Ben Keating will line up in only one automobile on the 2026 Daytona 24 Hours in January, ending his long-running custom of splitting driving time throughout two entries.
After years of pulling double obligation within the blue-riband spherical of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, the American has revealed that he’ll focus his efforts on a single LMP2 effort with PR1/Mathiasen.
Whereas the California-based squad is but to announce its full line-up for the season-opener, Keating is listed alongside Misha Goikhberg, Parker Thompson and Tristan Vautier within the #52 Oreca 07 for this week’s IMSA-sanctioned check at Daytona Worldwide Speedway.
“So for the final 5, six years, I’ve finished the Rolex 24 with PR1 Mathiasen. I feel in eight out of the final 10 years, I’ve finished Daytona in two completely different automobiles for a similar race,” Keating instructed Motorsport.
“On this specific race, I’ll do LMP2 with PR1 once more, however I am solely going to be in a single automobile.
“That is nonetheless enjoyable. It is nonetheless going to be a good time. However that is the plan – one automobile in LMP2 with PR1.”
#52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports, ORECA LMP2 07: Ben Keating
Photograph by: Courtesy of IMSA
Keating has pushed a variety of GT and prototype equipment on each side of the Atlantic, establishing himself as one of the profitable and recognizable gents drivers of his technology.
He has even raced within the prime class at Daytona, first driving JDC-Miller’s Cadillac DPi V.R to the general podium in 2023, earlier than reuniting with the group final yr on the wheel of a Porsche 963 LMDh. On every of these events, he additionally doubled up within the LMP2 class.
This yr, Keating co-drove PR1/Mathiasen’s Oreca 07 entry to 3rd place within the LMP2 division, whereas additionally sharing a Trackhouse by TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R with Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch and Scott McLaughlin in GTD Professional.
The 54-year-old mentioned scaling again to a single automobile at Daytona was a direct consequence of his resolution to depart IMSA and race full-time within the WEC’s LMGT3 class this yr.
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“Due to not being in that [IMSA] paddock, the relationships aren’t as sturdy as they have been,” he defined.
“It is good. It is good for everyone.
“Everyone likes to have a automobile that does what you need it to do. The Oreca LMP2 is an extremely designed automobile. It does what you need it to do. It is enjoyable to drive.”
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