Friday Activities Include Highly Anticipated Q&A with Bob and Bill Riley
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The eighth running of the Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Classic Daytona Presented by IMSA featured a full day of competition and three hours of night practice Thursday at Daytona International Speedway, with the week’s first winners crowned in a trio of feature races.
A packed five-day schedule of events at the “World Center of Racing” includes not only this weekend’s HSR Classic 24 but also the Daytona Historics that are part of HSR’s full-season championships. Thursday’s Daytona Historics feature races included the HSR Sasco Sports International/American Challenge and the HSR Stoner Car Care Global GT and HSR Classic RS Cup races
Angus Rogers won the Sasco Sports sprint, overcoming transmission issues on the race’s final lap to take the victory in his KMW Motorsports 1973 No. 15 Porsche 911 RSR. Rogers also scored Porsche-class honors and crossed the finish line just 0.914 seconds ahead of American-division winner Chris Ronson Sr. in his 1970 No. 94 Chevrolet Corvette.
The Sasco Sports International victory went to Rob Albino, making his first start of the HSR season in his Hudson Historics 1999 No. 99 BMW Z3. Albino has been a frequent Sasco Sports race winner and picked up right where he left off despite missing the majority of the 2022 racing season.
The Stoner Car Care Global GT race saw Eric Lux take a convincing win in his Goldcrest Motorsports 2011 No. 00 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3. Lux crossed the finish line a comfortable 11.996 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Juan Lopez-Santini in his 901 Shop 2016 No. 80 Audi R8 LMS Ultra.
The Global GT sprint shared the track with Classic RS Cup race, which was won by Damon DeSantis in the 1974 No. 82 Porsche 911 RSR from Heritage Motorsports. David Agretelis finished second in the 901 Shop 1978 No. 92 Porsche 911 while Mike Banz completed the Classic RS Cup podium guest driving in a 1973 No. 40 1973 Porsche 911 RSR usually raced by his wife, Kathy Blaha.
Friday’s on-track schedule was set to feature a one-hour B.R.M. Chronographes Prototype/Historic and GT Modern (GTM) Endurance Challenge race, Classic 24 qualifying races and the first WeatherTech Sprint Races of the weekend for all groups.
The off-track highlight is the first HSR Classic 24 panel and Q&A since 2019. This year’s guest list is led by Bob Riley and Bill Riley, the father-and-son team behind the success of this week’s HSR Classic 24 featured marque, Riley Technologies.
Even at age 91, Bob Riley still works every day and never stops designing and developing race cars. His partner for more than the last 30 years has been his son, Bill, an accomplished designer and engineer in his own right who has built the Riley Motorsports team-related business into a true global power. The Rileys will be joined by their fellow engineering and design partner with Riley & Scott, Mark Scott, longtime Riley customer competitor George Robinson and three-time Rolex 24 At Daytona overall winners Andy Wallace and Butch Leitzinger.
The Riley Panel and Q&A is open to all ticket holders and credentialed guests, media and competitors starting at 4:30 p.m. ET Friday in the track’s drivers meeting room.
The HSR Classic Daytona features seven different Run Groups competing in succession for a full 24 hours on the Daytona road course. The various period-correct classes within each Run Group combine to make just about any closed-wheel competition sports car from the last 60 years eligible for the HSR Classic Daytona.
The 2022 HSR Classic Daytona presented by IMSA and HSR Daytona Historics entry lists can be found by clicking here. Information on the 2022 HSR Classic Daytona and the accompanying HSR Daytona Historics, including the event schedule and much more, can be found by clicking here.
Spectator tickets for the HSR Classic Daytona may be purchased at the speedway’s Gate 40, off of Williamson Boulevard. A variety of single-day, two-day and three- and four-day weekend passes are available for purchase as well as RV and tent camping options and parking passes. Learn more at www.HSRTickets.com.