IMSA Battle on the Bricks Preview

The IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship head into the penultimate round at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend. The series will feature all 5 WeatherTech classes on track accounting for 48 cars. The pre event entry list is below.

The event this weekend will be the first time IMSA has returned to Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 2014. The weekend kicked off with the Fan Festival last night September 14th 2023. The Fan Festival is a family friendly event where new comers can interact with some of the cars on grid up close. There were Q&A sessions, pit stop demonstrations and meet and greets with some of the series drivers. Here the details for this weekends race event.

TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks Fast Facts
Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Indianapolis, Indiana
Sept. 15-17, 2023

• Race Day/Time: Sunday, Sept. 17, 1:10 p.m. ET
• NBC Network Coverage: LIVE – 1-4 p.m.
• Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 1:05 p.m. (available outside the U.S. on IMSA.com/TVLive)
• Live Qualifying Stream: Saturday, Sept. 16 – 12:55 p.m. on Peacock (in the U.S.) and IMSA.com
• IMSA Radio: Select sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins Sunday, Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. (XM 207, Web/App 992)
• Circuit Type: 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course
• Classes Competing: Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3), Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), Grand Touring Daytona (GTD)
• Race Length: 2 hours, 40 minutes

IMSA WeatherTech Championship Practice 1 begins at 2:40 pm EST September 15th 2023.

The article was not written by Speed Trap Magazine Staff

Press Release from IMSA…

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – IMSA officials today announced the new event date for the 2024 Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen – June 20-23, 2024 – to eliminate a date clash with the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.

The new date moves the Sahlen’s Six Hours up one week from its originally scheduled weekend when the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule was announced last month. The new WeatherTech Championship race day – which also represents the third round of a five-race IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup season in 2024 – will be Sunday, June 23.

The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge now will race on Saturday, June 22. Additional IMSA-sanctioned events for the new Ford Mustang Challenge and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America also are slated for the event weekend on the 3.4-mile road course in New York’s picturesque Finger Lakes region.

“IMSA has elected to make this adjustment to our 2024 schedule for the benefit of many of our global automotive partners and drivers who not only compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, but also in many other prestigious 24-hour races,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “We were able to accommodate this change through a spirit of collaboration with our partners at NBC Sports and Watkins Glen International, and we are grateful to all involved for their cooperation. IMSA expects to return to its traditional and longstanding date on the last weekend of June in 2025 and beyond.”

The 2024 season opens with the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 27-28, 2024.

This article was not written by Speed Trap Magazine Staff

From Andretti Autosport now Andretti Global…

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 5, 2023) – Andretti Autosport, a Championship-winning motorsports organization, today announced a major rebranding initiative that will see the international organization adopt the branding of Andretti Global, the identity previously named as the parent company to the U.S.-based race team.

As a brand that is built on a foundation of racing excellence, the new Andretti Global name will unite all aspects of the organization under a single identity, more closely aligning with the team’s already-established legacy. Andretti Global currently operates in eight motorsports platforms racing across six continents with an appetite to expand its worldwide footprint into other major motorsports series.

Along with the name change, the current Andretti Autosport shield will be replaced with the Andretti Global logo. As each of the 2024 racing seasons get underway, fans can look forward to a new digital experience from the most trusted name in motorsports with the rebrand additionally bringing a new structure to the team’s social media presence.

Andretti Formula E will be the first of the Andretti Global teams to take on the new branding as the reigning Drivers’ World Championship team kicks off Season 10 with testing in October.

MICHAEL ANDRETTI, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, ANDRETTI GLOBAL

“I’m proud of what Andretti Autosport has accomplished over the years, and all the memories that have come with so many special moments. Just as proud as I am of our past, I’m equally excited about our future. As we continue to expand and build a global racing institution, our goal is to be engrained in the culture of our fans, teams and partners. This rebrand is a major milestone in our team’s journey, but we are only getting started. We are determined to achieve success and confident that there are big things in store for Andretti Global.”

DAN TOWRISS, PARTNER, ANDRETTI GLOBAL

“The words Andretti and motorsports are synonymous, and I’m impressed and excited by the worldwide fanbase and reach of the Andretti name. I’m proud to be working with Michael and his team to build that name and legacy into an even stronger brand that reflects our ambitions and values. We are committed to excellence, and I believe our work will benefit our fans and partners around the globe.”

Today the GTD and GTD Pro classes in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar championship completed their last solo class race of the year at Virginia International Raceway. The 2 hour and 40 minute sprint race yielded 81 laps from the race leaders. Jordan Taylor who had recently been announced as a driver for the Wayne Taylor Racing second GTP program secured the win for Corvette Racing with teammate Antonio Garcia. The No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD finished 2 seconds clear of the No.14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3.

