| LMP2 Class Takes Spotlight in Annual Visit North of the Border July 3, 2024By Mark RobinsonIMSA Wire Service |
 Entry List (Click here) DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship takes on a fresh look as North America’s preeminent sports car racing series makes its annual visit to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the Chevrolet Grand Prix next week. The Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class returns to the high-speed road course for the first time in five years and will serve as the lone prototype class in the two-hour, 40-minute race on Sunday, July 14. Joining the LMP2s will be both GT classes – GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and GT Daytona (GTD). Thirty-five cars are entered in the three competing classes. The Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class has the weekend off, but several of its regular drivers have secured one-off rides with LMP2 teams that will make the event even more intriguing. Here’s what you need to know to prepare for the race weekend. Fast Facts Chevrolet Grand Prix Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada July 12-14, 2024 Race Day/Time: Sunday, July 14 – 11:05 a.m. ET USA Network Coverage: LIVE – 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 11 a.m. on Peacock (in the U.S.), IMSA.tv (outside the U.S.) and YouTube.com/IMSAOfficial (outside the U.S.) Live Qualifying Stream: Saturday, July 3 – 3:55 p.m. on Peacock and IMSA.tv IMSA Radio: Select sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins Sunday, July 14 at 11 a.m. (XM 206, Web/App 996)Circuit Type: 2.459-mile, 10-turn road course Classes Competing: Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) Race Length: 2 hours, 40 minutes Track Social Media: X: @CTMPOfficialInstagram: @ctmpofficialFacebook: @CanadianTireMotorsportPark Event Hashtags: #IMSA, #ChevroletGrandPrix WeatherTech Championship Track Records LMP2: Matt McMurry, ORECA LMP2, 1:08.197 / 129.806, July 2019 (race) GTD PRO: Jack Hawksworth, Lexus RC F GT3, 1:15.029 / 117.986 mph, July 2023 (qualifying) GTD: Roman De Angelis, Aston Martin Vantage GT3, 1:15.478 / 117.284 mph, July 2023 (qualifying) 2023 Chevrolet Grand Prix Winners GTP: Tom Blomqvist/Colin Braun, No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-06 LMP2: Did not race in 2023 LMP3: Gar Robinson/Felipe Fraga, No. 74 Riley Ligier JS P320 GTD PRO: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor, No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD GTD: Bryan Sellers/Madison Snow, No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 Storylines LMP2 Front and Center: LMP2 has experienced tremendous growth and great competition in the 2024 WeatherTech Championship. The Chevrolet Grand Prix provides the perfect opportunity for the class to showcase itself, with a dozen entries scheduled to compete. The No. 18 Era Motorsport ORECA LMP2 07 won the opening two races of the season, with the No. 88 Richard Mille AF Corse ORECA claiming the most recent class victory at Watkins Glen International on June 23. One-Off Wonders: Four drivers who have full-season rides in the GTP class are jumping into LMP2 machines for the chance to race at CTMP. Filipe Albuquerque is part of the No. 22 United Autosports USA ORECA lineup, Louis Deletraz is joining the No. 99 AO Racing ORECA team, Pipo Derani will drive in the No. 88 Richard Mille AF Corse ORECA and Renger van der Zande is half of the No. 8 Tower Motorsports lineup. Plus, Colin Braun – who drove to the overall and GTP win last year at CTMP with Tom Blomqvist – is a full-season LMP2 driver in 2024 in the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR entry. GTD PRO Class Resumes Battle: The chase for the GTD PRO class title tightened at Watkins Glen when the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo won. The No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (with co-drivers Laurin Heinrich and Seb Priaulx), which has two wins this season, still leads the championship but the reigning GTD PRO champ No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 (co-drivers Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth) is just 49 points behind and the No. 23 Aston with co-drivers Ross Gunn and Alex Riberas is an additional 11 markers back. Canadian Homecoming: At least seven Canadian drivers are entered in the race. They include John Farano (No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA), Parker Thompson (No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3), Orey Fidani (No. 13 AWA Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R), Roman De Angelis (No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo), Mikael Grenier (No. 32 Korthoff Preston Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3), Kyle Marcelli (No. 45 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2) and Misha Goikhberg (No. 78 Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2). Who’s Hot? No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: Co-drivers Russell Ward and Philip Ellis are on a tear, winning two straight and three of the last four GTD races. In doing so, they’ve built a commanding 305-point lead in the class standings just past the halfway point of the 2024 season. They’ll look to improve on a 10th-place finish in last year’s CTMP race. Who’s Good Here?Colin Braun: The co-driver of the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA LMP2 07 is the all-time IMSA leader in CTMP wins with six. That includes last year when he was on the overall winning team. The Texan is shooting for a rare three-peat this year, trying to capture his third victory in three tries – each in a different class. He won in Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) in 2022, in GTP last year and comes back in LMP2 this time around. Corvette Racing: The stalwart IMSA team has won 12 times at CTMP over the years, most recently last year in the GTD PRO class. Now running as Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports, the team fields a pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R cars in its quest for the baker’s dozen of CTMP victories. Previous Chevrolet Grand Prix Winners in 2024 Field (15) Colin Braun (6): PC – 2013, 2015, 2016; P/Overall – 2018; LMP3 – 2022; GTP/Overall – 2023 Antonio Garcia (2): GTLM – 2014, GTD PRO – 2023 Ben Keating (2): GTD – 2014, 2018 Spencer Pumpelly (2): GTC – 2011, 2012 Roman De Angelis (1): GTD – 2022 Robby Foley (1): GTD – 2019 Felipe Fraga (1): LMP3 – 2023 Oliver Jarvis (1): DPi/Overall – 2019 Tommy Milner (1): GT – 2013 Dirk Mueller (1): GT – 1999 Gar Robinson (1): LMP3 – 2023 Bryan Sellers (1): GTD – 2023 Alexander Sims (1): GTLM – 2017 Madison Snow (1): GTD – 2023 Renger van der Zande (1): DPi/Overall – 2022 Previous Chevrolet Grand Prix Pole Winners in 2024 Field (9) Colin Braun (4): PC – 2012, 2016; P – 2018; DPi – 2019 Dirk Mueller (3): GT – 2001, 2011; GT2 – 2009 Jack Hawksworth (2): GTD – 2018; GTD PRO – 2023 Gar Robinson (2): LMP3 – 2022, 2023 Roman De Angelis (1): GTD – 2023 Robby Foley (1): GTD – 2019 Antonio Garcia (1): GTLM – 2016 Kyle Marcelli (1): PC – 2011 Frankie Montecalvo (1): GTD – 2022 Previous Chevrolet Grand Prix Winning Teams in 2024 Field (9) Corvette Racing (12): GTS – 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004; GT1 – 2005, 2007, 2008; GT2 – 2009; GT – 2011, 2013; GTLM – 2014; GTD PRO – 2023 Riley (3): GTD – 2014, 2018; LMP3 – 2023 Turner Motorsport (2): GTD – 2016, 2019 Conquest Racing (1): P2 – 2012 Heart of Racing Team (1): GTD – 2022 Paul Miller Racing (1): GTD – 2023 Pfaff Motorsports (1): GTD PRO – 2022 Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports (1): LMP2 – 2019 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (1): P – 2015 Previous Chevrolet Grand Prix Winning Manufacturers in 2024 Field (8) Porsche – 18 Chevrolet – 14 BMW – 5 Acura – 4 Ferrari – 4 Aston Martin – 3 Ford – 3 Mercedes-AMG – 1 |
