IMSA Wire – What to Watch: Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach – Speedway Digest

By David Phillips

IMSA Wire Service

At 100 minutes, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is several hours shorter than the series of endurance events that began the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. and tens of thousands of racing fans due to its location at the heart of Southern California’s auto culture and automotive industry. Furthermore, the 11th lap, the 1.968 lap promises – and usually delivers – a packed sports car race from start to finish.

Qualifications Are Important

While qualifying and championship points awarded in qualifying are every bit as important as in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Cadillac, the track position provided by a strong qualifying performance is even more important at Long Beach. than in the opening rounds of the season. Not only is it much harder to pass on a street circuit than on the comparatively open spaces of Daytona International Speedway or Sebring International Raceway, there is also much less time to take care of business.

For example, at Sebring, due to technical errors that limited his qualifying time, the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 started from the back of the grid and did not take the lead until. the checkered flag would be flown in Long Beach. Therefore, the statistics of Friday’s qualifying session will be very important in determining the outcome of Saturday’s race.

Likewise, drivers and their pit crews need clean performances during “sprint” events like the Long Beach GP. Penalized infractions on the track and on pit lane are sure to “pay off” for the team’s hopes of a strong finish. For example, at Sebring, it took the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 the better part of 10 hours to regain the GTD PRO lead after an early penalty for (minor) hitting a crew during the first round of pit stops. If something like that happens in Long Beach, there won’t be enough time to recover from the punishment.

Schm-alifying qualification

Surprisingly, starting position didn’t matter in Long Beach last year for the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963, which looks to successfully defend its 2023 overall victory with the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) this weekend. After all, Nick Tandy qualified No. 6 Porsche a full 1.5 seconds behind the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06 of pole winner Filipe Albuquerque, good enough for sixth on the grid.

And while the Porsche improved its position during the race, it looked unlikely to finish second behind the No. 10 Acura until a “Hail Mary” maneuver put Tandy’s co-driver Mathieu Jaminet in position to win the race.

In view of the fact that Michelin tires designed for double pumping needed a longer time to reach temperature, all GTP competitors changed tires during their scheduled stops – all but No. 6 Porsche and its sister car number 7. Avoiding the 10 to 12 seconds that would have been used to put new rubber during their stop, No. 6 Porsche emerged from the pit stop in front with the number 7 in second.

While Ricky Taylor used his new Michelins to great effect in catching and passing the No. 7 Porsche, he had just enough time to put the nose of the No. 10 Acura on the tail of the No. 6 Porsche for the last 10 laps. During Taylor’s valiant attempt to pass the leading Porsche at Turn 1, Jaminet was free to lead the No. 6 Porsche to victory, from sixth on the grid.

Will a similar strategy resume in GTP or, for that matter, GTD, which runs on new Michelin rubber this year? Much depends on whether and when the full yellow of the course occurs. Had there been a yellow in the final five laps last year, for example, Taylor would have used the superior grip of his latest Michelins to overtake Jaminet. Or there would be a caution near the time of the pit stop, when the Porsches saved by jumping the tire change would be largely ignored when the pack was formed behind the pace car for the restart.

Wild Cards

The Long Beach field will feature several wild cards: drivers and/or cars that don’t run the full schedule but that have every chance of winning on Saturday. On the GTP side, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Rolex 24 winner Mike Rockenfeller is set to make a strong showing in the 5th Proton Mustang Sampling Porsche 963 alongside regular Proton Gianmaria Bruni.

After a ’23 WeatherTech Racing schedule in the JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963, Rockenfeller joined Ford Multimatic Motorsports this season as part of its factory GTD PRO program with the Ford Mustang GT3. Given that Long Beach is not on the GTD PRO calendar, Rockenfeller is available for a one-off GTP with Proton.

Meanwhile, with a firm eye on improving Lexus’ GTD title chances, Vasser Sullivan enters a second car at Long Beach, the No. 89 Lexus RC F GT3 that normally competes in GTD PRO as the No. 14. Vasser Sullivan to enter. To meet GTD driver requirements for one professional and one Elite per car, GTD PRO drivers Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat will split at Long Beach, with Hawksworth joining Frankie Montecalvo in the more familiar Lexus 12. In turn, Montecalvo’s regular GTD teammate, Parker Thompson, will be paired with Barnicoat in the latter’s familiar Lexus, albeit with a different number on the side.

Additionally, Long Beach welcomes the Lizards, the Flying Lizard Motorsports team that won no less than six IMSA championships, 69 podiums and 25 race wins (including two at Long Beach) over 11 seasons and seasons. two and a half. effort between 2004 and 2016. The Lizards have since enjoyed great success in the SRO America series and the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America.

While most of the Flying Lizards’ IMSA success came in Porsches, Long Beach will see the team field the No. 28 Aston Martin Vantage EVO GT3 for drivers Elias Sabo and Andy Lee. While this is a one-off appearance for the Flying Lizards (at least for now), there’s every reason to believe they’ll be competitive in Long Beach when they return to GTD.

Regardless of which of the 17 cars entered will win the GTD class at Long Beach, one thing is certain: Saturday will see a three-race winning streak end for Paul Miller Racing and drivers Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow, assuming they. are competing for GTD PRO honors in their number 01 BMW M4 GT3 this season. So, will Turner Motorsport fly the lone BMW flag in GTD this weekend with Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher driving the No. 96 BMW.

Will Porsche Penske Motorsport repeat its 2023 success? Who will wear the GTD Kings of Long Beach jersey? Watch all the action on the Peacock Network and USA on Friday and Saturday.

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