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IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

Road America's IMSA Road Race Showcase GTLM, GTD preview

Compiled by Gary Becker

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship makes its annual visit to the Dairy State for the IMSA Road Race Showcase at the 4.04 Road America course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The two hour and forty minute race takes the green flag at 2:35 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 4, with live streaming video via the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. NBCSN will televise the race on a delayed basis beginning at 6 p.m. Sunday.

Eight entries make up the GTLM field and GTD boasts a 15 car field. In the new set of Balance of Performance Tables. In GTD the Acuras gain some weight while Ferrari and McLaren lose a few pounds. The Ferraris also get some more power and fuel while the McLaren gets a big power gain.

The longest track of the year provides a fast, flowing circuit for tires, with long straightaways providing more of an opportunity for the Michelin tires to cool. GTLM competitors will have 10 sets of their Michelin proprietary GTLM range. and GTD competitors will have 8 sets of the MICHELIN Pilot Sport GT S9M commercial tires.

In GTLM Corvette Racing makes its 13th appearance at Road America with seven wins and a like number of pole positions since 2002. The biggest item for Corvette Racing is the return of Tommy Milner to the No.4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R alongside Oliver Gavin. Milner suffered an injury to his left hand during an opening-lap crash at Watkins Glen, forcing him to miss the two most recent rounds at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Lime Rock Park as Marcel Fässler subbed in the No.4 Corvette. Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen, in the No.3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette, stand third in GTLM points heading to Road America in their attempt for a championship three-peat. They were third last year at Road America to their No.4 teammates.

"I get really excited to go to Road America each year." said Milner "It’s one of those classic, old-school circuits on our schedule. We’re super-lucky in IMSA to have such cool tracks to go to. These circuits are what every driver wants in a race track. The long straights, the big brake zones and the challenge of the circuit… it promotes great competition especially in multi-class sports car racing. I hesitate to say we’re spoiled or we take them for granted but the Europeans who come over always talk when they come over about how super these tracks are, and they are that good."

Elkhart Lake is always something special for BMW Team RLL and Team Principal Bobby Rahal. It was the site of the team’s very first victory with BMW, a win for Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand from the pole in 2009. Over the last few years, the team has scored two more poles, two more victories and five additional podium finishes at Road America. With the recent success at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, a similar high-speed, flowing, old school circuit, where the team qualified one-two and finished second and fourth the team is ready for a good weekend at Road America. Tom Blomqvist, competing in his first race at Road America, and Connor De Phillippi will drive the No.25 BMW M8 GTE and John Edwards and Jesse Krohn will pilot the No.24 BMW M8 GTE.

Porsche has five WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race wins and a 24-point lead in the GTLM class Manufacturers’ Championship. The two-car “works” Porsche GT Team comes to Road America with the goal to maintain the momentum that has seen the Porsche 911 RSR capture seven-straight podium finishes including a five-race win streak. With four races remaining in the 12-event championship, the No.912, with full-season regulars Earl Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor currently leads teammates Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy in the No.911. The cars have split the German marque’s wins with #Bamthor, as the pairing of Bamber and Vanthoor have become internationally recognized, earning class wins at Long Beach, Mid-Ohio and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Pilet/Tandy have taken victory at Sebring (with Fredrick Makowiecki) and Watkins Glen. The most recent Road America GTLM class win for Porsche came with Pilet and Tandy behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 RSR in 2015, on their way to the Manufacturer Championship.

"Road America is my absolute favorite race track in the US." Bamber said "It is fast and full of challenges. We have had a hard time with good results here in recent years. Overall, this season has been very good. With second-place at the last race in Lime Rock, we were able to extend our lead in the championship. I'm looking forward to Road America. "

Ford Chip Ganassi Racing will represent Ford's racing program with the usual two Ford GTs. Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller will be in the No.66 while Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook share the No.67.

"It's going to be a very hot dance again," says Dirk Müller, looking ahead to the next race. "In the championship, unfortunately, I have a good 20 points behind and it will not be easy to make up for the strong Porsche against the backlog. But on the road America I feel very well and she is one of my favorite tracks in the US. I have been able to claim the pole position in the past three years, and last year's race went well after the victory in 2017, until the defect on the rear axle that cost us victory. I hope we can win again this time on the Road America. "

In GTD Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) drivers Trent Hindman and Mario Farnbacher currently hold a 30 point lead in the GT-Daytona championship standings in the No.86 AutoNation Acura NSX GT3 as the duo head to Road America. The team scored second at Lime Rock Park after securing the pole position and leading 129 laps. The team has scored two podium finishes at Road America (2012 & 2014) but is still looking to capture that first win.

Hindman has scored an impressive four wins and four additional podium finishes at Road America competing in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and Super Trofeo Series.

“So far the summer swing has treated the No. 86 MSR team quite well and we certainly look to continue that solid run of results this weekend at Road America,” said Hindman. “Goal number one is always to maintain focus on the bigger pictures and have an aggressive, but smart race at Road America. The Acura NSX has also been monumental in our efforts this year and has maximized results at racetracks that previously were not well suited for us. Again, all of that comes down to the beautiful work by Mike (Shank), Mario and the entire MSR team.”

Katherine Legge and Bia Figueiredo will share the No.57 Heinricher Racing w/Meyer Shank Racing Caterpillar / Mobil 1 Acura NSX GT3.

WeatherTech Racing drivers Cooper MacNeil and Toni Vilander are ready to take on the longest track on the schedule.

MacNeil has been on the podium there and living just three hours away has turned many laps at the central Wisconsin circuit. The team had a tough outing in Lime Rock two weeks ago and will be looking to get back on track this weekend with a strong performance in front of many hometown fans and WeatherTech associates that will be on hand at Road America on Sunday.

