DPi gets back to racing at Daytona in July. [Photo by Jack Webster]
By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine
IMSA has announced a revised schedule for live racing and if all goes according to plan, hopefully there will not be any further revisions to the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Live racing is scheduled to get underway at Daytona on July 3-4, where cars in the DPi, GTLM and GTD classes will race. At this time, it looks like this will be a non-spectator event.
The next race is scheduled for Sebring on July 17-18. This will feature all four classes of WeatherTech cars (including LMP2 which are not scheduled for the Daytona event). Once again, it looks like this will be a non-spectator event.
The rest of the schedule shapes up like this:
July 31-August 2: Road America (all 4 classes). Hopefully with spectators.
August 21-23: VIR. GTLM and GTD only.
September 4-6: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. All classes.
September 25-27: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. All classes except LMP2.
October 2-4: Watkins Glen 6-Hours. All classes.
October 14-17: Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. 10 Hours. All classes.
October 30-31: Lime Rock Park. GTLM, GTD only.
November 11-14. Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. All classes.
At this point, only the July Florida events (Daytona and Sebring) are scheduled to be held without spectators. However, it would be a good idea to check with each track you intend to go to in person prior to the event as the current situation is very fluid and both the schedule and particular regulations are subject to change on very short notice.
One potential problem facing IMSA teams: almost 40% of the IMSA grid consists of teams/drivers/participants from outside the USA, and unless current travel restrictions are changed quickly, the Daytona and Sebring events could be in jeopardy. Stay tuned for more info.
We are hopeful and anxious for IMSA racing to get started again.
Jack Webster has been shooting motorsports since the early 1970’s, covering Formula One, CanAm, F5000, TransAm, GrandAm and American Le Mans races, among others. In addition to his photography, he has also worked on racing teams, both in IMSA and IndyCar, so has a complete knowledge of the inner workings of motorsport. Both his photography and writing can be seen here on racingnation.com. Eddie LePine has been involved in motorsports for over 30 years as photographer, columnist, and driver. Eddie also is now a retired racer (well, retired unless a good ride pops up). You can usually find Eddie in the paddock area, deep in conversation with a driver.