Story and photos by Tim Adams
All five classes, DPi, LMP2, LMP3, GTD Pro and GTD were back in action this weekend at Road America. Joining in on the action this weekend was the Michelin Pilot Challenge, Porsche Carrera Cup, and the Lamborghini Trofeo race series.
The weather was brutal. The humidity was off the charts high all weekend. On Sunday in the morning, we had some rain during the Porsche Carrera Cup race, and some light rain early on during the IMSA Sportscar Championship race. Despite this, the crowd was amazing all weekend.
This is the last year for Daytona Prototype International, or DPi as it is called. Next year the top prototype class will be called GTP. The new GTP cars will feature a hybrid system to go along with the normal internal combustion engine. The GTP cars will also be allowed to race in the World Endurance Championship, or WEC as it is known. In the WEC the top class is called LMDh and Hypercar. Why the two series can not get together and find common ground on names to not confuse prospective fans is still baffling to this writer.
IMSA will continue to run two different GT classes also. GTD Pro, and GTD. Somewhat confusing also to casual fans. Both run the exact same cars. GT Pro consists of factory backed drivers, with factory support for the teams. GTD is amateurs and semi-pro drivers. To try to help fans tell the difference, GTD Pro cars have red side mirrors and end plates on the rear spoiler, and red lettered GTD Pro on the side of the car. GTD cars have green side mirrors and side end plates on the rear spoiler, and green lettered GTD on the side of the car. IMSA announced that GTD Pro and GTD will continue thru at least 2026. The WEC however will not allow factory backed GT3 teams to race. So, no Corvette Racing at Le Mans. To also add to the confusion, IMSA continues to use GTD to refer to it’s GT class, when every other series in the world refers to them as GT3. Baffling to this writer they can not find common ground, and common sense. The GTD/GT3 cars can also run at Le Mans, but not as a factory backed team, and a specific aero kit must be run in the WEC. Another point that makes just shake your head. Why can’t the WEC and IMSA run under a common set of rules. It makes zero sense.
This race weekend the under-card series, Michelin Pilot Challenge ran a four-hour race on Saturday, with the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship running a two-hour 40-minute race on Sunday. This is backwards. The IMSA race needs to be at least four-hours. ALMS did this a couple of years, and it was a huge hit with the fans. A four-mile track deserves a much longer race than the two-hour 40-minute sprint race. The Michelin Pilot Challenge Race on Saturday was full of cautions. Some very questionable driving decisions were being made. Five-minute caution laps are no fun for me as a photographer trackside, or for the fans watching in the brutal heat and humidity.
The IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Champion race on Sunday was moved up to a 10:40AM start to fit in a TV broadcast window. Very odd to be racing that early in the morning at Road America. While it was cooler, the humidity was at 100%. Some rain early in the race made for some interesting conditions as some teams opted to switch to wet tires, while most tip toed around on slicks. Eventually it stopped and the track dried out. In the DPi the pole sitting Wayne Taylor Racing Acura took the overall win. In LMP2 the ERA Motorsport took the win. LMP3 was won by the Riley Motorsports Ligier, with GTD Pro going to the Vasser-Sullivan Lexus, and GTD going to the Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG.
The next race will be a GTD only affair and Virginia International Raceway, with all five classes back in action at the season finale at Road Atlanta in the ten-hour Petit Le Mans. Petit will be the final race in the Daytona Prototype era.
IMSA announced the schedule for next year at a press conference this weekend and Road America will be in its traditional spot the first weekend in August. Unfortunately, it will not be a four-hour race, but we can hope for that someday. See you next year at Road America!