"It is always good to race at Road America which I consider my home track," MacNeil said. "It has about every kind of turn there is, high-speed and low-speed, off camber and then there is The Kink that tests your courage as well as the set-up of the car. We are ready to have a good race. We've had some tough outings this year and we need to really put together a complete weekend where we are good in practice and have a car capable of running upfront in the race. I think this can be that weekend."

The Lexus RC F GT3 returns to the historic Road America circuit for the third time in IMSA competition with its best finish of sixth-place coming last year. Jack Hawksworth has made three starts at Road America, including once in the IndyCar Series in 2016 and twice in IMSA competition with his best finish of fourth place coming in just his second-career IMSA start in 2014. Hawksworth also turned the fastest GTD lap around the Road America circuit in 2017 behind the wheel of the RC F GT3. His teammate, Richard Heistand, has raced at Road America twice in Skip Barber National competition and was victorious there in 2006. Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo have both raced at the Wisconsin road course a handful of times with Bell’s best finish of fourth coming in 2015, and Montecalvo earned a class win there in the Pirelli World Challenge race in 2015.

“We’re spoiled in IMSA, getting to go to the best road courses in America." said Bell "Road America is certainly at or near the top of the list of everybody’s favorite road racing circuit. The track has long straightaways, heavy braking zones and fast corners should fit well with our Lexus RC F GT3. We had a tough race at Lime Rock and looking to make up points in the Championship this weekend at Road America.”

Three customer teams will field three Porsche 911 GT3 R in the GTD class. Park Place Motorsports, Pfaff Motorsports and Wright Motorsports each enter a single GT3-spec machine. In 2018, the John Wright-led squad won the category at the legendary track from pole position.

As the defending GTD class race-winning driver, Porsche factory ace Patrick Long takes on the natural terrain road course in the No.73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. Long will share the car with driver/owner Patrick Lindsey who drove to the class pole position at Road America in 2015.

“Road America is a racetrack that you have to be strong in all areas of performance." said Long "You can expect a lot of big braking zones, high-speed long straightaways and technical surface changes. It makes for a tricky setup and a very rigorous, flat-out stint. As always, the competition will be tight and strategy will be key. The Park Place Porsche was one of, if not the strongest car last year at Road America so we’ll head into this race with confidence especially with a Porsche victory at the last round.”

The defending GTD race-winning team, Wright Motorsports, continues its two-race season with Porsche Young Professional Dennis Olsen moving from his one-race stay with Pfaff into the No.91 Porsche with Anthony Imperato. Olsen co-drove the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R to victory lane at the most recent race at Lime Rock Park.

"I'm looking forward to the Road America track and my commitment to Wright Motorsports." addded Olsen "My teammate will be Anthony Imperato, who drove a great race in Lime Rock. We'll see what we can do together with the team. It would be nice if I could build on the victory in Lime Rock. I feel fit and prepared very well through a test session. "

Fellow Porsche Young Professional Matt Campbell fills the vacated Pfaff seat at Road America and will compete with 2018 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama Champion Zacharie Robichon.

"I'm looking forward to my first experiences at the Road America circuit and to another race in the IMSA SportsCar Championship." said Campbell "This time around I'm starting for Pfaff Motorsports, who won the last race in Lime Rock with a great performance from the team and my Porsche Young Professional colleague Dennis Olsen. "

Magnus Racing will arrive this weekend with a new color scheme on the No.44 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO in the hopes of further improving their fortunes. While consistency has been the key for drivers John Potter and Andy Lally, currently just seven points shy of second in the championship, a singular podium at Sebring has left the team in search of improved results. Looking to shake things up after the popular reception of the team’s Saturn V rocket livery at Lime Rock, the team will swap their 2019 dark-grey and blue-trim livery in favor of the reverse, running a base blue for funsies at Road America.

“Since we were already altering the livery after Lime Rock, we figured why not keep playing with it,” stated Magnus Racing team owner John Potter. “We’ve enjoyed a dark grey base for four years now, but we figured why not try something different since we’re at it. Road America has been a race of mixed fortunes for us, but we’re hopeful this could be a good weekend depending on the usual range of factors. It’s a tight fight for second in the championship, and we’re eager to see where these final few races take us.”

Paul Miller Racing's Ryan Hardwick will miss the remainder of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship after suffering a knee injury in a recent crash at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Hardwick missed the most recent round at Lime Rock Park but was hopeful of returning for this week's round at Road America.Ryan Hardwick However, the Atlanta-based racer received a disappointing medical update this week. Hardwick will require reconstructive surgery on his left knee forcing him out of action for the remainder of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Paul Miller Racing's endurance racer Corey Lewis will now fill in for the remainder of the season.

A pair of Mercedes-AMG GT3 machines are entered. The No.33 Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsports with Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen and Lone Star Racing's No.74 Ranch Resort / ACS Manufacturing Mercedes with Gar Robinson and Lawson Aschenbach.

The always quick Turner Motorsports No.96 BMW M6 GT3 will be driven by Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley.

Practice for the IMSA Road Race Showcase begins Friday morning with DPi-class qualifying set for 2:25 p.m. EDT Saturday with live streaming video via IMSA.tv and the IMSA Mobile App beginning at 1:25 p.m. The green flag for Sunday’s two-hour, 40-minute race flies at 2:35 p.m. with live streaming video via the NBC Sports App and www.NBCSports.com. NBCSN will televise the race beginning at 6 p.m. Sunday. Live timing and scoring during all on-track sessions is available at www.IMSA.com and via the IMSA smartphone app.

*Photographs by Blake Blakely

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8/01/19

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