IMSA – State of The Series Notebook

Amongst the announcements and clarifications contained within IMSA President John Doonan’s Friday evening ‘State of The Series’ presentation at Road America were:

Class Structure

The GTP class is set through at least 2027, while LMP2 and LMP3 have been confirmed through the 2023 season.

The GTD PRO and GTD classes will continue to use GT3-spec race cars through at least 2026.

Sustainability 

Long a platform for IMSA, and the ALMS before it, the 2022 State of the Series allowed for an update on this part of the messaging from the Series as a whole:

In addition to the GTP class featuring the single-source hybrid powertrain, offering a 10%+ reduction of fuel consumption, IMSA’s Official Fuel Supplier, VP Racing Fuels, will supply renewable VP R80 fuel from next season.

Michelin has developed a unique new tyre for GTP, which will have the ability to double stint. This could lead to a reduction in tyre usage of up to 25 percent. Current WeatherTech Championship Michelin race tyres have nearly 30 percent sustainable raw materials.

Michelin also displayed a new racing tyre that contains 53 percent sustainable raw materials. IMSA and Michelin are working together to explore bringing this into IMSA competition.

Driver Classification

IMSA confirmed the continuation of a five-class format for the WeatherTech Championship in 2023 with the same driver combination requirements as in previous years. Discussions around changes in Pro-Am classes will not be taken further at this point.

While Bronze- and Silver-rated drivers remain eligible in GTD driver lineups, IMSA reinforced its commitment to Bronze-rated drivers via the Bob Akin Bronze Cup championship.

Top Bronze drivers in GTD will be recognized on the post-race podium at each race and the Bob Akin Bronze Cup season champion will receive an entry to the following year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

IMSA is evaluating additional incentives for Bronze drivers regarding qualifying format and drive-time.

End Of GTD Sprint Cup

IMSA confirmed that there will be no ‘Sprint Cup’ competition in GTD in 2023 after finding little or no competition for the title in 2022.