Practice Day for Motul Petit Le Mans Features Close Competition throughout Field
If the results of practice are any indication – and they typically are – the competition throughout all four classes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be nail-biting and tight in Saturday’s Motul Petit Le Mans.
Three practices were held Thursday, including an important 90-minute night session in preparation for the 10-hour season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The close competition was exemplified by the fact that in only one class did the same car pace its category in all three practices. The top-tier Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class was so tight, in fact, that the top two laps of the day were separated by a scant .002 seconds.
In DPi, the championship-leading No. 6 Acura Team Penske with driver Dane Cameron was fastest in the opening practice with a lap of one minute, 9.095 seconds (132.339 mph) around the 2.54-mile, 12-turn permanent road course outside Atlanta. That was bettered by an eyelash in the second practice, when the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi and driver Felipe Nasr was clocked at 1:09.093 (132.343 mph).
Nasr and teammate Pipo Derani trail Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya by 12 points in the DPi driver standings. Likewise, the No. 6 leads the No. 31 by 12 points in the team chase. Reigning Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud is the third driver this weekend in the Team Penske entry, with Eric Curran joining Nasr and Derani in the No. 31, the defending DPi champion that was also fastest in the night practice at 1:09.455.
In GT Le Mans (GTLM), the No. 66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT driven by Dirk Mueller turned the top lap in class, 1:16.552, in the night practice. The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE was second overall and fastest in the second practice, at 1:16.708 (119.204 mph) with Daniel Serra at the wheel.
In GT Daytona (GTD), the No. 33 Riley Motorsports – Team AMG Mercedes-AMG GT3 ran best for the day, but not by much. Felipe Fraga’s lap of 1:19.275 (115.345 mph) in the second session was a hair better than the 1:19.306 (115.299 mph) circuit run by Bill Auberlen in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 in the morning practice.
The Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class was the only one that saw a consistent leader across all three practices. The No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 topped each session, its best lap of 1:11.025 (128.743 mph) logged with Gabriel Aubry behind the wheel in the second practice.
A fourth WeatherTech Championship practice starts at 11:15 a.m. ET Friday. Qualifying to determine the starting grid streams on IMSA.tv beginning at 3:45 p.m. ET Friday. NBCSN will televise qualifying at 5:30 p.m. ET Friday.
The 22nd annual Motul Petit Le Mans will have flag-to-flag coverage across the NBC Sports properties on Saturday. Race coverage begins at noon ET on NBC. At 3 p.m. ET, coverage switches to the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. NBCSN picks up the telecast at 5:30 p.m. ET through the race conclusion shortly after 10 p.m.
As always, IMSA Radio will have live coverage throughout the race week on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com, with a live race broadcast airing on SiriusXM Radio.
Chevrolet Shows off Corvette C8.R That Will Compete in WeatherTech Championship in 2020
The next generation of Corvette that will compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship made its first official appearance Thursday at Michelin Raceway, when the mid-engine C8.R was unveiled. Following in the tire tracks of the front-engine Corvette C7.R that completes its WeatherTech Championship run in Saturday’s Motul Petit Le Mans, the C8.R will debut in GT Le Mans (GTLM) competition at the onset of the 2020 season.
“We have looked forward to racing a production-based mid-engine Corvette for a long time,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president of Performance and Motorsports. “The debut of the C8.R is the result of immense collaboration between GM Engineering, Propulsion, Design and the Corvette Racing team. As Corvette Racing enters its third decade of competition, we’re excited to begin the next chapter.”
The C8.R will be Chevrolet’s first mid-engine car to compete in GTLM and Corvette’s first “clean sheet” race car design since Corvette Racing joined IMSA with the C5.R in 1999. Based on the foundation of the production 2020 Corvette Stingray, the extensive level of technology transfer between the production and race Corvettes contributes to many of its advancements and the highest percentage of shared parts between the two.
The C8.R will feature a 5.5-liter, naturally aspirated V-8 engine in compliance with IMSA engine displacement rules, producing 500 horsepower. A new compact Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox was developed to provide room at the rear of the C8.R for a race-car specific diffuser. The C8.R chassis structure is significantly stiffer and lighter than its predecessor.
“It was important for us to develop the new race car alongside the production car, so that each product could properly take advantage of the new architecture,” said Ed Piatek, Corvette chief engineer. “The benefits of this mid-engine supercar, including its incredible balance and connected-to-the-road feel, will be obvious on the street and the track.”
While yellow continues to be a mainstay color of Corvette Racing. The liveries of the two GTLM entries will take on a bold new look. The No. 4 Corvette will feature a silver livery with yellow accents inspired by the color of iconic Corvette concepts such as the 1973 Chevrolet Aerovette and 1959 Corvette Stingray Racer that pushed the envelope both in design and on-track performance. The No. 3 Corvette will sport a yellow color scheme with silver accents to continue the lineage of successful GTLM racing entries.
Fans attending Motul Petit Le Mans will get a closer look at the new C8.R when it takes a ceremonial lap around the track before Saturday’s race.
Porsche GTLM Drivers Unveil Coca-Cola Firesuits to Match Throwback Car Liveries
The four Porsche GT Team drivers battling for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Le Mans (GTLM) driver and team championships this weekend at Michelin Raceway now match the throwback liveries of their cars.
Earl Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor (No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR) and Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy (No. 911) showed off their red-and-white Coca-Cola firesuits, complete with the trademark Coke “wave,” that they’re wearing to drive their matching cars this weekend. Bamber and Vanthoor hold a 12-point lead over Pilet and Tandy heading into the race, where one of the Porsche teams is virtually guaranteed to take home the titles.
