IMSA SportsCar Championship
Country | United States Canada |
---|---|
Region | North America |
Inaugural season | 2014 |
Prototype Classes | Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) & Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) |
GT Classes | GT Daytona Pro (GTD Pro) & GT Daytona (GTD) |
Tire suppliers | Continental (2014–2018 Prototype and GTD) Michelin (2014–2018 GTLM; 2019–present all classes) |
Drivers' champion | GTP: Pipo Derani Alexander Sims LMP2: Paul-Loup Chatin Ben Keating LMP3: Gar Robinson GTD Pro: Ben Barnicoat Jack Hawksworth GTD: Bryan Sellers Madison Snow |
Makes' champion | GTP: Cadillac GTD Pro: Lexus GTD: BMW |
Teams' champion | GTP: Whelen Engineering Racing LMP2: PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports LMP3: Riley Motorsports GTD Pro: Vasser Sullivan GTD: Paul Miller Racing |
Official website | imsa |
Current season |
The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a
The season begins with its premier race, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the last weekend of January and ends with the Petit Le Mans, another North American Endurance Cup race, in early October.
History
On September 5, 2012, it was announced that the
On January 8, 2013, the two series' announced a preliminary class structure for the new merged series. Grand-Am's
The reveal date for the new series was March 14, 2013 at the Chateau Élan Hotel and Conference Center at
On August 9, 2013, Fox Sports 1 announced it had signed a TV contract with IMSA to televise the entire USCC season between 2014 and 2018.[8]
Later, on September 12, 2013,
Beginning with the 2019 season, the series is covered exclusively by NBC Sports in the United States. The NBC broadcast network will air nine hours of coverage annually, with the majority of the coverage airing on NBCSN. CNBC and the NBC Sports app will provide supplemental coverage.[10][11] Beginning with 2022, USA Network replaced NBCSN as the cable home to the series.
Michelin Pilot Challenge
Originally based on a Canadian series before being acquired by Grand-Am, the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (originally known as Grand-Am Cup) is a production-based
Class structure
There are four classes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship series, featuring two sports prototype categories and two grand tourer classes. Some races may only use selected classes of cars, for example: Any class car may be permitted entry at Daytona, while at the Northeast Grand Prix only the GT Daytona Pro (GTD Pro) and GT Daytona (GTD) are entered. Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) classes are compatible with regulations for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Sports Prototype classes
Grand Touring Prototype (GTP)
The flagship class of the championship that replaced the DPi (Daytona Prototype International) class starting in 2023, featuring cars built to IMSA's LMDh and Automobile Club de l'Ouest's Le Mans Hypercar regulations.
Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2)
A class introduced since 2019 after being split from the DPi class (2019–2022), it features pro-am driver lineups. The class features cars built by Automobile Club de l'Ouest's (ACO) 4 licensed manufacturers (Riley-Multimatic, Ligier, Oreca and Dallara) to the specifications of the FIA/ACO 2017 Global LMP2 regulations.
Grand Touring classes
GT Daytona Pro (GTD Pro)
A class that utilizes the FIA GT3 specifications that replaced the GTLM class starting in the 2022 Season. No driver class restriction in the GTD Pro class.
GT Daytona (GTD)
A class since 2016 that uses same specification cars as GTD Pro, but at least 1 silver or bronze driver must be in a team. And more than 1 platinum driver in a team is prohibited.
Former classes
There were five classes formerly used in the IMSA SportsCar Championship series, featuring four sports prototype categories and one grand tourer class.
Sports Prototype classes
Daytona Prototype International (DPi)
The former flagship class of the championship from 2019 to 2022, featuring cars built to IMSA's Daytona Prototype International regulations, which are based upon the 2017 Le Mans Prototype LMP2 cars. Previously, the DPi's had competed against their base LMP2 counterparts in the Prototype class from 2017 to 2018. Starting in 2019 the LMP2 cars were split into a separate class. The Prototype class had originally consisted of Grand-Am's Daytona Prototypes with the American Le Mans Series LMP2 prototypes, and the DeltaWing, before the original Daytona Prototypes, and the DeltaWing were phased out of competition at the end of 2016, and replaced by the new DPi cars. Starting in 2023, the DPi class was replaced by the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class in an effort to further improve the racing in the Prototype class, as well as create a closer bond to the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Prototype (P)
The former flagship class of the championship from 2014 to 2018 before splitting into two separate classes in 2019, featuring cars built to which included classes of prototypes carried over from the previous motorsport category series of the
Prototype Challenge (PC)
This was a
Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3)
Introduced in the 2021 season, having been in the
Grand Touring classes
GT Le Mans (GTLM)
A continuation of the ALMS GT class, it consisted of cars matching the ACO's GTE specification and competed in the series between the 2014 and 2021 seasons.
