Making an Everyday Sports Car Into a Track Weapon
Short Answer: The cars which race in the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) series are heavily modified production sports cars from Aston Martin, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, Mercedes-AMG, and Porsche
Image 1: Two GTD-class Ferrari 296 GT3 EVOs parked at Daytona International Speedway (Image Courtesy of Nadia Zomorodian/The Daytona Beach News-Journal)
Many automakers brag about how fast their cars are and how good they are to drive. When you’re racing in the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona, however, the cars must be fast and be able to be driven to the limit. Thankfully, the cars competing in the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class already come with chassis which need only modest modifications to be driven at the highest levels around the racetrack.
GTD race cars at the Rolex 24 at Daytona are production cars with more aerodynamic components and modest suspension upgrades to handle Daytona International speedway. They also have race tires that provide maximum grip. Furthermore, these cars have engines which produce approximately 600 horsepower and the cars themselves are approximately 1300 kg or so.
Image 2: A Lexus RC F GT3 at the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona (Image Courtesy of Nadia Zomorodian/The Daytona Beach News-Journal)
As you can see, the modifications these cars undergo are more than cosmetic. Each manufacturer wants their car to win, so the better the car can race at Daytona International Speedway, the better the chances of winning are.
If you look closely at these results, you’ll notice how close the lap times the race cars in the GTD class and in other classes are to each other. Governing bodies like the International Motor Sports Association, LLC (IMSA) and The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) are instrumental in making these races fair. These bodies set technical guidelines that each racing class that competed in the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona must abide by to make the race fair for all competitors.
Image 3: GTD car at the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona (Image Courtesy of Nadia Zomorodian/The Daytona Beach News-Journal)
If you want to know more about the driving and chassis dynamics needed to compete at this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, check out The Art of Mastering Driving for more information. If you’re interested in what all is considered to make their engines work, take a look at Old School Heart with New School Brains. If you’re curious about what it takes to get the power from their engines onto the asphalt, check out Keeping in Rhythm with the Power.
Bottom Line: GTD race cars at the Rolex 24 at Daytona are sports cars that you might see on the road, but with far more racing technology to help them win
Image 4: GTD cars at the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona (Image Courtesy of Nadia Zomorodian/The Daytona Beach News-Journal)
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