Tag: IMSA Weather Tech Championship

IMSA Features Unique, Class-Based Challenge of ‘Race within a Race’ 

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From IMS. This is a better explanation than I could give. I will have my preview later today.

 INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023) – Sports car racing returns to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks on Sept. 15-17, with the unique, “race within a race” format of class racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Michelin Pilot Challenge series.
Just one type of race car competes either on the 2.5-mile oval or the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course at the Racing Capital of the World during NTT INDYCAR SERIES and NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series competition. The length of those series’ races also is measured by laps.
IMSA is different. Five different classes of cars will race simultaneously when the featured WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race starts at 1:10 p.m. ET Sunday on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course.
And the race is not measured by laps; it’s measured by time – two hours and 40 minutes, in this case. Drivers from all over the world compete for overall victory but also for first place within their respective class. That unique format always keeps the racing interesting, and the varying speeds of the five classes of machines creates intense racing within classes and plenty of traffic for the fastest classes to navigate for most of the race.
The five classes of cars in the series are comprised of two styles of cars – prototype, which showcases the latest automotive technology and are designed uniquely for the racetrack; and GT, based on road-going production models.
So, let’s take a look at the five classes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship:
Grand Touring Prototype (GTP): The newest and most technologically advanced Prototype race car debuted in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship this season, featuring a common hybrid powertrain for all entries that takes kinetic energy gained in braking and stores it in batteries for later use when needed. Four global automotive manufacturers – Acura, BMW, Cadillac and Porsche – are entered in the class. Each manufacturer developed its unique internal combustion engine and bodywork styling.
Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2): The Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) is a closed-cockpit car developed by four approved constructors. In addition to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, LMP2 cars are eligible to compete in other global series such as the FIA World Endurance Championship, which includes the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3): The Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) is an entry-level closed-cockpit car developed by four approved constructors. In addition to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, LMP3 cars are also eligible to compete in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge – one of IMSA’s driver development series – as well as other international series such as the European Le Mans Series (ELMS).
GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO): GTD PRO, which debuted in 2022, includes race cars built to FIA GT3 technical regulations and offers the opportunity for factory teams and driver lineups to compete in the class. Manufacturers competing in this class in 2023 include Aston Martin, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche.
GT Daytona (GTD): The GT Daytona cars are enhanced – not defined by – technology and use the global FIA GT3 specification. The GTD class consists of cars from leading manufacturers such as Acura, Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche.
The Michelin Pilot Challenge also is racing this weekend at IMS. That series also features a “race within a race,” but with just two classes of production-based sports cars and touring cars.
There will be two unique aspects of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 240 race Saturday at IMS.
First, it’s the longest race of the weekend – four hours. Second, since the race starts at 4:30 p.m. ET, it will finish at 8:30 p.m. under the cloak of darkness with the cars’ headlights illuminating the track. That doesn’t happen with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES or NASCAR.
A look at the two classes
:Grand Sport (GS): The Grand Sport class consists of SRO GT4-homologated cars with engines tuned to produce between 400 and 450 horsepower. Competition is equalized by adjustments to fuel-tank capacities, ride height, power and weight. Eligible cars include the Aston Martin Vantage GT4, Audi R8 GT4, BMW M4 GT4, Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R, Ford Mustang GT4, McLaren 570S GT4, Mercedes-AMG GT GT4, Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport and Toyota Supra GT4.
Touring Car (TCR): The Touring Car class consists of WSC TCR-homologated cars with engines tuned to produce between 300 and 350 horsepower. Competition is equalized by adjustments to fuel-tank capacities, ride height, power and weight. Eligible cars include the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR, Audi RS3 LMS DSG, Audi RS3 LMS SEQ, Honda Civic FK7 TCR, Hyundai Elantra N TCR and Hyundai Veloster N TCR.
This exciting event weekend also will feature two single-make series in which competitors race the same brand of car, placing the skill of the driver in the spotlight.
The Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America features a 50-minute race at 11:50 a.m. Saturday and another 50-minute event at 10:40 a.m. Sunday. Drivers compete in machines from the exotic Italian marque.
Porsche enthusiasts also can see the evocative German machines compete in identical 911 GT3 Cup race cars in two Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America races this weekend. Both races are 40 minutes each. Race 1 is at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, with Race 2 at 9:40 a.m. Sunday.Tickets and information for the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks are available at IMS.com.
TIRERACK.COM BATTLE ON THE BRICKS SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 151
0-10:30 a.m.: Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup Practice
110:45-11:30 a.m.: Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Practice 1
11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Michelin Pilot Challenge Practice 1
1:45-2:25 p.m.: Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup Practice 2
2:40-4:10 p.m. WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Practice 1 (all classes)
4:30-5:15 p.m.: Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Practice 2
5:30-6 p.m.: Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup Qualifying
7:15-8:30 p.m. Michelin Pilot Challenge Practice 2
Saturday, Sept. 16
8-8:15 a.m.: Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Qualifying 18:20-8:35 a.m.: Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Qualifying 28:55-10:25 a.m. WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Practice 1 (GTD, LMP2, LMP3)
9:10-10:40 a.m. WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Practice 1 (GTP, GTD PRO)
11-11:15 a.m. Michelin Pilot Challenge Qualifying (TCR)
11:20-11:35 a.m. Michelin Pilot Challenge Qualifying (GS)
11:50 a.m.-12:40 p.m. Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Race 11-1:15 p.m. WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Qualifying (GTD PRO, GTD)
1:25-1:40 p.m. WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Qualifying (LMP2, LMP3)
1:50-2:10 p.m. WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Qualifying (GTP)
2:30-3:10 p.m. Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup Race 1
4:30-8:30 p.m. Indianapolis Motor Speedway 240 Michelin Pilot Challenge Race
Sunday, Sept. 17
9:40-10:20 a.m. Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup Race 2
10:40-11:30 a.m. Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Race 2
1:10-3:50 p.m. TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Race 

