WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
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| Country |
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|---|---|
| Inaugural season | 2014 |
| Prototype Classes | Prototype (P) |
| GT Classes | GT Le Mans (GTLM), GT Daytona (GTD) |
| Tire suppliers | Continental Tire, Michelin |
| Drivers' champion |
P: PC:  GTLM:   GTD:  |
| Teams' champion |
P: PC: GTLM: GTD: |
| Makes' champion |
P: GTLM: GTD: |
| Official website |
sportscarchampionship |
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The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). It is a result of a merger between two existing North American sports car racing series, the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Sports Car Series. At its inception, the name was United SportsCar Championship [1], which subsequently changed to the Tudor United SportsCar Championship when Rolex SA signed their Tudor brand to a title sponsorship deal.[2] WeatherTech later signed a deal to take over title sponsorship of the series starting in 2016, rebranding the series.[3]
The season begins with its premier race, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the last weekend of January and ends with the Petit Le Mans, another North American Endurance Cup race, in early October.
History
On September 5, 2012 it was announced that the Grand-Am Road Racing sanctioning body would be merging with the Braselton based International Motor Sports Association, and as such both bodies would be merging their premiere sports car series, the Rolex Sports Car Series and American Le Mans Series respectively, with plans to debut in 2014. On November 20, 2012 the merger committee announced that SME Branding were selected to develop the name, logo and identity of the new series.[4]
On January 8, 2013, the two series' announced a preliminary class structure for the new merged series. Grand-Am's Daytona Prototype category and IMSA's P2 would combine into a single prototype class, with allowances for the unique DeltaWing to also compete in the new class. The Le Mans Prototype Challenge class of single spec cars from the American Le Mans Series would continue as is, although the cars will switch to Grand-Am's Continental Tires.[5] The GT class of the American Le Mans Series would remain unchanged, while Grand-Am's GT class will form another GT class, and be combined with the American Le Mans GTC category.[6] The only category of cars not represented in the new series is the American Le Mans Series' P1 category.
The reveal date for the new series was March 14, 2013 at the Chateau Élan Hotel and Conference Center at Sebring International Raceway, two days before the 12 Hours of Sebring. American Le Mans CEO Scott Atherton announced the new sanctioning body would remain IMSA while Ed Bennett revealed the new titles for the series' five classes. SME Branding Senior Partner Ed O'Hara then announced the new United SportsCar Racing title and logo, a name submitted through a contest won by Louis Satterlee of Florida, a racer in the Florida Karting Championship Series.[7]
On August 9, 2013, Fox Sports 1 announced it had signed a TV contract with IMSA to televise the entire USCC season between 2014 and 2018.[8]
Later, on September 12, 2013, Tudor was announced as the title sponsor for the series, which was named the United SportsCar Championship. On August 8, 2015, WeatherTech was announced as the new title sponsor for the series, renaming the series to the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, starting with the 2016 season.[9]
Beginning with the 2019 season the series is covered exclusively by NBC Sports in the United States. The NBC broadcast network will air 9 hours of coverage annually, with the majority of the coverage airing on NBCSN. CNBC and the NBC Sports app will provide supplemental coverage.[10]
Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge
Originally based on a Canadian series before being acquired by Grand-Am, the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (originally known as Grand-Am Cup) is a production-based touring car series. The series is split into two classes known as Grand Sport (GS), intended for large capacity GT-style cars, and Street Tuner (ST), consisting of smaller sedans and coupes, some of which are front-wheel drive. The IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge until 2013 supported some Rolex Series races but also headlined some of its own dates. This series continued with the United SportsCar Championship after the merger and is somewhat comparable to the old Trans Am Series.
Class structure
There are three different classes in the United SportsCar Championship series, featuring one sports prototype category and two grand tourer classes:
- Prototype (P): the flagship class. Originally combined Grand-Am's Daytona Prototype with the American Le Mans Series P2 prototypes and the DeltaWing, all built to 2014 specifications. Starting in 2017 the class features Daytona Prototype international and LMP2 cars.
- GT Le Mans (GTLM): a continuation of the ALMS GT class, consisting of cars matching the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's GTE specification.
- GT Daytona (GTD): a class that combined the Grand-Am GT & GX classes with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars from the ALMS GTC class. Starting in the 2016 season the class adopted full FIA GT3 specifications.
Some races may only use selected classes of cars, for example: Any class car may be permitted entry into the Rolex 24, while at the Grand Prix of Long Beach only the Prototype (P) and GT Le Mans (GTLM) will be entered.
Nissan Onroak DPi at Petit Le Mans
Oreca 07 LMP2 at Petit Le Mans
Chevrolet Corvette C7.R in the front of Ford GT from GTLM class at Petit Le Mans
GTD class at Petit Le Mans
Circuits
Champions
IMSA Championship
Drivers
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| Season | Prototype | Prototype Challenge (2014-2017 only) |
GTLM | GTD |
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| Season | Daytona Prototype International | Le Mans Prototype | GTLM | GTD |
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Teams
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| Season | Prototype | Prototype Challenge (2014-2017 only) | GTLM | GTD |
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| Season | Daytona Prototype International | Le Mans Prototype | GTLM | GTD |
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North American Endurance Championship (NAEC)
Drivers
| Season | Prototype | Prototype Challenge (2014-2017 only) | GTLM | GTD |
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Teams
| Season | Prototype | Prototype Challenge (2014-2017 only) | GTLM | GTD |
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Manufacturers
| Season | Prototype | GTLM | GTD |
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References
- ↑ "United SportsCar Racing To Debut In 2014". American Le Mans Series. Archived from the original on 18 March 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ↑ "Tudor Named Title Sponsor". Sportscar 365. John Dagys Media, LLC. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
- ↑ DiZinno, Tony (8 August 2015). "WeatherTech Named New Title Sponsor of IMSA SportsCar". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media, LLC. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ↑ "SME Branding Selected To Develop Identity for GRAND-AM, ALMS Merger". Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ↑ "ALMS: Continental Named New Spec PC Tire". ALMS Communications. 1 March 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ↑ "GRAND-AM, ALMS Announce 2014 Class Structure". American Le Mans Series. Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ↑ "LOUIS SATTERLEE - 2012 FLORIDA KARTING CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES REVIEW". Karting News Worldwide. 7 July 2012. Archived from the original on 18 February 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ↑ "FOX to air United SportsCar Racing". Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. 9 August 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ↑ "WeatherTech Joins IMSA In Multiyear Partnership". Daytona Beach, FL: IMSA. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ↑ Pruett, Marshall (30 April 2018). "IMSA moving to NBC Sports in 2019". Racer. Racer Media and Marketing, Inc. Retrieved 9 May 2018.