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2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona pre-race notes

Reigning Indy 500 champion Ryan Hunter-Reay summarized our feelings on every year's Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona when he said, "The 24 kind of kicks off the year and has become part of my calendar... It definitely helps you get in race shape after a long layoff." Speaking of IndyCar drivers, 14 of the 33 pilots who started last year's Indy 500 are driving in Daytona this year, and an IndyCar driver has been part of the overall winning team for the last four years. The race starts at 2:10 pm Eastern Standard Time, here's where you can watch it: 2-4 pm: Fox Sports Network 4-8 pm: Fox Sports 2 8-10 pm: Fox Sports 1 10 pm-7 am: IMSA TV on IMSA.com - commentary available here for the full 24 hours 7 am – 2:30 pm (Sunday) – Fox Sports 1 Timing and Scoring Andy Blackmore's typically awesome Spotter's Guide Video primer on the four classes: Prototype (16 in this year's race), Prototype Challenge (8), GT Le Mans (10), GTD (19), and how to identify them. Daytona International Speedway: tri-oval with an infield road course, 3.56 miles long, 12 turns Entry list Qualifying results We've tagged along with Audi for the 53rd running of the race, which marks the first event in the Tudor United SportsCar Car Championship. After a difficult first year of teething – IMSA president and COO Scott Atherton said, "Everybody on our staff and everybody that raced with us last year would tell you it was the most challenging season on record" – some things are smoother this year, some things aren't, starting with the field: 53 cars are expected to line up, 14 fewer than last year, the smallest field since 48 cars lined up in 2011. The Prototype class shed three teams from 2014 and the GT Daytona class lost ten, so there's a 19-car field in that class (nine Porsche 911 GT Americas, three Ferrari 458 Italias, two each of the Aston-Martin V12 Vantage, Dodge Viper SRT, Audi R8 LMS, and one BMW Z4). Truth be told, last year's number was probably inflated by having the previous American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Championship combined to make the USCC; the field in 2013 was 57 cars, in 2012 it was 59 cars. Another factor in this year's race is that the GT class adopts FIA GT3 rules from next year. Brad Kettler, manager of Audi's customer motorsport program, said they'd sold five R8 LMS cars last year but zero for this year – there are undoubtedly teams waiting on the sidelines for the rules unification before spending the money.

Audi A7 getting nip and tuck

It's been less than two years since the Audi A7 first went on sale in the US, but European buyers have been able to enjoy the sleek and stylish hatchback for twice as long. As such, Audi is preparing to give its A7 a mild refresh with tweaked exterior styling, but we're also expecting some of the features found in the all-new 2015 Audi A8 to possibly trickle down to the A7.
From what we can tell in these spy shots, the A7 is getting a minor facelift that includes a restyled front fascia and new headlights, which will likely boast Audi's new Matrix LED system. At the rear of the car, similar changes have been made with a fascia that now gets integrated outlets and different taillights that have a Lamborghini-like display.
Not apparent in these images - but still a good bet for production - we'd expect to see the new A7 get some of Audi's updated engines or new driver assist technologies. No definite word as to when we'll be seeing the refreshed A7 in person, but considering how close to production ready as this car seems to be, our bet is on the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.

Audi previews sleek crossover concept ahead of Beijing debut

With the Beijing Motor Show approaching just a couple of weeks down the road, automakers have begun announcing the concept cars they have in store. Nissan has a new sedan concept coming, Lexus will reveal the production NX crossover and Citroën has a tempting sports sedan concept lined up for the Chinese auto expo. And now Audi has hinted at what it has in store.
Revealing only a trio of renderings with no details to accompany them so far, Audi appears to have a new crossover concept in the works. Referred to only as the Audi Showcar Beijing 2014, the brief calls for a five-door crossover with a rather coupe-like roofline, rugged lower body cladding and a flexible cabin with quad bucket seats.
The form bears telltale similarities to the new TT, suggesting that this concept could be a further evolution of the Allroad Shooting Brake concept that Audi revealed in Detroit. If put into production, we could see it wearing the Q4 badge, giving Ingolstadt a rival to the likes of the BMW X4, Porsche Macan and Range Rover Evoque. However, until Audi tells us otherwise, that's all speculation...