Good afternoon, Race Fans, and welcome to the “First Day of School” for the new year.
Arriving at Daytona International Speedway for the "Roar Before the 24" Team Burkhard and Czabok Simpson Motorsport are totally stoked for the 2026 season. There was not a dull moment between seasons for anyone with myriad reviews, improvements and streamlining work done. Processes, people and packing were all adjusted to improve efficiencies. Now everyone is ready to hit the ground running here. That's good because the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (MPC) cars get a whole lot of practice this weekend - five sessions over the next three days. It's time to get started! Thanks for joining the ride again this year!
Morgan is again paired with Gordon Scully for the year in the Porsche Cayman 718 GT4 RS Clubsport in the GS class, but there are a few noteworthy changes. For Daytona, they are joined by Madeline Stewart, making a three driver line up for next weekend’s 4-hour race. We also have a number change to carry #2 for the season. Last and perhaps best, we have a color change in the livery. It’s the same basic layout, but we are green, black and white now. Being unique will be an immense help in picking out our peeps.
THURSDAY NOTES:
So far, it’s pleasantly sunny on this Thursday load-in day with bright blue skies behind puffy clouds in a real hurry. It’s cool, upper 50’s and gusting to 40mph. A close watch on all the things is critical as equipment gets moved around from trucks to garages so it doesn’t get taken by the wind. Winter weather here is so variable, I won’t say much about tomorrow other than “brrrrr” to start - 38F!! There is no broadcast this weekend, just IMSA’s Al Kamel live timing. We are first on the track in the morning for our Practice1 at 8:30am Eastern.
Daytona is one of only a few tracks on the calendar where MPC teams have garages. We park the car there and unload lots of equipment. All the work needed gets done in the garage. Nearby, the trailer holds extra parts, more tools, crew lockers, and driver spaces, as well as snacks and drinks. Tables are set up outside the trailer where people can sit for a moment to eat, chat and work. It's quite nice as long as it's dry!
For this weekend, we get to share a pit box with our WeatherTech buddies from last year, the United AutoSport #22. It's super conveniently located right at the break in the pit wall where cars enter and leave the grid. That makes it easy for the drivers to spot when they zoom in for their pit stops. Even though the trailer, garage and pit box are pretty close together, everyone still puts a lot of miles on the sneakers going back and forth. That starts with the 3.56 mile track walk as the last thing to do this evening before leaving the track.
FRIDAY NOTES:
Being out the door early this morning provided a beautiful view of the tiny crescent moon rising over the ocean. Dawn was in full bloom by the time we arrived at the garage to greet the race car and the crew. It was still quiet, with the only sounds the chattering of teeth and conversations carried on foggy breath. (Yes, we greet the race car specifically and individually. Each race car is unique and has a personality. Besides, it has to carry our drivers into battle and keep them safe and it makes me feel better to treat it kindly and appreciatively.)
Once the greetings and meetings are done, we move quickly up to the pit lane, where it is still fully in shadow. The air wrenches sing like excited metallic birds as the crews ready them for use. Their high pitched chirp and scream melody echoes off the grandstands, each one seeming to call out to the others in the flock. All are eager to get this underway.
Diving into the session, 75 minutes flies by so fast, even though nothing is really rushed. Practice 1 is a good time to prepare a lot of things for next week’s race, accounting for several long pit stops. By the end, all drivers have had a go in the car and remember (or figure out) what Daytona is like. Morgan sets the top time which feels pretty darn good. He’s always quick out of the box and has been quite keen to get behind the wheel again after the long off season.
In Practice 2 Madeline and Gordon share the laps and times dropped for both of them. As is common for this 90-minute session for all teams, they work on comfort, consistency and pace. We stop a bit early to check out an odd behavior (all sorted fairly quickly). The session ends with all eight Mustangs in the top 10, and 2 other Porsches in 8th and 9th.
