GTD – Syndication Server

Vasser Sullivan, Winward claim Sebring GTD PRO, GTD victories

Vasser Sullivan Racing took the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Cadillac pole position and victory in GTD PRO, but it wasn’t quite that straightforward. On the final restart, and in less than a lap, Jack Hawksworth battled from third to the lead in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 he shared with Ben Barnicoat and Kyle Kirkwood, a nice recovery from a disastrous Rolex 24 that saw them out of the race early.

The defending champion had to get by Daniel Juncadella in the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Z06 GT3.R and then Daniel Serra in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 within several corners — a run to a 0.121s margin of victory that had Barnicoat and Kirkwood both averting their eyes and screaming with delight.

“We knew it was going to be a battle,” said Hawksworth. “These long races, you have to do everything perfectly. Everyone has to do their job absolutely perfectly just to be there to even have a chance at the end. Then you just hope that the cards fall your way. We had a tough day. But the team, we made good steps over the off-season. We wanted to come and show what we could do, right? This has been a proper bounceback.

“Today everyone was perfect. We had the one drive-through early in the race, a wobble there [a crewmember was bumped by the car as it started to leave the pits]. Other than that it was rock solid all day. The guys on pit lane were unbelievable all day. Ben and Kyle were absolutely monsters out there. Yeah, we ended up in the fight there at the end. Come out on top. I couldn’t be prouder of everybody.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1406]

The victory was the first for the team since Watkins Glen last July, and the second endurance racing victory for Lexus. And the final half-hour had the pit box on the edge of their seats.

“It was insane,” said Kirkwood. “I’ve never screamed so much in my life over any instance in racing, other than probably today. It’s a different feeling being a part of a car when you’re not in it and you’re relying on someone else to go do it. For us, we’re screaming like, ‘C’mon, Jack!’ Yeah, that was a cool moment for the team, right? Of course, the win was great. Everyone was hooting and hollering then. During that last bit, we knew that he needed to get it done right there to hang on to the lead. That was probably the moment that would have won us or lost us the race.”

Serra, Davide Rigon and James Calado finished second. A late-race battle between Juncadella and Laurin Heinrich in the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R sent Juncadella off track and out of the race, while Heinrich received a drive-through penalty, handing third to the Iron Lynx Lamborghini squad of Mirko Bortolotti, Jordan Pepper and Frank Perera.

The winning ways continue for Winward Racing and its Mercedes AMG GT3 in GTD. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images

Winward Racing ran a near-flawless race to come from the back of the grid to the lead, controlling most of the race to take its second consecutive win in GTD, and its third in four races going back to Indianapolis Motor Speedway last season.

Philip Ellis had qualified the No. 57 Mercedes AMG on pole, but the car was moved to the back due to unapproved sensors on the car. Nevertheless, the team was at the front by the end of the second hour, and Ellis, Russell Ward and Indy Dontje controlled the race from there.

“We knew we had the car for it,” said Ward. “We just wanted to keep our heads clean. We started off the season in such a great form winning Daytona. Our goal really was just to get the maximum amount of points that we could out of this race. This track really suits this race car well. The Mercedes-AMG gives you a ton of confidence here. You need it at Sebring — a dangerous racetrack. A lot of chances to make a mistake. The crew performed flawlessly. No mistakes on their part. Few mistakes on the drivers’ part. Came out on the top.”

Winward is on quite a role after a rough start to last season, and full-timers Ward and Ellis are eager to keep it going.

“I think all of us have the speed to go to where we want to be,” declared Ellis. “We just have to have clean races, not take too much risk like sometimes we did last year, unfortunately. I think we all learned from the mistakes, not only as drivers, but the team as well. It just matured into a more successful team. I think as long as everybody pulls in the same direction, we’ll be up there again.”

The No. 47 Cetilar Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 of Roberto Lacorte, Antonio Fuoco and Giorgio Sernagiotto languished in the middle of the race, but it came to them after sunset. In the closing stages, Fuoco had to get past Elliot Skeer in the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R to claim second and pursue Ellis, but came 0.646s short of following up Cetilar’s 2022 victory in the race.

