49 replies to this topic

[juicy sushi]

Hello everyone,
 
It's time to set off some fireworks, grab a beer from the cooler, cry freedom* and talk about IMSA in the year 2025.  And I say IMSA, because I mean the sanctioning body rather than just the Weathertech series since there are many championships under IMSA's umbrella, and some of us do watch them all.
 
The IMSA 2025 season kicks off soon with the late 2024 test at Daytona, ahead of the January 2025 Roar before the 24, and the ensuing Rolex 24 Hours of Datyona.  The current entry list for that test can be found at all the usual reputable sportscar racing websites, and I'll let you go find that on your own.  If you wish to learn about what happened in 2024 before we talk about 2025, IMSA did not provide a summary video.  However, every race from the season, in every series, plus a fly-on-the-wall documentary series, is available on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@imsaofficial.  So go there and soak in the content to your heart's, er, content.
 
The main series of course, is the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and their schedule is going to be:
 
1 Rolex 24 at Daytona - 24 hours - All Classes - January 25–26
2 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring - 12 hours - All Classes - Florida March 15
3 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach - 100 minutes - GTP, GTD - April 12
4 Motul Course de Monterey - 160 minutes - GTP, GTD Pro, GTD - May 11
5 Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic - 100 minutes - GTP, GTD Pro Streets of Detroit Detroit, Michigan May 31
6 Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen - 6 hours - All Classes - June 22
7 Chevrolet Grand Prix - 160 minutes - LMP2, GTD Pro, GTD - July 13
8 IMSA Sportscar Weekend - 160 minutes - All Classes - August 3
9 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR - 160 minutes - GTD Pro, GTD - August 24
10 Tirerack.com Battle on the Bricks - 6 hours - All Classes - September 21
11 Motul Petit Le Mans - 10 hours - All Classes - October 11
 
Please note, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship^TM is a multi-class championship, and not every class is at every event.  Events with distances longer than 160 minutes feature all classes and are part of the Michelin Endurance Cup.  Other events only feature the classes listed for that event.  Road America, because it is the best road course on the continent (an undisputed fact), does feature all classes, but is sadly comically short at only 160 minutes.  
 
There are 4 total classes.  We have the headline GTP class, which features LMDh and LMH cars as in the World Endurance Championship.  LMP2, which uses the same global LMP2 regs and cars as ELMS and ALMS, but with mandatory Pro-Am driver line-ups.  GTD Pro, which uses GT3 cars and any drivers you want, and GTD, which also uses GT3 cars, but must have at least one silver- or bronze-rated driver in their line-up.
 
As of the date of posting, the entry list for the season has not yet been finalized, so I will not add that here, and will instead leave it for wild rumours and speculation in the comments below.
 
And also, as per the norm, please respect track limits, obey commands from race control at all times, protect yourself at all times.  Now touch gloves and
 

 
*Freedom void where prohibited by law. See you doctor if freedom is right for you.  Side effects may include nauseau, vague senses of ennui, possible seizure of government by extreme political movements, and judgy looks from other countries

Edited by juicy sushi, 15 November 2024 - 14:27.

[FLB]

Pietro Fittipaldi has rebounded with Pratt Miller (LMP2) : https://sportscar365...r-lmp2-program/

[FLB]

Unconfirmed, but Pascal Wehrlein is apparently going to test a 963: https://en.endurance...rts-963-daytona (en francais)

[juicy sushi]

Pietro Fittipaldi has rebounded with Pratt Miller (LMP2) : https://sportscar365...r-lmp2-program/

Ah, so this is what they’re doing after the Indycar plan fell through.

[Dan333SP]

Are there times anywhere for the test today/this weekend? First vids of the Aston running on the banking have popped up on IMSA's instagram feed. Sounds a little muffled, to be honest, much like the Lola DBR from ~2010. Still lovely. 

[vlado]

https://x.com/marsha...zg-bv2n8am2mMAg

https://x.com/marsha...zg-bv2n8am2mMAg

Edited by vlado, 15 November 2024 - 15:53.

[FLB]

From 2:25 to 2:37...     

 

 

Edited by FLB, 16 November 2024 - 12:22.

[FLB]

Drugovich to race a Caddy at the Rolex 24: IMSA – Felipe Drugovich sur la Cadillac n°31 du Action Express Racing à Daytona - Endurance Info (en francais)

[juicy sushi]

Pipo-less AXR might be both faster and more popular due to fewer jerk moves when fighting for position.

