In response to the shifted date for the 2021 Le Mans 24 Hours, IMSA has moved the date of their round at VIRginia International Raceway and Petit Le Mans. Originally planned for Aug. 21-22, the VIR round will move to Oct. 8-10. The race at VIR will retain its TV spot on network NBC as opposed to being relegated to NBCSN.
That change has also forced a change to the date of Petit Le Mans which has been moved to Nov. 10-13.
“Given the momentum we are carrying in regard to television viewership, it is important for us to preserve live, NBC network windows,” said IMSA President John Doonan.
“Holding our season finale in November proved successful last year in Sebring, and we have every reason to believe we can be successful again this November at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. As always, we are grateful to all of our stakeholders – and particularly our promoter and television partners, for their flexibility and understanding as we manoeuvre through these changes,” Doonan added.
The changes to the calendar also impact the Michelin Pilot Challenge and IMSA Prototype Challenge which will run on the same weekend as the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship. IMSA-sanctioned single-make series like the Mazda MX-5 Cup, Lamborghini Super Trofeo, and Porsche Carrera Cup North America will also be impacted, but details of those series’ races have not been announced.