After starting 13th in GTD, Skeer, Adam Adelson and Jan Heylen had the Wright Motorsports Porsche in contention for most of the race, bouncing in and out of the front as the team’s off-sequence pit stops moved them to the middle of the field and back. In the end a third place was a solid reward for the day’s work.

RESULTS

IMSA season preview: GTD

Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow and Paul Miller Racing may have given the GTD field fits last year as their competitors tried to figure out a way to beat them in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition, but PMR is GTD PRO’s problem now, and …

Will it be a perennial contender claiming the crown, or will someone have a breakout season? Who knows, but with 17 full-season contenders in 11 different marques, we’re betting against a runaway like we saw last season.

Let’s start with Roman De Angelis. In the last three years with Heart of Racing, he has never finished outside the top three, and Heart of Racing was the only team outside of PMR to win more than one race last season. The 2022 champion, though, finds himself in a new position. Promoted to Gold status by the FIA means he’s going to be the leader in the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.

Leading whom, though, is still a question. If the team has a full-season driving partner for De Angelis, they’re keeping it quiet. What we do know is that for Daytona, De Angelis will have Zacharie Robichon – and the 2021 GTD champ happens to be rated Silver and eligible to race with De Angelis – along with HoR team principal Ian James and last year’s full-season partner Marco Sorensen. As he demonstrated in 2022, De Angelis doesn’t need a full-season partner to fight for a championship, and if there’s a team that could run away with the title, this is it.

“You hope you’re in a position to have the car and the team and the driver lineup to [dominate like PMR did last season],” says De Angelis. “But also, it’s always fun when there’s good competition. And I think other than the Paul Miller car last year, there was always good scraps from second down in the races that they won.

“Everybody raced very hard and very well and I think that this year will be no exception. I think it’s gonna be very difficult to have a runaway car, as it always is.”

Korthoff/Preston Racing took the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup title last season, and returns with the same lineup of Mike Skeen and Mikael Grenier for the full season, Kenton Koch popping into the No, 32 Mercedes AMG GT3 for the endurance races. The team nearly won the championship in its first full season, and were in position to win the Rolex 24 at Daytona last year but for a bad wheel bearing. If they can keep on form, they certainly have to be considered contenders.

“I think we’re highly confident,” says Skeen. “There were a lot of opportunities we had for race wins or podiums last year that maybe didn’t fall into place. But we’ve obviously shown pace and put the car in the right position and just had bad luck or something – last year, a fluke wheel bearing issue, which these cars never have, and even with that, we still led the most laps. So we’ve got the same driver crew, most of the same crew this year, so, really happy with that. We’ve got a nice new car, it should be fresh, ready to go. But obviously the field’s as strong as it’s ever been, so there are plenty of contenders and lots of things outside of our control. It’s just trying to mitigate any of those issues throughout the race and hope to be there at the end.”

Vasser Sullivan’s No. 12 Lexus was triumphant at Watkins Glen last year. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images

The No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 took a victory in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen last year (pictured above), but comes into this season with an altered driver lineup. Parker Thompson and Aaron Telitz have swapped roles, with Thompson now the full-season partner to Frankie Montecalvo. Thompson started the year off on a good note, taking the pole for the Rolex 24, so perhaps last year’s third-place team has a good shot at the title.

Forte Racing’s Loris Spinelli and Misha Goikhberg showed promise last season, finally fulfilled with victory at Motul Petit Le Mans. With that momentum and a solid team behind them, they have the tools to challenge for the championship in the No. 78 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2.

It’s been many seasons since a Turner Motorsport BMW didn’t end up in victory circle, but that was the case as Robby Foley and new partner, but longtime friend, Patrick Gallagher failed to stand on top of the box. Despite that, they finished fifth in the championship. With Gallagher now having a full season under his belt, the pair should be able to fight for wins and improve on that position as Turner moves back to running a single car.

Winward Racing has been strong each season they’ve competed. Russell Ward and Philip Ellis claimed victory at Indianapolis in the No. 57 Mercedes AMG, but aside from a third at VIR, the rest of 2023 was a season to forget. If they can put a whole season together, the team that won the Rolex 24 at Daytona in its first attempt can certainly fight for the championship.

Brendan Iribe and Frederik Schandorff spent much of the season in the mix for at least runner-up honors in the championship. Three podiums, though, were offset by some bad luck and poor finishes. The No. 70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S Evo has been knocking on the door for a win for a couple of years, though. It’s past time for a breakthrough for this team.