[jonpollak]

 

Jp

[FLB]

 

Jp

 

 

 

         

[FLB]

Is it OK for me to want John Doonan to be Ruler Of All Things Motorsport?   

[red stick]

Is it OK for me to want John Doonan to be Ruler Of All Things Motorsport?   

Seconded.  Call the question.   

[paulb]

BoP on the Aston Martin will be interesting. Maybe fuel flow, max power, and inlet size will be the only engine things they can mess with.

 

It does look to be an instant fan favorite.

Edited by paulb, 16 November 2024 - 17:17.

[GlenWatkins]

Put a V12 in any of them and it will be an fan favorite.

[paulb]

Put a V12 in any of them and it will be an fan favorite.

Unless they are “too loud” whatever that means.

[FLB]

Aaaand it looks like something happened, because the video has been removed 

[Stephane]

Sadface

[FLB]

[jonpollak]

Aaaand it looks like something happened, because the video has been removed

Trust me to post some controversial thing that gets deleted.
Jp

[Myrvold]

Aaaand it looks like something happened, because the video has been removed 

 

What was it?

[vlado]

 

This is probably an unpopular take but I still prefer the General Motors V8 sound over the Cosworth V12 

[Dan333SP]

This is probably an unpopular take but I still prefer the General Motors V8 sound over the Cosworth V12

I can’t figure out why it’s running with mufflers/silencers. The Donnington test car was clearly much louder. This version of the car is just a fighter jet whoosh when other cars are around. How can the Caddy run without silencers while this needs to?

[FLB]

Oooh, we're going to get a Christmas present early, me thinks... 

 

Marshall Pruett sur X : "Favorite photo of the day: My audio recorder in the Aston Martin Valkyrie. One foot to the left: V12 exhaust system. https://t.co/mR8nHHiScF" / X

[JHSingo]

I can’t figure out why it’s running with mufflers/silencers. The Donnington test car was clearly much louder. This version of the car is just a fighter jet whoosh when other cars are around. How can the Caddy run without silencers while this needs to?

 

Yeah, it does seem very bizarre. Hopefully it's just something for testing rather than race weekends, otherwise it's a bit of a let down. 

Still, at least our friend Henri will be happy. 

[jonpollak]

Iron Dames news from the Daytona test.

https://racer.com/20...ed-gtd-entries/

“Fast start for Iron Dames Porsche”

“While there were other highlights, a sixth-place GTD class finish in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona remained the best result of the 2024 season for the all-female Iron Dames program in the No. 83 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2.

For 2025, the pink Iron Dames livery and the No. 83 stay the same, but the driver lineup is evolving and the team has opted to trade the Lamborghini for a Porsche 911 GT3 R (992). It’s a homecoming of sorts, because Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting and Sarah Bovy drove a similar Porsche to a historic first all-female win at the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship finale in Bahrain.

“Clearly we had a difficult year in 2024, so we chose to look for more reliability, for more consistency, and we found a partner within Porsche,” said Frey. “We already had some experience with that brand in Europe and thought it would be a nice idea to also make the move to Porsche for IMSA in 2025. We very much look forward to that.”

The 2025 Iron Dames WeatherTech Championship lineup is yet to be announced, but Frey was in the car for the test along with Karen Gaillard and team co-owner Claudio Schiavoni. Matteo Cressoni, a driver and engineering advisor for the related Iron Lynx organization, also drove the No. 83 Porsche at Daytona and set the second fastest GTD time of the week on Sunday afternoon.

Frey was pleased coming off her track time at Daytona.”

“Whenever we jump in the car it gives us a smile, so we love the car very much,” she said. “The test for us was very positive, so I can’t wait to get it started in January.”

Jp

[juicy sushi]

Lambo really seem to have had a nightmare of a year.  

 

Seems like an LMDh and supporting a global GT3 program is beyond them.

[Dan333SP]

Yeah, it does seem very bizarre. Hopefully it's just something for testing rather than race weekends, otherwise it's a bit of a let down. 

Still, at least our friend Henri will be happy. 

 

I worry that when everything is subject to very stringent homologation requirements, this will be what we are stuck with as it's hard to imagine a reason why they'd run the car with parts that will not be part of the final homologation in this stage of their development. 

