Spirit of Daytona's Westbrook tops final Daytona 24 Hours USC test
The Corvette DP continued to dominate on the final day of Daytona 24 Hours testing as Richard Westbrook went quickest for Spirit of Daytona
Westbrook set Sunday's benchmark 1m39.748s lap in the morning session in warm conditions.
Overall, the Corvette DPs had five of the six quickest times during the three-day United SportsCar test, led by Christian Fittipaldi's lap of 1m38.630s on the first near-freezing day in the Action Express Racing car.
The three Ford-powered Riley DPs did not participate on the final day. Chip Ganassi Racing left on Saturday night with both cars after an engine failure in the EcoBoost turbo of its #01, which posted the third fastest lap overall in the test.
Michael Shank Racing loaded up its Riley-Ford on Sunday morning.
Extreme Speed was again quickest among the LMP2 entries, in seventh place with a time of 1m39.750s.
Its #2 HPD ARX-03b spun at the Bus Stop chicane with Johannes van Overbeek at the wheel, suffering front end body damage.
The team was trying a radical suspension set-up for the spec Continental tyres to gain ground on the DPs.
Sam Bird again led the PC category for Starworks, setting his 1m42.960s lap in the afternoon, nine tenths of a second off the team's weekend benchmark in class.
"The car wasn't set up to be as quick through the corners," said Bird. "We've been working on getting it right for the race so all the drivers can run consistent times."
Oliver Gavin (pictured) was fastest in the Corvette C7.R on the third day in GT LM with a time of 1m45.915s, but the CORE Autosport Porsche 911's 1m45.564s on Friday was quickest overall in the test
In GTD, Markus Winkelhock was quickest in the Flying Lizard Audi R8 LMS on Sunday with a 1m48.462s. Team-mate Spencer Pumpelly set the quickest lap for the test with a 1m47.981s.
Ganassi's Jamie McMurray leads Daytona 24 Hours test day two
Giancarlo Fisichella switches into 2014 USC with Ferrari
IMSA Road America: Albuquerque on pole, Bourdais crashes
Wayne Taylor Racing’s Filipe Albuquerque took pole position for Sunday’s IMSA SportsCar Championship round at Road America for Acura in a qualifying that was red-flagged when Sebastien Bourdais crashed out.
Calendar revealed for 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship
The IMSA SportsCar Championship has revealed an 11-race schedule for 2023, with Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course coming in at the expense of Mid-Ohio and Detroit.
Porsche unveils latest generation 911 GT3 car
Porsche has focused on driveability on the new GT3 contender it unveiled ahead of this weekend’s Spa 24 Hours.
IMSA to make Indianapolis Motor Speedway return in 2023
The IMSA SportsCar Championship will race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time since 2014 next September, with a 160-minute contest.
The British pair at the heart of Lexus's IMSA push
Have you heard the one about two northerners driving for a Japanese manufacturer in America’s top sportscar series? Time to sit down and talk with Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat about racing across the pond… and your accent being mistaken for Australian
Why Peugeot couldn't afford to take a Le Mans gamble in 2022
Ahead of the much-anticipated arrival of its new 9X8 Hypercar, Peugeot revealed that it would not be entering this year's Le Mans 24 Hours with its incoming machinery. Although development restrictions for homologated cars are partially responsible, the French marque can draw on its own lessons from its history in sportscars
Why two names for the same thing could cloud sportscar racing's new golden era
OPINION: The adoption by IMSA of the GTP name for its forthcoming LMDh versus Le Mans Hypercar era in 2023 appeals to fans of nostalgia - but it undermines the commonality achieved by bringing its rulebook into line with the World Endurance Championship. GTP or Hypercar, both sides should settle on a single name
Celebrating the weird and wonderful monsters of sportscar racing
Few disciplines of motorsport offer better possibilities to build a colossus of the track than sportscars. For Autosport's recent Monsters of Motorsport special issue, we picked out some of the finest (and not so fine) that have graced sportscar classics including Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring
How Castroneves and Meyer Shank conquered another US classic
Helio Castroneves continued his fine start to life with Meyer Shank Racing that netted the 2021 Indianapolis 500 victory by prevailing in last weekend's Daytona 24 Hours together with team-mates Tom Blomqvist, Oliver Jarvis and Simon Pagenaud. As Cadillac fell by the wayside, the Brazilian veteran won out in an all-Acura duel to the finish
The British sportscar aces readying for a new golden era in IMSA
With the arrival of LMDh looming in 2023, top sportscar drivers are flocking to IMSA for the last hurrah of the DPi cars, starting with this weekend’s Daytona 24 Hours. Seven of the championship's leading British aces explain its appeal and share their hopes of winning a sought-after new watch...
How Derani's long road to title success exorcised painful memories
It took Pipo Derani no time at all to establish himself as a winner in IMSA, winning the Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours on his first two starts in 2016. But it took until the final corner of the 2021 season before he could become its champion, the culmination of a journey that he believes has made him a better driver
How the next step in the IMSA and WEC convergence can reunite multiple fronts
OPINION: Following the latest convergence connection permitting Le Mans Hypercars from the World Endurance Championship to compete against LMDh entries in the IMSA SportsCar Championship from 2023, it could open up enticing options not only to manufacturers but also for the calendar and race formats