IMSA's Pit Lane Is Going to Sound Very Different This Year

The 2023 IMSA WeatherTech Championship kicks off next week with the Rolex 24 at Daytona and, with it, a new generation of GTP hybrid prototypes. Between Cadillac, Porsche, Acura and BMW, there’s plenty of change to be enthusiastic about within the top class, but one difference that may surprise you on race day will be the sound coming from pit lane.

Sure, the lower-class single-seaters and GT cars still have their purely internal-combustion powertrains, but when a GTP machine takes off from its stall, it won’t be contributing much to the cacophony. Instant torque from the electric motors means all you’ll hear is an intensifying whine until the gas engine kicks in partway down the pit straight. Or not.

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Credit: The RACER Channel via YouTube

If you want a sneak peek of what we’re in for, Racer’s Marshall Pruett just posted a short video where you can watch the Cadillac, Acura and BMW in launch form. As Pruett explains, teams are free to use whatever mix of propulsion they prefer, whether that’s taking off on battery power and quickly switching to the ICE once the speed limit is reached, or trundling down the whole thing on electricity alone.