A postcard from Daytona

First run in 2014, the Classic 24 is back after a one-year sabbatical. The entry was slightly down, the quality high…

Defining ‘classic’ has long been open to interpretation – and Daytona’s take on the theme is more liberal than most. This was the famous Florida speedway’s third Classic 24 and cars ranged from a 1962 Volvo PV544 to Ligier JS P3s on which the paint was barely dry.

As with the similar – but longer-established – event at Le Mans, cars are separated into six groups, each of which races four times (in 42-minute segments) during the event. Although some fields were strong, only 10 cars lined up for the opening Group C race – and attrition eventually whittled the field down to six.

That notwithstanding, Daytona hosted its first 24-hour enduro in 1966 and remains an appropriate theatre at which to appreciate six decades of endurance racing history.