The Wayne Taylor Racing No. 45 DEX Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 entered their second Rolex 24 At Daytona seeking victory at the historic endurance race. The lineup for the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship opener and crown jewel with the No. 45 featured Danny Formal, Trent Hindman, Graham Doyle and Kyle Marcelli.

 

To start the 63rd Running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, full season co-driver, Trent Hindman, started from third in the 22-car GTD field. Hindman quickly capitalized on the speed within the No. 45 DEX Lamborghini working his way up to run in second. After his first stint, Hindman traded places with sophomore driver Graham Doyle, who got in his first few hours of driving in his second Rolex 24 At Daytona. Doyle got up to speed and managed to stay on the GTD field lead as the evening hours approached. Danny Formal then took over for Doyle and charged through the field as the No. 45 found even more speed as the temperatures dropped both on track and in the air. Maintaining their position on track within the top 10 of the GTD class, Formal brought the silver chrome Lamborghini to pit lane to allow further drive time to Doyle.

 

After nearly two hours, Doyle obtained strong and consistent pace in the night hours before Kyle Marcelli got his first race laps behind the wheel of the No. 45. Marcelli was on target with the mission of his No. 45 teammates, however the team was assessed a penalty and that dropped the 45 team down the running order. There was no lack of determination from Marcelli to earn back the lost positions and that mindset translated over to his teammates as they battled through the tough night hours of the event.

 

Near the 10-hour-to-go mark, the No. 45 team deemed it necessary for the team to change brakes and that change dropped the No. 45 off the lead lap, after Formal was running in second in class. Throughout the overnight shift of stints, the No. 45 team managed to obtain their lap back and get back with the leaders. From that point, the veteran trio of Marcelli, Hindman and Formal, knew how impressive their No. 45 Lamborghini was and began chipping away at the GTD leaders. With talented work on pit lane by the No. 45 crew and stellar driving, the chrome Lamborghini found themselves within two-tenths of the GTD lead with one hour to go. Just minutes after the one hour remaining, Formal came to a stop on track due a mechanical issue as a result of competitive racing action on track. Despite the heartbreaking end, the strength of the No. 45 DEX Lamborghini was felt and displayed.

 

“It was a weekend of ups and downs," said Team Owner, Wayne Taylor. "I am very, very proud of our guys on the GTD program. It was such a shame how it ended. All the drivers did a great job. Danny, Trent, Kyle and Graham Doyle did exactly what we asked them to do and did it exceptionally well. All the team members put their heart into this. I am just so proud of them all and feel so sorry for the result.”

 

Danny Formal, Full Season Co-Driver

“First of all, I want to say thank you to Wayne Taylor Racing, DEX and Lamborghini Squadra Corse. They gave us a fantastic car since we came here in December and tested; the car has just been on rails. Amazing qualifying by my new teammate Trent Hindman, almost a pole position. Today, these 24 hours have been a rollercoaster from going to P1, going to P17, going one lap down, bringing it back, seeing Graham Doyle staying ninth in a double stint. It was amazing to not lose a lap after only doing 11 races in his career. It was just everyone. Kyle, the professional, he is did so good, and Trent was stellar. I felt it today, it was one of those races that you just feel like you have something extra, and I felt I had that. On that one restart, I went from fifth to second in the bus stop, huge commitment and respect by other drivers. Some other drivers were playing a little dirtier but it’s racing, you’re trying to win the biggest race of the year. It was unfortunate what happened to us with one hour remaining while we’re fighting for the win. Less than two-tenths away from being in the lead, it’s just heartbreaking. I’m so grateful to everyone, all the mechanics - they are the unsung heroes of this and I’m so proud to drive for them. Sebring is up next and we’ll be ready for it.”

 

Trent Hindman, Full Season Co-Driver

“Nothing but positives to take away. Not the ending that we wanted with an hour to go and being in a position to be on the podium, if not to fight for the win. But nevertheless, just a huge thanks to the DEX Wayne Taylor Racing crew. It’s really a pleasure to be a part of this team. This kind of performance just goes to show the strength and potential we have as a team, and what we can achieve this season. Onwards and upwards!”

 

Graham Doyle, IMEC Co-Driver

“Coming into the Rolex after the Roar, we knew we had a great car. That coupled with a great team with me, Danny, Kyle and Trent, we couldn’t be happier. We started the race P3 and Trent did an awesome job in qualifying so we were pretty stoked on that. We came into the weekend strong and started the race off strong. I was able to get my five-and-a-half hours done before the 12-hour mark and then let Danny, Kyle and Trent go after it for the rest of the race and they did an awesome job - flawless. We were on the lead lap the entire time, and it came down to the wire. We were running P2 with an hour to go and unfortunately, as racing goes, we had a mechanical issue and had to retire the car. We still finished P10 because the cars behind us couldn’t catch up, but it’s just a disappointment in that aspect because we know we had the car to win the race and the team to win the race, so it just fuels us to push harder at Sebring.”

 

Kyle Marcelli, Rolex 24 at DAYTONA Co-Driver

“I’m a little bit in shock to lose in the last hour and it is disappointing, the car’s been fantastic the last two weeks that we’ve been here. We have not been making big wholesale changes, the team has done a flawless job prepping this car and showing up here, prepared and ready to win. And the car was, like I said, it was just fine tuning, and the race itself.  I mean we all had smiles on our face after our first stints in the car because we knew we had a fast race car. The DEX Lamborghini was really, really quick in the night. We lost a little bit of performance from the front of the car in the day, but it looked like the competition lost a little bit as well. Just so grateful. For me it’s Daytona only, but grateful to be part of this organization. Thankful to Wayne, and Travis, DEX, and all the men and women at Wayne Taylor Racing, and my teammates Danny, Trent, and Graham - it was a really fun event. I really thought we were going to be in victory circle if not on the podium.”

 

About Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR)

Wayne Taylor Racing’s global motorsports enterprise boasts two IMSA driver championships (2013 and 2017), and back-to-back IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championships (2020, 2021) which contributed to nine IMSA manufacturer championships for Acura, Pontiac, Corvette and Cadillac. In its brief 18-year history, WTR has accumulated multiple victories in sportscar racing’s most iconic events: Rolex 24 At Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, Mid-Ohio, Road America and the Six Hours of The Glen. With its back-to-back PRO Class Championship wins (2022, 2023), WTR currently has 14 North America Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship titles and a Lamborghini World Finals title.