Other returning teams that should land on the podium in 2024 include Gradient Racing with Sheena Monk and Katherine Legge in the No. 66 Acura NSX GT3 Evo22, which adds Tati Calderon for the endurance races. Kellymoss with Riley found victory in 2021; now down to one car for WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca winner David Brule, can they do it again?

On to the newcomers, and there are a lot of them. If we’re to pick one to make a statement in 2024, it’s going to be the one that comes form one of the mightiest teams in IMSA history, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti. Fielding the No. 45 Lamborghini Huracán for two-time Lamborghini Super Trofeo champs Danny Formal and Kyle Marcelli, this is a “rookie” team that has the tools to fight for wins and a championship.

“I think we’ve got arguably one of the strongest lineups when it comes to the sprint races,” says Marcelli. “I think we’ll be in really good shape. Having said that, there’s still so much more that goes into winning a race and winning a championship.” Marcelli and Formal will be joined by Graham Doyle in the endurance races.

Andretti Motorsports dabbled in GTD last year with an Aston Martin As Jarett Andretti and Gabby Chaves looked to transition away from LMP3. Now back with a Porsche 911 GT3 R, the team hopes that the bad luck that seemed to plague their GTD outings in 2023 is erased.

Another team moving from LMP3 is the one that is perhaps making the biggest splash among the newcomers, AWA and its new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs. The Canadian outfit was announced last year as the first customer team for the cars in IMSA, and is the only two-car GTD team (although Vasser Sullivan and Heart of Racing run two cars split between GTD and GTD PRO). Orey Fidani and Matt Bell are the full-season pairing in the No. 13, while Anthony Mantella is joined by Corvette factory driver and 2022 World Endurance Championship GTE-Am champ Nico Varrone in the No. 17.

“The competition in this class is a lot better, a lot more cars,” Fidani says, comparing GTD to LMP3. “But I’m just gonna dive in. I’m up for the challenge and I think it’s gonna go pretty well.”

Ford v Ferrari revisited: Proton’s new Ford Mustang will take on Ferrari in GTD. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images

Proton Competition, which will run the new Ford Mustang GT3 in WEC competition, put together a late program to run a car in GTD, bringing Corey Lewis in to partner Giannmarco Levorato, with Ryan Hardwick in for the endurance races. The vastly experienced team knows how to run a good program, and if the new Mustang is up to the task, should be a contender for wins. And, for the first time in years, there will be a full-season Ferrari entrant in GTD. Many Franco has had success in GT World Challenge America, and continues his partnership with Conquest Racing. Alberto Costa Balboa will join him in the No. 21 Ferrari 296 GT3.

That’s a lot of talented teams and drivers fighting for one championship – and we’re not even getting into the teams that will run Michelin Endurance Cup only, such as Magnus Racing, Cetilar Racing, Triarsi Competition, Iron Dames, Wright Motorsports and AF Corse. GTD could very well produce one of the most exciting, rollercoaster seasons in IMSA history.

Mustang and Corvette set to square off in deep pool of GT competition

The class structure of global sports car racing is constantly evolving. But the emergence and refinement of the FIA-homologated GT3 platform over nearly 20 years has stabilized production-based classes and created the opportunity for convergence between the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the FIA World Endurance Championship and many other series using GT3 race cars around the world.

The worldwide accessibility and appeal of GT3 has convinced Chevrolet and Ford to join the fray with factory-supported racing versions of the Corvette and Mustang. The Corvette Z06 GT3.R was revealed during 2023 Rolex 24 At Daytona festivities and has been in development with Corvette Racing partner team Pratt Miller Motorsports for the last year. Ford, meanwhile, unveiled the Mustang GT3 roughly six months later at the 100th anniversary celebration of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Both cars will make their worldwide competition debut later this month in the 62nd Rolex 24.

Mustang and Corvette are joining a deep pool with nine other FIA-homologated GT3 cars that will compete in IMSA’s GTD and GTD PRO classes: Acura NSX Evo, Aston Martin Vantage, BMW M4, Ferrari 296, Lamborghini Huracán EVO2, Lexus RC F, McLaren 720S Evo, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche 911 (992).

