Wednesday, January 25, 2017 – Highlands, NJ – Bayshore Racing driver Frankie Montecalvo is set to make his debut race in the GTD Class in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Racing Championship with Alex Job Racing at the Rolex 24 at Daytona on Saturday, January 28.
Montecalvo, 25, is no stranger to the twice around the clock endurance race having last competed at Daytona with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports in the PC Class in 2014. However, this will be his first time competing in the highly competitive GTD Class, which boasts 27 entries.
“After getting my first taste of the Audi R8 LMS at the Roar a few weeks ago, I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel on Thursday,” said Montecalvo.
“This is such an important race. As far as endurance racing goes, this one is right up there with Le Mans. I’ve been fortunate enough to do a couple 24-hour races in my career so far. I’ve competed at Daytona once before and took a close fourth place finish. I’m looking forward to the race and seeing how everything pans out with the amount of cars in our field. I think we have a really solid group of drivers in a car, and I believe we have a great chance to battle for the win on Sunday.”
Montecalvo joins the Alex Job Racing team with teammates Bill Sweedler, Pierre Kaffer and Verizon IndyCar driver Townsend Bell. Sweedler and Bell won the Rolex 24 in the GTD class in 2014, and Montecalvo hopes to achieve a similar finish with his new teammates in 2017.
“It’s really anyone’s race at Daytona. The GTD class is so competitive and all of the cars are so close in lap times. Our goal is to run a clean race and stay out of trouble until the 23rd hour, and then be at the front of the pack for the last hour long sprint race.”
“Everyone in our car has the mentality and experience to stay clean, put your egos aside and continue to push until the end. We’re going to push as hard as we can and hopefully bring home the 2017 Rolex 24 win.”
On track action for the Rolex 24 at Daytona begins on Thursday, January 26 and continues through Sunday. Follow Frankie on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on session results and race updates throughout the weekend. Be sure to tune in to watch Frankie race LIVE at the following times:
Saturday: 2:00 PM EST – 5:00 PM EST – FOX
Saturday: 5:00 PM EST – 10:00 PM EST – Fox Sports 2
Saturday, 11:00 PM EST – Sunday, 1:00 PM EST – Fox Sports 2
Sunday 1:00 PM EST – 3:00 PM EST – Fox Sports 1