Today Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport (WTRAndretti) announced that they will be expanding their GTP program adding a second Acura in the GTP class of IMSA’s WeatherTech Sportscar Championship. The decision to add a second Acura was due to the partnering teams larger goals for expansion. The teams want to be prepared for a win at the Le Mans 24 Hours against World Endurance Championship. “It has always been our plan to go to a two-car program,” said Wayne Taylor, Team Owner, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport. There are so many advantages in being a two-car team and now, going up against all the other factory backed two-car efforts, it is vital.
Taylor continued
“HPD and ORECA have built an amazing race car. When you look back at the season so far, we’ve proved to be quickest almost wherever we go and I believe we now have the car to beat. With the combination of HPD, ORECA, Andretti Autosport and all our corporate partners, we have a really strong organization.”
Michael Andretti, Chairman & CEO, Andretti Autosport stated
“Expanding to a two-car program displays the progression and success of not only the WTRAndretti team, but our Acura and HPD relationship in the new GTP era. Our focus at Andretti Autosport, bringing our experience and reach, is to support WTRAndretti in finding the right people and providing the right resources to continue on our winning path.”
Wayne Taylor Racing will go head to head with the already established 2 car manufacturer teams Cadillac, Porsche, Puegeot and BMW w RLL Racing in 2024. Also on the grid is a third Acura with the Meyer Shank Racing team. Effectively Acura will have three cars on the grid.
For more information visit Wayne Taylor Racing for the complete press release.
The IMSA WeatherTech Championship finishing the Course de Monterey race today at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Morning warmups were delayed due to heavy fog in the area. However, the race started just 10 minutes late and the race started in dramatic fashion. Qualifying saw the No. 07 Penske Porsche 963 on pole with sister No.06 car starting from P2.
GTP
On the opening lap both Penske Porsche 963s locked up into the turn 2 hairpin. The incident resulted in the lead being lost on the first lap. The RLL Racing also moved up the pecking order and the No. 07 Porsche ran wide off track. The car rejoined the race in P7. Later in the race there was an incident with the No. 07 Porsche and the No. 94 Andretti Autosports GTD car. The No. 94 was nudged wide as it took the inside line for the upcoming left hand final turn. Unfortunately, for the No. 94 there wasn’t enough room to complete the move. The car ended up making contact with the back of the Porsche sending it crashing into the pit lane entry. The race was yellow flagged.
Chip Ganassi Cadillac Racing put on a thrilling performance to capture the over all win. In the GTP class Cadillac as a manufacturer secured two podium positions with the No. 01 car winning the race and the Whelen Engineering team car taking 3rd place. The No. 01 was involved in a crash earlier in the weekend but the team was poised to get the car turned around.
LMP2
With about 1 hours and 43 minutes to go, John Farano (Tower Motorsports) crashed his LMP2 car at Turn 5, bringing out the safety car and packing the field back up. Farano was alert when he was extracted from the car. Tower Motorsports released the following tweet regarding his status.
TDS Racing took the win for LMP2. The team entered two cars in the competition with the second placing P4 in the class. The No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports car had lead the race early but could not find the pace to beat the TDS Racing car to the checkered flag. Era Motorsports LMP2 car was the only one in class to finish behind the lead lap logging 100 laps compared to the 102 of the class winners.
GTDPro/GTD
GTD and GTDPro were jumbled across the grid. GTD Pro only had 5 entries for the race so the class grid was thin. The No.79 WeatherTech GTDPro Mercedes AMG GT3 secured another win on the season. The GTD cars seemed to outpace the GTDPro class at Laguna Seca with 7 cars finishing ahead of the GTDPro winner. The No. 91 Kellymoss w/Riley Porsche 911 GT3-R won the GTD class race. The No. 92 sister care took P3 behind the Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3.
