Alonso Adds Star Power To Wayne Taylor Racing For Rolex 24

Wayne Taylor Racing DPi Cadillac in action. [Joe Jennings Photo]

By Joe Jennings

DAYTONA BEACH – When Fernando Alonso joined Wayne Taylor Racing for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, it made the Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team a favorite to win the 57th annual twice-around-the-clock event. Alonso’s presence not only draws international attention for the event, the former Formula 1 champion also attracts large crowds as he has gained a reputation as being very fan friendly.

A year ago, Alonso entered the Rolex 24 as a training ground for the 24 Hours of LeMans and the race marked a number of firsts for him – first-ever sports car race, first race in an enclosed car, first long-distance run and first time sharing a car with others. With these tasks under his belt, he comes to Daytona this year more focused on the race and eager to succeed with the Taylor team.

According to team principal Wayne Taylor, negotiations with Alonso started a year ago and were on-again, off-again for months. Just when it looked like it wasn’t going to happen, Taylor received the good news – Alonso was ready to go, giving the accomplished team an all-star cast to include FIA World Endurance Championship stalwart Kamui Kobayashi (Japan), 2018 Role 24 pole winner Renger van der Zende (Netherlands) and Jordan Taylor (United States).

Taylor knows how to put together winning teams, having won the Rolex 24 as a driver and an owner, most recently in 2017 when NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon combined with Ricky and Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli to win the 55th running of the long race.

“This year I am ready to enjoy the experience even more and so far, it has been a great experience,” Alonso said. “With Cadillac and Wayne Taylor Racing, we have a lot of experience to be very competitive. And this year is all about winning.”

As for adjusting to a variety of racing machines, Alonso said, “It is a challenge changing cars every weekend as they all require different driving styles. Formula 1 is all about qualifying and the first corner while here it is all about consistency, traffic management and keeping the car safe for the last couple of hours. For this race, they sent me a manual, so I could see where the buttons are, the steering wheel and the cockpit, and then you jump in the car with lots of cars around you.”

With two 24-hour races under his belt, he knows the challenges that can and do occur during such an event but believes the Taylor team is prepared to the extent possible. “I know how difficult it is to predict what will happen, such as with traffic, yellow flags, pit stops and slowdowns at wrong time. Even if your expectations are high, 24 hours is a long time,” the champion commented.

Taylor said he seems to have forgotten that he was once a driver, instead calling himself a fan of racing drivers. “Fernando and Kamui have been such a pleasure to work with and there’s nothing I have asked them to do that haven’t done. As a matter of fact, Kamui is going to the Japanese headquarters of Konica Minolta next week to visit with our sponsors.”

With the Roar test completed, Wayne Taylor Racing, the quartet of drivers and the sponsors are working hard to finalize preparations for the upcoming Rolex 24 at Daytona, the season opener for IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

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