BMW Finds Speed on Final Day of IMSA Open Test at IMS 

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IMS Photo

The following is from IMS. I will haver my wrap up of the two days up here tomorrow.

 INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, July 29, 2023) – One day after Porsche led the first two sessions of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) Open Test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, it was time for its German rival BMW to show its speed.

Connor De Phillippi led a 1-2 performance by BMW M Team RLL – fielded by NTT INDYCAR SERIES race winners Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing – in the last two sessions of the two-day test on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course. Former Star Mazda (now USF Pro 2000) driver De Phillippi’s best lap was 1 minute, 14.655 seconds in RLL’s No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8 that competes in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

De Phillippi, Jesse Krohn and NTT INDYCAR SERIES star Colton Herta shared the team’s No. 24 and No. 25 cars and found speed in both prototype machines. Krohn turned the second-quickest lap overall Saturday, 1:14.758, in the No. 24 car.

Both those laps were quicker than the top time recorded in two sessions Friday, a 1:15.244 by Tijmen van der Helm in the No. 5 JDC Miller Motorsports Porsche 963. The RLL BMW team made big improvements Saturday, as its quickest time Friday was 1:15.498 by De Phillippi, more than seven-tenths of a second slower than Saturday.

“It was good today,” De Phillippi said. “We worked on a lot of different areas of the car, made some good steps on the systems side, understanding a few of the areas I feel like we’ve been weak on. So, I feel like we have a better understanding of the direction we need to go.

“I don’t think we have it totally figured out, but at least we have a direction. Really proud of the team. It was a productive two days.

”Four-time INDYCAR SERIES champion Sebastien Bourdais was third quickest overall Saturday at 1:14.809 in the No. 01 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-LMDh fielded by NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship winners Chip Ganassi Racing.

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship teams and drivers tested Friday and Saturday to prepare for the return of the series to IMS for the first time since 2014 at the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks on Sept. 15-17.

In the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP3) class, Mikkel Jensen was quickest at 1:16.532 in the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA prototype. Matthew Bell led the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) class for the second straight day, stopping the clocks at 1:21.209 in the No. 13 AWA machine, an improvement over his best lap of 1:21.401 on Friday.