Because the GT3 category emphasizes Pro-Am driver lineups, the cars are deliberately “user friendly,” with driver aids including traction control and antilock brakes. Through Balance of Performance adjustments, cars are designed to weigh between 1,200 and 1,300kg (2,645-2,866 pounds); power is regulated to 500 to 600hp and each car must meet specific drag-versus-downforce specifications.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1406]

Modern Corvettes and Mustangs require remarkably little modification to be transformed into racing cars. In fact, high-end production versions of both cars feature more powerful engines than their GT3 racing counterparts!

Like every Corvette, the GT3.R is built up from an aluminum chassis produced at Chevrolet’s Bowling Green Assembly plant in Kentucky. The 5.5-liter flat plane crankshaft DOHC V-8 engine — designated LT6 — also originates from the Performance Build Center in southern Kentucky. The racing version of the LT6 shares 70 percent of its components with the standard Z06 engine that originates on the same line. Pratt Miller then fabricates the integrated steel roll cage and side intrusion safety features.

As with the production Z06, the Corvette GT3.R utilizes double wishbone suspension, adding racing-specific springs, dampers and brake components. The racing car features a six-speed sequential transaxle rather than dual clutch eight-speed in the stock Z06.

The Mustang GT3 starts its life on Ford’s Flat Rock, Michigan, assembly plant before being modified for racing by Multimatic Motorsports. The 5.4-liter V8 engine is an enlarged version of the stock Mustang GT’s 5.0-liter “Coyote” powerplant developed by Ford Performance and M-Sport, which is Ford’s longtime World Rally Championship partner.

Aside from the wild carbon fiber bodywork punctuated by an enormous rear wing, the most notable difference between the GT3 and Mustangs for the road is the rear-mounted transaxle with six-speed sequential shift. Multimatic also contributes proprietary dampers and bespoke short-long arm suspension.

North American sports car racing fans will see seven of the new American GT3 machines on the 2024 WeatherTech Championship grid, highlighted by factory-backed two-car efforts from Chevrolet and Ford in the GTD PRO class. Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports will field the Nos. 3 and 4 Corvettes in a familiar yellow livery, while Ford Multimatic Motorsports’ entries are Nos. 64 and 65. In addition, AWA will represent Corvette in the GTD class with the Nos. 13 and 17 cars for the full season, with Proton Competition slated to enter the No. 55 Mustang in select events.

With Mustang and Corvette street cars now available for sale around the world, Ford and Chevrolet will also have an international racing presence with their new GT3 contenders. Proton Competition has entered two Mustangs in the WEC, against competition including a pair of Corvettes prepared by TF Sport.

“Mustang is our icon,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsport. “We are excited about 2024 for Mustangs in total and what they can do, but especially here in the WeatherTech (Championship) at the GTD PRO level.”

“Our goal is to have Corvettes racing around the world,” added Laura Wontrop Klauser, GM sports car racing program manager. “Our IMSA GTD PRO team is taking the lead on optimizing the running of the car so we can lift all teams to higher performance.”

The Corvette GT3.R and Mustang GT3 will make their official on-track debuts at the Roar Before the Rolex 24, the three-day test session Jan. 19-21 at Daytona International Speedway that also includes qualifying for the Rolex 24, which runs Jan. 27-28 on the same 3.56-mile road course.

Grosjean and Cairoli in for Iron Lynx GTD Lamborghini at Daytona

IndyCar racer and Lamborghini factory driver Romain Grosjean, along with freshly signed factory pilot Matteo Cairoli, will join the previously announced Claudio Schiavoni and Matteo Cressoni in the GTD-class No. 60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracán for …

Former F1 racer Grosjean finished fourth on his debut with the team in last year’s race. He will return to the GT cockpit before making the switch to the Lamborghini SC63 later in the year. Cairoli, who will make his Lamborghini debut with the team, has four previous Rolex 24 starts.

“Romain drove with us in No. 63 last year and raced well. Matteo is well known at Iron Lynx as we shared an ELMS season but will race together for the first time with Lamborghini, so we’re really looking forward to seeing him driving at Daytona,” said Iron Lynx team principal and CEO Andrea Piccini. “They will make a very strong addition to the lineup of car No. 60.”

