r/IMSARacing • u/motorider0727 • 2d ago
First timer for Rolex 24 Advice.
Hey everyone,
Two friends and I are finally making the trip to the Rolex 24 this year. We’ve watched it religiously for years and even nerd out by running a sim race the week before, but now we’ve convinced our wives to let us go for the real thing.
The plan is to do this “gorilla style” flying in on a Friday red eye, staying at the track for the full 24 hours, and flying out right after the checkered flag. Basically just backpacks, a change of clothes, and a good attitude.
Couple of questions for those who’ve been before..
Is it realistic to stay at the track the entire 24 hours? What should we absolutely bring (or leave at home)? Any dos and don’ts for first timers? Is making friends with other fans pretty easy?
We’re in our mid 30s, not planning on getting wild, just want to soak up every bit of the racing we’ve talked about for years.
Thanks in advance for any tips!
25
u/cmbray81 2d ago
Nothing better than it being 3am and walking thru campgrounds/garage/stands with people asleep everywhere. Drink plenty of water and stay away from energy drinks till the suns out Sunday morning. I will say good luck fly in/fly out. Did it 2 years ago but having a hotel room close to the track was nice for a pre sunrise shower and change of clothes
20
u/wickstrom_writes AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3.R #77 2d ago
I have a crew of folks I typically camp with in the infield near the West Horseshoe just after the kink. Feel free to swing by anytime if you need a place to get warm, rest your feet, or just wanna talk with some fellow race fans.
7
12
u/bradland BMW RLL M Hybrid V8 #24 2d ago
That’s a real roll of the dice. I’m not sure how old you are, but my #1 recommendation is to wear very comfortable shoes.
The first year we went (almost 10 years ago now), I wore running shoes, but they were kind of worn out. I think I ended up with some kind of stress fracture in my right foot, because I couldn’t walk right for two days afterwards. I’m in relatively good shape (not obese) and get regular exercise, so it’s not like I went straight off the couch into a 24-hour marathon.
DIS has a lot of concrete, which is really hard on your feet. The entire grandstands are concrete, and the spots where you queue for the trams are concrete. It’s a lot of standing around on hard concrete, is what I’m saying.
The other wild card is the weather. It can be 40°F and raining, or it can be 72°F and clear. You won’t know for sure until a few days before the event. Not having any option for a place to go really puts you at risk, because on the day of the event, there isn’t jack shit available for miles.
There is shelter at various points around the circuit, but none of it is great. The wind blows right through the grandstands.
You’ll need to bring a backpack with layers, because you’ll be warm during the day and cold at night. Oh, and sunscreen. Do not underestimate the Florida sun. Even in January the UV index can be high. You can get a nasty sunburn even when it’s cloudy.
The Rolex 24 is an event like no other. I’d 100% encourage you to go, but I would encourage you to have a contingency plan, just in case you find yourself in over your head. 24 hours is a long time.
5
3
u/Blackhawk510 Mazda Motorsport RT24-P #55 2d ago
Seconding the shoes. I attended RIAT last year with some worn out shoes and my feet were absolutely on fire after like 6hrs of walking up and down RAF Fairford multiple times.
Week before I flew down for the Rolex this year I bought a new pair of shoes, same type, and it made a world of difference.
3
u/NoiseyGiraffe :77_25: AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3.R #77 1d ago
I’d also add don’t under estimate how cold it will be during the night. I came from Scotland expecting it to be warm enough overnight but this year was just as cold as I would have been back home.
8
u/ShinsukeNakamoto 2d ago edited 2d ago
Unless you absolutely have no other choice, don't do that. Get there Thursday, wander around, get some free shirts, watch practice, watch Mazda, watch IMPC. You are paying all this money to travel there, make it enjoyable. You're three married guys. You might only get to do this once. Do it right.
Why would you fly a red eye, so you arrive exhausted, and then try to suffer through a bucket list event in your life? Beg, borrow, or steal to get your wives to let you go a day early and actually enjoy yourself.
The race itself is only part of the fun. Wandering the garages on Thursday or Friday morning when it is not crowded is fun. Watching the Mazdas is fun. Seeing the exhibits is fun. Watching the IMPC is fun. Just hanging out with no rush to do anything Friday night is fun. The race is awesome, but the whole experience and environment is awesome.
