On Wednesday, IMSA released the official entry list for next Friday’s IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge season opener, the BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona. Unlike the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, attendance at the Roar Before the 24 was not required.
Rule changes in the offseason that moved the Grand Sport class to full GT4-spec has resulted in a much higher car count. 40 cars are entered for the first of two four-hour races on the schedule. This is more than any CTSC race in 2016. Also of note, teams are allowed to have three drivers in the four-hour events. For the regular two-hour races, only two drivers are allowed.
Last year, only three Grand Sport teams ran in all ten races. It is more than likely that the number will increase this season. Defending champions Multimatic Motorsports are back, but 2016 co-champion Billy Johnson is not. Platinum-rated drivers are no longer allowed to compete in the series, so Johnson is out and Jade Buford returns to the team in the sole Ford Mustang GT4. Despite the new car, Buford and teammate Scott Maxwell were fast out of the box.
CJ Wilson Racing is back with two Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsports with revised lineups. Marc Miller is back in the No. 33 with Till Bechtolsheimer moving over from the No. 35 to replace Danny Burkett. Irishman Damien Faulkner is in the No. 35 with rookie Russell Ward. Rennsport One has also made the move up to Grand Sport with a new Cayman GT4 Clubsport for Dillon Machavern and Dylan Murcott. Finally, GMG Racing has returned to IMSA after two years away to run two Cayman GT4 Clubsports.
Automatic Racing is back with two different efforts. They have entered two Aston Martins (Nos. 09 and 99), but are also running two new McLaren 570S GT4’s in a joint venture with VOLT Racing. Finally, Compass360 Racing has made the switch from Ford to McLaren and will field two 570S GT4’s. One will be for Paul Holton and the returning Matt Plumb, while the other has Nico Rondet and Matthew Keegan.
In Street Tuner, there are a few less teams on the grid at Daytona and less variety of makes. There are no Hondas on the grid for the first time in recent memory as HART (Honda of America Racing Team) has not entered. Nine of the 20 entrants are fielding Caymans. Murillo Racing has switched their No. 65 entry to a Cayman from a E90 BMW 328i. In addition, they fully acquired the ALARA Racing entry. That team will also be racing a No. 43 Cayman.
Driver changes include James Vance returning to MINI JCW Team’s No. 37 after being dropped last July. Rennsport One has kept Nick Longhi on from the Roar to partner up with Aurora Straus and Connor Bloum in the No. 18 Cayman.
Rebel Rock Racing has a number of changes for the season. They have changed what was the No. 7 entry to the No. 6, a number they used on a Porsche 911 in a one-off last year at Road Atlanta. Shane Lewis is currently entered in the No. 6 with a teammate to be announced.
The No. 8 Porsche will be driven by Dion von Moltke, who spent some time with it last weekend. As of right now, von Moltke does not have a teammate listed for the car.
Getting to drive racecars again today and man does it feel gooooooood! pic.twitter.com/7MZ7LWRxD4
— Dion von Moltke (@DionvmR) January 15, 2017
The top lineups (Nick Galante and Spencer Pumpelly at Rennsport One; Stevan McAleer and Chad McCumbee at Freedom Autosport; Eric Foss and Jeff Mosing at Murillo Racing) return unchanged for 2017.
