ADAC GT Masters drivers were running well in this event, the 24 Hours of Daytona in Florida, USA that traditionally kicks off the international long-distance race season, but their luck ran out in the end. Right up until the final hour of the race, Nicolas Armindo was all set for a GT class victory in a Porsche from the stable of last year´s winning team. However, a gamble with fuel in the final minutes of the race turned out badly for Armindo and his team when the Porsche ran out of gas on the last lap and so the Frenchman finally finished fifth. A lack of fuel also proved to be the nemesis of top ADAC GT Masters Champion Christopher Haase in an Audi R8. He lost a place on the podium when team-mate Markus Winkelhock also found himself out of fuel within sight of the chequered flag.

For a short while, fifth place in the 36-strong field of GT class vehicles was occupied by another Porsche 911 being campaigned by Martin Ragginger, Mario Farnbacher and Robert Renauer along with two American co-drivers. "But then, a BMW caused Robert to spin, severely damaging the car´s rear end and that remained a major headache for the rest of the race," said Mario Farnbacher, competing in Daytona for the first time. Nevertheless, a respectable tenth place was theirs at the finish line. Marco Seefried, who was also racing a Porsche, had issues with braking and suspension during the 24-hour race and was eleventh.

Christian Engelhart and Nick Tandy, teamed with Porsche Junior Michael Christensen and an American, had the most desperate bad luck. Tandy secured pole in the GT class at his first event as a Porsche works driver, but two punctures forced the Tandy/Engelhart Porsche out of the race.

Maxime Martin also had his first outing as a BMW works driver in Florida, but the Belgian driver´s Daytona debut in the BMW M3 was similarly spoilt by technical problems, and he took the chequered flag in 18th place in the GT class.

Victory in the GT class at the 24 Hours of Daytona went to Audi DTM drivers Felipe Albuquerque, Edoardo Mortara, Oliver Jarvis and the American Dion von Moltke in an Audi R8.