John Doonan hails popular momentum “never before seen” in IMSA

As the weekend's activities began Thursday at Road America, the president of theIMSA, John Doonan, drove a golf cart around the circuit. He could see that the action on the track hadn't even started yet and fans were already massing on the campsites. Three days before the green flag, the bucolic Elkhart Lake circuit was already buzzing with activity.

« I was blown away, said Doonan on the North American Endurance Championship website. I have been coming to this circuit since I was 6 weeks old. I have never seen such a crowd during this entire period. It's been 54 years. I have always been a fan of endurance racing. I have been a fan of IMSA since its inception. I have never seen the momentum we see today. »

Mike Kertscher, president and CEO of Road America, also saw it. Dozens of campers lined up at the entrance as early as 7 a.m. Thursday, nearly 80 hours before Sunday's main event. He joked with Doonan about the need to get the cars on track immediately.

This IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship visit marked a new attendance record as the championship has been held there since 1979, surpassing the previous attendance record set last year by 10 percent, according to Kertscher.

This popular wave is not ignored by pilots. “ It's crazy to see the strength of the series at the moment, to see it grow every year, declared Dane Cameron, who teamed up with Felipe Nasr at the wheel of the Porsche 963 n°7 from Porsche Penske Motorsport. We received good news from Doonan regarding the increase in spectator numbers and competition with theIndyCar, which is huge and special for us. We're considered a niche motorsport, especially in America, so it's super cool to see that. »

Road America is not an unprecedented occurrence in an IMSA season in which, according to Doonan, seven of the championship's eight races broke attendance records.

« It's something special, isn't it?, added Kertscher. You have two iconic brands working together to deliver a first-class product in a first-class location. The fans are receptive. It's pretty cool. We are attracting new fans. These are not necessarily people who are die-hard fans of motorsport. We work really hard to attract new fans. »

There are three rounds left (VIR, Indianapolis, Petit Le Mans) to confirm this trend this season.

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