Iron Lynx will field a total of three Huracáns at Daytona. Joining the No. 60 in GTD will be the “Iron Dames,” Michelle Gatting, Rahel Frey and Sarah Bovy, with the fourth driver still to be confirmed, in the No. 83. The team’s GTD PRO entry, No. 19, is an all-star squad of Lamborghini drivers — Mirko Bortolotti, Jordan Pepper, Andrea Caldarelli and Franck Perera.

Conquest adds Costa for 2024 IMSA GTD season

Albert Costa Balboa will join Manny Franco at Conquest Racing with Ferrari as the full-season driver for the team’s 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD campaign with a Ferrari 296 GT3. Spaniard Costa comes equipped with a pedigree as a …

Albert Costa Balboa will join Manny Franco at Conquest Racing with Ferrari as the full-season driver for the team’s 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD campaign with a Ferrari 296 GT3.

Spaniard Costa comes equipped with a pedigree as a proven race winner across multiple international endurance championships. Notably, he won this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 class with Inter Europol Competition, and went on to finish second in the drivers’ standings with the team in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1406]

“I’m extremely happy to be joining Conquest Racing with Ferrari,” said Costa. “The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is an incredibly important series with a high level of competition, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it. I’m really looking forward to racing on these old-school American circuits and the challenges that will come with it. I can’t wait to drive the new Ferrari 296 GT3 and I’ll be working very hard with the team to put us on the right path.”

Conquest Racing, after a successful season in GT World Challenge America, announced its entry into the WeatherTech Championship earlier this season, the first full-season Ferrari campaign in several seasons. Cédric Sbirrazzuoli was recently revealed as the third driver for the Michelin Endurance Cup races.

WeatherTech, Forte Racing take GT victories at Petit Le Mans

The No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes AMG driven by Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Maro Engel held off the Pfaff Porsche in the closing stages to take the GTD PRO victory at Motul Petit Le Mans and bookend the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with victories. Having started the season with a win in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Juncadella and Gounon claimed the Michelin Endurance Cup championship and second in the overall points.

“It was a season with a lot of ups but also a lot of downs at some point,” said Juncadella. “During the mid season, we struggled. We seemed to not be able to find some of the issues, but we can be happy with the results. Sharing the car all of us together and also having Maro in the endurance races, we are all very close and everybody can rely on each other for any particular job on the racetrack, off the racetrack. We always enjoy it and that’s I think that’s a big key for our success.”

WeatherTech Racing’s Mercedes had the legs on the field when it counted. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images

Several cars took their turns at the front, but many left the race with problems. The No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 was going for victory, Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat having secured the GTD PRO championship once the race had started. But Barnicoat got loose on the Turn 3 curb, went off track and hit the dirt and a trackside sign, ripping the front off the car off and ending their day.

The No. 3 Corvette Racing C8.R of Jordan Taylor, Antonio Garcia and Tommy Milner rolled to a stop after leading much of the race with an unspecified mechanical issue. Pfaff Motorsports’ No. 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Patrick Pilet, Klaus Bachler and Kevin Estre also led a bunch of laps late, but had nothing for the WeatherTech Mercedes at the end. And Mirko Bortolotti’s great run in the Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracán that he shared with Jordan Pepper and Franck Perera ended with contact in the final minutes.

The Pfaff Porsche ended up second; the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 was third, trailing the top three in GTD.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1406]

Much of the GTD race was a battle between the Mercedes AMGs from Winward Racing and Korthoff/Preston Motorsports. Neither was in the fight at the end, but Mike Skeen, Mikael Grenier and Kenton Koch claimed the Michelin Endurance Cup title for Korthoff/Preston.

Instead, the Forte Racing Powered by US RaceTronics trio of Loris Spinelli, Misha Goikhberg and Patrick Liddy claimed the victory in the No. 78 Lamborghini Huracán. The team had to recover from three different drive-through penalties to take the win with a late charge.

The US RaceTronics team of Misha Goikhberg, Loris Spinelli, and Patrick Liddy

celebrate their win. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images

“The feeling is amazing, especially because it’s my first time at this track,” said Spinelli. “The race started really well. We were fighting for the top five after a couple hours but unfortunately we got a couple of penalties. The team put on an amazing efforts for the last few hours the car was really drivable. I’m super happy. For sure, it’s a result that we deserved, really at the beginning of the season, because we showed always a good speed.”

