New sponsor and name for United SportsCar Championship in 2016

Motoring accessory manufacturer WeatherTech, which sponsors a car in the championship, will replace watchmaker Tudor as lead sponsor, while the name of USC sanctioning body IMSA will be used for the series for the first time.

The series will be officially known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, effective of November 1.

WeatherTech founder David MacNeil, who son Cooper's cars carry company branding in the USC, said: "This is an exciting time for sportscar racing in America and I hope to broaden the appeal of this compelling sport."

MacNeil Jr won the ALMS GTC title together with Jeroen Bleekemolen in 2013, while his father finished on the podium in class in the inaugural event of the series at Sebring in 1999.

Tudor, which is a subsidiary of Rolex, used its sponsorship of the USC to help relaunch the brand in the USA and will now move into the role of official watch supplier for the series.

Rolex will continue its sponsorship of the Daytona 24 Hours, which stretches back to 1992, and will also back the Sebring 12 Hours from next year.

A 10-year extension to Rolex's naming deal for Daytona, the opening round of the USC, was unveiled in January and an arrangement for the company to become an official sponsor of round two at Sebring was announced over the course of last weekend's Road America USC event.