Autosport Plus

Why DPi isn't all about Penske versus Joest

Two of the great names of US sportscar racing are back on the scene, lured by IMSA's highly successful DPi platform. But the technical challenge has changed dramatically in their time away and reputation alone won't cut it

Engineering

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For those too young to remember the IMSA GTP days, the Audi versus Porsche rivalry that reached its peak in the American Le Mans Series midway through 2007 was a high-water mark for US sportscar racing.

On paper, the normally-aspirated RS Spyders in the LMP2 class should have been no match for Audi's revolutionary turbodiesel R10s. But thanks to a series of technical waivers - the ALMS all too happy to see Audi face a challenge for once - and extensive development over the winter, the 150kg-lighter Porsche was a persistent challenger for outright victory on a calendar dominated by tight road and street courses, managing the feat eight times in the season.

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Author James Newbold

James Newbold is Autosport's Plus Editor, responsible for coordinating website feature content.

In a sign of things to come, having completed his Politics and International Relations degree at the University of East Anglia in 2015, he left his graduation ceremony early to catch the last train to Brussels for the following day's Spa 24 Hours.

After a period as a freelancer, he joined the Autosport staff in 2018 and won the Motorsport UK young journalist of the year award. He initially edited Autosport magazine's Performance and Engineering supplements before joining the website team in his current role in 2020.

A keen enthusiast of anything that can be categorised unusual or niche, he enjoys unearthing little-known stories across all branches of motorsport, but has spent most of his career covering sportscars and is a regular part of the Le Mans 24 Hours reporting team.

He lives with his wife and children in Plymouth, England.