Daytona International Speedway is a racetrack located in Daytona Beach, Florida around 70 miles north of downtown Orlando.
It is well known as the home of the Daytona 500 and has a seating capacity of some 200,000.
The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona is the opening race of the American motorsport calendar and is held three weeks before the Daytona 500 every year.

Daytona's tri-oval track alone measures 2.5 miles and combined with the infield become a 3.75-mile road course, as used for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
The course layout has been unchanged since it was first used for the IMSA series' endurance race.
After the high-speed section with maximum 31° banking, there is the infield section with its “International Hoseshoe” corner.
Here cars have to apply full braking before entering the infield section from the track's high speed section.
Therefore, the number of full throttle and full braking sections reach nearly 700 from start to finish, day and night.

The series in which the Daytona 24 Hours is a part is known as the one where Mazda has achieved the greatest success in its motorsport history since the 1970s.
Mazda has taken a total of 23 victories in the event, from the debut win captured by a first generation RX-7 in 1979 to the RX-8 GT victory last year.
Since Mazda's rotary engine has an advantage with its high durability and velocity, the intensely demanding conditions of the Daytona 24 Hours are favorable for the Mazda rotary engine.

Furthermore, the course width of the approach to the infield is very narrow so many cars make contact with other machines at this point. There are many wrecked parts strewn around the track.
It causes trouble externally including blown tyres, radiators and so on. No car gets through without at least some damage.
The climate is also severe. Gritty winds come in from the beach at Daytona and heavy fog develops in the early morning.
Also, the difference in temperature between day and night is a drastic 25 degrees Celsius. The track surface temperature also changes greatly.

The Florida-based team SpeedSource took victory at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in 2008 and 2010, and were also 2010 series' champions with their Mazda RX-8 GT.
This time, the greatest number of RX-8s participated in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, a total of nine entries from a field of 30 machines in the GT class.
Featuring the 20B three-rotor engine, the RX-8 GT produces 450ps from its motor mounted in a front midship layout in the car's space frame chassis that also features a rear wheel drive transaxle.

This year, a lot of fans paid attention to whether SpeedSource would score successive victories or if rapidly growing newcomer Dempsey Racing would net its first win.
In the qualifying and practice sessions, the Porsche GT3 and Chevrolet Camaro GT.R entries were faster, meaning the higher starting grid positions were occupied by those two models and the BMWs.
However, many specialists believed that the RX-8s had an advantage in terms of durability and stability.

Dempsey Racing is co-owned by actor Patrick Dempsey, known for his role as neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd in the medical TV drama “Grey's Anatomy,” and professional driver Joe Foster.
Dempsey Racing has already campaigned cars in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona on three occasions.
Although Patrick Dempsey is very busy working in movies and TV dramas, he participates in the Grand-Am series annually.
Besides Patrick Dempsey, Joe Foster and Charles Espenlaub are regular drivers in the #40 RX-8 GT. Youngster Tom Long joined the team for this event.

Illustrating Dempsey's determination, the #40 Visit Florida RX-8 GT was painted in vivid yellow, orange and red, making the car really conspicuous.
In qualifying, the fastest RX-8 GT was the #42 Team Sahlen car followed by the ace #70 SpeedSource machine.
The #40 was third fastest among the RX-8s. The vividly-colored #40 RX-8 GT attracted luck in the race.
Running stably and trouble-free in the early stages, the car gradually improved its position to eventually lead the GT class as the date changed.

The #40 Visit Florida RX-8 GT took over the lead of the race at a little after midnight.
All of the other teams anticipated that some trouble would arise, however they kept the lead of the race for almost nine hours.
There were many caution laps run behind the Pace Car because of heavy fog during the early morning.
Their rivals were unwilling to allow them to lead the race any longer.
Thanks to this atmosphere of tension, an accident occurred suddenly.

At that time, the #40 RX-8 GT had led enough laps against the second-placed car.
However, the #40 spun out at the approach to the infield and got stuck in the escape zone.
It could not restart. The second-placed car and others came close. All the staff in the Dempsey Racing pit were in a state of commotion.
There was nothing they could do. However, the #40 RX-8 GT's three-rotor motor roared into life once again as it was being towed by the extrication truck.
The #40 was back in the race! Although they had lost three laps, the #40 avoided the worst case scenario. All of the staff gave a deep sigh of relief.

At one point, the #40 Visit Florida RX-8 GT dropped to fourth, though it soon recovered to third place.
While many rivals lost laps and time due to the rising temperatures, the #40 car continued to run steadily.
There were many cars running with body damage. While some machines had lost body panels such as bonnets, doors and fenders, the #40 machine was amazingly damage-free.
It had been hit by on of the prototype cars at daybreak, but the damage was minor.

As the proverb says, luck comes to those who have what it takes. The goddess of victory smiled on Dempsey Racing this year.
The three-rotor engine performed perfectly, clearing the finish line without ever faltering. However, the goddess did provide one act of mischief to the team during the long journey of the 24-hour race.
Without that, they could probably have achieved victory in the GT class. Perhaps, the goddess thought it best they come back next year for one more try.

After the finish, Patrick Dempsey came down from the command seats in the pit and shared his joy by hugging the crew, drivers and friends with a broad smile etched across his face.
The other teams and rivals also congratulated their great effort and gave applause. TV cameras followed Dempsey's every move.
At the interview session he commented, “This brilliant result is really special for me. I'd like to express my appreciation to all members of the Dempsey Racing crew, the drivers, staff, friends, and of course Mazda.” He was then choked with tears.