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| For the second day in the row, the No.75 75 Express AMG of Kenny Habul/Maro Engel/Will Power/Chaz Mostert (1:47.612) set the best time of the day.. Image Credit: Chaz Mostert via FB/META (2026) |
For Will Power, the iconic banking of Daytona International Speedway has long represented unfinished business. The veteran IndyCar star, about to start in his first full campaign with Andretti Global, finally checked a major item off his personal bucket list this week, making his debut appearance at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 in the No. 75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Power, sharing driving duties with team owner Kenny Habul and a strong lineup,
described the experience as everything he had anticipated - and more.
"I'm really enjoying it," Power said following a busy day of on-track running
and fan engagement. "It's a very big event that I've wanted to do for a long
time. So, really happy to be here, and doing it with Kenny Habul. We raced
against each other years ago in Australia in Formula Ford and Formula Three,
so we've talked about it actually for a while."
The Australian Indy500 Champion driver admitted that previous commitments and
scheduling conflicts had repeatedly delayed his sports car debut at the "World
Center of Racing." But after gaining valuable experience in an eight-hour race
at Indianapolis Motor Speedway late last year, the timing finally aligned
perfectly with Habul's program.
"I've always been a bit too late to the game of talking to teams," Power
explained. "But I had that experience in Indy, so it was a lot easier to ask
Kenny, 'Hey, can I run with you?' And he [Kenny Habul] immediately said,
'Yeah, absolutely'."
Will Power also praised the sprawling facility, noting its sheer scale and
rich heritage in both NASCAR and sports car racing, "It's just an amazing
facility. The first time I drove in here, it was just crazy how big it is. I
feel Indy was big - this has got to be bigger. It's an iconic track with a lot
of history."
The Mercedes-AMG GT3 machines carve through traffic on the legendary 3.56-mile
road course during practice sessions at the Roar.
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| Competing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona will mark Will Power’s second GT3 appearance after taking part in last year’s Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS. Prior to that, his only other sports car experience came in the 2003 Bathurst 24 Hours at the wheel of a Porsche 996 GT3-RS. The Australian, who also won the Indianapolis 500 in 2018, has set his sights on a debut victory, which would also mark Mercedes-AMG’s first GTD Pro class win at Daytona since 2023. Image Credit: 75 Express (2025) |
"The first couple laps in Indianapolis felt very strange ... the amount of
roll and everything," Power recalled. "But they're not that hard to drive.
They're probably very difficult to extract the time out of. You've got ABS and
traction control, so it requires a specific driving style."
Will Power was quick to credit the seasoned GT3 competitors around him,
calling them "top-level drivers" and valuable teammates from whom to learn.
Power topped at least one GTD Pro practice session during the Roar, a result
he greeted with the same satisfaction that has defined his career, even while
acknowledging the gamesmanship often at play with Balance of Performance.
"Always," Power said when asked if leading a session felt good. "When you're
quick, it's a nice feeling."
The 24-hour endurance format itself has brought a refreshing change of pace.
"It's really nice to get practice without pressure," Power noted. "You've only
got 30 minutes, and then you're gonna qualify something. So plenty of time to
get comfortable and find the limits at a slow rate. The racing will be a
little bit that way as well - it's obviously 24 hours, so it takes a lot of
desperation out of it."
The No. 75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG GT3 in action, highlighting the car's
aggressive stance as Power and his co-drivers prepare for the Rolex 24.
"Everyone wants to know, 'What's it like, man? How's Andretti? What was the
car like? What's the engine like?'" Power said with a grin. "I tell them it's
a good team. These guys are gonna be tough. They've got all the ingredients to
win a championship. No question. And they're very proactive ... they really
want to win."
Looking ahead, Power expressed strong confidence in the program's potential.
"I really believe this team will be the top team in the next three years."
For now, though, the focus remains squarely on Daytona. With the Rolex 24 At
Daytona fast approaching, Will Power is savoring every lap in the Mercedes-AMG
GT3, thrilled to finally compete on one of motorsport's most storied stages.
[Quotes Resource: IMSA Transcript]
... notes from The EDJE
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