The Porsche 963 driving on the racetrack by night.

Familiar race series, new rules: the IMSA

It is a partnership, that has previously achieved top spots in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship before. Porsche and Team Penske return and have a clear target: victories in the new (old) GTP class.

These announcements made the hearts of nostalgic motorsport fans race: one, the return of the GTP class to the IMSA, and two, the revival of the motorsport partnership between Team Penske and Porsche. In the past, both alone were events that have written motorsport history. From the 2023 season onwards, both will occur at the same time.

What can fans of the upcoming IMSA season expect? A look at the past may offer some insight.

Five historic Porsche race cars lined up in two rows behind a starting line as the audience watches.

New times, old requirements: Grand Touring Prototype

For twelve years, from 1981 to 1993, the first iteration of the GTP class has captivated motorsport fans. Even back then, the category was considered the top category. Even back then, the goal was to show the future of street vehicles on the racetrack with prototype. And even today, it aims to make motorsport sustainable and reduce fuel consumption.

Then and now, the rules are surprisingly similar and shaped an intense competition between the manufacturers and the teams supported by them. Today, it’s called Balance in Performance (BoP) and limits the possibilities of the teams to maximize dynamics and performance at multiple points of their vehicle. So, it is about finetuning – something the brand Porsche is particularly good at. After all, the Porsche dual-clutch transmission (PDK) –now a standard in the Panamera – made its first public appearance in the 956 under GTP class rules.

Porsche has taught me: Every race means a further step in development.

Derek Bellformer Porsche Motorsport driver

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: 5 classes, 3 vehicle types, 1 racetrack

After six seasons and 58 races, the GTP class steeped in history replaces the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) as top class. Beside this change, the four other IMSA classes remain: the Le Mans Prototype (LMP) 2 and 3 categories, along with the GT Daytona (GTD) and GTD Pro.

All five classes participate at the same time in the race. Still, only three different vehicle types are recognizable on the racetrack: LMP2 and LMP3 vehicles are similarly limited as in the GTP category but are pure race vehicles. Contrasting with that are the vehicles of the GTD and GTD Pro classes, as they are based on street vehicles and merely differ in the fact that mainly factory teams take part in the Pro class, while the GTD class is mainly for customer racing teams.

The GTD class is not the only one with customer racing teams: we are happy to see other teams in the GTP class with the Porsche 963:

Our Porsche Customer Racing Teams

Challenging competition

But the customer racing teams in the grid of the GTP class are still competition. Beside them, the Porsche Penske Motorsport Team will be facing further manufacturer and driver teams – some of which are already familiar names from the homologation phase.

Cadillac Racing with their Cadillac V-LMDh, WTR – Konica Minolta Acura with the Acura ARX-06 and the BMW M Team RLL with their BMW M Hybrid V8 were already on the same test tracks as the Porsche 963. Joining them will be Action Express Racing along with Whelen Engineering Racing in the Cadillac V-LMDh, and Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian in the Acura ARX-06.

We are proud to present one of the strongest and competititve lineups we have ever seen.

John Doonan IMSA President

Showdown on the ractrack

The races of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship take place on nine racetracks in North America and vary between endurance and shorter races. One thing stays the same though: The goal to emerge as victor and win titles.

Rolex 24 at Daytona

12 Hours of Sebring

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

Raceway Laguna Seca

6 Hours of the Glen

Canada Grand Prix

Sportscar Weekend Road America

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Petit Le Mans

Rolex 24 at Daytona

Races on Daytona Beach have a longstanding tradition – one well over 100 years. What once began with so-called ‘Speed Trials’ became (after a small local relocation) a historical track that hosted the first Rolex 24 in Daytona in 1962. Once a three-hour race, the so-called Daytona Continental, it developed into a 2.000 kilometer-long / 1.243 miles-long race just two years after the first Rolex 24. The 24-hour race as we know it today, has existed since 1966.

A special challenge specific to the race is the time spent driving at night. Due to standard time, the drivers and teams spend the most time in the dark, mostly dependent on their vehicle lights.