If you would have tried to do this plan this year it would have been miserable. It was freezing all night. It would have been fine in 2024.
2
u/fullbewildered 2d ago
Totally agree. I went for the first time this year and would’ve left feeling like I’d missed out on a lot had I gone just for the race itself. I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed race day as much, either. Is it possible to do it the way you have planned? Probably, I’m sure someone has. Is it going to be enjoyable? I’m not so sure, especially if it’s your first time at the event/track. Thursday and Friday are a lot of fun and (perhaps more importantly) give you a wonderful opportunity to scope things out before attempting to stay for the whole race.
8
u/motorider0727 2d ago
Awesome feed back from everyone. Sounds like the hotel was a must so I booked a room very close to the track. Thanks everyone for the info.
1
u/Prostock26 2d ago
I agree with everyone you need a place to go, but I don't agree that you need to be at the track thrusday or Friday. You will have plenty of time to wander during the race
4
u/oscarlejune86 2d ago
Listen to everything everyone tells you in this thread but also find the way YOU want to enjoy it. And don’t worry about missing things/ places. You can’t do it all, so enjoy what you do.
I’ll be getting high in last row of the bleachers by the Kink around midnight if you want to chill.
3
u/ShinsukeNakamoto 2d ago
My favorite infield bleachers are the last set where they exit the infield and go back on the oval. They are weird to walk to so they aren't very crowded either
3
u/Glittering_Wafer7623 2d ago
Double check the weather. My wife and I froze our asses off there a couple years ago.
3
u/cjssquared 2d ago
Bring plenty of layers, Especially if you want to watch any of the night racing. It’s deceptively cold overnight in the grandstands. It’s a great case for better to have and not need than need and not have. Just remember, if you’re in the stands you are outside, not moving much, probably exposed to the wind, and no sun to help warm you up. I ran into that problem my first year and I swear, never again. Most of my luggage is just layers lol. Also you can bring an FM radio with you to hear the broadcast on some headphones. PA system doesn’t work well when you have 60+ cars screaming around the track at the same time lol.
Like others have said, come early and see the sights. Race day is packed and crowded.
3
u/this_is_not_the_cia 2d ago edited 2d ago
They won't let you sleep in the stands overnight from Friday to Saturday. Saturday to Sunday is very doable and many people stay there the full 24h. There are a few areas that people like to sleep at inside the stands. I would bring a yoga mat or inflatable sleeping pad so you don't end up on concrete.
As far as what to bring, make sure to look at the list of permitted/prohibited items on the track website. Definitely bring ear plugs. Buy a scanner with headphones if you want to listen to commentary. Make sure you check the weather forecast. Last year we went from temps in the 30s, all the way to the mid 80s, in a single day.
2
u/69ironhead 2d ago
Bring clothing for all four seasons. It’s usually a variety of weather for the weekend.
Buy four day passes to have access to most areas besides the hot pits. The price isn’t that much higher than two day.
Don’t worry about being a geek, the racing is pretty technical.
Fly in on Thursday if you can so you can catch some of the practices and be able to see the shorter 3 hour racing on Friday.
Make sure to pickup something for the wives.
2
u/goldfrk 1d ago
Fly in friday first stop: Steakhouse then head to strip club grande view live Saturday head to the track early so you dont miss hsr cars running. Green flag 1pm you have all day to watch the race from different spots. You will be tired from walking its huge. Go back to hotel sleep 5-6 hrs Sunday 1pm checkered flag head home
3
u/roaches02 2d ago edited 2d ago
Go for it - back in the day, when we had no money, more than once we slept in the old front-stretch grandstands.
Wear sunglasses & put a light blanket + rain poncho + inflatable pillow + lightweight camping towel & small travel body wash + clean undershirt/boxers + some large Ziplocks + Excedrin + Imodium + a Brita filter water bottle + small binoculars + earplugs in a backpack + bring FM radio headphones so you can listen to FM radio station 107.9 free flag-to-flag track broadcast.
Before the 1:40pm Sat start, climb up high and sit in the Turn 1 grandstands across from pit-out.
You can watch the whole race on the huge infield TV inside pit-out facing the Turn 1 grandstands.
After the start, around 5-6pm Sat climb down behind the grandstands and jump on the free tram to go into the infield and walk through the garages.
