| Championships in All Five Classes to Be Determined in 2022 Season Finale September 21, 2022 By Mark Robinson IMSA Wire Service  Entry List (Click Here) DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Titles in all five classes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be on the line in the 2022 season finale, the historic 25th Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Oct. 1. A total of 48 cars are on the pre-event entry list, the most for the race in eight years. Live coverage is available through a combination of NBC network, USA Network and Peacock, as well as IMSA Radio. Here’s what else you need to know for the Motul Petit Le Mans: Fast Facts Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta – Braselton, Georgia October 1, 2022 Race Day/Time: Saturday, October 1 – 12:10 p.m. ET U.S. Television Live Coverage: Noon-3 p.m.: NBC Network 3-10:30 p.m.: USA Network Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at noon (outside the U.S. on IMSA.com/TVLive) IMSA.com/TVLive Live Qualifying Stream: Friday, September 30 – 3:35 p.m. ET IMSA Radio: Select sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins at noon Saturday, October 1 (XM 207, Web/App 992) Circuit Type: 2.54-mile, 12-turn road course Classes Competing: Daytona Prototype international (DPi), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3), Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), Grand Touring Daytona (GTD)Race Length: Ten hours Track Social Media: Twitter: @roadatlanta Instagram: @roadatlanta Facebook: @roadatlanta Event Hashtags: #IMSA, #MotulPetitLeMans WeatherTech Championship Track Records Qualifying: DPi: Dane Cameron, Acura ARX-05, 1:08.412 / 133.660 mph, October 2020 LMP2: Kyle Masson, ORECA LMP2, 1:10.722 / 129.294 mph, October 2019 LMP3: Niklas Kruetten, Ligier JS P320, 1:15.664 / 120.849 mph, November 2021 GTD PRO: new class for 2022 GTD: Jack Hawksworth, Lexus RC F GT3, 1:18.843 / 115.977 mph, November 2021 2021 Motul Petit Le Mans Winners: DPi: Oliver Jarvis/Harry Tincknell/Jonathan Bomarito, No. 55 Mazda Motorsports Mazda DPi LMP2: John Farano/Gabriel Aubry/James French, No. 8 Tower Motorsport ORECA LMP2 07 LMP3: Gar Robinson/Felipe Fraga/Scott Andrews, No. 74 Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320 GTD PRO: new class for 2022 GTD: Roman De Angelis/Ross Gunn/Ian James, No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Storylines All on the Line: The championships in all five WeatherTech Championship classes will be decided in the season finale, with four still up for grabs. The points leaders in GTD PRO – Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet and the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R – need to just start the race to clinch the class driver and team crowns. It would give Pfaff back-to-back championships following the 2021 title in the GTD class. Final DPi Championship to the Wire: The Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class is going out in style. Set to be replaced by the new Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class in 2023, the final DPi championship is down to a two-horse race between the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 and the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-05. Ironically, the No. 10 Acura holds the same 19-point edge heading into the race as it had last year when it was overtaken by the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac. A Mixed Bag in LMP2: John Farano leads the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) driver standings by 33 points over Dwight Merriman and Ryan Dalziel, but Farano’s No. 8 Tower Motorsport ORECA LMP2 07 trails the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA by 19 in the team standings. Farano and the No. 8 are the defending race winners. Flip-Flopping in LMP3: A year ago, Gar Robinson and the No. 74 Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320 led the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) standings over co-drivers Jon Bennett and Colin Braun and the No. 54 CORE autosport Ligier heading to Michelin Raceway. The tables have turned in 2022, with Bennett, Braun and the No. 54 now 83 points up on Robinson and the No. 74 and 119 points better than Ari Balogh, Garett Grist and the No. 30 Jr III Racing Ligier. GTD Chase Remains Wide Open: Just 140 points separate the top four teams in GT Daytona (GTD), and with 16 cars entered in the class, nothing is decided. Roman De Angelis and the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 lead Stevan McAleer and the No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 by 45 points, followed closely by Ryan Hardwick, Jan Heylen and the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (57 points from the lead) and Philip Ellis, Russell Ward and the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes (140 points back). IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championships: Along with the season titles earned, the Motul Petit Le Mans is also the last of the four longer races that are part of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup. Using a different scoring system with points awarded at designated junctures throughout