IMSA – The 2017 calendar revealed

The events counting for the 2017 seasonIMSA Sportscar Championship and North American Endurance Cup are finally known. The organizers of the flagship endurance championship across the Atlantic presented the calendar for the next season at Road America.

The main changes concern the date changes for the Austin rounds at COTA in Texas and Laguna Seca in California. The first city will now be contested in May (after having been organized in September since 2013 and notably on the sidelines of the WEC). The Laguna Seca race will be moved to September.

The season will begin as tradition dictates at the 24 Hours of Daytona in Florida on January 26 and 29. The 12 Hours of Sebring will be organized immediately from March 15 to 18 while the season finale will be held from October 5 to 7 at Petit Le Mans.

The official test sessions will be organized at Daytona on November 15 and 16, 2016 for the P/PC/GTLM/GTD categories then on December 13 and 14 again at Daytona for the P/GTLM/GTD classes. The famous Roar Before the Rolex (official tests for the 24 Hours of Daytona) will be held for all classes from January 6 to 8, 2017. The pre-12 Hours of Sebring test session will take place on February 23 and 24 in Florida.

Listed below are the IMSA Sportscar Championship calendars, as well as the IMSA Prototype Challenge presented by Mazda calendar, series which will host the LM P3 prototypes in 2017.

2017 IMSA Sportscar Championship Calendar (In bold the rounds counting for the North American Endurance Cup)

January 26-29: Rolex 24 At Daytona (P/PC/GTLM/GTD) / Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, Florida. 24 hour race

March 15-18: Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida (P/PC/GTLM/GTD) / Sebring International Raceway – Sebring, Florida. 12 hour race

April 7-8: BUBBA burger SportsCar Grand Prix at Long Beach (P/GTLM/GTD) / Long Beach, California. 1h40 race

May 5-7: Circuit of The Americas (P/PC/GTLM/GTD) / Austin, Texas. 2h40 race

June 2-3: Chevrolet Belle Isle Detroit Grand Prix (P/PC/GTD) / Belle Isle Park – Detroit, Michigan. 1h40 race

June 30 – July 2: Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen (P/PC/GTLM/GTD) / Watkins Glen International – Watkins Glen, New York. 6 hour race

July 7-9: Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix (P/PC/GTLM/GTD) / Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. 2h40 race

July 21-22: IMSA WeatherTech Northeast Grand Prix (GTLM/GTD) / Lime Rock Park – Lakeville, Connecticut. 2h40 race                                    

August 4-6: Continental Tire Road Race Showcase (P/PC/GTLM/GTD) / Road America – Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. 2h40 race                                  

August 25-27: Michelin GT Challenge (GTLM/GTD) / VIRginia International Raceway – Danville, Virginia. 2h40 race

September 23-24: Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix powered by Mazda (P/GTLM/GTD) / Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – Monterey, California. 2h40 race

October 5-7: Petit Le Mans (P/PC/GTLM/GTD) / Road Atlanta – Braselton, Georgia. 10 hour race 

2017 IMSA Prototype Challenge presented by Mazda Calendar (*with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship)

March 17-18: Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Florida*

April 21-23: Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Alabama

June 30 – July 2: Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York*

July 7-9: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Bowmanville, Ontario*

July 21-22: Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Connecticut*

August 11-13: Grand Prix of Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Quebec

October 5-7: Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia*