The organization grew from a one-car outfit to three, adding an additional machine in the topflight GTP category while also branching out with a new entry in the GTD class.
In prepping for the 2024 season, which begins with the Rolex 24 At Daytona on January 27, the newly expanded stable pounded the 3.56-mile, 12-turn road course with three days of running.
The tenured #10 Acura ARX-06 GTP, with full-time co-drivers Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque joined by 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson as part of the Rolex 24 lineup, logged 145 laps. Brendon Hartley, who is also part of the endurance lineup, was the only driver to miss the test.
The recently added #40 Acura, which ran 199 laps, featured Louis Delétraz and welcomed the return of Jordan Taylor as its full season lineup, alongside 2009 Formula One champion Jenson Button - added only for the Rolex 24 - with IndyCar star Colton Herta contesting the endurance rounds.
“The new season is starting now already,” said Albuquerque.
“Just a few months after the last race, so for me it’s a bit weird because the team has grown so much for two cars. It’s not just double the people, it’s almost three times more. And especially here we have almost all the drivers as well for Daytona. So, dealing with that, especially with me being a part of WTR Andretti the last three years, it’s totally different. It feels almost like a brand-new team, and just a few people that are the same. But other than that, these new people gel really, really well.
“And with the 40 car, Louis we knew from last year, and Jordan already, and the new guys just fit perfectly. We are having a good time, are enjoying going through this process of getting to know each other and we are making ground.
“Wednesday we were pretty competitive. We know what we get. We are now fine tuning the car to a completely different development than one year ago when we were here in Daytona. So, as always, I am enjoying the time behind the wheel and being with the team.”
Ericsson added: “It already feels like we’re gelling very well as a group. It’s so many drivers, eight of us, so it’s pretty cool to have so many talented and good drivers in a group like that.
“Working together with the team here and getting to know the car and your teammates and getting to work together is worth a lot for us moving forward. It’s only my second time at Daytona, second time really in endurance racing, so it’s all very new to me, and that’s why it’s so good to have teammates like Filipe, Ricky, and Brendon. So, to learn from them, and listen to them, that helps a lot when you get to grips with this type of car.”
In his return after spending the four previous seasons with Corvette Racing, Jordan Taylor comes back seeing the familiar face of brother, Ricky, but also Button, whom he worked together with on NASCAR’s Garage 56 program for the 24 Hours of Le Mans last June.
“I think when we were looking for drivers, you don't just want fast guys, you want guys that are going to fit in well personality-wise that will fit in with the team and want to do well for the whole team around them,” Jordan Taylor told Motorsport.com
“Jenson is a perfect fit from a personal point of view. And then I think from the performance side, obviously his background speaks for itself. But I think for us, with all these new technologies on the cars, I think it'll be super interesting to get his perspective from his Formula One background and Super GT background to see what he thinks and what ideas he has that can help influence us in a positive direction.
“I think we're going to have a lot of cool aspects from Marcus Ericsson's side, Colton's side, Jenson's side - a lot of different perspectives from different backgrounds that'll bring a lot of new inputs.”
One other key factor that helps is Button getting some GTP experience with JDC-Miller MotorSports’ Porsche 963 at Petit Le Mans in October, finishing fifth overall.
“Yeah, he was wanting to get back into some top-level sports car stuff last year, so it was nice that he got that little taste of Petit,” Jordan Taylor said.
“There was no question he was going to be fast and competitive right away. And I think he's talked to my dad a few times over the years to try to do Daytona in the past. This year, everything kind of aligned, obviously me getting to know him a bit on the Garage 56. So, I helped a lot. We needed a strong fourth driver, so he was kind of the perfect fit from all angles.”
WTR Andretti's #45 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 also took part in the test in the GTD class, running 161 laps with the combination of full-timers Kyle Marcelli and Danny Formal, alongside endurance co-driver Graham Doyle and Daytona-only co-driver Ashton Harrison.