the race, the honors in all five classes of this prized competition are still undecided heading into the race. No team or driver leads their class by more than five points, so these titles will all go down to the checkered flag. Who’s Hot?No. 10 Acura: Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor have won four of the last six DPi races to squeeze into the class points lead ahead of Oliver Jarvis and Tom Blomqvist in the No. 60 Acura. Jarvis and Blomqvist have been consistent, running off five straight second-place finishes earlier this year, but they know a runner-up showing at Michelin Raceway may not be good enough to overtake Albuquerque, Taylor and the No. 10. No. 9 Plaid Porsche: It’s been a phenomenal season for the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R group. Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet have won five of the nine GTD PRO races and have only finished off the podium twice. They’ll be joined by 2021 DPi champion Felipe Nasr in the car at Michelin Raceway as they look to cap off the class championship. No. 57 Winward Mercedes: This car could be riding a three-race winning streak into Motul Petit Le Mans had it not suffered a fuel pump failure on the final lap at Lime Rock Park in July. As it is, Philip Ellis and Russell Ward have won the last two GTD races to remain in the title hunt. With 16 GTD cars expected at Michelin Raceway, another strong result could result in a miraculous season finish. Who’s Good Here?Even-Numbered Years for Wayne Taylor Racing and van der Zande: Wayne Taylor Racing has won the top-level prototype class at Motul Petit Le Mans in 2014, 2018 and 2020. Renger van der Zande won in those same years – 2014 in the Prototype Challenge class before being part of the WTR winning efforts in ’18 and ’20. With van der Zande now part of the No. 01 Cadillac Racing DPi team, they can’t both repeat as winners in 2022. But will either? Matt Campbell: On the verge of clinching the GTD PRO championship in the first year for the class, the Australian is also seeking his third straight Motul Petit Le Mans victory. He won in 2020 and ’21 in the former GT Le Mans (GTLM) class. John Farano: Like Campbell, Farano is also chasing a championship – his in LMP2. And like Campbell, Farano also has a two-year win streak at Michelin Raceway, also coming in LMP2. Previous Motul Petit Le Mans Winners in 2022 Field (38) Bill Auberlen (3): ALMS GT – 2001; GTLM – 2017; GTD – 2019 Renger van der Zande (3): PC – 2014, P – 2018; DPi – 2020 Joao Barbosa (2): P2 – 2011; P – 2015 James Calado (2): GTLM – 2016, 2019 Matt Campbell (2): GTLM – 2020, 2021 Ryan Dalziel (2): PC – 2012; P – 2017 John Farano (2): LMP2 – 2020, 2021 Spencer Pumpelly (2): GTC – 2013; GTD – 2015 Bryan Sellers (2): GT – 2013; GTLM – 2014 Daniel Serra (2): GTD – 2018; GTLM – 2019 Madison Snow (2): GTC – 2013; GTD – 2015 Jordan Taylor (2): P – 2014, 2018 Matthew Bell (1): GTD – 2014 Sebastien Bourdais (1): P – 2015 Helio Castroneves (1): P2 – 2008 Roman De Angelis (1): GTD – 2021 Connor De Phillippi (1): GTD – 2017 Pipo Derani (1): DPi – 2019 Mario Farnbacher (1): GTC – 20212 Robby Foley (1): GTD – 2019 Felipe Fraga (1): LMP3 – 2021 Garett Grist (1): PC – 2017 Ross Gunn (1): GTD – 2021 Brendon Hartley (1): P – 2017 Marco Holzer (1): GTLM – 2014 Ian James (1): GTD – 2021 Mathieu Jaminet (1): GTLM – 2021 Oliver Jarvis (1): DPi – 2021 Mikkel Jensen (1): LMP2 – 2020 Ben Keating (1): GTD – 2016 Andy Lally (1): GTC – 2010 Dirk Mueller (1): GT – 1999 Felipe Nasr (1): DPi – 2019 Olivier Pla (1): P – 2016 Gar Robinson (1): LMP3 – 2021 Ricky Taylor (1): P – 2014 Toni Vilander (1): GTLM – 2016 Jeff Westphal (1): GTD – 2020 Previous Motul Petit Le Mans Pole Winners in 2022 Field (17) Felipe Nasr (2): DPi – 2019, 2021 Olivier Pla (2): P2 – 2012; P – 2016 Toni Vilander (2): GT – 2012; GTLM – 2017 Richard Westbrook (2): P – 2015; GTLM – 2016 Bill Auberlen (1): GT3 – 1998 James Calado (1): GTLM – 2019 Helio Castroneves (1): P – 2017 Pipo Derani (1): P – 2018 John Edwards (1): GTLM – 2018 Antonio Garcia (1): — GTLM – 2020 Jack Hawksworth (1): PC – 2014 Ben Keating (1): LMP2 – 2021 Corey Lewis (1): GTD – 2019 Dirk Mueller (1): GT – 1999 Spencer Pumpelly (1): GTC – 2013 Daniel Serra (1): GTD – 2018 Madison Snow (1): GTD – 2021 Previous Motul Petit Le Mans Winning Teams in 2022 Field (15) Corvette Racing (8): GTS – 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004; GT1 – 2005, 2007, 2008; GT2 – 2010 Risi Competizione (5): WSC – 1998; GT2 – 2008, 2009; GTLM – 2016, 2019 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports (4): PC – 2011, 2015, 2016; LMP2 – 2019 Wayne Taylor Racing (3): P – 2014, 2018; DPi – 2020 Action Express Racing (2): P – 2015; DPi – 2019 CORE autosport (2): PC – 2012; GTLM – 2015 Riley Motorsports (2): GTD – 2016, LMP3 – 2021 AF Corse (1): GT – 2011 BMW M Team RLL (1): GTLM – 2017 Heart of Racing Team (1): GTD – 2021 Meyer Shank Racing (1): P – 2016 Paul Miller Racing (1): GTD – 2014 Tower Motorsport (1): LMP2 – 2021 Turner Motorsport (1): GTD 2019 WeatherTech Racing (1): GTLM – 2021 Previous Motul Petit Le Mans Winning Manufacturers in 2022 Field (6) Porsche – 22 Ferrari – 11 Chevrolet – 10 BMW – 3 Cadillac – 3 Aston Martin – 2 |
