DSC’s travels through America are coming to an end this weekend, at least for 2023, with this weekend’s 26th annual Motul Petit Le Mans serving as the final round of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship and its supporting series.
It promises to be a busy week of major announcements including the long-awaited reveal of the 2024 season entry list – not to mention three full days of racing action which culminates in the ten-hour main event on Saturday.
The ten cars of the GTP category headline a 53-car entry list for Petit Le Mans.
Cadillac’s fleet goes through inspection, headlined by the #31 Whelen Engineering Racing V-Series.R of championship co-leaders Pipo Derani and Alexander Sims (the latter in his last prototype outing for now, before going back to GTD Pro with Corvette Racing/Pratt Miller Motorsports).
JDC Miller Motorsports’ Porsche 963 will most certainly have some extra attention this weekend with SUPER GT and Formula One champion Jenson Button joining for his IMSA debut.
Porsche Penske Motorsports is in top form at the moment.
The #7 Porsche 963, with which Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden will make his first start in an LMDh-spec prototype.
Neel Jani is here to help Proton Competition finish its first partial season with the #59 Porsche.
BMW M Hybrid V8s under assembly.
Same with the WTRAndretti #10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06.
And of course, this weekend is the bittersweet farewell (for now) to Meyer Shank Racing after 19 years of continuous racing in the highest levels of American sportscar racing.
Dickerson in at Jr III Racing
Dakota Dickerson has been added to the lineup of the #30 Jr III Racing Ligier JS P320, alongside Garett Grist and Bijoy Garg. Dickerson drove at Indianapolis for MRS-GT Racing and was in contention for a podium finish before a collision with another car took him out of the race.
Nolan Siegel was listed on the official entry list for #30 – he has informed DSC that his being listed in two different classes was a clerical error.
Siegel will instead drive the #04 CrowdStrike by APR Oreca LMP2 07 alongside newly-crowned GT World Challenge America Pro-Am champion George Kurtz and Ben Hanley.
Another new lineup at Performance Tech
Performance Tech Motorsports has another all-new driver line-up in the #38 Ligier JS P320 this weekend: Australian driver Cameron Shields returns to the team to partner American bronze driver Mark Thienes, and Anglo-Canadian driver Jonathan Woolridge – each making their WeatherTech Sportscar Championship debuts.
Shields last drove with Performance Tech at Daytona where the team finished third in its class.
Thienes and Woolridge are both stepping up from VP Racing Sportscar Challenge’s LMP3 ranks. Thienes is third in the championship table this season with two podiums at Daytona. Woolridge won race one at his home round in Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (Mosport).
Morris replaces Lewis in BHA Hyundai
19-year-old Bryson Morris will make his IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge debut this weekend in the season-ending Fox Factory 120.
Morris replaces Michael Lewis in the #1 Hyundai Elantra N TCR, with Lewis ruled out due to a crash towards the end of the previous round at Indianapolis.
Rearden Racing’s #21 Porsche has dropped off the entry list which now stands at 37 cars. The Utah-based team has elected not to make the trip from the Indy 8 Hour where Vesko Kozarov and Jake Pedersen were set to drive this weekend.
BoP changes
Significantly, there have not been any Balance of Performance changes in the GTP class since the Battle of the Bricks at Indy.
In GTD, the Ferrari 296 GT3s have received a +20kg weight increase and an extra litre of fuel since Indianapolis. The Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2s received a +15kg weight increase, while the Porsche 911 GT3 Rs got a small fuel capacity increase.
Comparing tenured models’ BoP to last year’s Petit Le Mans, the Lexus RC F GT3s are 15kg lighter than last year. The Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD received a 20kg weight break and small power and fuel capacity reductions in its final race.
The Aston Martin Vantage GT3s received a -15kg reduction, a small power reduction, and a six-litre fuel capacity reduction, while the Acura NSX GT3s received a five-litre fuel capacity increase and a small power increase.
The BMW M4 GT3s are 25kg lighter and slightly less powerful than they were at Petit last year, while the Mercedes-AMG GT3s are 20kg lighter with one more litre of fuel.
Weather outlook
Despite the grey skies over Hall County, Georgia, rain isn’t expected to be a factor on race day Saturday.
The initial forecast for #MotulPLM is up on our website. Nice weather to start, then rain likely on Friday, moving out by the start of Saturday's race. https://t.co/UkOvWSXkUl #IMSA @IMSA @PitlaneParley @marshallpruett @radiolemans @specutainment @dailysportscar @GTxREPORT pic.twitter.com/GAIdKWKdSZ
— Racecast Weather (@RacecastWx) October 8, 2023
However, there is a 60 percent chance of light rain showers on Friday – which features Petit Le Mans qualifying as well as three support races – Michelin Pilot Challenge, VP Racing Challenge, and the always-entertaining Mazda MX-5 Cup!
Images © Martin W. Spetz