The No. 14 Vasser Sullivan car seemingly had a healthy lead with about an hour left in the race but a mechanical issues that saw the car stall in the pitlane provide the Corvette Racing team with the margin to make up lost time and take the lead. They would never look back; holding the lead until the end of the race. Taylor said after the race, “This has to be one of the most special races I’ll ever have. Amazing race, amazing victory.” The win helps Corvette Racing cut into the lead built up by Vasser Sullivan who now leads the GTD Pro class by 144 points.

The class has two more races with a packed field in Indy and the season finale at Le Mans Petit. All 5 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship classes will hash it out on track for those final season ending points until we have champions crowned. As the title fight tightens the on track tension rises.

In GTD, Paul Miller Racing secured a record setting 5th win on the season; extending their championship lead in class. With both the 2nd and 3rd place sitters entering the weekend not finishing in the top 3. The No. 01 BMW M4 GT3 seized the opportunity and made it count. The teams has not yet statistically locked out the championship however. There will be new challenges at Indy and Road Atlanta for the season closers. The only way to make the championship a surety is to win. Paul Miller Racing leads the class by 375 heading into the second to last round of the season.

It was a great day for BMW as 3 of the top 5 cars in the race were from the manufacturer.

Full Race Results are Below

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar championship GTD and GTD Pro classes have completed qualifying at Virginia International Raceway. The championship only featured 2 classes this weekend ahead of the last two races of the IMSA WeatherTech season. The session was a short 15 minute session left no time for second chances. In the GTD Pro class the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 ran fastest. The car completerd the lowest number of laps in the session. It took 5 laps is what it took to claim pole. The No. 79 WeatherTech Mercedes-AMG GT3 finished behind by a margin of 0.096 seconds in P2. The No. 03 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R rounded out the top 3.

In GTD, the No. 01 Paul miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 ran fastest ahead of the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3. The No. 78 Forte Racing Powered by USRT Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo 2 finished third suggesting the team has found some performance compared to the last round which may prove to be beneficial come race time.

A Difficult Day for Porsche

It was a very disappointing day for the Porsche teams. The No. 09 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) finished P4 in GTD Pro. All 4 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) teams in GTD finished at the back of the pack and will start from the last 4 positions on the grid.

Full Qualifying Results are Below

The Qualifying session can be viewed here:

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Qualifying at Virginia International Raceway

The IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship is at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) this weekend which a shorted field ahead of the season closers. At VIR only the GTD and GTD Pro classes will compete before all 5 WeatherTech classes return to action later in September in Indianapolis. There are currently 15 GTD cars and 5 GTD Pro cars registered for the event. You can find the spotters guide for the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship Michelin Gt Challenge and the Michelin Pilot Challenge.

The championship race in the GTD and GTD Pro classes is close. With three races to go this season the top teams all have a shot at the title. The No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 currently leads the GTD Pro class. Only 5 cars have participated in the full season. The margin from first to fifth is 342 points. With three races to go anyone in the top 5 has a chance at the championship. A win at VIR will be very important. It is the last race that the GTD and GTD pro classes will not have to fight through GTP, LMP2 and LMP3 traffic on track.

In GTD the No. 01 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 leads the Heart of Racing No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 by 205 points. A lead that could be extended or reduced to nothing depending on how the weekend plays out. Qualifying action starts on Saturday with practice sessions starting Friday morning. Check out the IMSA broadcast schedule here: IMSA Broadcast Schedule

The weather reports place temperatures in the high 80s low 90s for the weekend. Tire management will be of the utmost importance in this sprint race.

As we approach the IMSA season closer at Le Mans Petit another driver lineup had been announced for the competition. Porsche Penske will employ two time Indy Car Champion Josef Newgarden. The team announced today that Newgarden will join season committed drivers Matt Campbell and Felipe Nasr. The drivers will pilot the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 at Road Atlanta Michelin Raceway for the 2023 season finale. Le Mans Petit is a 10 hour endurance race that will feature all 5 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship classes.

In an interview with IMSA.com Newgarden stated, “I have a lot of respect and admiration for both the Penske and Porsche brands, and the combination between the two through Porsche Penske Motorsport is a dream scenario for any racing car driver and is an absolute honor to be a part of. Watching the dedicated teams build this program from the ground up over the last couple of years has been exciting to watch, and seeing both Porsche 963s get wins this year and compete for championships shows that all the hard work has paid off. My goal is to add to the program and help support the tremendous efforts that Porsche Penske Motorsport has put in place. With some good fortune, I’m sure we can turn effort into results together.”

