The Fourth Event of 2023 for Pro Sim Racers Takes Place Saturday
Entry List (Click Here)
The fourth and final race of the 2023 IMSA Esports Global Championship, the Michelin 240, is set to take place Saturday at virtual Daytona International Speedway. Forty-five entries, with two drivers sharing each car, are set to compete in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes.
The race will stream live on IMSA’s and iRacing’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitch social media channels, with the “Countdown to Green” prerace show beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET, followed by a 20-minute support GT4 race, the IMSA Esports iRacing Open Challenge, and then the main event at 2 p.m. The IMSA Esports Global Championship is operated in conjunction with iRacing, the Virtual Competition Organisation (VCO) and Michelin.
In the penultimate round of the 2023 campaign, two hours and 40 minutes around Sebring International Raceway flew by in an instant. Ahead of the GTP class was Williams Esports’ No. 11 BMW entry of Josh Lad and Matt Farrow. Suffering from a start penalty that would cost 10 seconds postrace, the No. 11 team won by over 20 seconds over the No. 91 VRS Coanda Porsche. In the GTD class, power shifted back into the hands of the No. 101 Mercedes-AMG Team Apex Racing entry of Luke McKeown and Alejandro Sanchez, winning from the pole position and handily over their closest competition, the No. 170 Team Redline Ferrari.
In GTP, there are about 13 entries that still have a mathematical shot at stealing a title, but realistically, there are seven teams that can get it done in the right circumstances at Daytona. After bouncing out of contention on the first lap at Sebring, the No. 71 BMW M Team Redline GTP struggled through the remainder after clearing the required repairs, finishing 16th and holding on to the lead just barely over the winning Williams Esports No. 11.
The No. 91 VRS Coanda slides into the picture in third, 17 points behind, while the No. 43 Altus Esports Cadillac and No. 99 Apex Racing Team BMW are within arm’s reach as well. For the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta-winning team, the No. 90 URANO eSports Datagroup BMW is 36 points out of the top spot, something that can still be overcome but with a little help as well. The No. 4 Crowdstrike Racing Acura is 55 points back, and if things are as crazy as they were at Sebring, could have a legitimate shot as well.
It’s a little easier to follow in GTD, as the No. 101 and the No. 170 have both finished first or second in the three races, the two teams separated by 23 points entering the finale with the No. 101 on top. Each class has a maximum of 385 points available per race, with 350 going to the class winner and an additional 35 points for the top qualifying team.
Tune in Saturday to see who wins the race and the championship in the respective classes.