Like so many IMSA fans, the drivers admitted Thursday they’re just as excited to see the classic scheme made famous by the Bob Akin Porsches of the 1980s.
“It’s amazing even for us. I’m acting like a fan of Porsche,” Vanthoor said. “Wearing this suit and seeing all the pictures and special things being made, I’m like a little fan boy. I put everything on the wall, pictures of suits and the helmet. It’s all great memories which we have and we are lucky enough to experience.”
Tandy said the drivers are humbled to be part of the Coke and Porsche legacies in sports car racing.
“You look back at these liveries, they’re special,” Tandy said. “They were iconic in their time. … It becomes a legacy as such and now this is the next part. We’re part of that legacy. It’s super special for all of us.
“Me and Patrick drink probably far too much Coke, so it’s super special to have them onboard with us for this weekend,” added Tandy.
The firesuit unveiling at the media center in the new Michelin Tower became even more special when Porsche donated one of the special suits to the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer, one of IMSA’s proud charities.
“It just means a lot for you to do this,” said Austin Hatcher Foundation President, Amy Jo Osborn. “This is a very special track for us. Thirteen years ago we brought Austin to this race and he passed away about 15 days later. For you to do this and be a part of this is really special to us.”
Photo Credit: Porsche
Rabindra Earns Motul Pole Award Ahead of Fourth IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Start; Casey Jr. Makes Strong Return with TCR Pole
A pair of IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge newcomers swept the front row during qualifying for Friday’s season-ending FOX Factory 120 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Ahead of only his fourth series start, Akhil Rabindra posted the fastest Grand Sport (GS) time Thursday to earn the Motul Pole Award in the No. 09 Automatic Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4. The Bangalore, India, native made his debut at Road America in August as part of his campaign in the Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy seeking AMR Junior Status in 2020.
“We had some few challenging races, so I think this pole has been long pending,” said Rabindra, who will co-drive with IMSA veteran Tom Long. “I have a supportive team behind me giving me the right coaching and everything. The car is great. A wonderful track, I think one of my favorites. I think it’s really tricky over here with all the elevations and blind corners, but I think we got the most out of it.
“Tom has been extremely helpful right from VIR. He knows all the circuits really well, he’s driven so many different cars. I think he can drive this track blindfolded. Having him as my teammate is great and I look forward to finishing the job tomorrow.”
Rabindra’s time of one minute, 25.715 seconds (106.678 mph) was just .115 seconds ahead of Seb Priaulx, making his North American racing debut this weekend. Priaulx, son of decorated sports car racer Andy Priaulx, will compete in the No. 15 Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4 alongside NASCAR Xfinity driver Austin Cindric.
Following a two-race hiatus, Britt Casey Jr. returned to the grid with a strong Motul Pole Award-winning time of 1:27.826 (104.114 mph) in the TCR class. Casey has been in the lineup for a partial season with the No. 17 JDC-Miller Motorsports Audi RS3 LMS on the heels of his class championship-winning season last year.
“It definitely makes me itch a little more that we’re not full season this year,” said Casey Jr., who will co-drive with Mikey Taylor. “It’s just one of those things, but I love this track and this car makes a lot of sense here. We’ve got it really hooked up. JDC and Audi, they did an awesome job this weekend. That was a 100 percent lap by me, purple all three sectors and I don’t think I had much left after that. It feels good, I love this track. I’m pumped for tomorrow.”
Casey Jr. and Taylor last co-drove together this year at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in July, when Taylor qualified on pole and the two went on to victory. Current TCR point leaders Michael Lewis and Mark Wilkins in the No. 98 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Veloster N TCR will start on the outside of the front row.
The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season-ending race, the FOX Factory 120, goes green at 1:25 p.m. ET Friday. The race can be streamed live on IMSA.tv with IMSA Radio commentary, with live updates on social media using the hashtag #IMPC.
Fans also can vote for the final time this season for the Forgeline Spirit of the Race driver, tweeting at IMSA Radio with the hashtag #ForgelineSOTR.
The NBCSN broadcast of the FOX Factory 120 will air on Friday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. ET.
McAleer Takes Pole Position in Prototype Challenge Qualifying
Stevan McAleer put himself into prime position to move up in the final IMSA Prototype Challenge standings by claiming the pole position Thursday in qualifying for Friday’s one-hour, 45-minute race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
McAleer logged a best lap of one minute, 16.822 seconds (119.028 mph) in the No. 43 Robillard Racing Norma M30 to best the 19 other competitors who turned laps. McAleer enters Friday’s race third in the standings, two points behind No. 4 Ansa Motorsports Ligier JS P3 drivers Leo Lamelas and Neil Alberico. Lamelas qualified the No. 4 seventh on Thursday.
Mike Skeen qualified second in the No. 23 Gilbert/Korthoff MotorSports Norma (1:17.079), with Mike Bell third in the No. 64 K2R Motorsports Ligier (1:17.441).
Rodrigo Pflucker qualified the championship-leading No. 47 Forty 7 Motorsports Norma in fourth (1:17.551). Pflucker and co-driver Austin McCusker will clinch the Prototype Challenge driver and team titles by starting the race, which streams live at 7:50 a.m. ET Friday on IMSA.tv with IMSA Radio commentary. The NBCSN telecast of the race airs at 1 p.m. ET Friday, Oct. 18.