IMSA Struggles to Attract, Keep American Drivers in Top Class

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below."

• IMSA president John Doonan says that GTP manufacturers tell him they want to hire American drivers, but where will those drivers come from?

• Being elbowed out by drivers who get their training in Europe is a concern among those currently trying to make their way up through IMSA.

• An American series, however, would do well to have more American drivers if it wants to use the new GTP era to grow its fanbase, a fact recognized by Doonan.

Sometimes, it’s good to have a deep bench.

Just when it looked as if IMSA would launch its long-awaited new GTP era at this weekend’s Roar Before the Rolex 24 with only two American drivers behind the wheel for the full season, Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian dipped into the sanctioning body’s LMP3 category to hire Texas native Colin Braun to co-drive its Acura ARX-06.

The veteran Braun will partner with last year’s DPi champion and U.K.-born Tom Blomqvist in the WeatherTech Championship.

Braun joins prototype rookie and California native Connor De Phillippi, driving a BMW M Hybrid V-8 at RLL Racing, and Floridian Ricky Taylor, the longest serving driver in IMSA’s prototype ranks, as one of three Americans at the top. Taylor will drive the Acura ARX-06 entry of his father Wayne Taylor.

Braun, De Phillippi and Taylor are the only three American, full-season drivers out of 18 regulars in the GTP class.

The field admittedly gets a little deeper with American flavor for the Rolex 24, American-born drivers Dane Cameron (Porsche Penske Motorsports) and Colton Herta (BMW M Team RLL) are on board as part-time drivers to help their teams in the 24-hour endurance test.

So, why a dearth of American full-timers in the IMSA's top GTP prototype class?

In the worldwide meritocracy that is sports car racing, drivers from Europe, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand are considered the best candidates to win races. Cadillac, the only American manufacturer competing in GTP, does not have an American among its nine drivers for three entries for the Rolex 24, including one V-LMDh that will spend the season in the World Endurance Championship.

IMSA fans have long enjoyed the international mix of drivers, which adds not only flair but clearly upgrades the talent pool. And IMSA likes to promote the International found in its full name.

An American series, however, would do well to have more American drivers if it wants to use the new GTP era to grow its fanbase, a fact recognized by IMSA president John Doonan.

“I can tell you we’re going to be doing more of that in coming weeks and months to make sure that young talent, even in the karting ranks and grass roots club racing, understand what’s available to them coming forward,” said Doonan. “You can look at the list of drivers who made sports car racing into sustainable careers and it is possible for these drivers. It’s incumbent upon us to make it clear.”

Doonan said that GTP manufacturers tell him they want to hire American drivers, but where will those drivers come from?

The two best current candidates are committed elsewhere. Taylor’s younger brother Jordan, a platinum-rated driver, is contracted to Corvette Racing and the GTD Pro category. The most talked about young American in sports car racing, teenager Josh Pierson, is already preparing to move from a sports car path to Indy cars with team owner Ed Carpenter after impressing in the LMP2 ranks in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship.

Another promising teenager, North Carolina native Connor Zilisch, the rookie of the year in the MX-5 Cup in 2022, is looking at a partial season in the TA2 category of the Trans-Am Series to cut his teeth on higher horsepower. Will that lead him to IndyCar as well?

This is the double-edged sword for IMSA when it comes to American drivers in its premier class. Young Americans always have the lure of the Indy 500—or the Daytona 500. Drivers training in Europe for Formula 1 who don’t make it that far often find their way into IMSA with better preparation to compete at the top.

It’s an old saw, but being seasoned by several seasons in Europe sometimes produces the best road racing results. There are three Brazilians who will pilot GTPs during the 2023 WeatherTech season—Filipe Nasr (Porsche), Pipo Derani (Cadillac) and Augusto Farfus (BMW). Each spent formative years in Europe. Australian Matt Campbell, who will drive a Porsche 963, moved to Europe after racing Porsches in Australia. A factory driver, he advanced to GTP from a championship season in GTD Pro last season with Pfaff Motorsports.

De Fillippi followed a similar course. Once he abandoned a single seater career to pursue GT cars, he got an education on the European approach by competing in Porsches in Germany before coming home to IMSA and signing with BMW to drive its GT entries. His teammate at RLL Racing, John Edwards, came up through the IMSA ranks but didn’t get the prototype job in the new M Hybrid V8, despite a platinum rating. For his part, Taylor “studied” under the ever-aggressive Italian Max “The Axe” Angelelli on his father’s IMSA team on route to a highly successful prototype career.

Braun has benefitted from the aggressive driving needed at the top during three seasons driving NASCAR entries for Jack Roush, where he scored one Truck Series victory. His 20 wins and three championships since returning to road racing as the professional driver at Core Autosport with gentleman co-driver Jon Bennett are evidence of that close quarters education encountered at 200 mph among drivers vying to make it to the Cup Series. His victories at CORE came in PC, LMP2 and LMP3.

Now 34, Braun’s first Daytona Prototype victories came at age 17. When testing the Acura ARX-06, Braun quickly delivered lap times that exceeded expectations on board Acura’s new hybrid.

“That was kind of the pressure in the situations that I was used to throughout my career, given the different opportunities that presented themselves,” said Braun. He first worked with Michael Shank at age 25 in a one-off drive. Due to his oval experience in NASCAR and his prototype background, he was the perfect candidate to set a record lap at Daytona of 222.971 mph on board Shank’s Ford-Riley in 2013.

It's not only speed, but aggression that counts. If American drivers rely on a path to the top by competing in IMSA, it may not be enough.

Being elbowed out by drivers who get their training in Europe is a concern among those currently trying to make their way up through IMSA. Riley Dickinson, 20, is a Texan enrolled in the junior program of Porsche Cars North America. He scored his first victory in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America at Indy last summer and is keenly aware of the opportunities presented by GTP, where Porsche will be a mainstay with factory entries and customer cars.

But will he be able to move up the ladder?

Dickinson was invited to participate in a Porsche Supercup race at Silverstone last year as part of his education in the junior program. “I was able to get my first up close and personal look at that style of driving,” he said. “I had an idea of what to expect going into it in terms of the level of aggression. Once you got into the fight, it was way beyond what I was used to.”

“It’s a real phenomenon,” he continued. “You see so many European drivers come over to the American market and there really aren’t that many American drivers outside of NASCAR.”

With 61 career victories in both prototype and GT cars, Bill Auberlen is IMSA’s winningest driver. He thinks the preference for European drivers is often a matter of perception, citing current Porsche Penske Motorsport driver Dane Cameron, who will race a Porsche 963 in the World Endurance Championship this year, and IndyCar driver Colton Herta, touted as America’s best Formula 1 prospect. As third drivers for the 24-hour, they will be the only other Americans behind the wheel of a GTP at Daytona. Cameron will co-drive the No. 7 Porsche 963. Herta is slated to co-drive both BMWs.

“Dane Cameron and Colton Herta can stand up to any European,” said Auberlen, who will drive in GTD for Turner Motorsport. “But there’s not as many Americans in sports car racing as I’d like to see.”

It’s also a matter of numbers, said Auberlen. “Sports car racing is so accepted in Europe and the whole grooming process and where they go for training and the numbers who compete are at very high levels. There are a ton people who compete in Europe. Also, think about the cars that are here—BMW, Porsche, Lamborghini, Mercedes these are all European companies based there. The whole foundation is based in Europe. That’s why there’s a bias toward Europeans.”