This weekend, IMSA returns to action at Watkins Glen International for one of their crown jewel weekends. There will be six hours of racing on Watkins Glen’s long course Sunday afternoon.
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen
There are 54 teams entered in the Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen. This is actually down one entry from last year, but 54 cars will still make for a very busy 3.4-mile course on Sunday.
The GTP class has 11 teams entered, equal to the car count at Detroit. Teams have the option of running two or three-driver teams at Watkins Glen. Only three of the 11 have taken that option up.
Kaylen Frederick returns to JDC-Miller MotorSports this weekend, while Kakunoshin Ohta is back in the No. 93 Acura. At Action Express Racing, Frederik Vesti is back for his fourth race of the year.
In the points, Action Express Racing’s Jack Aitken has a 144-point lead over JDC-Miller MotorSports’ Laurin Heinrich. Porsche Penske Motorsport’s Julien Andlauer and Felipe Nasr are third, followed by Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian’s Renger van der Zande and Nick Yelloly.
The LMP2 class is back for the first time since Sebring in March. There are 11 teams entered, down one from Sebring. The only team that is not entered from March is JDC-Miller MotorSports’ No. 79, which did not start the race.
The only driver change in the class is at TDS Racing, where Mathias Beche will be in the car in place of Alpine factory racer Charles Milesi. Beche drove for the team recently in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In GTD Pro, there are 12 teams entered, up two from Detroit. Additional teams include the part-time efforts from Manthey Racing, Risi Competizione and Triarsi Competizione. Vasser Sullivan’s No. 15 Lexus is not entered since this race has both the GTD Pro and GTD classes.
The only team in the class that is fielding a three-car effort appears to be Manthey Racing. However, their third driver alongside Klaus Bachler and Loek Hartog has not been announced.
in GTD, there are 20 teams entered, up from 13 last month at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Part-time teams AF Corse, Lone Star Racing, Magnus Racing, Manthey Racing, Rennsport One and Triarsi Competizione are all back on the grid.
The biggest change was announced Thursday. Van der Steur Racing is no more. The team has been acquired and has been renamed YRB Racing.
According to IMSA, this entry is not simply YRB Racing acquiring the team assets and van der Steur’s entry, but they are being treated as if they are a new team. For Formula 1 fans, think back to 1992 when Andrea Sassetti acquired the assets of Coloni, then entered the World Championship. The entry didn’t come with the purchase, which created unforeseen issues for the team at the beginning of the year.
YRB Racing has changed their number from van der Steur Racing’s No. 19 to No. 068 and will run a white livery with “Car Blanche” on the side. The full-time livery will be unveiled at a later date.
Full-time driver Valentin Haase-Clot will keep his seat with the new team, but Rory van der Steur is out. Trenton Estep will step up from Michelin Pilot Challenge to drive, along with Marius Fossard.
Rennsport One has two driver slots that haven’t been revealed alongside Jan Heylen. At Conquest Racing, Fran Rueda will drive the No. 34 Ferrari in place of Manny Franco.
Magnus Racing is back for the first time since Daytona. This time, Mario Farnbacher will join the team alongside owner-driver John Potter and Spencer Pumpelly.
Inception Racing is welcoming Jaxon Evans to the team. He is driving in place of Frederik Schandorff, who is racing in this weekend’s Intercontinental GT Challenge CrowdStrike 24H of Spa.
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen Entry List
The Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen is scheduled to go green at 12:10 p.m. ET Sunday afternoon. Coverage will begin at Noon ET on Peacock.
IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge LP Building Solutions 120
Saturday’s two-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Watkins Glen International has 43 teams entered, which is down two from Laguna Seca.
The Grand Sport class has 29 teams entered. This is down one from Mid-Ohio. The race originally had 30 teams entered in class, but one withdrew after the preliminary entry list was released.
Teams that are not entered include Kingpin Racing and BGB Motorsports. With this being a sprint race, Czabok Simpson Motorsports expands back to two cars with the No. 3 Porsche for Madeline Stewart and Jonathan Browne.
Other changes include Sandy Satullo, a regular in Mustang Challenge, replacing Casey Moyer at LAP Motorsports, while Guilherme Salas returns to Panam Motorsport to replace Thiago Camilo. Van der Racing’s No. 66 for Estep and Allen Patten will remain on the grid under the Car Blanche branding.
TCR has 14 teams entered, down two from Mid-Ohio. Speed Syndicate’s Audi is not entered, along with the Rockwell Automotive Development Hyundai.
At Victor Gonzalez Racing, Dr. William Tally is back in the No. 21 Cupra. This time, he’s replacing Steven Clemons alongside Caleb Bacon. Bruno Junqueira is also back in the Baker Racing No. 56, replacing Kenny Riedmann.
IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge LP Building Solutions 120 Entry List
The LP Building Solutions 120 is scheduled to go green at 1:05 p.m. ET Saturday. Coverage will begin at 12:55 p.m. ET Saturday on the IMSA Official YouTube channel and Peacock.
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the Frontstretch email 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 Frontstretch Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.
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