Yahoo Autos New cars, new faces for IMSA WeatherTech Championship at Road America
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will feature 47 entries for its annual visit to the track known as “America’s National Park of Speed,” Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. The 2h40m race around the 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit will mark the only time that all four classes — GTP, LMP2, GTD PRO and GTD — will be present for a sprint race this season.
In that total are 10 GTP entries, 12 LMP2s, 10 GTD PRO cars and 15 GTDs. The GTD PRO field grows by one from its usual sprint-race entry thanks to the addition of a Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 for Daniel Serra and Giacomo Altoe. Conquest entered GTD PRO earlier in the season at Detroit when GTD had the race off, but this is the first time the team will bring two cars to a race, a PRO entry in addition to its GTD Ferrari for Manny Franco and Albert Costa Balboa.
Another change in GTD PRO is the absence of Seb Priaulx in the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R, which will be in the pink “Roxy” livery for Road America. Priaulx’s replacement to partner with Laurin Heinrich has not been named.
A new LMP2 entry comes from JDC-Miller MotorSports, the No. 79 ORECA LMP2 for Gerry Kraut and Scott Andrews in addition to its Porsche 963 GTP entry. However, the LMP2 field won’t be any bigger because CrowdStrike Racing by APR will be absent as driver and CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz continues to deal with the fallout from last week’s worldwide IT crisis.
Another change in LMP2 is 2022 Prototype Challenge champ Tonis Kasemets subbing for Lance Willsey in the No. 33 Sean Creech Motorsports Ligier while Willsey is committed elsewhere.
The GTP entry looks exactly as expected, with all the usual players present, but there are a few changes in GTD. Triarsi Competizione makes its first appearance in a sprint race with the No. 023 Ferrari 296 GT3 (pictured above) for Onofrio Triarsi and Alessio Rovera. That will make three Ferraris for Road America, when typically last year there were none in the sprint races.
Sandy Mitchell is driving the N0. 45 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, subbing for Kyle Marcelli, Danny Formal’s usual co-driver. Kenton Koch will be partnering with Mikael Grenier in the No. 32 Korthoff-Preston Motorsports Mercedes AMG. Koch has featured with the team in the endurance races this season, but will take Mike Skeen’s place for Road America and VIR. Zacharie Robichon will again join Roman De Angelis in the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo; De Angelis and Spencer Pumpelly won the last race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.
The WeatherTech Championship will be joined by IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, Porsche Carrera Cup North America and Mustang Challenge at Road America. The race is scheduled for a green flag at 2:10pm local time (3:10 ET) on Sunday, Aug. 4. The race will be streamed live on Peacock, and on IMSA.tv outside the U.S.
