Stroll confirmed for Rolex 24 with Jackie Chan DCR Jota - MotorSportsTalk

Williams Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll will return to Daytona International Speedway in January for his second entry to the Rolex 24, teaming up with Jackie Chan DCR Jota.

Stroll, 19, made his F1 debut with Williams at the start of the year, having previously made his sports car racing debut at Daytona in 2016 with Chip Ganassi Racing.

After finishing his maiden F1 season 11th overall in the final drivers’ standings, Stroll will now head to Daytona alongside Felix Rosenqvist, Robin Frijns and Daniel Juncadella in a two-car effort from DCR Jota.

“We are going to Daytona to enjoy, compete and of course try and win. I always want to be best and most competitive I can be,” Stroll said.

“I’ll be out there with some of my buddies in the same car and it is going to be a pleasure to do this race again as I just love to race. We are the four young guns so it will be great fun I’m sure because we go way back together.

“A big part of Daytona is who you share the car with so I’m really looking forward to it. There won’t be any fuel or tire management to worry about, and it will be racing hard and racing in traffic which I will enjoy.

“I’ve heard a lot of great things about the Jackie Chan DCR JOTA team so I can’t wait to be a part of it.

“I am really grateful to Williams Martini Racing for realizing I want to keep my racing sharpness through the winter and letting me race at Daytona.”

With Stroll, Rosenqvist, Frijns and Juncadella in one car, the second will feature drivers from DC Racing’s FIA World Endurance Championship line-up.

An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”