The sole GT Daytona Pro (GTD Pro) team that tested Friday, Vasser Sullivan Racing, didn’t turn any laps Saturday. Misha Goikhberg led the GT Daytona (GTD) class at 1:24.192 in the No. 78 Forte Racing Powered by USRT Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, the quickest lap over both days for the class.

All five classes will compete simultaneously during the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks, with the nearly 10-second gap in lap times between the GTP and GTD cars ensuring plenty of action and drama as quicker prototypes navigate lapped traffic of the production-appearing GTD classes.

In testing for the Michelin Pilot Challenge series, which showcases the latest high-performance production sports cars, coupes, hatchbacks and sedans, Eric Filgueiras was quickest in the Grand Sport (GS) class with a lap of 1:30.680 in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS. That time, set during the first session Saturday, was considerably quicker than the top GS lap Friday of 1:31.865 by Eric Foss in the No. 56 Mercedes-AMG GT GT4 of Murillo Racing.

The No. 33 Hyundai Elantra N fielded by Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian remained atop the Touring Car Racing (TCR) class, but this time Harry Gottsacker was the quickest driver. Gottsacker’s time of 1:32.388 during the second session topped the best Friday time in the class of 1:33.315 set by his teammate and co-driver, NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indianapolis 500 veteran Robert Wickens.

For more information or to buy tickets for the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks on Sept. 15-17, visit IMS.com.

Results:

IMSA Test Day 2

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Good morning from IMS.Early morning storms have cleared out and we should run the full schedule on time today. The weather will be mider than yesterday with temperatures in the 80s.

Today’s schedule:

Saturday, July 29, 2023

9:00 am – 10:15 am SESSION #3 – MICHELIN CHALLENGE
10:30 am – 12:30 pm Session #3 – WeatherTech Championship
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm SESSION #4 – MICHELIN CHALLENGE
3:15 pm – 6:00 pm Session #4 – WeatherTech Championship

Some things I observed yesterday- the pit stands are massive compared to Indycar stands.

The garages have a lot more equipment than an Indycar garage. It makes sense since the cars are bigger and have more parts.

The speed difference between the GTP cars and the GT cars is more obvious here than nat other IMSA races I’ve attended. The long front straight at IMS really shows how much faster the GTP cars are.

A few more pics from yesterday:

First IMSA Sessions Complete

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Both the Michelin Pilot Challenge and the IMSA Weather Tech Championship series have comleted one round of practice. Michelin Pilot Challenge will take to the track for their second session in about 10 minutes. Then the IMSA cars will finish the first day from 3:454-6:30.

The morning downpour gave way to sunny skies and after a brief respiy=te from the humidity, it returned. The current temperature is 84 degrees with feels like reading of 91.

Practice began with a slightly wet track, which dried quickly. The few wet areas have now dried.

I have not seen any lap times posted.

It is great to see these cars on the track at IMS. I am very excited for the race weekend in September.

Here are a few photos. I will post more later.

Wayne Taylor Racing
Penske Porsche
GTP Cadillac (L) and GTD Lexus (R)
Lamborghini

IMSA Test on Hold

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Greetings from a stormy Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There is currently a thunderstorm at the track, and all is quiet. The storms are supposed to end around 11 am, and cars should be on track soon after that. Despite the storm, temperatures ar still expected in the mid 90s this afternoon.

No shedule of which cars will be out when is out yet.

I will have an update in 90 minutes or so.

Sports Cars Return to IMS

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Indianapolis Motor Speedway starts what is hoped to be a new era of racing with sports cars today. Cars from the IMSA Weather Tech Series will test the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course from 9 am-6 pm th next two days. 22 cars from the IMSA Weather Tech Series series and 11 cars from the Michelin Pilot Challenge Series will be running in the two day test.

The series will return for a race weekend September 15-17.

In 2012 and 2013 The Grand Am series ran a couple of races on the IMS road course in conjucntion with the NASCAR weekend.