Circuits
. Green dots represent circuits that are a part of the North American Endurance Cup. White dots represent former circuits.Champions
IMSA Championship
Drivers
Teams
Season | Prototype | Prototype Challenge | GT Le Mans | GT Daytona | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | #5 Action Express Racing | #54 CORE Autosport | SRT Motorsports
|
#94 Turner Motorsport | |
2015 | #5 Action Express Racing | #54 CORE Autosport | #911 Porsche North America | #63 Scuderia Corsa | |
2016 | #31 Action Express Racing | #8 Starworks Motorsport | #4 Corvette Racing | #63 Scuderia Corsa | |
2017 | #10 Wayne Taylor Racing | #38 Performance Tech Motorsports | #3 Corvette Racing | #63 Scuderia Corsa | |
Season | Prototype | — | GT Le Mans | GT Daytona | |
2018 | #31 Whelen Engineering Racing | #3 Corvette Racing | #48 Paul Miller Racing | ||
Season | Daytona Prototype International | Le Mans Prototype 2 | GT Le Mans | GT Daytona | |
2019 | #6 Acura Team Penske | #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | #912 Porsche GT Team | Curb-Agajanian
| |
2020 | #7 Acura Team Penske | #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | #3 Corvette Racing | Curb-Agajanian
| |
Season | Daytona Prototype International | Le Mans Prototype 2 | Le Mans Prototype 3 | GT Le Mans | GT Daytona |
2021 | #31 Whelen Engineering Racing | #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | #74 Riley Motorsports | #3 Corvette Racing | #9 Pfaff Motorsports |
Season | Daytona Prototype International | Le Mans Prototype 2 | Le Mans Prototype 3 | GT Daytona Pro | GT Daytona |
2022 | Curb-Agajanian
|
#8 Tower Motorsport | #54 CORE Autosport | #9 Pfaff Motorsports | #27 The Heart of Racing |
Season | Grand Touring Prototype | Le Mans Prototype 2 | Le Mans Prototype 3 | GT Daytona Pro | GT Daytona |
2023 | #31 Whelen Engineering Racing | #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | #74 Riley Motorsports | #14 Vasser Sullivan | #1 Paul Miller Racing |
Manufacturers
Season | Prototype | GT Le Mans | GT Daytona |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | Chevrolet | Porsche | Porsche |
2015 | Chevrolet | Porsche | Ferrari |
2016 | Chevrolet | Chevrolet | Audi |
2017 | Cadillac | Chevrolet | Ferrari |
2018 | Cadillac | Ford | Lamborghini |
Season | Daytona Prototype International | GT Le Mans | GT Daytona |
2019 | Acura | Porsche | Lamborghini |
2020 | Acura | Chevrolet | Acura |
2021 | Cadillac | Chevrolet | Porsche |
Season | Daytona Prototype International | GT Daytona Pro | GT Daytona |
2022 | Acura | Porsche | BMW |
Season | Grand Touring Prototype | GT Daytona Pro | GT Daytona |
2023 | Cadillac | Lexus | BMW |
Tires
Season | GT Le Mans |
---|---|
2014 | Michelin |
2015 | Michelin |
Michelin Endurance Cup (MEC)
Note: From 2014 to 2018 this championship was known as Patrón North American Endurance Cup
Drivers
Teams
Season | Prototype | Prototype Challenge | GT Le Mans | GT Daytona | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | #5 Action Express Racing | #54 CORE Autosport | #912 Porsche North America | #555 AIM Autosport | |
2015 | #5 Action Express Racing | #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | #3 Corvette Racing | #93 Riley Motorsports | |
2016 | #5 Action Express Racing | #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | #4 Corvette Racing | #44 Magnus Racing | |
2017 | #5 Mustang Sampling Racing | #38 Performance Tech Motorsports | #911 Porsche GT Team | #33 Riley Motorsports - Team AMG | |
Season | Prototype | — | GT Le Mans | GT Daytona | |
2018 | #31 Whelen Engineering Racing | #66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | #33 Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsports | ||
Season | Daytona Prototype International | Le Mans Prototype 2 | GT Le Mans | GT Daytona | |
2019 | #31 Whelen Engineering Racing | #38 Performance Tech Motorsports | #67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | #33 Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsports | |
2020 | #10 Konica Minolta Cadillac | #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | #24 BMW Team RLL | #48 Paul Miller Racing | |
