Rain showers were an unpleasant surprise at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta last night, lasting through until the morning. But the sun eventually poked through the clouds on a full day of practice for the 26th annual Motul Petit Le Mans.
It was a busy day today with the IMSA State Of The Series press conference, the long-awaited reveal of the 2024 season entry list, and the announcement of Ford’s driver line-up for the new Mustang GT3 programme.
Our notebook features all the other stories of note today.
A different look for Tower Motorsports
Tower Motorsports’ traditional black and orange look has been replaced this weekend with dark and light shades of blue.
Enterprise resource planning company Acumatica has joined the Tower team this weekend as its primary sponsor.
Current IndyCar driver Scott McLaughlin headlines the lineup alongside future IndyCar driver Kyffin Simpson, while Ari Balogh is also a notable addition in this, his LMP2 debut – filling in for the injured John Farano.
Winward Racing goes pink and black for breast cancer research
Another new look is seen at Winward Racing.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the United States, and both of Winward’s cars in the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship and Michelin Pilot Challenge are wearing special pink and black liveries with the goal of raising $5,700 USD towards the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
The team will be raising funds through the end of race day on Saturday.
Cetilar Ferrari expected to return to track tomorrow
Cetilar Racing’s weekend started on the wrong foot after Antonio Fuoco’s crash early in the first practice session on Thursday.
The team spent today repairing the car. The monocoque and engine remained intact but the team needed a new modular rear section and gearbox change.
Fuoco was taken to the circuit medical centre as a precaution but is okay. The #47 Ferrari 296 GT3 that he shares with Roberto Lacorte and Giorgio Sernagiotto is expected to return to the track in time for Qualifying tomorrow.
Garg wins VP Challenge Race 1
Jr III Racing’s Bijoy Garg won Race 1 of the VP Racing Sportscar Challenge finale at Road Atlanta, to provisionally clinch the 2023 LMP3 class title.
Garg took his fifth win in a row and seventh of the year in total. Third-generation driver Jagger Jones originally finished second but was given a post-race time penalty for causing a collision with Brady Behrman. This promoted IMSA Diverse Driver Scholarship recipient Courtney Crone to second, with Brian Thienes rounding out the class podium.
Garg only needs to start Race 2 tomorrow to clinch the title.
Sebastian Carazo won the GSX class in his #27 KellyMoss with Riley Porsche 718 Cayman GT4, holding off championship leader Francis Selldorff.
Carazo trails Selldorff by 200 points heading into tomorrow’s finale. His only chance to win the title will be if Carazo wins and Selldorff finishes last out of 16 starters – Carazo would then hold the tiebreaker over Selldorff, 2 race wins to 1. Otherwise, Selldorff virtually has to start tomorrow’s race to wrap up the title for Turner Motorsport.
Zilisch wins MX-5 Race 1, Thomas is champion-elect
Connor Zilisch won Race 1 of the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup finale by an enormous margin of 0.144 seconds over Toyota GR Cup champion Tyler Gonzalez on Friday.
Zilisch, Gonzalez, Jared Thomas, and Selin Rollan finished a full second apart from one another on the road but Rollan was given a ten-second time penalty after the race for incident responsibility.
With Aaron Jeanssone in seventh, Thomas has provisionally clinched the 2023 MX-5 Cup title and just needs to roll off to officially win the championship tomorrow.
Ben Keating finished 4 laps down in 26th after being involved in an early incident.
Finally, Dailysportscar would like to send our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of Ed Conway, the long-time public address announcer of Road Atlanta and Road America who passed away on Tuesday.
Conway was the ‘voice of Road Atlanta’ from the circuit’s first event in 1970 and continued on for nearly half a century, he also began as the PA announcer for Road America beginning in 1990. Conway also established the Lakeview Community Action Committee, an organisation benefitting the citizens of his home town of Lakeview Heights, Georgia.
“There are probably, in this crowd, a lot of people – maybe two generations – that grew up at this track listening to Ed, and I don’t think there’s ever been an announcer with that long of an association that I can think of with a track,” Greg Creamer told DSC.
“It was unbelievable how much he loved this place. And there was nothing that he liked more than sharing his passion for racing and Road Atlanta with the crowd. And it showed every time he talked.
“He was a consummate professional, but his heart was as big as his talent. And that’s what I think sets him apart because he’s one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met. He loved people deeply and had this wicked sense of humour. Any time you spent with him, you left with a much bigger smile on your face.”
