Photo: WTCC Media

Last minute team change for Rob Huff’s Daytona debut

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2012 WTCC champion Rob Huff has made a last minute switch for his debut at next weekend’s Daytona 24 hour race, the inaugural round of the 2014 United SportsCar Championship, from Starworks to 8Star Motorsports in the LMPC class, a race which sees a number of past and current touring car stars competing.

Rob Huff will partner fellow British driver Tom Kimber-Smith, American Mike Marsal and team owner/driver Enzo Potolicchio at the team. Huff was previously set to be racing with Starworks Motorsport for a multi-race programme, with the remaining scheduled races at Sebring, Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans with Starworks still as possibility, a decision on which will be made after Daytona.

“I’m excited to be making my 24 Hours of Daytona debut next weekend,” said Huff

“The limited experience I gained during the “Roar” test was certainly enough to whet my appetite and I cannot wait to get behind the wheel of 8Star Motorsports’ prototype. I wish Peter Baron and the Starworks Motorsport team well, but the uncertainties with the final driver line-up made a switch to 8Star machinery my best option for Daytona.”

Huff, who embarks on his first season with the LADA Sport Lukoil team this year in the FIA World Touring Car Championship, is just one of a number of top names from the international touring car racing scene taking part in the top tier American endurance event.

Other current or former touring car drivers taking part include former DTM driver Katherine Legge in the DeltaWing prototype and current DTM champion Mike Rockenfeller with the Spirit of Daytona squad, both competing in the Prototype class.

In the Prototype Challenge class, Spaniard Isaac Tutumlu, who drove with Proteam in the 2012 WTCC for the early part of the season, will compete with the Starworks Motorsport team.

2008 Danish Touring Car champion Jan Magnussen will race in his regular spot at the Corvette Racing GTLM team alongside early WTCC front-runner Antonio Garcia.

Three-time WTCC champion and former DTM racer Andy Priaulx starts his full season campaign in the USCC with BMW Team RLL, sharing the car with DTM compatriots Maxime Martin and Joey Hand at Daytona, with former WTCC and DTM drivers Dirks Müller and Werner in the sister car.

Also racing are former Opel DTM racer Peter Dumbreck, competing with Krohn Racing in a Ferrari F458, former BTCC SEAT driver Darren Turner in his regular Aston Martin Racing seat, V8 Supercar Championship race winner Shane van Gisbergen, who races with Alex Job Racing in the GT Daytona (GTD) class, WTCC driver Marc Basseng with GMG Racing in their Audi R8 LMS, former DTM racer Filipe Albuquerque with Flying Lizard Motorsports in their Audi R8, with fellow former DTM racer Markus Winkelhock in the sister car; while former WTCC driver and current DTM front-runner Augusto Farfus will drive with Turner Motorsport in their BMW Z4, also in the GTD class.