Full Race Results are Below
For more exclusive coverage check out IMSA.com
The No. 06 and No.07 Penske Porsche GTP cars led qualifying at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the MOTUL Course de Monterey. The No.07 took pole position by 0.09s ahead of its sister car. The No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 ran third fastest in qualifying. All 9 GTP cars were clustered at the top of the qualifying results. The JDC Miller Porsche appears to be making progress with the car. The team has had minimal time to gather data and test so it is an accomplishment to be in the main pack.
In LMP2, the No. 04 Crowdstrike Racing car topped the LMP2 class. The Crowdstrike car edged out a 0.1s lead ahead of the PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports. The TDS Racing sister cars came behind in P3 and P4. GTD Pro was led by the Pfaff Porsche 911 GT3-R. GTD was led by the Kellymoss Porsche which is a major improvement over their performance in the last round at the Long Beach Grand Prix. The Heart of Racing team ran second fastest in GTD and GTD Pro with their two car entry at Laguna.
Race Start and Watching Options
When: Sunday, 3:10 p.m. ET
Race Distance: Two hours, 40 minutes on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course
Forecast: According to Wunderground.com, it’s expected to be 60 degrees with a 4% chance of rain at the green flag.
Starting Lineup: Click here for where everyone is starting at Laguna Seca
Entry List: Click here to see the 38-car field over four divisions for the Motul Course de Monterey at Laguna Seca.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, the NBC Sports App, and NBCSports.com will have streaming coverage of the event from flag to flag. Dave Burns is the announcer with analyst Calvin Fish and pit reporters Dillon Welch and Matt Yocum.
IMSA RADIO: All sessions are live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage will begin Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (XM 207, Internet/App 992).
Full Qualifying Results are Below
The WeatherTech Sportscar Championship started off the weekend with Practice 1 today at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. There was much anticipation for the session as it marked the first time the new GTP class would take the track in Monterey, CA. 9 GTP cars entered the class this weekend as well as, 8 LMP2 cars, 5 GTD Pro and 16 GTD cars. IMSA is also hosting the Michelin Pilot Challenge, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship and MX-5 Cup.
Driver Campbell Power (Penske Porsche) secured the fastest lap in practice setting a 1:16.703 for the Penske Porsche side. Campbell spoke to IMSA.com in a post session interview and stated, “I only drove the last 20 minutes of the session. Felipe did a lot at the beginning and then I just jumped in. I just got some mileage at the end, so feeling comfortable and that’s the main thing heading into tomorrow. For me, the first time here in a prototype so very different obviously to what I’m used to, but very enjoyable. Now we’ve got a lot to go through tonight – the session was very late today – to get ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow’s a big day with final practice and qualifying.”
Highlighted Incidents
There was only one incident involving the No. 01 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R crashing into the barrier at turn at less than 20 minutes after the start of the session. Sebastien Bourdais (Cadillac Racing) ran wide coming out of turn 5 and lost control of the car. The car slid into the tire barrier but did not appear to have major structural upon first views. Bourdais walked away from the crash and the No. 01 car retired from the session.
The class leaders in practice 1 were: Louis Deletraz in Le Mans Prototype 2, 1:17.897 (103.428 mph) in the No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07; Frankie Montecalvo in GT Daytona (GTD), 1:24.796 (95.013 mph) in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3; and Ben Barnicoat in GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), 1:25.020 (94.763 mph) in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3.
Full Practice Results are Below
Be sure to check out IMSA TV for more coverage of the races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend.
It’s IMSA race week and this round we are headed to the most iconic race track on the West Coast (USA), WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca! The IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship heads to Monterey , CA this weekend for Round 4 of the 2023 IMSA season. This year marks the 25th consecutive year that IMSA has hosted a race at Laguna. In celebratory fashion IMSA reports that ticket sales have increase by 35% from last year. This is fitting because this weekend also will be the first appearance of the new GTP class cars at Laguna Seca. The new GTP class has struck a chord that has resonated with racing fans all over the country; drawing new fans to the sport.