 

The 911 RSR seemed to prove that absolute decibel limits in both WEC and IMSA are not an issue, because that thing absolutely screamed and they actually rolled out that version of the exhaust in mid '17 after that version of the car launched earlier in the year with mufflers. The one time in recent history where a car became louder during its development cycle! 

[NotAPineapple]

Surely I'm not the only one who gets freebird on autoplay in my head every time I scroll past this thread title.

[OvDrone]

Filipe Albuquerque has 4 wins including the 2018 Daytona 24 with Cadillac when he was at AXR previously and Ricky Taylor has 5 wins including Daytona 24 and Sebring 12 all in 2017 with Cadillac.

And of course, the thing I remember most from both their stints in a Cadi is this from the closing minutes of the 2017 Daytona 24 lol

[juicy sushi]

Surely I'm not the only one who gets freebird on autoplay in my head every time I scroll past this thread title.

I mean, that was the general idea…

[ARTGP]

Max Verstappen driving the Acura today (they are calling it a "promo filming" but they could have CGI'd any driver into that car...) I don't think it means anything right now, but F1 doesn't clash with Daytona and Honda has a factory team embedded in GTP right now...
 

Edited by ARTGP, 19 November 2024 - 21:29.

[red stick]

I mean, that was the general idea…

I'm left with an odd
mournful, feeling that I should
leave here. Tomorrow.

[Alan Lewis]

I'm left with an odd
mournful, feeling that I should
leave here. Tomorrow.

We will still remember you.

[jonpollak]

More testing from Daytona.

Jp

[juicy sushi]

Intereuropol on 2025 and going forward:  https://www.dailyspo...percar-gtp.html

 

Yes to IMSA, and they want Hypercar, but they will only do it working with a manufacturer, they're not paying to do it on their own.

[juicy sushi]

Wickens joins DXDT for the sprint races!!!

https://racer.com/20...ship-with-dxdt/

[FLB]

[juicy sushi]

Inter Europol announces the IMSA drivers for 2025:  https://www.dailyspo...river-crew.html

 

TL;DR:  Field and Dillmann for the full season, Bjoy Garg for MEC, guest starring Antonio Felix Da Costa for the Rolex.

[Dan333SP]

https://www.youtube....h?v=MOrACXyUXoo

Guess we are stuck with the mufflers. Sounds nice by itself but it will be almost inaudible in a pack. Bummer.

[FLB]

Pfaff have posted a drawing of a bull on their Facebook page, with the mention 'That is all' 

 

Pfaff Motorsports | Facebook

 

(They are strongly rumored to be running a Lambo)

[paulb]

Pfaff have posted a drawing of a bull on their Facebook page, with the mention 'That is all'

Pfaff Motorsports | Facebook

(They are strongly rumored to be running a Lambo)

On reddit, I commented they need to bring Robichon back. Its a coup for Lamborghini.

Edited by paulb, 11 December 2024 - 23:53.

[juicy sushi]

Only good news Lambo have had in a while. Also, continues the theme of teams switching to McLaren and then rapidly switching away from them. The car seems cost competitive, but otherwise garbage.

[FLB]

Official! 

 

https://sportscar365...racan-gt3-evo2/

[red stick]

Bring back the PLAID!!

[juicy sushi]

Can’t believe I missed this one:

TF Sport are bringing a Corvette to the Rolex with Trackhouse. The driver line-up is SVG, Ben Keating, Scott McLaughlin, and Connor Zilisch.

https://racer.com/20...gen-mclaughlin/

[FLB]

Wehrlein will do the Rolex 24 for JDC-Miller: https://sportscar365...ith-jdc-miller/

Edited by FLB, 20 December 2024 - 12:41.

[FLB]

Then, there's this nice Christmas present as well (the Lambo SC63 isn't dead!) : Riley to run Lamborghini GTP program for IMSA endurance rounds | RACER

Edited by FLB, 24 December 2024 - 23:34.

[Dan333SP]

Riley! It’s going to be a tight turnaround to get up to speed with the car before the Rolex, but at least they have a ton of experience building/servicing/racing prototypes and GTs.

[paulb]

Riley! It’s going to be a tight turnaround to get up to speed with the car before the Rolex, but at least they have a ton of experience building/servicing/racing prototypes and GTs.

I was thinking the same thing. Riley is a solid team that doesn’t mess around.