Words from Porsche Penske Motorsport Managing Director Jonathan Diuguid

Newgarden has the necessary experience but it will be a change up from his normal routine in Indy Car. Jonathan Diuguid, PPM managing director, stated. “Josef has increased his exposure to sports car racing already in 2023 with a test in the Team Penske LMP2, as well as raced in Daytona in 2023. In addition, he got his first exposure to the 963 in early June at Road America. With several testing days for the team at Road Atlanta, we are confident that both Laurens and Josef will be fully prepared to deliver for the team and have a positive result in the final race of the season.”

The move will provide plenty of time for Newgarden to get acquainted with the car. Le Mans Petit is a 4 day event with the main race taking place on Saturday October 14th 2023.

The Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing team announced earlier this year that they would be entering a second car into the GTP class for the 2024 season. Today we have more insight as Wayne Taylor Racing has announced their driver lineup up. Jordan Taylor and Louis Deletraz will join Wayne Taylor Racing in 2024 manning car number 2 for the team. The move marks Taylor’s return tot he team co owned by his father.

Taylor provided the following comments to IMSA.com. “I’m super excited to be coming back to WTR, now partnered with Andretti Autosport, to go back and fight for overall wins with Acura alongside Louis,” Jordan Taylor said. “I’ve spent the last few years in GT cars, so there will be a lot to learn coming into GTP, but I can’t wait for the challenge. I loved my time competing in GT with Corvette Racing alongside Antonio these past few years. We had a lot of success together. I’ve learned a lot and grown as a driver, so I’m looking forward to bringing that experience back to prototype racing.”

Future Teammate Deletraz Comments on the Wayne Taylor Racing Announcement

Deletraz stated the following to IMSA.com, “I am extremely happy to continue with WTRAndretti in a full IMSA GTP season role. I have really enjoyed working with the team, Acura and HPD this year, and the 2024 two-car program makes it even more exciting. Sharing the car with Jordan is fantastic, having a multiple IMSA champion in prototypes and GT, I couldn’t ask for a better teammate, and I think with our different motorsport experiences we will have a strong package with hopefully many successes.”

The No. 7 Porsche Penske Porsche 963 secured its first win of the season at IMSA Sportscar Weekend at Road America. The car benefited from the beginning of the race when it was announced that the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R would start from the back of the grid after crashing out of the morning warm up session prior to the race. The No. 07 Porsche would never look back; holding the lead for all but one lap of the race. Driver Matt Campbell had the following words for the IMSA media, “

“Obviously, we got a little bit lucky with the No. 31 having an incident in the warm-up,” said Campbell, who claimed his third career victory at Road America – the first in a prototype. “I had such an incredible lack of traffic at the beginning and that’s why the gap got as big as it was at times. We’ve been fast on quite a few occasions, but luck has never been on our side. Today we just executed perfectly and it’s nice to get a win on the board after a tough year.”

Co-Driver Felipe Nasr Also Offered his Comments

“I’m just happy everything finally came together this weekend,” added Nasr. “We came close several times this year; the speed was always there, but we had a couple reliability issues, a couple mistakes, and some bad luck. It’s a big relief for the whole team. I know how much work the No. 7 crew has put in, and it was about time, I would say.”

The Team RLL Racing No. 25 BMW M entered the race weekend in second place. Starting driver Conner De Phillippi made contact with the wall on the second lap just before turn 11 which required the car to pit. The car would be released again down 58 laps behind the race leader and ultimately would be retired. The car will definitely relinquish their championship position. Neither car from the RLL Racing team finished the race this weekend. The No. 24 car completed 55 laps before retiring due to an electrical issue. The team did not included a statement regarding the car failures in their post race press release.

Meyer Shank Racing claimed second place in the race. The No. 60 Acura ARX-06 held on to the No. 07 Porsche for the majority of the race but never showed that it had the pace to pass it. The team finished 4.635 seconds behind the No. 07 Porsche. Acura had a great day as a manufacturer securing two podium positions. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura Arx-06 rounded out the podium in third.

LMP2

PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports took the win from P4 on the grid. The win comes during a very tight race for the LMP2 championship. The win will place the team at the top of the table pending any post race changes to the finishing order. With two races to go in the season wins are all that matter. The top 3 in the class were separated by 6 points as the teams entered the weekend. PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports started the weekend in 3rd place.

PRI Mathiasen Motorsports driver Ben Keating stated, “I had a really good start, didn’t make mistakes, got up to the front. Our car was better in the race than it was in qualifying. I think I did a lap close to my quali lap with a lot of fuel and on used tires. A great day for the championship.”

