Race Weekend Central

TRG Returns to IMSA Full-Time in 2017

2017 Iwsc The Racers Group Car Credit The Racers Group

(Credit: The Racers Group)

Thursday evening, The Racer’s Group (TRG) announced its full-fledged return to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starting with the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona. In addition, TRG is returning to Porsche after running Aston Martins since 2013 in Grand-Am.  The team has acquired a Porsche 911 GT3 R and will campaign the new car in the …

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Mazda Unveils First DPi Prototype at LA Auto Show

2016 La Auto Show Iwsc Jonathan Bomarito Car Mazda Motorsports

(Photo: Mazda Motorsports)

On Wednesday afternoon, Mazda Motorsports took to the floor of the Los Angeles Auto Show to announce their new entry in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.  Up to this point, only Prototype teams running regular LMP2 chassis with the spec Gibson engine had been unveiled (one of those, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports’ Ligier JS P217-Gibson, made its …

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VisitFlorida.com Racing Announces 2017 Driver Lineup

2016 Road Atlanta Iwsc Marc Goossens Car Credit Phil Allaway

(Credit: Phil Allaway)

Last week, VisitFlorida.com Racing announced their intentions to field the new Riley Mk. XXX chassis with the Gibson V8 engine in next year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (last year’s Chevrolet Corvette DP is pictured above).  That cleared up just one aspect of the team’s direction.  Monday shored up part of the driving lineup. VisitFlorida.com Racing …

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WeatherTech Racing Switches to Mercedes for 2017

2016 Daytona Iwsc Gunnar Jeannette Car Credit Weathertech Racing Photo

(Credit: WeatherTech Racing photo)

On Wednesday morning, WeatherTech Racing made two announcements for the upcoming 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.  First off, the team itself has moved away from Alex Job Racing.  It will now compete as the second team affiliated with Riley Motorsports, using the No. 50.  Cooper MacNeil, son of WeatherTech CEO David MacNeil, will drive with …

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Acura Announces 2017 NSX GT3 Driver Lineup

2016 Sema Andy Lally Katherine Legge Ozz Negri Jeff Segal Credit Acura

(Credit: Acura)

On Tuesday, Acura unveiled their full-time driver lineup for the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Pirelli World Challenge factory efforts at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.  The lineup consists of solid, veteran talent.  Note that the car pictured above is the Acura TLX-GT, raced in Pirelli World Challenge by RealTime Racing.  It will be …

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Park Place Motorsports Loses 2nd in GTD Due to Drive-Time Violation

2016 Lime Rock Iwsc Jörg Bergmeister Car Credit Phil Allaway

(Credit: Phil Allaway)

On Monday, IMSA held the WeatherTech Night of Champions at the Georgia Aquarium, where the champions were crowned.  However, before trophies could be award, champions feted and even before Vanessa Carlton could perform, IMSA released revised results for Saturday’s Petit Le Mans presented by Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.  Normally, this is just a formality, but …

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Michael Shank Racing Dominates to Win Petit Le Mans

2016 Road Atlanta Iwsc Olivier Pla Car Credit Phil Allaway

(Credit: Phil Allaway)

All week, Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian‘s No. 60 had been the class of the field.  Olivier Pla topped three of the four practice sessions.  Teammate Oswaldo Negri, Jr. topped the other one.  Pla put the car on pole a half-second clear of the field. Once the green fell, Pla ran away from the field, …

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Olivier Pla Puts Michael Shank Racing on Petit Le Mans Pole

2016 Road Atlanta Iwsc Oswaldo Negri Jr Car Credit Phil Allaway

(Credit: Phil Allaway)

All weekend long, Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian‘s Ligier JS P2-HPD has been the class of the field.  The No. 60 had been on the top of the timesheets for all four practice sessions.  Qualifying changed absolutely nothing. Prototype: Ricky Taylor set the early pace while trying to get the tires up to temperature, but …

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IMSA Points Breakdown

This week, ten IMSA championships will be decided at Road Atlanta.  We’re going to break down what the scenarios are.  Some are easier said than done.  Of note, IMSA drivers can earn a maximum of 36 points in a race for a victory.  Second is worth 33 points, then 31 for third.  Fourth gets 29, …

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Michael Shank Racing Completes Practice Sweep at Road Atlanta

2016 Road Atlanta Iwsc Oswaldo Negri Jr Car Credit Phil Allaway

(Credit: Phil Allaway)

Once the sun set at Road Atlanta on Thursday evening, it was time for the lights to come on and for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship teams to press their luck on the 2.54-mile road course in the dark.  Ok, it wasn’t completely dark as some of the corners have floodlights, but it was still pretty …

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Michael Shank Racing Takes First 2 Road Atlanta IWSC Sessions

2016 Road Atlanta Iwsc Oswaldo Negri Jr Car Credit Phil Allaway

(Credit: Phil Allaway)

At Road Atlanta, there are three practice sessions for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship scheduled for Thursday.  The third of those sessions is a night practice scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.  The first two are during the day.  One team managed to top the charts in both daytime sessions. That team was Michael Shank …

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Entry List: 2016 Petit Le Mans presented by Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort

Recently, IMSA released the official entry list for Saturday’s 19th Annual Petit Le Mans presented by Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Note: This resort/presenting sponsor is located in Cherokee, N.C., approximately 119 miles away from the track).  Officially, 41 cars are listed.  However, 37 will show up. With Saturday’s race being ten hours in length, the …

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