IMSA news recap, week of December 21
IMSA news recap, week of December 21
The holidays are approaching and the IMSA world continues its preparation for the 2019 season.
Ahead of the holiday break and before the Roar Before the Rolex 24 test, here are a few more updates from the three IMSA series Michelin competes in.
Past weekly news recaps:
—
RAHAL’S IMSA AT 50 FEATURE
In the latest #IMSA50 video released, BMW Team RLL’s Bobby Rahal explains the impact winning the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring has had on him and his team.
—
IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
On Friday, IMSA released the Roar entry list. It features 47 cars, with 37 confirmed as full-season entries. Drivers will be posted on an updated entry list released in January.
NBCSN has announced AJ Allmendinger as an IMSA color analyst for its race broadcasts. Allmendinger’s IMSA experience has primarily occurred at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, where he won overall in 2012. He’ll share one of Meyer Shank Racing’s Acura NSX GT3 Evos at this year’s Rolex, as well.
Mike Conway reunites with Action Express Racing at Daytona. However the Englishman will make his first start in the team’s No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R rather than the sister No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac.
Conway joins Filipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa and the retiring Christian Fittipaldi in the No. 5 car. Interestingly, Conway will be racing in the same car (a Cadillac) but in a different team against his Toyota Gazoo Racing teammates, Fernando Alonso and Kamui Kobayashi. Those two share the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac for Wayne Taylor Racing with Jordan Taylor and Renger van der Zande.
In recent years, Whelen’s No. 31 car has fielded the Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner. However this year, that will change. Sunoco will instead place BRDC Formula 3 champion Linus Lundqvist in the No. 47 Precision Performance Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo. The Swede is that team’s first confirmed driver. Precision Performance is poised for a full-season entry in the GT Daytona class.
AIM Vasser Sullivan confirmed its fourth full-season GTD driver. American Richard Heistand joins Jack Hawksworth in the team’s No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3. Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo are in the sister No. 12 car.
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports revealed its full-season lineup for its LMP2 class Oreca 07 Gibson. Young drivers Gabriel Aubry and Matt McMurry will share the No. 52 car.
—
IMSA MICHELIN PILOT CHALLENGE and PROTOTYPE CHALLENGE
Sports car racing fan favorites Ryan Eversley, Chad Gilsinger and HART Racing Team will make their full-season return to IMSA MICHELIN Pilot Challenge competition in 2019. The two won races together in a Honda Civic Si when the series had its previous entitlement partner in the ST class. Now, they’ll share the No. 89 Honda Civic Type R TCR in 2019. Eversley won a TCR class title in 2018 in another series in the same type of car. Here’s more info on this program.
ANSA Motorsports has revealed a pair of lineups in its two Ligier JS P3s. Jon Brownson and Michal Chlumecky are confirmed in the No. 2 car, as both step up to LMP3 competition for 2019. Young guns Leo Lamelas and Neil Alberico will share the No. 4 car. All except Lamelas raced in an ANSA Ligier at the Michelin IMSA SportsCar Encore at Sebring International Raceway last month.
The Alianza-Gilbert Motorsports effort announced last week will have one change for Daytona. Jason Bell subs for Rodrigo Pflucker alongside Anthony Simone in the team’s No. 23 Norma M30 in IMSA Prototype Challenge competition.
Michelin wraps up IMSA west coast swing with excitement
Volt Racing makes step up to WeatherTech Championship
BMW M Hybrid V8 GTP car through the eyes of the designer
Porsche 963 wins Long Beach on just one set of MICHELIN® tires
AGPLB showcase innovations from IMSA and Michelin with track to street connections
Michelin wraps up IMSA west coast swing with excitement
BMW M Hybrid V8 GTP car through the eyes of the designer
Porsche 963 wins Long Beach on just one set of MICHELIN® tires
AGPLB showcase innovations from IMSA and Michelin with track to street connections
Acura’s brand personality on full display in GTP class
