Filming at Daytona will revolve around the 992-shape #120 Porsche 911 GT3 R entered by fictional team Chip Hart Racing – which is run in real life by Wright Motorsports for Adam Adelson, Elliott Skeer, Jan Heylen and Frederic Makowiecki.
Their names are absent from car, however, which instead features Sonny Hayes (which is Pitt’s character in the movie), C Kelso and longtime Porsche racer-turned-ambassador Patrick Long, with sponsorship from Geico insurance and Peak antifreeze.
The car will form part of the narrative arc of the as-yet-unnamed Formula 1 movie by Apple Original Films, which hails from director Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Plan B Entertainment and seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton’s Dawn Apollo Films.
Created in collaboration with Formula 1, the motion picture stars Brad Pitt as a former driver who returns to F1, alongside Damson Idris as his team-mate on APXGP, a fictional 11th team on the grid.
Bruckheimer himself will deliver the most famous words in motorsports to kick off the 62nd running of the Daytona 24 Hours in his role as Grand Marshal for the IMSA SportsCar Championship season opener.
Bruckheimer, whose canon includes Con Air, Black Hawk Down and Armageddon in addition to the Top Gun, National Treasure, Pirates of the Caribbean and Bad Boys franchises, famously filmed scenes at Daytona for his 1990 movie Days of Thunder, starring Tom Cruise.
“Jerry Bruckheimer has produced some of the most entertaining and action-packed movies and shows of the past several decades,” said Daytona International Speedway President Frank Kelleher. “Whether he featured fast cars, high-flying jets, or frantic foot races, his work reflects the energy we’ll see in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, making him the perfect grand marshal for this year’s race.”
Bruckheimer added: “Daytona International Speedway is an iconic venue and it’s going to be an honour to give the command for the Rolex 24 At Daytona. I’ve been here for the biggest NASCAR race and now I can’t wait to experience one of the most prestigious sportscar races in the world.”