The TDS Racing team rounded out the top 3 after a treacherous opening to the race weekend. Both cars were heavily damaged in practice sessions but the teams got the cars turned around and their efforts resulted in a double podium for the team. All top 3 cars finished the race on the lead lap.

LMP3

Riley secured their fourth straight win with the No. 74 Ligier JS P320. Riley won the in class race by a margin of 11.785 seconds ahead of the Sean Creech Motorsport No. 33 car. The No.13 AWA Racing Duqueine D08 finished third. The championship seems all but decided for Riley this year. The team came into the race weekend with a 181 point lead. With this win that margin will only be extended. Final standings will be released at a later time. 4 cars in class finished on the lead lap.

GTD Pro/GTD

In GTD Pro the Heart of Racing Team No. 23 wins again in back to back wins this season. The win came form pole position. Driver Ross Gunn stated after the race, “We seem to have found something that’s working very well for us. But to be honest, throughout the whole season we’ve had a package that has been quick enough and competitive enough to be at the front, but it just hasn’t clicked. Now things are starting to work.” The No. 23 car was the only car in class to finish on the lead lap of the race. In second place was the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 followed by the No. 03 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD.

In GTD Paul Miller Racing continued their dominance maintaining the top spot in the championship race. The team finished 2.261 seconds ahead of the Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 EVO. The Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT3 finished third in class.

The next stop for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is August 25-27 at VIRginia International Raceway with the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR featuring the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and GTD classes. The Prototype cars rejoin the championship race for the TireRack.com Battle On The Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sept 15-17.

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship qualifying sessions at Road America have ended. The weekend has been plagued with red flags which has severely limited the on track time the drivers have had to get accustomed to the track. However, qualifying seemed to move much more smoothly as drivers have had the opportunity to get acclimated with the new surface. Despite the limited track time for the drivers lap records were broken in the GTP, LMP3, GTD and GTD Pro classes.

GTP

Pipo Derani (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac V-Series.R) set the new lap record at 1m47.730 seconds (135.271 mph) to claim pole position in the GTP class. The No. 07 Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963 finished P2 setting a time 0.068 seconds behind the Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac V-Series.R. The margin was small but the Cadillac prevailed. The No. 01 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R claimed P3.

After the session Derani stated the following to the IMSA media, “It’s been obviously a very good weekend so far for Cadillac Racing. We unloaded from the truck with a very good car, but with the field so tight as we have seen in every practice, we had to keep working hard for qualifying. To prove the results we had in practice with a pole position shows we were working in the right direction.”

Despite the weather report showing rain in the forecast earlier this weekend it appears that risk has subsided. The drivers should enjoy optimal conditions as long as they don’t deviate from the main racing line. Due to the fact that Road America was repaved earlier this year. The track has yet to be rubbered in for maximum grip. The drivers mentioned the areas off the main racing line being very slick. This will play a role come race time as the 45 car grid navigates traffic to fight for the win.

LMP2

LMP2 was the only class to not see a new lap record at Road America. Crowdstrike Racing by APR claimed in class pole ahead of the No. 8 Tower Motorsports car. The margin between the two was 0.508 seconds. The No. 11 TDS Racing car bounced back after crashing in practice on Friday. The car was heavily damaged but the crew was able to get the car turned around and repaired for the subsequent practice and qualifying without worry.

LMP3

18 year old Nico Pino driving the No. 33 Sean Creech Motorsports Ligier JS P320 claimed LMP3 pole setting a time of 1:57.930. Pino also broke the in class track record. The time was almost 1 second ahead of second place finisher in the No. 29 Jr III Racing Ligier JS P320. In third was the No. 74 Riley Ligier JS P320 0.364 seconds behind. If Sean Creech is truly 1 seconds ahead of the competition it may be smooth sailing for the team during the race. We will see how pit stops come into play as teams make their final adjustments from data gathered during qualifying.

GTD Pro/GTD

In GTD Pro on 5 cars entered the competition. Alex Riberas set the lap record in GTD Pro aboard the No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3. Riberas set a 2:02.918 lap time which was 2 seconds faster than the previous record. Riberas stated, “This place is a dream for any race car driver, to be honest. It’s so enjoyable. The track is full of ups and downs, fast corners, slow corners and heavy braking zones. It seems like you have everything in one place.” The No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 finished in second position. Followed by the No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.

The Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 calimed pole with a record setting 2:03.291 lap time. The No. 01 BMW claimed pole by a margin of 0.091 seconds ahead of the No. 70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 EVO. The Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 claimed third position.

Racing coverages begins at 10:00am local time/11:00am EST at Road America on USA Network.

IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America Qualifying Results are Below