Even when things don’t go exactly as planned (really, do plans ever do that??), the reaction from everyone is calm, logical, and methodical, without fuss or scrambling. Things just get rearranged and we move forward. Just as it should be. CSM is experienced and confident in their performance.
The drivers are getting to know each other quickly already. It is so much fun to listen to them tell their personal stories and watch them describe the car behavior. It’s a really comfortable and pleasant environment. They enjoy a pleasant dinner together, with plenty of laughter, before we all part ways for an early bed time. We are back tomorrow at the track early again. This has been quite a good day on the whole.
If you want to watch more than timing numbers jumping around and are ready for actual racing, here’s what you need today. Watch Race 1 of the VP Racing Sports Car Challenge on YouTube today. Look for CSM's #25 red/black/white Porsche Cayman driven by Ismaeel Ellahi. Yes, it will look quite familiar as it’s the same baseline livery Morgan drove last year. Root big for Ismaeel as he makes his IMSA debut today!
SATURDAY NOTES:
The Michelin Pilot team of Morgan, Gordon and Madeline are back early for Practice 3, a 90 minute session starting at 8:40 this morning. All goes smoothly and cleanly for both Madeline and Gordon as they refine their approach to the course and try to improve their times. It's a long wait for the 60-minute Practice 4 going out at 4:30. In each session, they focus on different things to look for a few tenths here and there in the quest for ever faster times. The high temperatures are much warmer today, by about 15 degrees, so they can assess what that feels like and how it affects the car and the track.
While the CSM team is wrapping up the post-session tasks on the race cars, we are immersed in the glorious deep throated roar of the WeatherTech field doing two hours of night practice. Their sound fills the air and we are so close to the track that it vibrates pretty much everything. Yeah, it’s loud, but it isn’t painful or unpleasant at all. It’s quite soothing really. The air is getting cooler and denser with the sun down and it’s time for the jackets again as we wait for all the debriefs to finish up. After a quick dinner, it will be off to bed. It’s been a long, but really good day.
Spoiler alert - Ismaeel fought hard in the VP race today. Starting 2nd, he dropped back 4th in the first lap. He put in a great effort and chased his way back up to 2nd and held off the challenge from 3rd all the way to the end. He stood on the podium on his debut! It’s a fantastic result for him and for CSM. We are really hoping this run continues!
SUNDAY NOTES:
It’s the final day of the Roar practice weekend! It sure has flown by with lots to do, but thankfully without drama so far. Today is still cool, 60-ish, but with a chance of precipitation today. Plans for tires changes have been added to the pit box set up for both our final practice session and Ismaeel Ellahi's Race 2 for the VP Challenge immediately following. The overcast will keep things a bit cooler and Sasha, our photographer, is very happy with the softer light. Spoiler alert - IMSA declared the VPC race to be wet, and it very much was! Ismaeel got a new kind of challenge in this one when a tire blew out.
Aside from the VPC race, we are really just waiting to get the car into the queue for our last session at 11:00. This is just a check of the set up for the damp conditions. Weather forecasts are subject to frequent change, but it's possible that there could be wet sessions next week, so this is a good opportunity.
When it's all said and done, it is great to be able to say that the sessions continue to be rather uneventful. It’s always good when there’s no real drama and the drivers are pretty comfortable in the car. It’s down to minor fine tuning now. After all 5 Practice sessions finished, Morgan’s time set on lap 6 of P1 still stands as the fastest of the event. It’s a strong opening statement. Lap times for both Gordon and Madeline dropped too, helped along by Morgan’s encouragement and coaching.
The Roar at Daytona was a most excellent season opening event for CSM. Morgan came out strong with a clear message. This team means business! Other than a couple of hiccups, every session went very smoothly, and those were handled with quick, calm, effective action. As a bonus, Morgan and CSM top IMSA’s Weekend Notebook for the series. Check it out!
It’s important to remember that the Roar is all practice and a whole lot can change once the race event starts on Wednesday. Over the next couple of days, the crew will do the post-race maintenance and set up for the next round of activity. We get started with the first round of racing later this week. See you there!
