s, Group B from the 1970s, Group C from the eighties, Group D from the nineties and Group E for cars from the 21st century. Group F was for cars that run under HSR rules that did not have the racing pedigree. Each group ran for an hour. After all six groups ran, the cycle was repeated three more times to complete the 24 hours. The races were actually 45 minutes long, and the 15 extra minutes were utilized to get one group off the track and the next group on.

The Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 format worked extremely well. Grouping cars by age instead of performance created races more in-line with how the events were back in the their respective time period. The result was Group A fielding Ford GT40s, Lola T70s, Porsche 906, 907 and 910 and a Chevron B16 racing with Chevrolet Camaros, Shelby Mustangs, BMW 2002s, Alfa Romeo GTs, Ginettas, Jaguar E-Types and even an Elva Courier.

Other cars of interest included Porsche 935 variants, a Greenwood Corvette, Porsche 956 and 962s, Ferrari 333SP and 365 GTB/4 Daytonas, Dodge Vipers, modern eye-and-ear candy like the Audi R8, Daytona prototypes and David Porter’s wicked-fast Pescarolo-Judd.

The event drew a stellar group of racing drivers, young and otherwise, Tudor Series regulars like Patrick Long, Cooper McNeil and Leh Keen showed up as did Jochen Mass, Brian Redman, Andy Wallace, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Arturo Merzario and many more. One would scroll the list of drivers for the race and see a name from the past then see another and another.

The races felt like long sprints with the endurance element thrown in. David Porter had an accident four laps from the end of the first session, finishing close to the bottom of the class, but he was able to make the repairs and clawed his way to 4th overall by the end of the day.

The difference in car performance did not create any undue issues. In fact, most drivers did not seem to mind it. Russell Gee, who drove his 1969 BMW 2002 to 12th overall, loved being on the same track as some of his heroes. He said he had a ball and did not mind being lapped by the well-known racers.

Jochen Mass felt the driving standard was very good. He loves Daytona and the unique challenges the track poses. “It has its own set of demands that one doesn’t know until he/she experiences them,” said Mass. He also likes the weather, which may have contributed to the large number of ‘name’ racers that showed up.

Putting on a 24-hour race is a huge undertaking. Adding regular HSR races, two 60-minute enduros and sharing the track with the Trans-Am series made it even more so. The Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 weekend went off without a major hitch. The races were completed on schedule and the operation ran smoothly from race results to credentialing. HSR and all the hard-working staff members need to be commended for the amazing undertaking they so ably pulled off.

Photographer David Ferguson documented the Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014, offering the following picture gallery that shows the strong field of entrants battling each other over the famous Daytona International Speedway road course. We split up David’s pictures into two galleries. The first gallery starting below features our favorite images, all displayed in the full-width view of Sports Car Digest, while the second gallery and race winners can be found on the last page of the article and gives a comprehensive view of all the photographs.

Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 – Featured Photo Gallery

 

Porsche 907 LH
Porsche 907 LH
1970 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competition
1970 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competition
65 Ford GT40 showing battle damage.
65 Ford GT40 showing battle damage.
1965 Lola T70 MkI Spyder
1965 Lola T70 MkI Spyder
1962 Jaguar E-Type
1962 Jaguar E-Type
65 Porsche 911
65 Porsche 911
Lola T70 MkI Spyder and Chevrolet Camaro fighting for the lead.
Lola T70 MkI Spyder and Chevrolet Camaro fighting for the lead.
66 VRC Porsche 906
1966 VRC Porsche 906

 

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Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Two

 

00 Dodge Viper GTS-R
00 Dodge Viper GTS-R
99 Dodge Viper GTS-R
99 Dodge Viper GTS-R
00 Dodge Viper GTS-R
00 Dodge Viper GTS-R
98 Ferrari 333SP
98 Ferrari 333SP
1977 Greenwood Chevrolet Corvette
1977 Greenwood Chevrolet Corvette
1977 Greenwood Chevrolet Corvette
1977 Greenwood Chevrolet Corvette
Green flag waves to start the Classic 24 Hour.
Green flag waves to start the Classic 24 Hour.
Two Ford GT40s, a Porsche 910, and a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 take the green flag.
A pair of Ford GT40s, a Porsche 910, and a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona take the green flag.

