Gurney was a factory Porsche driver at the time, but the 1600-cc Porsche 718 was considered too small and slow for what amounted to a sprint race on a very fast course. The first Continental was won by Dan Gurney, driving a 2.7L Coventry Climax-powered Lotus 19. Known as the Daytona Continental, it counted towards the FIA's new International Championship for GT Manufacturers. In 1962, a few years after the track was built, a 3-hour sports car race was introduced. The race used a 3.81-mile layout, running counter-clockwise. Count Antonio Von Dory and Roberto Mieres won the race in a Porsche, shortened to 560.07 miles due to darkness. Shortly after the track opened, on April 5, 1959, a six-hour/1000 kilometer USAC- FIA sports car race was held on the road course. The race has been known historically as a leg of the informal Triple Crown of endurance racing along with the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans. Winning drivers of all classes receive a Rolex Daytona watch. Since 1992, the Rolex Watch Company has been the title sponsor of the race, replacing Sunbank, which replaced Pepsi in 1984. The race has borne the names of several sponsors over the years. The race is sanctioned by IMSA and is the first race of the season for the IMSA SportsCar Championship. ![]() Held on the last weekend of January or first weekend of February as part of Speedweeks, it is the first major automobile race of the year in North America. It is run on the Sports Car Course layout, a 3.56-mile (5.73 km) combined road course that uses most of the tri-oval plus an infield road course. The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Sports car endurance race held in Daytona, FL, US 24 Hours of DaytonaĢ4 Hours of Daytona (1966–1971, 1973, 1975–1977)
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