The Forte Lamborghini had demonstrated solid pace in many races this season, but hadn’t quite been able to pull off a victory. A second in the last race at Indianapolis and the win at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta showed promise for next season.

“There’s been a lot of frustrating races where we were almost there and something always seemed to go wrong,” said Goikhberg. “So to finish the season on a strong note, to get Lamborghini a win and to really prove to ourselves that we’re capable of winning — and really go hard in preparation for 2024, which literally starts this week — I think it’s very important for the morale of the team.”

Putting it all together in the finale provided a valuable morale booster for the Forte Racing Lamborghini team. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images

Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher and Michael Dinan had the best finish of the season for the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 in second. Trent Hindman, Alan Brynjolfsson and Max Root were third in the No. 77 Wright Motorsports Porsche. The podium changed significantly on the final restart of the race, ruining solid runs for both the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche and the No. 80 AO Racing Porsche.

Jan Heylen was running second in the No. 16 when he got squeezed between two cars and the resulting contact caused an inferno to erupt at the back of the Porsche. Seb Priaulx in the No. 80 also went off, possibly in avoidance of the incident. Heylen pulled the Wright car to a stop, jumped out, grabbed a fire extinguisher from the marshals, and extinguished the fire.

RESULTS

GTs in the spotlight a welcome change for IMSA racers

This weekend’s GT-only event at Virginia International Raceway presents a unique opportunity for IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD PRO and GTD competitors – the chance to race head-to-head without worrying about prototype traffic getting …

This weekend’s GT-only event at Virginia International Raceway presents a unique opportunity for IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD PRO and GTD competitors — the chance to race head-to-head without worrying about prototype traffic getting involved. And while some drivers may rue the lost opportunities of a prototype opening the door for them to make a pass on a GT competitor, most like having the spotlight to themselves.

“I think for us, we feel like the black sheep of the family with GTP being a new category this year and new class and being so exciting,” says Katherine Legge, driver of the No. 66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 (pictured above) with Sheena Monk. “I think that, especially for television, they tend to focus on that, and I don’t think that we get the recognition in the GT class that we always deserve, because there’s some epic battles that go on. I think you miss the nuances of who’s doing what, why and where, especially with the Bronze class. I think that kind of gets lost in the whole big picture.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1406]

IMSA oldtimers will remember the days when, at most races outside the endurance events, there were separate GT and prototype races; GTP and Lights had their race, preceded at some point during the weekend by race for the GTO and GTU categories. Now, the opportunity for GT drivers to enjoy their own race happens only once or twice a year, and while most of the drivers love multi-class racing, there are times when having everyone on the track on equal footing can make the racing interesting as well.

“It’s pretty epic, to be honest. I am a huge fan of multi-class racing, the challenge of having the GTPs and P2s around you is fun and adds another element to the race,” says Vasser Sullivan Racing driver Ben Barnicoat, who shares the No. 14 Lexus RC F with Jack Hawksworth. “But I think having GTs and, driving for a brand like Lexus, it helps put us a lot more in the limelight in terms of viewership when the nation and public are tuning in and watching and just seeing our cars and the brands and manufacturers race outright for wins. It is very attractive in that sense, you know, because our RC F GT3, if we win on Sunday, they can go out and buy one on Monday, whereas with the top-class racing, they don’t do that. So I think it’s incredibly important for the sport and for GT racing on a whole, and certainly something that I don’t want to see being reduced in the future.”

Legge is also aware of the more direct connection that GTs have to the public compared to the prototypes. She has, as most GT drivers have, seen the enthusiasm that derives from an enthusiast seeing his or her brand competing on track.

“I remember when I was a race fan as a kid, and I would go to Brands Hatch with my dad and I would watch touring cars. There was a Renault Laguna there and my mom had a Renault Laguna, so of course I really want the Renault Laguna to win,” she recalls. “And I feel like you can be a Porsche fan or you can be an Acura fan, and you can say, ‘Well, I had an Acura when I was a kid,’ or ‘One day, I want to have a Ferrari,’ or whatever it may be. So you really kind of get that buy-in from the fans, and I think that it’s more direct and more pure when it’s just the GT cars out there.”

