IMSA has published the provisional entry list for next week’s Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP – formerly Mosport), featuring a total of 35 cars and headlined by the LMP2 class.
Next Sunday’s race will take place on the same weekend as the WEC 6 Hours of Saõ Paulo at Interlagos, which has forced some LMP2 teams to make driver changes – and ensures that, while the cars of GTP won’t be taking the trip north of the US/Canada border, some of its stars will.
As previously announced, Filipe Albuquerque will take Paul di Resta’s place in the #22 United Autosports USA ORECA LMP2 07, and Louis Deletraz will replace Paul-Loup Chatin aboard ‘Spike’, the #99 AO Racing ORECA.
Joining this group of GTP-to-LMP2 ringers are Renger van der Zande and Pipo Derani from the Cadillac stable. Van der Zande is slotted into the #8 Tower Motorsport ORECA in place of the absent Charlie Eastwood. Meanwhile, Derani will drive the #88 Richard Mille AF Corse car that recently won the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, replacing Le Mans 24 Hours champion Nicklas Nielsen.
Along these same lines, Michelin Endurance Cup driver Scott Huffaker takes the place of Mikkel Jensen in the #11 TDS Racing ORECA.
There’s one more LMP2 driver change of note – not among the pros, but among the Bronzes. Dwight Merriman is stepping away from the cockpit of the #18 ORECA 07 for the following two rounds, after victories at Daytona and Sebring.
Taking his place alongside Ryan Dalziel is IMSA newcomer Stuart Wiltshire, the 59-year-old Englishman who has specialised in “modern historic” sportscar racing in recent years – in the Masters Historic Racing circuit aboard a Ligier JS P2 and Peugeot 90X, and in the Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) series in an Era Motorsport-prepared, ex-Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05.
Wiltshire’s appointment comes alongside news from Era Motorsport that the team is seeking a new LMP2 Bronze driver to anchor its team in 2025, as Merriman “is looking to expand his racing portfolio into a new project which we will be announcing later this year,” according to team owner Kyle Tilley.
Merriman, therefore, will concede his lead in the Jim Trueman Award standings, which was ten points over Riley’s Gar Robinson, and 60 points over Inter Europol/PR1 Mathiasen’s Nick Boulle. The Trueman Award winner will be granted an automatic invitation to the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans.
As for the LMP2 Drivers’ Championship proper, Robinson, Felipe Fraga, and Josh Burdon currently lead by just six points over Merriman, Dalziel, and Connor Zilisch – with Boulle, Tom Dillmann, and Jakub Śmiechowski only 40 points back.
All nine full-season GTD Pro entries are on the list, joined by 14 GTD cars.
The Heart of Racing Team is coming off a GTD Pro class win at Watkins Glen. Both team cars will have refreshed driver line-ups due to WEC clashes for Alex Riberas and Zacharie Robichon: Mario Farnbacher steps back into the GTD Pro #23 Aston Martin Vantage GT3, and Spencer Pumpelly is back in the GTD #27.
Also of note is the #43 Andretti Motorsports Porsche in GTD, which has no announced drivers. Jarett Andretti and Gabby Chaves have driven the car throughout the season.
Winward Racing has an overwhelming 305-point lead in the GTD standings, meanwhile, the top three driver combinations are separated by 60 points at the top of GTD Pro, led by AO Racing’s Laurin Heinrich and Seb Priaulx.
Images © Richard Dole / IMSA
