IMSA and WEC, the marriage of convenience

In 2023, the borders betweenIMSA and WEC will no longer be. The Hypercar prototypes will thus be able to run on both sides of the ocean, both at Le Mans and at Daytona. A new era in the history ofEndurance. At the 6 Hours of Monza on July 18, Philippe Sinault was delighted with this rapprochement: “Today, for example, there is enormous frustration at not being able to go to Daytona. If Alpine confirms its commitment to Endurance, if Alpine identifies the United States as fertile ground, I would be the first to go to Daytona, the owner of the stable confided to us Alpine from Lombardy. It was a key element of this agreement which remains to be negotiated, but it is clearly a founding act. Allowing teams that have Hypercars to race in the United States was simply essential. This will make Endurance a platform with universal technical definition, which has never happened before even if it was often desired. We will finally see things more clearly with universal regulations. When we have a team engaged in Hypercar, being able to say that we are doing Le Mans, Daytona and Spa for example, which are all magnificent territories of expression, it's a dream. » 

 « The FIA, ACO and IMSA have worked together to deliver a common future for endurance racing” 

Convergence. Here is the key word for the approximation of technical regulations put in place jointly by the ACO, FIA and IMSA. The objective therefore being to create a large common premier category for endurance races. This convergence will allow cars with different technical definitions to race together, whether in the World Endurance Championship but also across the Atlantic, such as in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championships. A reality that will take place from 2023. “ The FIA, ACO and IMSA have worked together to provide a common future for Endurance, declared Richard Mille, President of the FIA ​​Endurance Commission on this subject. From now on, teams entering LMH and LMDh can race on both sides of the Atlantic. » Like the WEC, the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races are made up of four categories: Daytona Prototype International (DPi), LM P2, GT Le Mans and GT Daytona. In Dpi, the cars are based on those of the ACO LMP2 category with a certain freedom given to car manufacturers on the development of the bodywork and engine. The BoP also does its part to maintain a comparable level of power and torque. Two championships with similar categories and whose seasons are centered around two major 24-hour races: Le Mans for the WEC and Daytona for IMSA.

(© 2021 Peter Burke)

From IMSA to the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Obviously, bridges between the two championships exist, due to the similarities. Thus, IMSA drivers are awarded invitations to the Le Mans classic. The annual Jim Trueman Award is particularly aimed at drivers who have built a career outside of racing and contribute a substantial portion of funding to a team's budget. Eligible drivers compete for the Jim Trueman Award based on their individual performance, the performance of their teams and their contribution to their car's race result. This prize offers an invitation to participate in the double round of the clock with the team of your choice, whether American or not.

This was the case of Patrick Kelly, 2020 winner of this prize and who participated for the first time at Le Mans this year aboard the No. 07 Oreca 24-Gibson from the Mathiasen Motorsports team in the company of Swiss Simon Trummer and the Frenchman Gabriel Aubry. “I will always remember the significance of winning the Jim Trueman Award, said Kelly, LM P2 champion of the 2020 WeatherTech championship. It was this price that allowed me to enter Le Mans. The race was of a scale and grandeur that truly exceeded my expectations. I have watched this race since I was young. Every year I pretty much watch the entire 24 hours, so I figured I had an idea of ​​what it would be like. I was far from it. The scale, the speed, the intensity, the technical aspects of the track… it was just awesome. » As part of the previously announced strategic partnership between IMSA and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, three automatic invitations will be distributed for Le Mans starting next year. One will still be reserved for the Jim Trueman Award winner, another will go to the Bob Akin Award winner for the best GT driver competing under the same parameters as Trueman eligible drivers, and a third will be used in 2022 by a driver WeatherTech 2021 under 30 years old and not ranked bronze or silver.

(© 2021 Peter Burke)

With a view to the convergence of the championships, certain teams are using IMSA as a test bed for a future at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “The Cadillac DPi-VR (prototype already used by different teams in IMSA. Ed.) was a fantastic way to test ourselves and bring Cadillac back to Endurance racing. We learned a lot. We formed a very strong relationship with Dallara during this project and we want to continue it in LMDh. We know the stakes are higher with the car coming onto the world stage and we have some fantastic competition coming up. It's very exciting. We are going to compete against all these brands among the best in the world. Because I'm a fan of sports cars, that's what I like.", explained to us thus Laura Wontrop-Klauser, director of the motorsport program at General Motors, on returning to the Cadillac in Sarthe. Cadillac is far from the only manufacturer to return to the WEC following the announcement of the global platform. A marriage between two championships which will allow both disciplines to increase the quality of their field and to push themselves to the top.