CUPRA is set to become the 19th manufacturer participating in IMSA competition as it joins the TCR class in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with the CUPRA Leon VZ TCR. With CUPRA, a subsidiary brand of Spanish manufacturer SEAT, set to launch U.S. car sales by the end of the decade, the car is eligible for IMPC competition in 2025.
“Racing is in CUPRA’s DNA,” said Xavi Serra, head of CUPRA Racing. “We are always looking for new challenges that dare to be better, and IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge is certainly one of them. We are very excited to participate in our first competition in the USA ahead of our market launch by the end of the decade.
“The CUPRA Leon VZ TCR has already proven its performance in other international championships and now it’s ready to compete in a new challenge.”
Launched in May 2024, the CUPRA Leon VZ TCR has participated in 42 races over the last few months, scoring podiums at Spa-Francorchamps, Estoril, Brno and Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. Teams in IMPC will have the option to race the Leon VZ TCR in 2025.
“IMSA proudly welcomes CUPRA to our family of manufacturer partners,” declared IMSA President John Doonan. “This manufacturer partnership is unique in that CUPRA is a brand that will use the IMSA platform to introduce itself ahead of its planned expansion into the U.S. market.
“This approach reinforces the values of IMSA – and specifically the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge – and opens the door to new storytelling opportunities and perhaps a blueprint for other manufacturers to follow in the future.”
CUPRA joins Hyundai, Honda, Audi and Alfa Romeo as a manufacturer participating in the TCR class.