2017 BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona Entry List
Class | Team | Drivers | Car |
---|---|---|---|
Grand Sport | 09 - Automatic Racing | Ramin Abdolvahabi Chris Beaufait Max Bladon | Aston Martin Vantage GT4 |
Grand Sport | 2 - Automatic Racing/VOLT Racing | Alan Brynjolfsson Chris Hall | McLaren 570S GT4 |
Grand Sport | 3 - The Racers Group | Craig Lyons Kris Wilson | Aston Martin Vantage GT4 |
Grand Sport | 4 - TeamTGM | Guy Cosmo Ted Giovanis Hugh Plumb | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport |
Street Tuner | 6 - Rebel Rock Racing | Trevor Knight Shane Lewis | Porsche Cayman |
Grand Sport | 7 - Automatic Racing/VOLT Racing | Alan Brynjolfsson Chris Hall | McLaren 570S GT4 |
Street Tuner | 8 - Rebel Rock Racing | David Roberts Dion von Moltke | Porsche Cayman |
Grand Sport | 11 - GMG Racing | Matt Halliday Elias Sabo James Sofronas | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport |
Grand Sport | 12 - Bodymotion Racing | Cameron Cassels Trent Hindman | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport |
Grand Sport | 15 - Multimatic Motorsports | Jade Buford Scott Maxwell | Ford Mustang GT4 |
Street Tuner | 17 - Rennsport One (RS1) | Nick Galante Spencer Pumpelly | Porsche Cayman |
Street Tuner | 18 - Rennsport One (RS1) | Connor Bloum Nick Longhi Aurora Straus | Porsche Cayman |
Grand Sport | 21 - Muehlner Motorsports America | Cameron Lawrence Kyle Marcelli | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport |
Street Tuner | 22 - Rebel Rock Racing | Leh Keen Kris Wright | Porsche Cayman |
Street Tuner | 25 - Freedom Autosport | Stevan McAleer Chad McCumbee | Mazda MX-5 |
Street Tuner | 26 - Freedom Autosport | Andrew Carbonell Liam Dwyer | Mazda MX-5 |
Street Tuner | 27 - Freedom Autosport | Britt Casey, Jr. Robby Foley | Mazda MX-5 |
Grand Sport | 28 - Rennsport One (RS1) | Dillon Machavern Dylan Murcott | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport |
Street Tuner | 31 - Bodymotion Racing | Devin Jones Drake Kemper | Porsche Cayman |
Grand Sport | 33 - CJ Wilson Racing | Till Bechtolsheimer Marc Miller | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport |
Grand Sport | 35- CJ Wilson Racing | Damien Faulkner Russell Ward | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport |
Grand Sport | 38 - BGB Motorsports | James Cox John Tecce | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport |
Street Tuner | 37 - MINI Team JCW | Mike LaMarra James Vance | MINI JCW |
Street Tuner | 43 - Murillo Racing | Christian Smyzczak Christopher Stone | Porsche Cayman |
Street Tuner | 44 - CRG-I Do Borrow | Sarah Cattaneo Owen Trinkler | Nissan Altima |
Grand Sport | 46 - TeamTGM | Guy Cosmo Ted Giovanis Hugh Plumb | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport |
Street Tuner | 52 - MINI JCW Team (LAP Motorsports) | Nate Norenberg Mark Pombo | MINI JCW |
Street Tuner | 54 - JDC/Miller MotorSports | Michael Johnson Stephen Simpson | BMW 228i |
Street Tuner | 56 - Murillo Racing | Eric Foss Jeff Mosing | Porsche Cayman |
Grand Sport | 59 - KohR Motorsports | Dean Martin Cameron Magueri | Ford Mustang GT4 |
Street Tuner | 65 - Murillo Racing | Brent Mosing Justin Piscitell Tim Probert | Porsche Cayman |
Grand Sport | 68 - MIA/Pfaff McLaren/GARAGA | Rod Randall Kenny Wilden | McLaren 570S GT4 |
Grand Sport | 69 - MIA/Pfaff McLaren/GARAGA | Chris Green Jesse Lazare | McLaren 570S GT4 |
Street Tuner | 73 - MINI JCW Team (LAP Motorsports) | Derek Jones Mat Pombo | MINI JCW |
Street Tuner | 75 - Compass360 Racing | Roy Block Pierre Kleinubing | Audi S3 |
Grand Sport | 76 - Compass360 Racing | Paul Holton Matt Plumb | McLaren 570S GT4 |
Grand Sport | 77 - Compass360 Racing | Matthew Keegan Nico Rondet | McLaren 570S GT4 |
Street Tuner | 81 - BimmerWorld Racing | Ari Balogh Greg Liefooghe | BMW 328i |
Street Tuner | 84 - BimmerWorld Racing | Tyler Clary James Clay Tyler Cooke | BMW 328i |
Grand Sport | 88 - GMG Racing | Andy Lee Alec Udell Carter Yeung | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport |
Grand Sport | 99 - Automatic Racing | Al Carter Rob Ecklin, Jr. Charles Espenlaub | Aston Martin Vantage GT4 |
About the author
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.
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