Class Titles Still on the Line Heading to Season Finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
By Mark Robinson
Entry List (Click Here)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship reaches its climactic conclusion next week at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, site of the Motul Petit Le Mans that annually closes the season.
A full field of 54 cars is on the pre-event entry list, spread across the four competing classes. The season team and driver championships in all classes have yet to be decided. That’s the case as well in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup since the race is also the last of five endurance events on the 2024 schedule.
NBC network carries live coverage of the opening hours of the 10-hour race, starting at noon ET Saturday, Oct. 12. Peacock will stream the race in its entirety through the conclusion and postrace interviews shortly after 10 p.m.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the season finale.
Fast Facts
Motul Petit Le Mans
Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta – Braselton, Georgia
October 9-12, 2024
Race Day/Time: Saturday, October 12 – 12:10 p.m. ET
NBC Network Coverage: LIVE – Noon-3 p.m.
Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at noon in the U.S.; International feed coverage available on IMSA.tv and YouTube.com/IMSAOfficial (outside the U.S.)
Live Qualifying Stream: Friday, October 11 – 3:20-4:30 p.m. ET on Peacock (in the U.S.) and IMSA.tv (outside the U.S.)
IMSA Radio: Select sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins at Noon Saturday, October 12 (XM 206, Web/App 996, local radio 98.1 FM)
Circuit Type: 2.54-mile, 12-turn road course
Classes Competing: Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), Grand Touring Daytona (GTD)
Race Length: Ten hours
Track Social Media:
- Twitter: @roadatlanta
- Instagram: @roadatlanta
- Facebook: @roadatlanta
Event Hashtags: #IMSA, #MotulPetitLeMans
WeatherTech Championship Track Records
GTP: Sebastien Bourdais, Cadillac V-Series.R, 1:10.917 / 128.939 mph, October 2023 (DPi track record: Dane Cameron, Acura ARX-05, 1:08.412 / 133.660 mph, October 2020)
LMP2: Colin Braun, ORECA LMP2 07, 1:10.634 / 129.455 mph, October 2020
GTD PRO: Jack Hawksworth, Lexus RC F GT3, 1:18.835 / 115.988 mph, September 2022
GTD: Madison Snow, BMW M4 GT3, 1:19.118 / 115.573 mph, September 2022
2023 Motul Petit Le Mans Winners:
GTP: Tom Blomqvist/Colin Braun/Helio Castroneves, No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-06
LMP2: George Kurtz/Ben Hanley/Nolan Siegel, No. 04 CrowdStrike by APR ORECA LMP2 07
LMP3: Dakota Dickerson/Bijoy Garg/Garett Grist, No. 30 Jr III Racing Ligier JS P320
GTD PRO: Daniel Juncadella/Jules Gounon/Maro Engel, No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
GTD: Misha Goikhberg/Loris Spinelli/Patrick Liddy, No. 78 Forte Racing Powered by USRT Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2
Storylines
- Championships in All Classes Still Ongoing: There’s no such thing as a safe lead in the points battles among the four WeatherTech Championship classes. The No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 leads its teammate car, the No. 6 Porsche, by 124 points in the GTP class. While there are myriad points scenarios, a race finish of fourth place or better locks up the crown for the No. 7. In LMP2, the No. 52 Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07 has a 98-point edge, meaning a third-place finish guarantees the title. It’s the same for the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R in GTD PRO, which has a 99-point lead. For the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 to nail down the GTD championship, it must finish 14th or better, no easy task in a competitive 20-car class.
- IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Honors on the Line too: The team and driver titles for the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup are all up for grabs as well, with points for this championship earned at the four-, eight-and 10-hour marks of the race. Current leaders are the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 in GTP, a tie between the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA LMP2 07 and No. 52 Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA in LMP2, the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 in GTD PRO, and the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 in GTD.
- Trueman-Akin Honors Still in the Balance: The Jim Trueman Bronze Cup in LMP2 and Bob Akin Bronze Cup in GTD are both still on the line, with the top Bronze-rated driver in each category earning a prized invitation to race next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Nick Boulle (No. 52 Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA) leads the Trueman standings in LMP2, with Orey Fidani (No. 13 AWA Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R) ahead in the Akin standings for GTD.
Who’s Hot?
- Turner Motorsport BMW: The No. 96 BMW M4 GT3 shared by Patrick Gallagher and Robby Foley has reeled off finishes of first, fourth and third in the last three GTD races. It may not be enough to catch the class-leading No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes, but the Turner gang is making Winward earn the class crown.
- Korthoff/Preston Mercedes: Likewise for the No. 32 Korthoff/Preston Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3, which has a win and a third-place finish the last two times out in GTD. While eliminated from title contention, the No. 32 is solidly in third place in the standings.
Who’s Good Here?
- Nick Tandy: If the No. 6 Porsche 963 has any hope of catching its sister No. 7 for the GTP title, it will rely on driver Nick Tandy, whose four Motul Petit Le Mans wins are the most of any driver entered this year. All of those victories, however, came in GT-spec cars and the Brit is searching for his first prototype win at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
- John Farano: The Bronze-rated driver for Tower Motorsports is actually chasing a four-peat in the LMP2 class. He was a Motul Petit Le Mans winner in 2020, ’21 and ’22 but sat out last year’s race recovering from injury.