IMSA: Petit Le Mans Preview

WEATHERTECH CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT SCHEDULE

Thursday, Sept. 29 (all times Eastern)

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Free Practice 1
3:25 p.m. – 4:25 p.m. Free Practice 2
7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. Free Practice 3

Friday, Sept. 30

10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Free Practice 4
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Qualifying

Saturday, Oct. 1

8:40 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Warm-Up
11:10 p.m. – 9:10 p.m. Race – Petit Le Mans, WeatherTech Championship, 10 Hours

TV TUNE-IN INFO

POINTS OF INTEREST

DP FAREWELL

The sun is about to set on the Daytona Prototype formula. The polarizing prototypes weren’t very fast before Grand-Am and the ALMS merged, but with the addition of downforce, carbon brakes and more power, the tubeframe cars were transformed into P2 killers.

• INSIGHT: A farewell to Daytona Prototypes

IMSA did its best to dial back the unexpectedly fast DPs when the Tudor United SportsCar Championship launched in 2014, but that process took longer than expected, and the fluctuating strength of P2 opposition also added to the imbalance.

2014 ended with the DP-P2 score of 9-2, 2015 was a 10-0 DP rout, and with one race left to run in 2016, it’s a closer run of 6-3. So far, IMSA’s Prototype battles have gone 25-5 in favor of DPs, and by the end of Saturday night, we’ll know whether DPs are heading into retirement on a high or if P2s spoiled the swan song.

GUESTS FOR DINNER

Petit Le Mans will have a delightful array of high-profile guest drivers, which continues a tradition established during Road Atlanta’s days as an ALMS event. Simon Pagenaud (above, third from left, as he was enlisted to drive the No. 31 AXR Corvette DP in 2015) will be there less than two weeks after capturing his first IndyCar championship for Team Penske, and he’ll be joined by a pair of four-time Indy car champions in Sebastien Bourdais (No. 66 Ford GT) and Scott Dixon (No. 67 Ford GT), 2012 IndyCar champion Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 90 Visit Florida Racing Corvette DP), and promising IndyCar rookie Spencer Pigot (driving both Mazda Prototypes).

Altogether, that’s 10 IndyCar titles, two Indy 500 wins, a 24 Hours of Le Mans win and the 2015 Indy Lights title packaged into five open-wheelers. It also means IMSA will have 23 percent of the grid that just completed IndyCar’s finale at Sonoma Raceway on the grid for its WeatherTech Championship closer. Add in some guest stars and champions from sports car racing – Olivier Pla (No. 60 MSR Ligier JS P2-Honda), Jeff Segal (No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488), Mike Rockenfeller (No. 3 Corvette Racing C7.R), Marcel Fassler (No. 4 Corvette Racing C7.R), Kuno Wittmer (No. 100 BMW Team RLL M6) and a host of other distinguished performers – and the lines for the autograph session should be longer than usual.

DOWN THE ROAD FOR DELTAWING?

What’s next for Don Panoz and his DeltaWing DWC13? According to the series earlier in the season, the good doctor’s prototype would not be returning to IMSA next year as the Prototype class switches to an all-P2 formula, nor would the road-based DeltaWing GT have a home in GTLM or GTD.

Adding to the contiual intrigue surrounding the DeltaWing, Panoz announced the DWC13 would return for one more run in January's Rolex 24 At Daytona during Wednesday after IMSA decided to make a special exception in light of the early crash that took the car out of the 2016 event. 

ZOOM ZOOM FOR MAZDA

The SpeedSource-led Mazda Prototype effort has one shot left to win before its Lola-derived P2s become show cars. The diesel-powered Soul Red machines weren’t able to vie for victory in 2014 and 2015, but that reality changed during the off-season when the oil burners were swapped for gasoline-fueled four-cylinder turbos. Two poles and a podium have only hinted at the capabilities contained within the Mazda Prototypes, and with 10 hours left to convert that potential into a win, many prayers will be said until the checkered flag waves.

AND MORE

Mazda isn’t the only Prototype manufacturer looking to end 2016 with its first victory. The aforementioned DeltaWing DWC13 is the other brand and model looking to rectify its lack of wins before the lights go out.

Scuderia Corsa delivered Ferrari its first IMSA win for the V8 twin-turbo 488 in GTD, but the full GTE version of the 488 has yet to find Victory Lane in GTLM. It hasn’t been for a lack of trying. The Texas-based Risi Competizione had its home race at COTA in the bag until electrical problems intervened, and if there’s a GT team that has more fans rooting for it to achieve a breakthrough at Petit Le Mans, I’d love to meet them. Ferrari is joined by BMW as the only other brand without a GTLM win, and its M6s have also shown incredible pace during a trying season. Every full-season brand in GTD has taken at least one win.

On the team side, Visit Florida Racing went into Road Atlanta last year with the championship lead and returns to the facility in search of its first win of the season. In PC, Performance Tech Motorsports and BAR1 Motorsports are seeking victory No. 1, and in GTD, Stevenson Motorsports and Park Place Motorsports are among an elite group of entrants searching for a winning turnaround at Petit Le Mans.

GOODBYE TO J’MO

British sports car veteran Johnny Mowlem will call time on an impressive career after the IMSA finale. The 47-year-old opened the season with the PC pole for BAR1 at Daytona, and he’ll surely be determined to thrash the class in pursuit of a walk off victory in Georgia.

A driver and individual with equal complements of talent and class, Mowlem is a role model for every sports car driver who fought and scraped to earn a consistent living just below the big factory programs.

Wins or podiums in almost every significant international endurance race are a testament to Mowlem’s indomitable spirit, and he will be missed once he steps from the car for the last time.

MISC

• PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports PC entrant Bobby Oergel expects to announce his choice of LMP2 constructor during Petit Le Mans.
• On a similar announcement note, it’s believed Mercedes/AMG will confirm its presence in the GTD category for 2017 at the event.
• If Christina Nielsen wins the GTD championship with Scuderia Corsa teammate Alessandro Balzan, she’ll become the second woman to capture a professional North American sports car title. Margie Smith-Haas was the first to break that barrier in 1994 as the SCCA Pro Racing American Cities Racing League (ACRL) Sports 2000 champion.