This the GTP class will race with the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes during the 2 hour and 40 mins sprint race. Laguna Seca is a 2,238 mile road course that features 11 turns that include the famous “Corkscrew” at Turns 8 and 8A,and 300+ ft of elevation change. Below you will find the event details from IMSA.com.
Motul Course de Monterey Powered by Hyundai N
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca – Monterey, California
May 12-14, 2023
Race Day/Time: Sunday, May 14 – 3:10 p.m. ET
NBC Network Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 3 p.m. (also streaming in the U.S. on Peacock, outside the U.S. on IMSA.com/TVLive)
IMSA.com/TVLive Qualifying Stream: Saturday, May 13 – 3:50 p.m. ET
IMSA Radio: All sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins Sunday, May 14 at 2:30 p.m. (XM 207, Web/App 992)
Circuit Type: 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course
Race Length: Two hours, 40 minutes
Classes Competing: Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), GT Daytona (GTD)
Track Social Media:
Event Hashtags: #IMSA, #MotulCoursedeMonterey
Next week the IMSA WeatherTeach Championship heads to Laguna Seca for the Motul Course De Monterey Powered by Hyundai N. The race weekend will feature GTP, LMP2, GTD Pro and GTD classes. After IMSA just announced that LMP3 would be excluded from the championship in 2024. Fans can use the upcoming race as an indicator for how the field will look next year. The race this year will mark the 25th year IMSA has visited the circuit. It will also be the first opportunity for fans to see the new GTP class in action on the course.
Temperatures for the weekend are expected to be in the 60s and sunny all weekend. You can find the full entry list here: Motul Course De Monterey Powered by Hyundai N Entry list
Tickets are available here: Ticket Sales
Event Details
Motul Course de Monterey Powered by Hyundai N
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca – Monterey, California
May 12-14, 2023
Race Day/Time: Sunday, May 14 – 3:10 p.m. ET
NBC Network Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 3 p.m. (also streaming in the U.S. on Peacock, outside the U.S. on IMSA.com/TVLive)
IMSA.com/TVLive Qualifying Stream: Saturday, May 13 – 3:50 p.m. ET
IMSA Radio: All sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins Sunday, May 14 at 2:30 p.m. (XM 207, Web/App 992)
Circuit Type: 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course
Race Length: Two hours, 40 minutes
Classes Competing: Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), GT Daytona (GTD)
Track Social Media:
Event Hashtags: #IMSA, #MotulCoursedeMonterey
WeatherTech Championship Track Records
GTP: New class in 2023 (DPi track record: Ricky Taylor, Acura DPi, 1:13.924 / 108.987 mph, April 2022)
LMP2: Louis Deletraz, ORECA LMP2 07, 1:16.216 / 105.709 mph, May 2022 (race lap)
GTD PRO: Mathieu Jaminet, Porsche 911 GT3 R, 1:23.142 / 96.903 mph, April 2022
GTD: Russell Ward, Mercedes-AMG GT3, 1:23.567 / 96.411 mph, April 2022
The paddock rumors surrounding the removal of LMP3 from the WeatherTech Championship Series are true. IMSA announced today that the LMP3 class will be dropped from the WeatherTech Championship and will race exclusively in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge starting in 2024. Details on the transition are included in the press release put out by IMSA this afternoon.
IMSA Press Release: The following was not written by Speed Trap Magazine Staff.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 3, 2023) – As popularity and participation surge in other classes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) announced today that the exclusive IMSA home for Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) will be in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge through the current 2026 homologation period.
The introduction of the hybrid-powered Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class this season has generated added global excitement and interest in the WeatherTech Championship. The first customer car will join eight manufacturer-backed entries in the upcoming race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and with more customer entries expected, as well as a fifth manufacturer on board to join next season, double-digit GTP fields are on the horizon.
IMSA also recently announced that current-generation Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) cars remain eligible to race in the WeatherTech Championship through 2025. The stability of this prototype platform has sparked fierce competition in the class in recent years, and there is strong potential of even more entries next year.
