Teenage Driver Tandem Shaking Things Up in IMSA WeatherTech Series LMP3 Class
Mateo Llarena from Guatemala and Ayrton Ori, from Orlando, Florida, raced in this year s Rolex 24 at age 16.
By John Oreovicz, IMSA Wire Service Feb 26, 2021 Jake Galstad
Mateo Llarena from Guatemala and Ayrton Ori, from nearby Orlando, Florida. Llarena is the older of the two teens; he celebrates his 17th birthday today, Feb. 26.
The pair drove as 16-year-olds in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports Ligier JS P320 in the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) class.
Ori, who’s named after Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna, sports a helmet modeled after another F1 great, James Hunt.
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Mazda Will Discontinue IMSA Prototype Program At The End Of 2021 Season
Photo: Mazda
IMSA is getting beat up in the ring lately. With the collapse of its factory-supported GTLM category, the sanctioning body has already had to pivot its GT classes to a more affordable GTD-based program. Friday’s announcement that Mazda would be ending its DPi program at the end of the 2021 season and would not be pursuing a replacement LMDh program in the future has been a serious hit to the series. This leaves only Acura and Cadillac participating in the class in 2022.
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Mazda has been an integral part of the IMSA prototype class since the merger of ALMS and Grand Am in 2014. The series was so well-meshed with Mazda Motorsports that team boss John Doonan left the Japanese manufacturer to be president of IMSA in early 2020. The Mazda program has not, however, been without difficulties. The team has worked with three different supporting partners, finding success difficult until rec
31 January, 2021
The tight contest for the overall lead of the 2021 Rolex 24 At Daytona was as spirited as predicted 12 hours into the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener as it was at the drop of the green flag.
And at the midpoint of the race, a familiar name was showing the way.
Filipe Albuquerque had the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing/Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 DPi out front, holding the No. 48 Action Express/Ally Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R and Mike Rockenfeller off by less than a second with Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kevin Magnussen and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, in the pole-winning No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac, giving chase.
By David Phillips-IMSA Wire Service
The 49-car field for this weekend s 59th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona gathered for a photo opportunity on the front straightaway of Daytona International Speedway Wednesday morning. Photo: Rick Dole, IMSA/LAT
And a new racing season dawns, as it has for close to six decades, with the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Unique among the world’s headline motorsports events, there are no competing races on the international calendar this weekend. Thus, the Daytona International Speedway paddock is akin to a scene in a “Star Wars” cantina this week, such is the diverse cast of characters attracted to the event from throughout the motorsports universe.