The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Season Enters the Stretch Run
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship kicks off a run of four races in 10 weeks to conclude the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.
Here’s what you need to know about the race at iconic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Fast Facts
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca – Monterey, Calif.
September 12, 2021
Race Day/Time: Sunday, September 12 – 4:10 p.m. ET
NBSCN Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 4 p.m.
IMSA.com/TVLive Live Qualifying Stream: Saturday, September 11 – 4 p.m. ET
IMSA Radio: All sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins Sunday at 4 p.m. (XM 202, Internet 992)
Circuit Type: 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course
Race Length: Two hours, 40 minutes
Track Social Media: Twitter: @WeatherTechRcwy | Instagram & Facebook: @WeatherTechRaceway
Event Hashtags: #IMSA, #IMSAMonterey
Entry List (Click Here)
WeatherTech Championship Track Records
Qualifying:
DPi: Ricky Taylor, Acura DPi, 1:15.035 / 107.373 mph, September 2019
LMP2: Kyle Masson, ORECA LMP2, 1:16.817 / 104.882 mph, September 2019
GTLM: Jordan Taylor, Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, 1:21.483 / 98.876 mph, November 2020
GTD: Katherine Legge, Acura NSX GT3, 1:24.456 / 95.396 mph, September 2018
2020 Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Winners:
DPi: Helio Castroneves/Ricky Taylor, No. 7 Acura Team Penske Acura DPi
LMP2: Patrick Kelly/Simon Trummer, No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07
GTLM: Earl Bamber/Laurens Vanthoor, No. 912 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR-19
GTD: Mario Farnbacher/Matt McMurry, No. 86 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura NSX GT3
Storylines
- WeatherTech Raceway an IMSA Mainstay: IMSA races have taken place at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca each year since 1999. Whereas the last four years, the track has hosted the penultimate race on the schedule, this year there will be three events to follow to conclude the season.
- Points Battles Rage on: Four classes will race this weekend at WeatherTech Raceway – Daytona Prototype international (DPi), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona (GTD) – with some enticing battles for the 2021 championship. In DPi, No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura drivers Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor lead the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac duo of Felipe Nasr and Pipo Derani by 41 points – less than the difference between a first- and third-place race finish. In LMP2, Ben Keating and Mikkel Jensen (No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07) are 58 points up on Steven Thomas and Tristan Nunez (No. 11 WIN Autosport ORECA). And in GTD, Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley (No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 are a mere 18 points ahead of Roman De Angelis and Ross Gunn (No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3).
- New Points Format for 2021: The WeatherTech Championship points structure has changed this season, with each race finishing position earning 10 times the points it received a year ago. Where a class winner took home 35 points in 2020, the reward is now 350 points. Second place in a race now earns 320 points, third place nets 300 and downward from there. In addition, points are now distributed in qualifying, with 35 going to the pole winners in DPi, LMP2 and GTLM, as well as to the fastest car in the second GTD qualifying session (see below). Points descend from second downward through the qualifying results.
- GTD Qualifying Format: The GT Daytona class conducts two qualifying sessions. The first is for the Motul Pole Award and starting grid position, requiring a Silver- or Bronze-rated driver in each car. Following a mandatory driver change, another 15-minute session will take place to decide qualifying points for the class. All other classes in action will have a single 15-minute qualifying session that determines both grid position and points.
Who’s Hot?
- 31 Whelen Cadillac: On the strength of back-to-back wins at Watkins Glen International and Road America, Nasr and Derani have thrust themselves squarely into the DPi championship conversation. And while they’re looking ahead to track down Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor, they best check their mirrors as well since No. 55 Mazda Motorsports Mazda drivers Harry Tincknell and Oliver Jarvis are just two points out of second in the DPi standings.
- 3 Corvette: With four wins this season, Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor in the No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R have opened a sizable 214-point lead over their No. 4 Corvette teammates Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy in GTLM. But the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19 is only nine points out of second place following a win at Road America and co-drivers Cooper MacNeil and Matt Campbell are itching to make it two in a row.
Who’s Good Here?
- Patrick Long: The veteran shoe has the most WeatherTech Raceway wins (five) of any driver in this year’s field, but the talented Californian last claimed victory at the track in 2011.
- Acura: The manufacturer has been strong at WeatherTech Raceway in two classes, winning the past two years in DPi and in 2018 and ’20 in GTD. Ricky Taylor was in the winning Acura DPi last year, while Mario Farnbacher helped Acura win a year ago in GTD. Both drivers are still wheeling Acuras, but for different teams this year; Taylor back with his father’s Wayne Taylor Racing and Farnbacher with Compass Racing.
Previous Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Winners in 2021 Field (18)
Patrick Long (5): GT2 – 2005, 2009; DP – 2007; GT – 2010, 2011
Dane Cameron (3): GT – 2012; GTD – 2014; DPi – 2019
Antonio Garcia (3): DP – 2012; GT – 2013; GTLM – 2014
Mario Farnbacher (2): GTD – 2016, 2020
Andy Lally (2): GT – 2007, 2013
Tommy Milner (2): GT – 2005, 2012
Renger van der Zande (2): PC – 2014; P – 2017
Bill Auberlen (1): GT – 2005
Ryan Dalziel (1): DP – 2008
Pipo Derani (1): P – 2018
Katherine Legge (1): GTD – 2018
John Potter (1): GT – 2013
Alex Riberas (1): GTD – 2016
Bryan Sellers (1): GTD – 2019
Nick Tandy (1): GTC – 2013
Jordan Taylor (1): DP – 2013
Ricky Taylor (1): DPi – 2020
Laurens Vanthoor (1): GTLM – 2020
Previous Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Winning Pole Winners in 2021 Field (9)
Jordan Taylor (3): P – 2015, 2018; GTLM – 2020
Ricky Taylor (3): DP – 2011; P – 2017; DPi – 2019
Tristan Nunez (2): GX – 2013; P – 2016
Antonio Garcia (1): GTLM – 2014
Ian James (1): P2 – 2004
Katherine Legge (1): GTD – 2018
Patrick Long (1): DP – 2006
Alex Riberas (1): GTD – 2016
Madison Snow (1): GTD – 2017
Previous Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Winning Teams in 2021 Field (9)
Corvette Racing (7): GTS – 2004; GT1 – 2005, 2007, 2008; GT – 2012, 2013; GTLM – 2014
PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports (4): LMPC – 2013, 2016; LMP2 – 2019, 2020
Chip Ganassi Racing (3): DP – 2005; GTLM – 2016, 2019
Meyer Shank Racing (3): P – 2016; GTD – 2018, 2020
Wayne Taylor Racing (2): DP – 2006, 2013
CORE autosport (1) – LMPC – 2012
Magnus (1): GT – 2013
Paul Miller Racing (1): GTD – 2019
Turner Motorsport (1): GTD – 2014
Previous Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Winning Manufacturers in 2021 Field (9)
Porsche – 19
Chevrolet – 11
BMW – 9
Audi – 8
Acura – 7
Mazda – 3
Aston Martin – 2
Lamborghini – 1
Lexus – 1