Season | Daytona Prototype International | Le Mans Prototype 2 | Le Mans Prototype 3 | GT Le Mans | GT Daytona |
2021 | #10 Konica Minolta Acura | #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | #74 Riley Motorsports | #4 Corvette Racing | #16 Wright Motorsports |
Season | Daytona Prototype International | Le Mans Prototype 2 | Le Mans Prototype 3 | GT Daytona Pro | GT Daytona |
2022 | Curb-Agajanian
|
#52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | #74 Riley Motorsports | #62 Risi Competizione | #70 Inception Racing with Optimum Motorsport |
Season | Grand Touring Prototype | Le Mans Prototype 2 | Le Mans Prototype 3 | GT Daytona Pro | GT Daytona |
2023 | #31 Whelen Engineering Racing | #04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR | #74 Riley Motorsports | #79 WeatherTech Racing | #32 Korthoff Preston Motorsports |
Manufacturers
Season | Prototype | GT Le Mans | GT Daytona |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | Chevrolet | Porsche | Ferrari |
2015 | Chevrolet | Chevrolet | Porsche |
2016 | Honda | Chevrolet | Audi |
2017 | Cadillac | Ford | Mercedes-AMG |
2018 | Cadillac | Ford | Mercedes-AMG |
Season | Daytona Prototype International | GT Le Mans | GT Daytona |
2019 | Cadillac | Ford | Mercedes-AMG |
2020 | Cadillac | BMW | Lamborghini |
2021 | Acura | Chevrolet | Porsche |
Season | Daytona Prototype International | GT Daytona Pro | GT Daytona |
2022 | Acura | Porsche | McLaren |
Season | Grand Touring Prototype | GT Daytona Pro | GT Daytona |
2023 | Cadillac | Mercedes-AMG | Mercedes-AMG |
WeatherTech Sprint Cup (WTSC)
Note: Introduced in 2019 this Cup Trophy is only eligible for GTD Class (GT Daytona) Drivers, Teams & Manufacturers
Drivers
Season | GT Daytona |
---|---|
2019 | Zacharie Robichon |
2020 | Aaron Telitz Jack Hawksworth |
2021 | Roman De Angelis Ross Gunn |
2022 | Bryan Sellers Madison Snow |
2023 | Bryan Sellers Madison Snow |
Teams
Season | GT Daytona |
---|---|
2019 | #86 Meyer-Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian |
2020 | #14 AIM Vasser-Sullivan |
2021 | #23 Heart of Racing Team |
2022 | #1 Paul Miller Racing |
2023 | #1 Paul Miller Racing |
Manufacturers
Season | GT Daytona |
---|---|
2019 | Porsche |
2020 | Lexus |
2021 | Lamborghini |
2022 | BMW |
2023 | BMW |
See also
References
- ^ "United SportsCar Racing To Debut In 2014". American Le Mans Series. Archived from the original on 18 March 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ "Tudor Named Title Sponsor". Sportscar 365. John Dagys Media, LLC. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
- ^ DiZinno, Tony (8 August 2015). "WeatherTech Named New Title Sponsor of IMSA SportsCar". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media, LLC. Archived from the original on 11 October 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ^ "SME Branding Selected To Develop Identity for GRAND-AM, ALMS Merger". Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ "ALMS: Continental Named New Spec PC Tire". ALMS Communications. 1 March 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ "GRAND-AM, ALMS Announce 2014 Class Structure". American Le Mans Series. Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ "LOUIS SATTERLEE - 2012 FLORIDA KARTING CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES REVIEW". Karting News Worldwide. 7 July 2012. Archived from the original on 18 February 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ^ "FOX to air United SportsCar Racing". Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. 9 August 2013. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- IMSA. 8 August 2015. Archivedfrom the original on 11 May 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (30 April 2018). "IMSA moving to NBC Sports in 2019". Racer. Racer Media and Marketing, Inc. Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
- ^ "IMSA Moves to NBC Sports in New Six-Year TV Deal – Sportscar365". Archived from the original on 16 October 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2018.