The Michelin Endurance Cup is a cherished prize
Relying in your standpoint, it’s both a sideshow to the general IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, or the principle occasion. For some, profitable the IMEC is a comfort prize in the event that they miss out on the general title. For others it’s each bit as necessary, and generally much more so.
For these groups that contest solely the endurance occasions, the Michelin Endurance Cup is certainly the one factor, and there are a lot of groups who consider the occasions which are six hours or longer, similar to Iron Lynx, Risi Competizione, Cetilar Racing, Magnus Racing and others. Exterior of contesting the total season, the IMEC is the one championship that issues.
This yr’s IMEC could tackle larger significance, because it’s now comprised of 5 races in comparison with 4 lately. The change of this weekend’s Tirerack.com Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to a six-hour race from final yr’s 2h40m dash added to the variety of endurance occasions, and maybe to the status of profitable the title.
Producers, definitely, like to crow about Michelin Endurance Cup championships to show the sturdiness of their automobiles. In 2023, Cadillac appeared to position as a lot emphasis on profitable the IMEC because it did the general championship with Whelen Cadillac Racing within the inaugural season of the brand new period of GTP.
The No. 31 squad of Jack Aitken, Pipo Derani and Tom Blomqvist sit second within the 2024 IMEC factors in GTP with a shot on the title, though this yr the staff has no actual likelihood on the total championship with two races left. The IMEC could be the staff’s sole bragging proper for 2024.
“We’re undoubtedly inside attain, so we’ve bought one eye on it,” says Aitken. “We wish to win races total, not simply on the midway mark. It’s a steadiness. After we get to Petit Le Mans, then I believe one of many marks is kind of near the top, inside a few hours. That’s if you actually have to start out questioning if it’s worthwhile, in the event you actually wish to compromise your self that a lot, in the event you’ve bought the time to get better. We’ll take it if we are able to, completely. It’s a championship and we wish to win it.”
For these not acquainted with the Michelin Endurance Cup and the way it’s scored, every endurance race is split into segments – two for six-hour races, three for the Cellular 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Motul Petit Le Mans, and 4 for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. At every section finish, the chief at school is awarded 5 factors, second will get 4, and third will get three. Each different entrant will get two, whether or not the staff accomplished the section or not. For instance, Period Motorsports is second by one level in LMP2 after profitable Daytona and Sebring, however the staff additionally scored two factors for each segments within the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen regardless of being eradicated from the competition on the primary lap.
The truth that IMEC factors are scored in the course of a six-hour race, and after 4 and eight hours within the 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans, illustrates the steadiness in play. A staff placing itself in place to attain most IMEC factors inside the race might compromise the technique wanted for race victory. Mike Skeen, Mikael Grenier and Kenton Koch took the 2023 IMEC GTD title for Korthoff Preston Motorsports and have a shot at repeating it this yr. However having gained it earlier than, the staff want to have extra race wins.
“We bought it final yr, and since we’re probably not within the championship total, I believe the subsequent smartest thing is to attempt to win the endurance cup,” explains Koch. “But additionally, we wish to win some races, so we’ll see how we go about that the previous few races; I believe we’re nonetheless type of debating what focus we wish to take. You may sacrifice your technique for one over the opposite. Clearly you want to do each, and that’s the aim, but when now we have to decide, that’s what we’re going to have to speak about.”
With the ultimate two races of the 2024 season being endurance occasions with a complete of 5 segments, right here’s how the IMEC factors stack up after three races and 9 segments for every class:
In GTP, Daytona winner and total factors chief Porsche Penske Motorsports No. 7 (Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr) lead with 33 factors to Whelen Cadillac Racing’s 28. The No. 01 Cadillac Racing staff and the No. 6 PPM staff are tied for third at 26.
LMP2, as in GTP, has the general factors chief additionally main the IMEC – Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports at 29 factors. That is even if the staff’s solely victory for Nick Boulle and Tom Dillmann got here in a dash race. The second-place staff within the total standings, Riley Motorsports, is nowhere within the IMEC. As a substitute, Daytona and Sebring winners Period Motorsport with Ryan Dalziel, Dwight Merriman and Connor Zilisch are in a tie for second at 28 with CrowdStrike Racing by APR, though the latter shouldn’t be anticipated to return this season and is certainly out for Indy. That leaves the No. 11 TDS Racing squad in, successfully, third at 25.
The GTD PRO IMEC standings are additionally led by a staff that has gained solely a dash race — Paul Miller Racing. Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow and Neil Verhagen lead the Risi Competizione duo of Daniel Serra and Davide Rigon, 30 factors to twenty-eight. Risi is an IMEC-only staff, whereas PMR is contesting the total season and third within the total factors. The No. 3 Corvette Racing staff is third at 25. The general-championship-leading AO Racing is in a three-way tie for fourth at 23.
Winward Racing has gained each endurance race in GTD to this point, plus the dash at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, so is of course main each championships by a fairly vital margin. Russell Ward and Philip Ellis, together with endurance addition Indy Dontje, have 31 IMEC factors to Inception Racing’s 28. Korthoff Preston Motorsports sits in third at 26 to steer Triarsi Competizione by two factors.
