Roar test offers Sunoco Challenge winners Morris and Bladon more Daytona mileage

2017 Sunoco Challenge winners Seb Morris and Max Bladon racked up further important mileage at Daytona International Speedway last weekend during the Rolex 24 At Daytona’s official pre-event Roar test (January 6-8).

It was Sunoco Whelen Challenge champion Morris’ second outing at the famous US oval after first sampling the #31 Action Express Racing-run, Whelen Engineering Racing-entered Cadillac DPi-V.R there in December. That initial experience of the high-downforce, 600bhp sports-prototype allowed the British GT racer to fine-tune his own preparations for the Roar, the final chance all teams and drivers have to set-up their cars before race week on January 26-29.

The 21-year-old Welshman was able to match the pace of his co-drivers and defending IMSA champions Dane Cameron and Eric Curran, as well as Toyota LMP1 ace Mike Conway who completes the quartet, across three days of running. Together, they recorded the sixth fastest overall time to end up just 0.6sec shy of top spot.

“It’s been a very positive test, and the car has run faultlessly,” said Morris. “We’ve had a lot of track time and spent it wisely honing race set-up, but clearly our relative pace is very good. The team has done a great job so far.

“The Cadillac is nothing like the Bentley GT3 I raced last season. It’s much closer to a powerful single-seater or even a DTM car, so I think my relatively recent experience of those has been handy. That first test at the end of last year also really helped me focus on the areas where I could improve my fitness for the extra demands of racing a sports-prototype across several stints. I spent Christmas training very hard for that and am now fitter than I’ve probably ever been.”

Morris was joined at the test by Sunoco 240 Challenge winner Max Bladon, who was making his first appearance at Daytona ahead of his prize drive there in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge’s four-hour season opener on January 27.

The 20-year-old’s task was a little different to that of Morris’ given this was his first time at the speedway and handling a rear-wheel-drive racing car. Nevertheless, the reigning Mini Challenge Cooper class champion acquitted himself well aboard the Racers Edge Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4, which has four-times the power of his Cooper.

Indeed, such was his pace during the test that Bladon has been asked to qualify and start the race in three weeks.

“I’ve never been anywhere like Daytona - its 31-degree banking is a lot steeper than Rockingham’s, which is something like 11 degrees!” he said. “Plus, the Aston Martin is very different to what I’m used to: heading down the straights at 170mph isn’t something I’ve experienced before! But the biggest difference is the driving style between front and rear-wheel-drive cars. I’m used to chucking it in and sorting everything out mid-corner, which you can’t do with the Aston. My recent karting experience has certainly been useful.

“Being asked to qualify and start the car is a big boost personally. It shows the team believe in me and think I’m capable of doing a good job, which I wasn’t expecting after just one test with so many new things to learn. It’s an amazing situation to find myself in, so thank you to Anders [Hildebrand] and Sunoco for the incredible opportunity.”

Both Morris and Bladon will be back on track at Daytona on Thursday 26 January for their respective practice and qualifying sessions. While Bladon’s four-hour race begins on Friday afternoon at 12:15, Morris must wait until 14:30 on Saturday for the 55th Rolex 24 At Daytona to begin.

 

What are the Sunoco Challenges?

The Sunoco Challenges provide an accurate assessment and comparison of performances across multiple championships during any given season. Points are awarded for qualifying and race results, including fastest lap, which are then converted into an individual average score for each competing driver over the course of a full campaign.

That means each race weekend offers drivers an equal chance to climb and drop down their respective Sunoco Challenge table. It also ensures that performances are taken into consideration across an entire season while placing less emphasis on one-off or unfair results.

As in previous years 2017’s Sunoco Whelen Challenge champion Seb Morris won a fully funded drive aboard Action Express’ Whelen-sponsored Cadillac sports-prototype in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Meanwhile, Sunoco’s 240 Challenge champion Max Bladon contests the four-hour Daytona support race held over the same January weekend at the wheel of a Racers Edge Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4.

 

Seb Morris - 2017 Sunoco Whelen Challenge Champion

Race: Rolex 24 At Daytona

Team: Whelen Engineering Racing/Action Express Racing

Car: #31 Cadillac DPi-V.R

Co-drivers: Dane Cameron/Eric Curran/Mike Conway

Nationality: British

Age: 21

DOB: 30/11/1995

Born: Wrexham

Lives: Wrexham

Web: www.sebmorris.com

Twitter: @SebMorris31

2016: British GT3, Team Parker Racing Bentley Continental GT3 with Rick Parfitt 3rd (1 win)

2015: GP3 Series, Status Grand Prix 18th

2014: Formula Renault 2.0 NEC, Fortec Motorsports 3rd (2 wins)

2013: BRDC Formula 4 Championship, Hillspeed 2nd (1 win)

2012: Formula Renault BARC Championship, Fortec Motorsport 3rd (5 wins)

2012: Formula Renault BARC Winter Series, Fortec Motorsport Champion (2 wins)

2011: Ginetta Junior Championship, Hillspeed Champion (11 wins)

2010: Ginetta Junior Championship, Hillspeed 12th

2010: Ginetta Junior Great Britain Winter Series, Hillspeed Champion (2 wins)

2005: Clio Cup UK Champion

2004: Clio Cup Winter Series Champion

 

 

Max Bladon - 2017 Sunoco 240 Challenge Champion

Race: BMW Endurance Challenge At Daytona

Team: Racers Edge

Car: #09 Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4

Co-drivers: Ramin Abdolvahabi/Chris Beaufait

Nationality: British

Age: 20

DOB: 20/11/1996

Born: Chester

Lives: Chester

Web: www.maxbladon.com

Twitter: @maxbladonracing

2017: Mini Challenge JCW class

2016: Mini Challenge Cooper class, Excelr8 Motorsport Champion (14 wins)

2015: Mini Challenge Cooper class, Excelr8 Motorsport

2008 - 2014: National Karting