Road America hosts North America’s two largest sports car racing championships in August, one week apart. Up first is IMSA and the Motul SportsCar Grand Prix.
The beautiful sights of the circuit, known as “America’s National Park of Speed,” are always welcome – even if today, they’re covered in the residual haze caused by wildfires in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, unhealthy air quality levels are expected to persist for the next several days. The race meeting is expected to proceed as scheduled, and the atmosphere isn’t expected to turn away most spectators.
Though it is recommended that children, seniors, and people with heart and/or lung conditions take every necessary precaution if they are to come to Road America (or go outside at all).
Team WRT is hiring – in Europe and the United States!
Hot on the heels of the confirmation earlier today that the 17-year partnership between BMW M Motorsport and Team RLL will conclude at the end of the current season, Team WRT, widely expected to be named in due course as the new service provider for the BMW IMSA GTP programme, has launched a widespread recruitment campaign.
Most interestingly, the ads make it clear that the Belgian-based superteam is recruiting Engineers, Mechanics and Truckies not only to their new Bierset, Belgium HQ, but also in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the United States.
WRT currently have no live US-based programmes.
Siebkens welcome party, Celebrity Bartender challenge
The famous Siebkens Stop-Inn Tavern will host the IMSA Elkhart Lake Welcome Party this evening from 6–10 PM CT (local time).
From 7–8:30 PM there will be a Celebrity Bartender Challenge featuring several IMSA WeatherTech drivers, and all cash tips will be donated to the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer, and Camp Boggy Creek.
12 drivers will take part in the challenge: Robert Wickens and Alec Udell (DXDT Racing), Ben Barnicoat, Aaron Telitz, Parker Thompson, and Jack Hawksworth (Vasser Sullivan Racing), Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims (Corvette Racing/Pratt Miller Motorsports), Gar Robinson (Riley LMP2), Patrick Gallagher (Turner Motorsport), and Ricky and Jordan Taylor (Wayne Taylor Racing). Wayne Taylor and Bill Riley will also take part in the event.
2025 debut for Team Tonis
Unloaded for its first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race is Team Tonis, which had tested at Road America in preparation for its debut race.
Much of the team, comprising family and close friends of owner/driver Tonis Kasemets, has no experience working with LMP2 cars.
Kasemets, to his credit, has plenty of driving experience around this circuit: The 2022 IMSA Prototype Challenge has raced contemporary LMP2s at Road America, he’s won here in the Atlantic Championship, and the last of his five Champ Car World Series starts came here in 2006.
The bare carbon #61 ORECA 07-Gibson that Kasemets and fellow American open-wheel alumni Matthew Brabham will drive is the former MDK/High Class Racing car from 2024. Not only that, but a handful of High Class Racing staff from the team’s European base in L’Amettla del Valles (near Barcelona) have come to Road America to assist in getting the team up and running.
This is the only planned appearance for Team Tonis in 2025 – but there are serious ambitions of using the SportsCar Grand Prix at Road America as a launching pad to a larger slate in 2026.
Koch to finish season with Triarsi
As noted, Kenton Koch will make his second start with Triarsi Competizione, and Koch has confirmed to DSC that he will finish out the season with the Orlando-based team.
Koch and co-driver Onofrio Triarsi Jnr finished seventh at CTMP, in their first race together aboard the #021 Ferrari 296 GT3.
The arrangement will see Koch drive in at least the final two races at Indianapolis and Road Atlanta. Only the upcoming Michelin GT Challenge at VIR is a question mark as of today, but both sides are working towards a solution that will get them on the grid for all three of the remaining races.
Koch is currently sixth in the GTD Drivers’ Championship, 13 points behind Turner Motorsport’s Patrick Gallagher and Robby Foley.
Korthoff Mercedes scratched, out for 2025
The #32 Korthoff Competition Motors Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO did not arrive and has been scratched from the SportsCar Grand Prix entry list. DSC has been told that the Korthoff team will not contest the remaining races this season.
But a source close to the team also said that Korthoff has every intention to return in 2026, following the abrupt exit of driver Seth Lucas, and the team’s principal partner, Competition Motors (owned by Chris Lucas, Seth’s father).
The #32 Mercedes-AMG of Koch, Daniel Morad, and Mikey Taylor finished third in its last race at Watkins Glen.
Morad and Mike Skeen were on the provisional entry list for this weekend’s race.
VGRT Cupra TCR set for Pilot Challenge debut
VGRT (Victor Gonzalez Racing Team) will be the second IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge team to run the Cupra Leon VZ TCR starting this weekend.
Eric Powell and Tyler Gonzalez will drive the grey #99 Cupra, which replaces the team’s previous Hyundai Elantra N TCR.
The first Cupra TCR, entered by Gou Racing, has a best finish of sixth at Laguna Seca in four appearances. Eddie and Eduardo Gou originally finished second at Watkins Glen, but were moved to the back of the class (disqualified) after the car failed post-race technical inspection.
VGRT will also be scaling down to a one-car entry at Road America; Lance Bergstein and Jon Miller’s #18 Hyundai will now be run by Bryan Herta Autosport moving forward. It’ll be the fifth Hyundai in the BHA stable.
The 38-car entry list for the Michelin Pilot Challenge Road America 120 can be seen HERE >>>. Lamborghini Super Trofeo, Porsche Carrera Cup, and Mustang Challenge complete the collection of support races.
Images © RJ O’Connell / Dailysportscar.com; additional images © Team WRT
