GT Classes Headline the Show at Historic Lime Rock Park in Connecticut
By Mark Robinson
Entry List (Click Here)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship continues a busy summer stretch with its third event in a four-week span, the FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix on July 15-16. The condensed weekend features the two Grand Touring (GT) classes in action at historic Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut.
Fifteen cars are on the pre-event entry list – six in GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and nine in GT Daytona (GTD). Drivers, teams and manufacturers in both classes will be competing for points that count toward the season championship. GTD entries will also earn points for the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
Here’s what you need to know in advance of race week:
Fast Facts
Lime Rock Park – Lakeville, Connecticut
July 15-16, 2022
Race Day/Time: Saturday, July 16 – 3:10 p.m. ET
Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 3:10 p.m. (available on IMSA.com/TVLive outside the U.S.)
USA Network Coverage: 5 p.m. ET
IMSA.com/TVLive Live Qualifying Stream: Friday, July 15 – 5:35 p.m.
IMSA Radio: Select sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins Saturday, July 16 at 3 p.m. (XM 207, SiriusXM Web/App 992)
Circuit Type: 1.474-mile, seven-turn road course
Classes Competing: Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), Grand Touring Daytona (GTD)
Race Length: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Track Social Media:
- Twitter: @limerockpark
- Instagram: @limerockpark
- Facebook: @limerockpark
Event Hashtags: #IMSA, #NorthEastGP
WeatherTech Championship Track Records
Qualifying:
GTD PRO: new class in 2022
GTD: Trent Hindman, Acura NSX GT3, 51.456 seconds / 103.124 mph, July 2019
2021 FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix Winners
GTD PRO: new class in 2022
GTD: Roman De Angelis/Ross Gunn, No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3
Storylines
- GT Classes in Spotlight: This is the first of two IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship weekends featuring the popular and exciting GT classes. The other comes next month at VIRginia International Raceway. The GT cars typically put on an exciting display at Lime Rock, the shortest track on the schedule.
- Nitty Gritty Time for Championships: Four races remain for the GTD PRO and GTD classes this season. The No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, which won the GTD crown last season, holds a strong 138-point lead in GTD PRO over the No. 3 Corvette Racing Corvette C8.R GTD. The GTD race is nail-biting tight, with Stevan McAleer and the No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 just five points ahead of Jan Heylen, Ryan Hardwick and the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R.
- Sprint Cup Battle Continues: The championship within the championship, the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup continues for the GTD class at Lime Rock. Sprint Cup points are awarded at the eight races running two hours, 40 minutes or shorter. Heading into Lime Rock, Madison Snow, Bryan Sellers and the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 lead the Sprint Cup battle by 118 points over Bill Auberlen, Robby Foley and the similar No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW.
Who’s Hot?
- Pfaff Motorsports: The No. 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R has two GTD PRO wins sandwiched around a third-place finish in the past three races. It has propelled drivers Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell into a 138-point lead in the class standings.
- Heart of Racing Team: The team has a car entered in both the GTD PRO and GTD classes, and they are on a roll. The No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage GT3, with drivers Ross Gunn and Alex Riberas, has won two of the last four GTD PRO races and finished third Sunday at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The No. 27 Aston Martin piloted by Roman De Angelis and Maxime Martin has won the last two GTD races and preceded that with a second-place finish. And when they were paired last year at Lime Rock, Gunn and De Angelis won the GTD race to clinch the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
Who’s Good Here?
- John Edwards: The Kentucky native has three wins at Lime Rock, the most of any driver entered this weekend. He’ll go for a fourth in the No. 25 BMW M Team RLL BMW M4 GT3.
- Porsche: As is the case at many tracks, Porsche has the most class wins (20) of any manufacturer entered this year. With one car in GTD PRO and one in GTD, the famous German marque is chasing a couple more in 2022.
Previous FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix Winners in 2022 Field (9)
- John Edwards (3): GT – 2010, 2012, 2013
- Jordan Taylor (2): DP – 2013; GTLM – 2021
- Bill Auberlen (1): GTU – 2000
- Roman De Angelis (1): GTD – 2021
- Antonio Garcia (1): GTLM – 2021
- Ross Gunn (1): GTD – 2021
- Cooper MacNeil (1): GTC – 2012
- Bryan Sellers (1): GTD – 2018
- Madison Snow (1): GTD – 2018
Previous FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix Pole Winners in 2022 Field (6)
- John Edwards (2): GT – 2012, 2013
- Jordan Taylor (2): GT – 2010; GTLM – 2021
- Bill Auberlen (1): GT – 2012
- Roman De Angelis (1): GTD – 2021
- Antonio Garcia (1): GTLM – 2018
- Madison Snow (1): GTD – 2017
Previous FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix Winning Teams in 2022 Field (6)
- Corvette Racing (6): GTS – 2004; GT1 – 2005, 2007 2008; GTLM – 2016, 2021
- BMW M Team RLL (2): GT – 2011, 2013
- Heart of Racing Team (1): GTD – 2021
- Paul Miller Racing (1): GTD – 2018
- Pfaff Motorsports (1): GTD – 2019
- Turner Motorsport (1): GTD – 2015
Previous Northeast Grand Prix Winning Manufacturers in 2021 Field (6)
- Porsche – 20
- Chevrolet – 13
- BMW – 5
- Acura – 2
- Aston Martin – 2
- Lamborghini – 1