Unrewarded Performance at the 24 Hours of Daytona

20 March 2026

At the start of this new IMSA season, the premier endurance racing series in the United States, TDS Racing came in with genuine ambitions in LMP2, built on solid foundations.

The driver lineup remained the same as the previous campaign, centered on Steven Thomas alongside Hunter McElrea and Mikkel Jensen, supported by Charles Milesi for the 24 Hours of Daytona. Their now sharpened knowledge of American races and circuits was a strong asset for the French team in their fifth Florida appearance.

From the very first free practice sessions, the #11 Oreca showed its potential, with Mikkel Jensen setting the fastest time. Steven Thomas then qualified fifth in Thursday’s session — an encouraging result, but far from decisive for a 24-hour race.

While Steven Thomas had a smooth start to the race on Saturday, Hunter McElrea was caught out on braking and could not avoid going off track. The gearbox was damaged, forcing the team to bring the Oreca 07 back to the garage for repairs. After 2h30 of work, the mechanics efficiently got the #11 back on track with the championship still in mind. Points remained to be scored, and the remaining laps provided opportunities to learn for the rest of the race.

Restarting in 12th position, the Oreca — TDS Racing steadily climbed the order with a strong pace from the drivers (including the fastest race lap set by Jensen), benefiting from retirements in the category to finish 9th overall. The team now looks ahead to Sebring (March 13-15).

Xavier Combet, Team Principal of TDS Racing:
“The strategy was to keep the car in the best possible condition until the famous last hour and a half when the race is decided. Unfortunately, Hunter got caught out. But we kept our heads up and returned to the race thinking about the championship. We scored valuable points for the standings. It was a race within the race. Steven Thomas adapted to all conditions without any mistakes, maintaining an excellent rhythm. That’s the key takeaway from the weekend. Despite the repairs done during the race—which aren’t always perfect—and a car that wasn’t 100%, our pace was good. The team stuck together, and while the result isn’t what we hoped for, we have to accept it.”

Results:

  • J. van Uitert – S. Bourdais – S. Alvarez – J. Farano (Tower Motorsports) – 765 laps in 24:01:06.019

  • R. Lindh – J. Allen – P. di Resta – D. Goldburg (United Autosports) +44 seconds

  • F. Massa – J. Burdon – F. Fraga – G. Robinson (Riley) +51 seconds

  • …

  • S. Thomas – H. McElrea – M. Jensen – C. Milesi (TDS Racing) +83 laps

Statistics:

  • 5th participation of TDS Racing at the 24 Hours of Daytona

  • Laps completed: 682

  • Pit stops: 37

  • Fastest race lap (Mikkel Jensen): 1:38.438

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