Race Weekend Central

Tequila Patron ESM Wins Motul Petit Le Mans Thanks to Penalties

2017 Road Atlanta IWSC Brendon Hartley Ryan Dalziel Scott Sharp Podium Phil Allaway

(Photo: Phil Allaway)

In endurance racing, victories can come in many ways.  One is by sheer dominance.  For Tequila Patron ESM’s No. 2 Nissan DPi shared by Ryan Dalziel, Brendon Hartley and Scott Sharp, it was simply being in the right place at the right time.  Hartley was third when the top two drivers were penalized for on-track …

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Action Express Racing Leads Road Atlanta At Halfway, Champs Not Represented Well

2017 Road Atlanta IWSC Dane Cameron Car Phil Allaway

(Photo: Phil Allaway)

At Road Atlanta, Saturday’s Motul Petit Le Mans has been an up-and-down affair. There has been tight racing, contact and a series of yellows. Through five hours, the No. 31 Whelen-sponsored Cadillac DPi-V.R. driven by Dane Cameron led overall with teammate Filipe Albuquerque three seconds back in second. Tequila Patron ESM’s Johnannes van Overbeek was …

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Entry List: Advance Auto Parts Sportscar Showdown

2017 Daytona IWSC Tom Kimber-Smith Car Phil Allaway

(Photo: Phil Allaway)

The entry list is out for this weekend’s Advance Auto Parts Sportscar Showdown for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Circuit of the Americas.  40 teams in the four classes are currently entered in the event. The Prototype class has the same ten entries from Long Beach with only a couple of driver changes of note. …

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Entry List: BUBBA Burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach

2017 Daytona IWSC Justin Marks Car Credit Phil Allaway

(Photo: Phil Allaway)

On Wednesday, IMSA released the provisional entry list for the BUBBA Burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach, round No. 3 of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.  The race will see 35 cars from the Prototype, GT Le Mans and GT Daytona classes battle for 100 minutes on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. …

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PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Quietly Announces 2017 Lineup

Earlier in the week, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports wrapped up a test session at Sebring International Raceway in Florida for their new Gibson-powered Ligier JS P217 prototype.  As the team participated in IMSA’s November open test at Daytona shortly after taking delivery of their new car, they chose to skip the open test held on Tuesday and …

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Michael Shank Racing Dominates to Win Petit Le Mans

2016-road-atlanta-iwsc-olivier-pla-car-credit-phil-allaway

(Credit: Phil Allaway)

All week, Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian‘s No. 60 had been the class of the field.  Olivier Pla topped three of the four practice sessions.  Teammate Oswaldo Negri, Jr. topped the other one.  Pla put the car on pole a half-second clear of the field. Once the green fell, Pla ran away from the field, …

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IMSA Points Breakdown

This week, ten IMSA championships will be decided at Road Atlanta.  We’re going to break down what the scenarios are.  Some are easier said than done.  Of note, IMSA drivers can earn a maximum of 36 points in a race for a victory.  Second is worth 33 points, then 31 for third.  Fourth gets 29, …

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Jonathan Bomarito Claims Road Race Showcase Pole

2016 Daytona IWSC Jonathan Bomarito Car Credit Phil Allaway

(Credit: Phil Allaway)

On Saturday afternoon, Mazda’s Jonathan Bomarito put down a lap of 114.507 seconds (127.266 mph) in the closing stages of qualifying, which held up to take the overall pole for Sunday’s Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America.  It is Mazda’s third pole of the season. Afterwards, Bomarito was very pleased with the form …

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PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Announces 2016 Lineup

2015 Lime Rock TUSC Tom Kimber-Smith car Credit Phil Allaway

(Credit: Phil Allaway, Frontstretch)

On Wednesday, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports announced their driver lineup for the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It is a mix of returning talent and newcomers to the Prototype Challenge team. Tom Kimber-Smith is the sole returning driver from the 2015 team that won three of the four races run as part of the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup. Kimber-Smith will …

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