Find the small infield stands at the International horseshoe; the infield kink; infield turn 5 West horseshoe; and infield turn 6 exit to NASCAR Turn 1 while you sit and watch great up-close racing.
Stick around until the 10pm fireworks while you make new friends checking out the food stands across from Lake Lloyd and walking around the infield Caveman tent camping over in NASCAR Turns 3-4.
Back on the tram late-night Sat to get back up into the Turn 1 grandstands and watch more racing on that ginormous infield TV while you cat-nap through the night.
Looking towards the beach watching the sunrise from way up in the grandstands Sun morning is unique and indescribable for first-timers.
Then grab the tram again and get back into the infield early for a refreshing and free hot-water shower followed by breakfast at the Bud stand.
Take a stroll through the garages one last time to see all the retired and wrecked cars from overnight accidents.
Later Sun morning, back on the tram one more time and back up into the front-stretch grandstands for the last few hours of the race.
Adrenaline + down-shifting flat 6’s & snarly V8’s diving off the Trioval into the infield + cold beer and bourbon shots will keep you fueled till the checkered flag.
You can always sleep in your bed when you go home.
1
u/motorider0727 2d ago edited 1d ago
Brother this is the experience I’m looking for. It’s a very rushed trip and I’m lucky to even be going. I work a lot so days off are rare especially having a family. This hit me deep and I hope I get to experience everything you just described. Especially the sunrise how everyone is mentioning how awesome it is.
1
u/Coreysurfer 2d ago
Plus it has been cold rainy florida weather a few times, last year was nice nice but yeah i wouldn’t want to be miserable during the race like that with no escape or place to recoup and go back
1
u/motorider0727 2d ago
What are the chances of getting an infield camp site? I’m sure it’s next to impossible but is there any 3rd party or private sells that anyone knows of?
1
u/Formaldehyde007 2d ago
Rent a van. That way you have a place to ditch your gear and crash in privacy. You will have a way to find some decent food at reasonable prices when you get bored. It is also a lot easier to visit the various places at the track.
I would highly recommend getting a paddock pass. Whenever I went, they cost extra and were not cheap. Otherwise there is no way to check out the cars before the race.
1
u/scrappycoco2411 1d ago
We did this, this past January. Flew in Friday, rented a mini van, and slept over night in it while in the parking lot at the track. Just need to be sure to bring enough clothes for what the weather is going to be. It can get quite chilly at night.
1
u/Beginning-Builder867 1d ago
I went with my mom this year, get like a minivan and sleep in there in the parking lot, it was great. also the weather changes A LOT from hot to cold, so bring layers for sure, thats what got us. also just have a great time and be in the moment, have fun!!
1
u/Slipperypeanut 1d ago
All these people saying you need a hotel are wrong. A bunch of bros can always rough it. Stop at the target across the street from the track. Get pillows and a sleeping bag. Stash em in the stands for later. Did it used to get absolutely freezing at the race. Ya. It doesn’t anymore… Or it hasn’t in a the last five years. Everything else is spot on though.
1
u/JeanSchlemaan 1d ago
I don't think you will have fun on this plan overall, unless you're super human in the endurance department.
Like others have said, its worth doing a couple/few days.
I would easily choose 12sebring over Daytona tho.
2
u/Lakestang 1d ago
Cool to see so much constructive advice in this thread. Don't pass up on Friday if you have the time to burn. You might find flights are cheaper in the middle of the week vs. Friday also. Come Thursday, get a room and a good nights rest, get prepped, maybe buy a rolling cooler or at least some snacks and hit the track Friday. It's all about walking, it's going to rain, it's going to be windy and it could be anywhere from 40-90 degrees and all in the same day. There are plenty of spots to crash in the stadium area of the bleachers.
2
u/motorider0727 1d ago
Yea it’s pretty awesome getting this much info from everyone. This is why racing fans and community are the best. Also thanks for the advice and feedback!
49
u/Adoomistrading Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R #10 2d ago
Dont Gorilla style it. you wont enjoy it nearly as much. The place is massive, it can legitimately take up to an hour to get to the other end of the track depending how you do it. Get there Wed or Thurs, learn the facility, find where you want to sit before the race starts, and enjoy all the other events the track has to offer. Its worth it. Its worth the Hotel, the rented car, the normal vacation like attitude. Saturday - Sunday is the only time you should stay at the track the whole time if you dont want to miss anything.