Four Classes and 34 Cars Are Entered to Race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Lexington, Ohio
May 13-15, 2022
Entry List (Click here)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Lexus Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio is the fifth event on the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship calendar. Four classes of sports cars – all three prototypes and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) – will take on the challenge of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course from May 13-15.
Along with the pre-event entry list published today, here’s what else you need to know about the race weekend.
Fast Facts
Race Day/Time: Sunday, May 15 – 2:10 p.m. ET
USA Network Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 2 p.m. (also available on Peacock in the U.S. and IMSA.com/TVLive outside the U.S.)
IMSA.com/TVLive Live Qualifying Stream: Saturday, May 14 – 1:10 p.m.
IMSA Radio: All weekend sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins May 15 at 1:30 p.m. (XM 207, SiriusXM Web/App 992)
Circuit Type: 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course
Competing Classes: Daytona Prototype international (DPi), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3), Grand Touring Daytona (GTD)
Race Length: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Track Social Media:
- Twitter: @Mid_Ohio
- Instagram: @officialmidohio
- Facebook: @MidOhioSportsCarCourse
Event Hashtags: #IMSA, #IMSAatMO, #LexusGP
WeatherTech Championship Track Records
Qualifying:
DPi: Harry Tincknell, Mazda DPi, 1:10.027 / 116.080 mph, May 2021
LMP2: Kyle Masson, ORECA LMP2, 1:14.877 / 108.561 mph, May 2019
LMP3: Gar Robinson, Ligier JS P320, 1:17.246 / 105.232 mph, May 2021
GTD: Jack Hawksworth, Lexus RC F GT3, 1:19.317 / 102.484 mph, May 2018
2021 Lexus Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio Winners:
DPi: Filipe Albuquerque/Ricky Taylor, No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 DPi
LMP2: Class last raced at Mid-Ohio in 2019, won by Matt McMurry/Eric Lux, No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2
LMP3: Felipe Fraga/Gar Robinson, No. 74 Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320
GTD: Bill Auberlen/Robby Foley, No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3
Storylines
- Four Classes in Action: Four of the five WeatherTech Championship classes will compete at Mid-Ohio, led by the top-tier Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class. Also joining the action will be Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3), the ultra-competitive GT Daytona (GTD) class and Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) making its return to Mid-Ohio for the first time since 2019. In all, 26 cars are entered.
- Lexus Doubles up in GTD: Lexus takes on the title sponsorship role at Mid-Ohio this year and is maximizing its presence on the racetrack. The manufacturer has entered one car each in the GTD and new GTD PRO classes this season, but since GTD PRO is not part of the Mid-Ohio program, Lexus has shifted both its Vasser Sullivan entries to GTD for this race. The drivers of the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 that normally competes in GTD PRO have found past success at Mid-Ohio. Jack Hawksworth and Richard Heistand teamed to win in GTD in 2019. Hawksworth followed that a year later with a GTD victory alongside Aaron Telitz, who shares the No. 12 Lexus with Frankie Montecalvo this season.
- Lewis Joins NTE/SSR Lamborghini Squad: Jaden Conwright, driving in the No. 42 NTE/SSR Lamborghini Huracán GT3 this season — and the first IMSA Diverse Driver Development scholarship recipient — is paired with an experienced Lamborghini driver at Mid-Ohio. Corey Lewis has raced in a Lamborghini in all but one of his previous 44 WeatherTech Championship starts, including wins in the 2018 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts and the 2020 Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Who’s Hot?
- Parity Rules: Through the first four events of the 2022 season, of the four classes competing at Mid-Ohio, only one team – the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R in GTD – has won its class more than once. The points battles in each of the four classes racing at Mid-Ohio bear that out. No leader in DPi, LMP2, LMP3 or GTD has an advantage of more than 31 points – essentially the difference between a first- and second-place race finish. In fact, the DPi standings see a tie at the top between the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 and the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura.
Who’s Good Here?
- Acura and Ricky Taylor: Since IMSA returned to Mid-Ohio in 2018 after a five-year hiatus, Acura has owned the track in the top prototype class, winning four in a row. Ricky Taylor has been half of the winning driver duo in three of those Acura triumphs with Team Penske in 2018 and ’20, and with Wayne Taylor Racing last year.
- Porsche … but Not for a While: The German manufacturer has amassed 24 class wins at Mid-Ohio, dating to the first IMSA event on the circuit in 2000, but hasn’t found victory lane since 2018. Porsche looks to end that dry spell with a pair of GTD cars on the pre-event entry list, including the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R that leads the class standings and has already won twice this season.
Previous Lexus Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio Winners in 2022 Field (15)
Bill Auberlen (5): GT – 2004, 2010, 2012, 2013; GTD – 2021
Ricky Taylor (3): P – 2018; DPi – 2020, 2021
Earl Bamber (2): GTLM – 2018, 2019
Jack Hawksworth (2): GTD – 2019, 2020
Filipe Albuquerque (1): DPi – 2021
Joao Barbosa (1): DP – 2013
Ryan Dalziel (1): DP – 2011
Robby Foley (1): GTD – 2021
Felipe Fraga (1): LMP3 – 2021
Richard Heistand (1): GTD – 2019
Juan Pablo Montoya (1): DPi – 2019
Gar Robinson (1): LMP3 – 2021
Bryan Sellers (1): GT – 2011
Aaron Telitz (1): GTD – 2020
Richard Westbrook (1): DP – 2012
Previous Lexus Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio Pole Winners in 2022 Field (7)
Aaron Telitz (2): GTD – 2020, 2021
Bill Auberlen (1): GT – 2004
Sebastien Bourdais (1): GTLM – 2019
Jack Hawksworth (1): GTD – 2018
Richard Heistand (1): GTD – 2019
Oliver Jarvis (1): DPi – 2019
Gar Robinson (1): LMP3 – 2021
Previous Lexus Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio Winning Teams in 2022 Field (7)
Turner Motorsport (4): GT – 2010, 2012, 2013; GTD – 2021
Chip Ganassi Racing (3): DP – 2004, 2009, 2010
PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports (2): PC – 2012; LMP2 – 2019
Vasser Sullivan (2): GTD – 2019, 2020
Action Express Racing (1): DP – 2013
Riley Motorsports (1): LMP3 – 2021
Wayne Taylor Racing (1): DPi – 2021
Previous Lexus Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio Winning Manufacturers in 2022 Field (5)
Porsche – 24
BMW – 9
Acura – 6
Lexus – 6
Aston Martin – 1