Spirit of Daytona Racing has confirmed its entry into the Rolex 24 at Daytona next month, revealing that it will run a trio of motorcycle racers in the #09 Porsche powered Coyote.

Scott Russell, Jeff Ward, and Jason Pridmore will share driving duties in what will be their first appearance in the round the clock race, although the trio have raced at Daytona in the past on two wheels.

In the 2008 running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the #09 Porsche V8-Coyote took the highest finish for any Porsche-powered Daytona Prototype with its run to tenth in class. The car will now return in the New Year having run a limited Rolex Series schedule during the remainder of 2008.

Russell, Ward, Pridmore, and Spirit of Daytona driver Guy Cosmo had a productive test as the Rolex Sports Car Series racers got their first taste of the 2009-specification Pirelli tyres in November testing at Daytona International Speedway, and will look to continue that progress in the Roar test days.

“We're really focused on getting things off to a good start with a strong performance in the 24, and we were encouraged not only by being able to finish the race last year, but also by how much we learned through the season,” team owner Troy Flis said. “Now we've got the new bodywork on the car so we'll have some new data to put to work with these new tires, but we already learned a lot in November and look forward to pushing further ahead with the test right after the New Year.

“The guys have really been impressive. There is a lot that goes into the transition from motorcycles to Daytona Prototypes, and they've all been really methodical with what they've been doing, which is really the main thing any team owner can ask. This race doesn't give points for one flying lap - you have to be quick and avoid any mistakes for 24 straight hours.

“These guys all get that, and the approach that they have in the testing we've done, it's crystal clear why they've all been champions before.”