 

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Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Three

 

72 De Tomaso Pantera
1972 De Tomaso Pantera
74 Porsche 911 RSR
74 Porsche 911 RSR
67 Porsche 907 LH
67 Porsche 907 LH
1966 Porsche 910
1966 Porsche 910
96 Porsche 993Cup
96 Porsche 993 Cup
74 Porsche 911 RSR
74 Porsche 911 RSR
Porsche 906 and Alfa Romeo GT
Porsche 906 and Alfa Romeo GT
1966 Porsche 910
1966 Porsche 910

 

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Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Four

 

73 March 73S
73 March 73S
75 Aston Martin Vantage
75 Aston Martin Vantage
76 Chevron B34
76 Chevron B34
69 Corvette
69 Corvette
79 Chevron B23/36
79 Chevron B23/36
1977 Greenwood Corvette
1977 Greenwood Corvette
84 Porsche 956C
84 Porsche 956C
90 Porsche 962
90 Porsche 962

 

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Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Five

 

1965 Shelby Mustang GT350
1965 Shelby Mustang GT350
73 Porsche 911S
73 Porsche 911S
73 Porsche 911
73 Porsche 911
1984 Porsche 956C
1984 Porsche 956C
1973 BMW CSL 3.5
1973 BMW CSL 3.5
70 Porsche 911
70 Porsche 911
2005 Audi R8
2005 Audi R8
04 Maserati MC12
2004 Maserati MC12

 

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Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Six

 

1989 Corvette Challenge
1989 Corvette Challenge
1986 Rothmans Porsche 962
1986 Rothmans Porsche 962
1988 Porsche 962
1988 Porsche 962
1986 Rothmans Porsche 962
1986 Rothmans Porsche 962
1993 Porsche 964 Carrera RSR
1993 Porsche 964 Carrera RSR
70 Porsche 914/6 and 69 Porsche 911S
70 Porsche 914/6 and 69 Porsche 911S
Pre-grid
Pre-grid
00 Dodge Viper GTS-R
2000 Dodge Viper GTS-R

 

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Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Seven

 

66 VRC Porsche 906
1966 VRC Porsche 906
67 Alfa Romeo GT
1967 Alfa Romeo GT Junior
69 BMW 2002 Tii
69 BMW 2002 Tii
66 Porsche 910
66 Porsche 910
1965 Lola T70 MkI Spyder
1965 Lola T70 MkI Spyder
79 Porsche 935/K3
1979 Porsche 935/K3
79 Porsche 935/K3 passing a 74 Porsche 911 RSR
1979 Porsche 935/K3 passing a 1974 Porsche 911 RSR
The essence of a 1967 Porsche 907 LH
The essence of a 1967 Porsche 907 Langheck (LH) or Longtail version

 

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Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Eight

 

Porsche 991 Cup and 09 Oreca FLM09
Porsche 991 Cup and 09 Oreca FLM09
2007 Pescarolo 01
2007 Pescarolo 01
1997 Porsche 993 RSR practices at night on the tri-oval.
1997 Porsche 993 RSR practices at night on the tri-oval.
1987 Porsche 962
1987 Porsche 962
1989 Spice SE89P-Chevrolet
1989 Spice SE89P-Chevrolet
1969 Chevrolet Corvette
1969 Chevrolet Corvette
1975 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR
1975 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR
1993 Chevrolet Camaro GT1
1993 Chevrolet Camaro GT1

 

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Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Nine

 

2009 Audi R8 LMS
2009 Audi R8 LMS
1974 Porsche 911 RSR and 1974 Chevron B26
1974 Porsche 911 RSR and 1974 Chevron B26
1969 Chevrolet Corvette
1969 Chevrolet Corvette
1984 Porsche 944 GTR
1984 Porsche 944 GTR
Heading to the start/finish line.
Heading to the start/finish line.
1993 Porsche 964 RSR
1993 Porsche 964 RSR
Corvette leads Porsche through NASCAR turn 4.
Corvette leads Porsche through NASCAR turn 4.
1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR IROC
1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR IROC

 

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Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 – Featured Photo Gallery Page Ten

 

1965 Lola T70 MkI Spyder crosses the finish line.
1965 Lola T70 MkI Spyder crosses the finish line.
1965 Shelby Mustang GT350
1965 Shelby Mustang GT350
1965 Ford GT40
1965 Ford GT40
1967 Porsche 907 Langheck
1967 Porsche 907 Langheck
Top 3 cars in victory circle.
Top 3 cars in victory circle.
1967 Chevrolet Camaro
1967 Chevrolet Camaro
1970 Chevron B16
1970 Chevron B16
1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competition
1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competition

 

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Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 – Main Photo Gallery (click image for larger picture and description)

 

[nggallery id=756 images=15]

 

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HSR Classic 24 Hour Daytona 2014 – Race Winners

Group A 1960 – 1972
1. Marc Devis / Christien Traber, 1966 Lola T70 Mk. I Spyder

Group B 1973 – 1982
1. Robert Boller / Josh Boller, 1976 Chevron B36

Group C 1983 – 1993
1. Tommy Dreeland / Aaron Scott, 1987 Porsche 962

Group D 1994 – 2002
1. Paul Reisman / John Reisman, 2002 Lola B2K/40

Group E 2003 – 2010
1. Andy Wallace / Doug Smith, 2005 Audi R8 (overall winners)

Group F HSR Sports and GT
1. Paul Reisman / John Reisman, 2006 Porsche Boxster

[Source: David Ferguson]