12 Hours of Sebring

As one of the oldest racetracks in North America, the Sebring International Raceway has played host to an endurance race since 1952: the 12 Hours of Sebring. It’s location on a former US Army airfield is striking. Parts of the former Hendricks Army Airfield are still used as regional airport today.

Due to the fact that the racetracks partially runs across old runways from World War II, drivers experience regular changes in driving surfaces. This is also demanding toward the vehicles: due to the wide seams between concrete slabs and unevenness caused by age, the vehicle base often scrapes across them as sparks fly.

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

Almost down by the waterfront of Long Beach, around the Long Beach Convention Center – that’s where the city course of the Acura Grand Prix lies. Inhabitants of the city are familiar with the blockage of public roads since 1977.

This roadblock sets the stage for the track of the Grand Prix. The participants of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship are forced to adapt to entirely different surfaces as they are used to. Though that doesn’t mean that the track exclusively runs through endless skyscrapers: particularly around start and finish line, visitors can look out onto the open waters of Long Beach.

Raceway Laguna Seca

Between picteresque hiking paths and popular camping spots also used during race weekends, is the Raceway Laguna Seca. The area itself is uneven, lending the Raceway a world-renowned and challenging curve combination: the Corkscrew.

Due to an 18 m / 59 ft difference in altitude on a stretch of 140 m / 460 ft, it’s not possible for drivers to see beyond the upcoming hilltop. Additionally, the ascent is paired with a sharp left-right-combination.

6 Hours of the Glen

Like other racetracks, Watkins Glen International was a child of the local racing scene and moved to a fixed location in the course of its history. Over time, the track experienced several changes, but since 1968, one thing has remained unchanged: the six-hour race.

The track is fast-paced in the first half with many straights. In the second half, drivers experience a technically challenging sequence of left-right curves, particularly along the so-called ‘Boot’: After a sharp left turn comes the ‘Toe’ with a right turn, followed by a short straight and a sharp right, the so-called ‘Heel’.

Canada Grand Prix

The Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in the south of Canada is the stage for multiple motorsport events. Before 2012, the track was better known as ‘Mosport’, a portmanteau term made up of ‘Motor’ and ‘Sport’. Bar a small change in width to adhere to FIA specifications, the track has remained unchanged since its opening in 1961.

The 4 kilometer-long / 2.485 mile-long track consists of ten curves, most of them sustained, thus creating high-speed rounds. Still, the track offers technical challenges, such as the u-shaped “Moss Corner”.

Sportscar Weekend Road America

Since 1955, the Road America has been a venue for motorsport. The track itself adapts to the natural environment, resulting in many changes in elevation on the 6.5-kilometer-long / 4.04-miles-long track. On top of that, the maximum speed on the “Road America Straight” – which is the start and finish straight – can reach up to 320 kph / 199 mph.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

At over 110 years, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway one of the oldest courses of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and also a popculture legend. And the track is currently in ownership of the Penske Coorperation – meaning the same family as the Porsche Penske Motorsport Team.

Due to the use of bricks for the first paving of the track, it received the nickname ‘Brickyard’. Now, there isn’t much left of the bricks – only around the start and finish a line of bricks has remained.

Petit Le Mans

Since 1998, the Road Atlanta has been the venue of the Petit Le Mans endurance race. As one of the most popular racetracks in North America, it offers multiple high-speed challenges.

Particularly the last curve right before the finish line leaves an impression: In aerial view, it seems harmless, but drivers can’t see past the apex of the curve. With the right speed, this curve can make or break the further course of the race.

A new chance for legends

Every race is a new challenge, every season a new beginning: After its debut in the 2023 season, the Porsche Penske Motorsport Team will once again battle for success, victories and podium finishes. The drivers are deeply familiar with their vehicle, the tracks are well-known to them as well – now it is time to forge new legends with the Porsche 963.

IMSA

Porsche 963

Penske

LMDh Prototype