{"id":30451,"date":"2023-02-04T18:45:40","date_gmt":"2023-02-04T22:45:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=30451"},"modified":"2023-02-04T18:45:40","modified_gmt":"2023-02-04T22:45:40","slug":"motown-in-daytona-penske-cadillac-and-corvette-prepare-assault-on-a-great-endurance-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/motown-in-daytona-penske-cadillac-and-corvette-prepare-assault-on-a-great-endurance-race","title":{"rendered":"Motown in Daytona: Penske, Cadillac and Corvette prepare assault on a great endurance race"},"content":{"rendered":"

Daytona, Florida<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Auto racing has always been a key proving ground for Detroit automakers, and never more so than the 2023 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s International Motorsports Association-sanctioned race Saturday and Sunday brings together an extraordinary intersection of Motown story lines. Bloomfield Hills-based Team Penske and Porsche have united for a historic run at the 24-hour race as founder Roger Penske seeks his first Daytona win since 1969 and the German automaker looks to add to its record 22 victories.<\/p>\n

Cadillac debuts its first hybrid GTP race car as it vies for an overall win against the world\u2019s best, including Porsche, BMW and Acura. And the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R race car goes head-to-head with Porsche, Mercedes and Ferrari for the GT-class crown.<\/p>\n

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All three Detroit icons see sports-car racing as an essential piece of their brand in a global marketplace.<\/p>\n

\u201cRacing plays a huge role in today\u2019s world,\u201d said Corvette Racing Brand Ambassador Doug Fehan, who launched the race team in 1997. \u201cWhen you look at all the performance elements that we seek in a race car \u2014 it\u2019s the same for a production car. We\u2019re looking for better aerodynamics, better fuel economy, we\u2019re looking for new, lighter and stronger materials. They are not that far apart anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

The manufacturer involvement comes as the industry is under the biggest government microscope since the early 1970s, when an OPEC oil embargo strangled gasoline supplies and Washington imposed strict vehicle mpg requirements. Five decades later, governments are trying to force automakers out of gas-burning cars altogether with electric vehicle mandates.<\/p>\n

In the 1970s, politicians feared a planet that was running out of oil, and manufactures felt a moral responsibility to scale back on racing. \u201cThe shortage quickly put pressure on motorsports, which some saw as the wasteful use of a now precious commodity,\u201d records the International Motor Racing Research Center, and race organizations formed a lobbying campaign in \u201cWashington D.C. to keep Congress from legislating . . . sanctioning bodies out of business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Automakers fled motorsports and IMSA canceled the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1974 as well as its sister Florida event, the 12 Hours of Sebring.<\/p>\n

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Today, political activists are again sounding the alarm \u2014 this time warning of a planet that is dying from too much fossil fuel use. Once again, manufacturers feel political pressure \u2014 but this time they are investing millions into high-tech solutions like the hybrid Cadillac and Porsche prototype cars that will streak around Daytona\u2019s high bankings this weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo doubt this is the most disruptive period for the auto industry since the 1970s,\u201d said veteran racing journalist Steven Cole Smith of Hagerty. \u201cYet this weekend there will be 17 manufacturers on the Daytona grid. The benefits of technology transfer and brand elevation are irresistible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Corvette<\/h2>\n

Corvette Racing is a model of how competition benefits vehicle production.<\/p>\n