Without prototypes constantly trying to get by, GT drivers like Trent Hindman are free to focus fully on their races. Motorsport Images

And the racing is different. With GTD PRO and GTD both GT3 classes and having the same Balance of Performance equations, the two classes are mixing it up in equal cars. There’s no faster class roaring through the field and constantly disrupting a driver’s rhythm.

“The fact that this is a GT-only round also takes some pressure off our shoulders and allows us to race forward, uninterrupted,” says Trent Hindman, sharing the No. 77 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R with Alan Brynjolfsson.

The 2h40m Michelin GT Challenge kicks off on Sunday at 2pm ET, broadcast live on USA Network and streamed on Peacock. For those outside the U.S., it will be available on IMSA.com.

Corvette making leap of faith in GTD with AWA

As GM’s plans for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R developed, the clear plan was for two cars in GTD PRO and two in GTD. The GTD PRO program will be handled by Pratt Miller; for its first customer Corvette racing program, though, the nod went to a team without any previous experience in GTD, and only a short history in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, AWA Racing. The team’s history and trajectory, which includes a 2023 Rolex 24 At Daytona victory in LMP3, indicated that it’s on the right path for success, according to Christie Bagne, Corvette Z06 GT3.R program manager.

“AWA comes in with a clear stated objective of growing and moving up through process,” Bagne said. “We’ve seen that happen already; they were successful in GT4, and then stepped into the WeatherTech Championship in LMP3. We’ve seen this team grow in terms of their results, we saw them very successful at Rolex this year, we’ve seen them with good consistency through the championship. We’ve seen the way they do brand representation and the way that they represent brands on social media. All of that has been growing — they’ve been showing they have the capability to be running in this class. They have a clear objective to grow and a clear plan to do that. So all of that was really appealing.”

At the same time that GM is taking a leap with AWA, AWA is taking a leap into a new category with the first GT3 Corvette that GM has produced, and the first GT3 car since the Cadillac ATS-V GT3 that raced as a factory program in World Challenge. Granted, Corvette Racing has a pretty fine record over the last 25 years, a fact not lost on AWA principal Andrew Wojteczko.

“I’d say it’s their long-time understanding of what’s required to build a reliable and competitive car,” Wojteczko said of what drove his decision. “Their focus is on being competitive and winning; I think that’s a great attitude, and something we want to be a part of.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1406]

AWA competed in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with a variety of manufacturers before moving to LMP3, tasting success along the way. But transitioning into GTD, Wojteczko recognizes that GM is putting a lot of faith in him to run a good program in what it considers its most important championship.

“It’s a huge milestone for myself for the team. And I’m just extremely grateful that the steps that we’ve taken caught the attention of Corvette, and they feel like we’re a worthy team to fulfill that role,” he said. “So, yeah, that’s a huge achievement. I’m very, very grateful for the opportunity.”

AWA ran a single Duqueine D08 in 2022, adding a second one at Petit Le Mans last year and running two cars this season. The No. 17 with Anthony Mantella and Wayne Boyd is currently second in the LMP3 points; the No. 13 duo of Orey Fidani and Matthew Bell is fourth. The No. 17 won the non-points Rolex 24 At Daytona with Mantella, Boyd, Nico Varrone and Thomas Merrill. And while Varrone is also part of Corvette Racing’s WEC program — along with Nicky Catsburg and Ben Keating — that has already clinched the WEC GTE-Am title and also won the class at Le Mans, that connection didn’t really play a part in getting the deal done. Instead, it was the quality of the team’s work.

“They take a really organized approach to it,” explained Bagne. “I was impressed by that. They come in and they have they have an org chart defined and they are looking at manageable milestones to be successful. So I would say the the vision that team has and the organization with which they approach executing that vision was really impressive and gave me confidence that they’ll be successful.”

The collaboration begins immediately. Bagne says Pratt Miller is testing the Z06 GT3.R at Road America this week after the race, and Wojteczko and AWA personnel will be on hand to observe as they embark on their two-car GTD program. The Corvette Z06 GT3.R has already undergone homologation testing in Europe, and the homologation is likely to be completed in October. AWA expects that its cars will be delivered in November.