The 2014 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, the inaugural race of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, will be officially paced by an Audi R8 V10 road car, the German car maker confirmed. It is a sort of moral support for all the R8 LMS race cars that compete in this year’s USCC.

It is also quite relevant, as the R8 V10 road car and the LMS racer share more than 50% of their parts and components. The fully aluminum ASF space frame and the naturally-aspirated V10 engine are pretty much the same in both cars, and save a couple of aerodynamic body parts on the racer, they look similar as well.

What’s amazing about Audi’s race engines is that they have a 13,000 mile engine service interval under race conditions, which is astonishing, seeing as other race engines require servicing after a twenty-four hour race. The 5.2 liter V10 in the R8 LMS can race a whole season without a major overhaul. In the road car then, this engine is pretty much bulletproof.

Boasting 525 horsepower and 391 lb-ft of torque, the Audi R8 V10 will have no problem keeping up with the race cars at Daytona. Thanks to a 7-speed S tronic transmission and an all-wheel-drive system, 0 to 60mph is dispatched in the R8 V10 in 3.4 seconds. The car is also equipped with magnetic ride which allows the suspension to be stiffened for more dynamic driving or to offer a more comfortable ride.