Augusto Farfus will race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener, the Rolex 24 at Daytona at the end of January, with BMW Team RLL after Tom Blomqvist was ruled out from the event due to Visa issues.
British racer Blomqvist, was set to race full-time with BMW Team RLL in 2019 alongside Connor De Phillippi on board the #25 BMW M8 GTE after replacing FIA Formula E-bound Alexander Sims, but the issues have prevented the young Briton from joining the team for the twice-around-the-clock race at the Daytona International Speedway.
He now hopes to put this disappointment behind him so to come back for the second round of the season, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, in March.
“I’m very disappointed that I am unable to race at Daytona,” said Blomqvist, a runner-up to Esteban Ocon in the 2014 FIA European Formula 3 Championship season that also included the likes of Max Verstappen, Lucas Auer and Felix Rosenqvist. “I will be back home with my fingers crossed for the whole team and looking forward to returning at Sebring.”
Farfus is a BMW works driver and has raced four times at Daytona with BMW Team RLL, with his best finish coming in 2015 when he helped the team finish second. He will race alongside De Phillippi, Philipp Eng and Colton Herta on board the #25, while the sister #24 will see full-time entrants John Edwards and Jesse Krohn being joined by Chaz Mostert and Alex Zanardi.
“I love the Rolex 24 At Daytona,” said Farfus. “I know the team, the car and the circuit very well and am ready for this challenge.”