Levitt Seb 03 23 073927 2023 03 28

LMP2, LMP3 Classes Shaping up for Wild, Wide-Open Season

The First Two Races Have Seen Different Winners in Both Classes along with Numerous Other Contenders

 

By Jeff Olson

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – If the first two races of 2023 have taught us anything about the Le Mans Prototype 2 and 3 classes (LMP2 and LMP3) of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, it’s this:

 

We have no idea how it will end.

 

So far, four teams have claimed victories in the two classes. The race for the early championship lead is separated by just 25 joints in LMP2 and 36 points in LMP3. Multiple teams have been in contention for race wins already, and the margin of victory has been extremely close in three of the four results.

 

In short, this is going to be a highly competitive season.

 

Proton Competition and Tower Motorsports won the LMP2 battles in the first two races of the season – the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 29 and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 18.

 

Scott McLaughlin, Kyffin Simpson and John Farano combined to win at Sebring in the No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07 by just 0.834 seconds. That after James Allen, Gianmaria Bruni, Francesco Pizzi and Fred Poordad won at Daytona by a micro-tight 0.016 seconds in the No. 55 Proton Competition ORECA, which didn’t compete at Sebring.

 

The No. 8 Tower Motorsports entry leads the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA co-driven by Scott Huffaker, Mikkel Jensen and Steven Thomas by 25 points in the LMP2 standings after Sebring, the first race that counted toward the championship standings for both LMP2 and LMP3.

 

Throughout the first two races in 2023, the competition has been close and balanced. In LMP2, for example:

 

  • At the Rolex 24, the No. 04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR ORECA led 170 laps only to lose in a wild chase to the finish to the No. 55.
  • The No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA led a race-high 264 laps at Daytona.
  • Both TDS Racing cars, the No. 11 and No. 35 ORECAs, were racy in the first two events, with the No. 35 leading 165 laps at Daytona and the No. 11 pacing the class for 84 laps at Sebring.

 

Intensity Runs through LMP3 Field as Well

 

Gar Robinson, Josh Burdon and Felipe Fraga teamed to win the LMP3 battle at Sebring in the No. 74 Riley Ligier JS P320. The No. 13 AWA Duqueine D08 shared by Matt Bell, Orey Fidani and Lars Kern finished second.

 

The heat and intensity of Sebring are indicative of what can be expected from the remainder of the season for both classes.

 

“This is the most brutal race in the world,” Robinson said after the race. “Being from Texas I think I’m used to the heat, but Florida heat is a totally different game.”

 

As in LMP2, success has been spread among the LMP3 field in the first two races.

 

  • Both AWA entries have been solid. After winning at the Rolex 24, the No. 17 AWA Duqueine finished fourth at Sebring. The No. 13 Duqueine has results of fourth and second itself thus far.
  • The No. 33 Sean Creech Motorsport Ligier led a whopping 282 laps at Daytona before settling for second place.
  • The No. 36 Andretti Autosport Ligier was the fastest qualifier and led the most laps at Sebring (136) before encountering mechanical issues. The same car led the same number of laps at Daytona.
  • The No. 30 Jr III Racing Ligier co-driven by Ari Balogh, Garett Grist and Dakota Dickerson was in the hunt for the Sebring win until forced to retire with an hour remaining when an errant tire from another car struck it on track.

 

And this is only the beginning. Each class will compete five more times this season, culminating with the season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Oct. 14.

 

The LMP2 season resumes May 14 in the Motul Course de Monterey Powered by Hyundai at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The LMP3 season resumes June 25 with the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International.