The weathetr today calls for a high of 95 with humidity to match. There is a chance of between 9 and 11 this morning. If you’re coming to watch from the turn 2 mounds, make sure you wear sunscreen and stay hydrated. Access to shade might be a good idea as well. Be careful. I can’t afford rto lose either of my readers.

I will be at the track today and part of tomorrow. I plan a mid day update and a wrap up. There will be Indycar news out of Argentina this afternoon as well.

Rolex 24 Wrap Up

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Even before Dayna international Speedway announced a record attendance for the race, I knew it. I felt it, I saw it. It was in the jam- packed food court, and the long lines for at food trucks that in years past, you could walk right up to anytime. The record crowd was in the hoseshoe grandstand, which was nearly full all the time. In other years, it empties out after the fireworks Saturday night. When I returned Sunday afternoon, I swear some fans had been there the entire 24 hours.

The 61st Rolex had some improvements, but they still have a long way to go. Wifi was available in the infield campgrounds, but not in the main grandstand. Two video boards were added, one in the food court and one near turn 1. One is needed in the horseshoe and two more should be installed on the front stretch.

The Grid Walk, always a disaster waiting to happen, was worse than ever. The problem is getting everyone through just a couple of narrow openings, then having the crowd wait for race teams to drive through to prepare for the race. What the track and IMSA should do is have more and wider openings, and not have an entry point through the garages and near pit entrance. Once everyone gets out to the track, everything is fine, but management needs to work on the getting there part.

My Weekend

This year was my third camping experience. I have learned a lot from my friends Brian runnells and Debbie Howard, and I felt more comfortable camping this time. I was much better prepared, for one thing. Thursday night Doug Boles came to our campsite. he usually pops in, but this year he was taking an in depth look at how campers set up to give him an idea of what IMS might look like for the IMSA race this fall. He spoke to several groups of campers and viewed their setups.Bokles is always learning to improve IMS.

I had an ice chat with him about the Speedway honoring Bill Vukovich this year on the 70th anniversary of his first win. I think we will see something. We had a great chat about Vuky.

GTP- History Made

The race saw the debut of the GTP class, which replaced the DPi cars. It was refreshing. The new cars, represented by Cadillac, Acura, Porsche, and BMW, each have a distinct look. It was nice to see race cars have some variety in appearance. I thought the BMW were the best looking of this class. It was nice to be able to tell which car was approaching by its looks.

In addition to the distinctive front, there were some differences in the body style and sidepods. More of this diversity, please.

I expected the cars to have more issues in the race than they did. Only two cars fell out of contention early, and the others finished the race.

The Race

I don’t know how this happens, but after 24 hours you wouldn’t expect a class battle to come down to a pass at the line. The LMP2 finish was incredible.

In GTP, Acuras were the fastest cars, and Cadillac I thought performed better than expected. Porsches were the most disappointing. The Penske team had more development and test time than the other teams.

It was nice to see Cooper McNeil win in his final Rolex24 in the GTD class.

Yellow flags flew early and often, but then there was a stretch of six hours of continuous green flag racing. Yellows in the last hour added a bit of drama, but in the end helped the contenders with it strategy.

Too Many Classes?

While it was fantastic to see a field of 61 cars take the green, I wonder if IMSA could cut back to three classes. i don’t think it would hurt the product.

I think IMSA should eliminate the LMP3 class and consolidate GTD and GTD Pro. LMP3 cars are barely quicker than the GTD cars, and both GTD classes run the same equipment. It was challenging enough frying to follow four classes, let alone five.

This might be a case of addition by subtraction.

I will have a photo gallery up at some point tomorrow.

Some Indycar Notes

Congratulations to Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud, who were part of the winning team, the number 60 Acura of Meyer Shank Racing.

Tomorrow and Wednesday are Indycar media days. All drivers will talk to the media, and I will share what I find out. Thursday and Friday is Indycar Spring Training, with 11 hours of practice at the Thermal Club near Palm Springs, California, split into two sessions each day..

Timing and scoring is available, but there is no streaming, one of the pitfalls of going to a club track