Meanwhile, the GT3-spec classes continue seeing massive global popularity from manufacturers, competitors and fans. The GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class featured eight manufacturers competing in the opening two endurance races of 2023, with five continuing through the full season. GT Daytona (GTD) has had nine manufacturers compete this year, with the class field ranging from 15 to 20 cars through the first three events. Participation is expected to increase in both classes in 2024, with Ford re-entering WeatherTech Championship competition with the new Mustang and Chevrolet launching its new Corvette C8.R with both GTD PRO and GTD aspirations.
“The LMP3 class has contributed to the growth and success of the WeatherTech Championship since 2021,” IMSA President John Doonan said. “With that has come expanded fields at many events that can test the capacity limits we have at some IMSA tracks. We expect that growth trend to continue into 2024 and beyond, making it necessary to just have the GTP and LMP2 classes for Prototypes with GTD PRO and GTD classes for Grand Touring (GT) competing together going forward.”
The LMP3 class will complete its three-year run in the WeatherTech Championship at the Motul Petit Le Mans, the season finale in October. The true intent of the LMP3 platform has been to nurture and develop aspiring prototype teams and drivers, and that continues in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, where LMP3 drivers compete for overall race victories. The multiclass sprint-race series featuring LMP3 and GT4 machines racing together has built great momentum in its first season.
“We’ve already seen the promise that the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge holds through the first two event weekends,” Doonan said. “We saw a considerable increase in entries between the first race of the season at Daytona and Round 2 at Sebring, and the competition is tight. The format of two 45-minute sprint races on a weekend allows LMP3 entrants to race for overall wins while competitors in both the LMP3 and GSX classes gain valuable multiclass racing experience. It’s the best learning environment for drivers and teams looking to move up the IMSA ladder.”
Jarett Andretti and Gabby Chaves Will Debut in the No. 94 Aston Martin at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Andretti Autosports has announced that they will compete in the GTD class next weekend at the Motul Course de Monterey Powered by Hyundai N at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Jarett Andretti and Gabby Chaves will drive for Andretti Motorsports in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The pair will enter select races in 2023 with their No. 94 Andretti Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
From the IMSA press release…
IMSA: This section was not written by Speed Trap Magazine Staff.
The foray into the GT3 specification class for some IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup events is in addition to the team’s previously announced plans to compete in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races in the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) class. Jarett Andretti, co-owner of Andretti Motorsports, started the LMP3 program in 2021 and has been in 14 races over that time, including a class win in the 2022 Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
While experienced racing GT cars in other series, Andretti is excited to roll out the program in the WeatherTech Championship.
“We have been working toward growing into a GTD program since the end of 2020,” Andretti said, “and via our partnership with Justhooit.com and Corsa Horizon we have been able to put a program together for some additional races this year with an eye toward a full season in 2024.”
History in the Making
The WeatherTech Raceway debut will also mark the first GT3 race anywhere for Chaves. The 2014 Indy Lights champion has logged 19 previous WeatherTech Championship starts, all either in the top prototype class (2014-20) or in LMP3 (2021-23), where he was part of the winning team at Motul Petit Le Mans last year. Chaves was also the 2020 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge co-champion in the Touring Car (TCR) class with Ryan Norman.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to join a top manufacturer like Aston Martin with a great team that Jarett has put together to help us keep pushing for victories in sports cars,” Chaves said. “I’m very grateful and excited for my first go at a GT car. I am looking forward to the challenge a new program brings and motivated to learn and push myself to go toe-to-toe with the best GT drivers in the world.”
Live NBC coverage of the Motul Course de Monterey Powered by Hyundai N starts at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 14.
GTP
Penske Porsche secured its first win of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar championship. After starting in sixth the No. 6 Penske Porsche made an impressive charge through the field to complete the full 100 minutes of racing. The win came in dramatic fashion as the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing/Konica Minolta attempted a pass and ended up crashing resulting in the race finishing under a yellow flag. In addition, the Porsche 963 completed the race on one set of tires. This is an impressive feat given the tire wear required to navigate past slower cars and the track limit curbing.
