IMSA reveals 2022 race calendar, tweaks GTD Pro rules

The schedule was unveiled at IMSA's traditional annual 'State of the Sport' presentation at Road America, and features the same roster of venues that made up the calendar prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As per usual, the Daytona 24 Hours kicks off the season on 27-30 January, following on from the Roar Before the 24 test at the same venue on 21-23 January - which keeps its later date for a second season in a row.

That will be followed by the Sebring 12 Hours on 16-19 March, while the 'West Coast swing' of Long Beach and Laguna Seca return to their original April slots, with those races having been moved to September this year in response to the ongoing health crisis.

The remaining races remain largely unchanged compared to the originally announced dates for the 2021 schedule.

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, axed from both this year and last year's calendar because of the pandemic, is set to return on 1-3 July following the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen in late June.

The Petit Le Mans season finale at Road Atlanta has been shifted a week forward, meaning the season will close on 1 October.

#79 WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 RSR - 19, GTLM: Mathieu Jaminet, Matt Campbell, Cooper MacNeil

Photo by: Art Fleischmann

IMSA makes BoP U-turn on GTD Pro

IMSA has abandoned plans to manage an independent Balance of Performance (BoP) for both the GTD Pro and GTD classes, and instead will treat them as a single category for BoP purposes.

Both the new FIA GT3-based GTD Pro division, which replaces GT Le Mans in 2022, and GTD will therefore feature functionally identical cars and tyres, with the only real differentiating factor now being that GTD Pro does not feature any restrictions on driver classification.

Qualifying for the two classes will also be combined, with the GTD runners having to use a bronze- or silver-rated driver. Additionally, there will no longer be a separate session to determine qualifying points for the GTD class, which was a new addition for the 2021 season.

Provisional 2022 IMSA schedule:

^ denotes Michelin Endurance Cup round

* denotes Sprint Cup round only for GTD