GT Classes Headline the Show at Historic Lime Rock Park in ConnecticutJuly 12, 2023By Mark RobinsonIMSA Wire Service
Entry List (Click Here)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship pushes on with the busy summer stretch July 21-22 at Lime Rock Park for the FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix presented by Liqui Moly. The condensed weekend features the two GT classes in action at the historic road course in Lakeville, Connecticut.Twenty cars are on the pre-event entry list – five in GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and 15 in GT Daytona (GTD). Drivers, teams and manufacturers in both classes will be competing for points that count toward the season championship. GTD entries will also earn points for the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
Fast Facts
FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix presented by Liqui Moly
Lime Rock Park – Lakeville, Connecticut
July 21-22, 2023
Race Day/Time: Saturday, July 22 – 12:05 p.m. ET
USA Network Coverage: LIVE – Noon to 3 p.m.
Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at noon (available on IMSA.com/TVLive outside the U.S.)
Peacock and IMSA.com/TVLive Qualifying Stream: LIVE – Friday, July 21 – 5:35 p.m.
IMSA Radio: Select sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins Saturday, July 22 at noon (XM 207, SiriusXM Web/App 992)
Circuit Type: 1.474-mile, seven-turn road course
Classes Competing: GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), GT Daytona (GTD)
Race Length: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Track Social Media:
Twitter: @limerockpark
Instagram: @limerockpark
Facebook: @limerockpark
Event Hashtags: #IMSA, #NortheastGP, #LimeRockPark
WeatherTech Championship Track Records
GTD PRO: Matt Campbell, Porsche 911 GT3 R, 51.079 seconds / 104.167 mph, July 2022
GTD: Trent Hindman, Acura NSX GT3, 51.456 seconds / 103.124 mph, July 2019
2022 FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix Winners
GTD PRO: Matt Campbell/Mathieu Jaminet, No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R
GTD: Bryan Sellers/Madison Snow, No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3
Storylines
GT Classes in Spotlight: This is the first of two IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races with the popular GT classes as the headline act. The other event comes next month at VIRginia International Raceway. The GT cars typically put on an exciting and aggressive display at Lime Rock, the shortest track on the schedule known as the “Bullring.”
Crunch Time for GT Championships: Five races remain for the GTD PRO and GTD classes this season. The No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 with co-drivers Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat saw their GTD PRO points lead shrink to 96 over Jules Gounon, Daniel Juncadella and the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 following the July 9 race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. A win in Canada closed Jordan Taylor, Antonio Garcia and the No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD to within 109 points of the lead. In GTD, Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers notched their third win of the season in the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 at CTMP, pushing their points lead to 212 over Marco Sorensen, Roman De Angelis and the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
Sprint Cup Battle Continues: The championship within the championship, the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup continues for the GTD class at Lime Rock. The race at Lime Rock is the fourth of the seven races running two hours, 40 minutes or shorter that make up the Sprint Cup. Snow, Sellers and the No. 1 BMW, the reigning Sprint Cup champions, lead Sorensen, De Angelis and the No. 27 Aston Martin by 66 points for this crown.
TCR Takes Center Stage in Michelin Pilot Challenge: For the first time, the Touring Car (TCR) class will race by itself in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race, the Lime Rock Park 100 that concludes the weekend of racing on July 22. Typically, the TCR class shares the track with the Grand Sport (GS) cars, but the GS had its own solo race last month in Detroit.
Who’s Hot?
No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW: Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow have accumulated three wins and a second-place finish in the past five races to dominate the GTD class. What’s more, they are the defending winners at Lime Rock Park in what the team considers a “home race” since the Paul Miller Auto Group is based in relatively nearby New Jersey.
No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus: Even though they had a string of nine straight podium finishes snapped at CTMP on July 9 Ben Barnicoat, Jack Hawksworth and the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 still sit atop the GTD PRO standings. That podium streak began last year at Lime Rock so the No. 14 looks to start a new one this year.
Who’s Good Here?
Porsche: As is the case at many tracks, Porsche has the most class wins (21) of any manufacturer entered this year. The famous German marque will have entries in both WeatherTech Championship classes again this year and is the defending champion in GTD PRO.
Previous FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix Winners in 2023 Field (8)
Bryan Sellers (2): GTD – 2018, 2022
Madison Snow (2): GTD – 2018, 2022
Jordan Taylor (2): DP – 2013; GTLM – 2021
Bill Auberlen (1): GTU – 2000
Roman De Angelis (1): GTD – 2021
Antonio Garcia (1): GTLM – 2021
Ross Gunn (1): GTD – 2021
Patrick Pilet (1): GTLM – 2017
Previous FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix Pole Winners in 2023 Field (7)
Jordan Taylor (2): GT – 2010; GTLM – 2021
Bill Auberlen (1): GT – 2012
Roman De Angelis (1): GTD – 2021
Antonio Garcia (1): GTLM – 2018
Trent Hindman (1): GTD – 2019
Frankie Montecalvo (1): GTD – 2022
Madison Snow (1): GTD – 2017
Previous FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix Winning Teams in 2023 Field (5)
Corvette Racing (6): GTS – 2004; GT1 – 2005, 2007 2008; GTLM – 2016, 2021
Paul Miller Racing (2): GTD – 2018, 2022
Pfaff Motorsports (2): GTD – 2019; GTD PRO – 2022
Heart of Racing Team (1): GTD – 2021
Turner Motorsport (1): GTD – 2015
Previous Northeast Grand Prix Winning Manufacturers in 2023 Field (6)
Porsche – 21
Chevrolet – 13
BMW – 6
Acura – 2
Aston Martin – 2
Lamborghini – 1 |