Due to the Wayne Taylor Racing car crash the RLL Racing BMW M moved up the order securing their second podium of the season. A goal the team set out to achieve prior to this weekend. In the early stages of the race the No. 01 Cadillac was knocked out of the race ending a seemingly good weekend for the Cadillac team.
GTD Pro
The GTD Pro class was won by the Vasser Sullivan. Vasser Sullivan commanded the reduced 5 car GTD Pro field with Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat driving the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 to the win over the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD of Jordan Taylor. The GTD Pro class wasn’t at full capacity as multiple teams did not attend the race due to other obligations and driver availability.
GTD
In the GTD, Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow won the class for Paul Miller Racing in a BMW M4 GT3. It was their third consecutive win in Long Beach extending BMW class dominance in the sprint race. The No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin GT3 secured another podium adding to the teams success in 2023. Pfaff Motorsport also secured another podium finishing third. They had great momentum after the epic 12 Hours of Sebring comeback win. Vasser Sullivan secured a second podium in the GTD class with the No. 12 Lexus.
Photo by Michael Levitt / Motorsport ImagesFull race results are listed below.
GTP
With qualifying complete the IMSA Acura Long Beach Grand Prix grid is set. The Acuras of Konica Minolta (Wayne Taylor Racing) and Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian continued their street circuit dominance from FP2. Acura secured a 1-2 finish in the first sprint race qualifying of the year. The Konica Minolta Acura was the only car to dip into the 1m09s. Konica Minolta set a qualifying time nearly 7 tenths ahead of the Meyer Shank Racing Acura. Pole position for Konica Minolta may provide the team with the edge they need to bring home their first win of 2023.
The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R ran 3rd fastest overall which is an improvement from the result in FP2. The team was able to cut an addition 1.7s off of their lap time. Team RLL rounded out the top 5 running 4th and 5th.
GTD Pro
Vasser Sullivan improved from FP2 and topped the GTD Pro qualifying session to start 10th overall and 1st in class. The WeatherTech Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 again fell outside of the main GTD Pro pack similarly to FP2. The team posted a presss release that stated the following, “Jules Gounon (France) and Daniel Juncadella (Spain) spent the two practice sessions learning the Long Beach circuit in the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Mercedes-Benz of Billings, Montana support.”
Juncadello stated, “First, the Long Beach circuit is amazing,” Juncadella said. “I really enjoy it. It’s mega! For me it’s a good discovery and new track that I enjoy driving.”
[Referring to his qualifying run] “I was compromised by the yellow flags around the track and then later the red. I really didn’t get a good run on the new tires. The WeatherTech Mercedes-AMG GT3 felt good in practice, so we will have to maximize what we have now in the race tomorrow.”
Gounon also comments stating, “It is amazing when you are four-wheel drifting the car towards the wall. I thought sunny California was going to be a bit hotter, but it has been cool. We got unlucky in qualifying with Dani. We will have to work our strategy with the WeatherTech Racing/Proton guys and be ready to take advantage of every opportunity. We had big changes in the balance of performance coming into the race, so we will have to optimize everything for the tomorrow.”
GTD
In an effort reminiscent of their Rolex 24 win this year. The Heart of Racing GTD Aston Martin Vantage GT3 topped the table for GTD and GTD Pro cars in qualifying. They set a blistering class fastest lap at 1m17.811s. Second fastest was the Vasser Sullivan Lexus. Logging a lap just over 5 tenths behind the Heart of Racing’s car. The rest of the field will need to find some pace come race time. If Aston Martin is able to maintain their pace over the course of the 100 minute race it could be trouble for the field.
Full Qualifying results are below. The race starts today at 2:00pm Pacific time. You can access the race and a large amount of additional content at IMSA. The race will also be airing on channel USA at 2:00pm via local cable networks.