IMSA back in action this weekend at Lime Rock - just not as we would usually know it!
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Starting again form the top, the two full season Heart of Racing Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTD crews will of course be in attendance, fresh from their recent 25 Hour Fun Cup escapade last weekend at Spa Francorchamps. Last year’s visit to Lime Rock was very beneficial to the team as both #23 GTD Pro and #27 GTD entries ended up upon their respective class podiums by the end of the scheduled 100-minute sprint.
Also competing amongst the GTD only event will be the return of the #94 Andretti Autosport AMR Vantage GTD of Jarett Andretti and Gabby Chaves. Not seen within their Aston Martin since their ill-fated debut with the car at Laguna Seca where Andretti was taken out of the race by a racing room deficient prototype.
After that and a hard hit into the tyre wall for the #23 car of Ross Gunn at CTMP, hopefully this weekend’s results will mirror those of last year too!
Then in Michelin Pilot Challenge – there will be no GS class cars at all as the TCR class get the race all to themselves as the GT4 based cars did likewise earlier in the year at Detroit.
Rounding off the weekend will be a further two races within the new for 2023 VP Fuels Sportscar Challenge Series where we do not see the usual Aston Martin Racing attendees of Todd Coleman and Moisey Uretsky aboard their usual Archangel and Accelerating performance prepared GSX class cars – but we do see the #09 Stoner Car Care Aston Martin Vantage GT4 of Rob Ecklin hit the series for the first time.
A long-time advocate of the Michelin Pilot Challenge Series, the Automatic Racing prepared crew have been going something ‘off piste’ this season in lieu of just another year within the IMSA sanctioned series, doing what they like – where and when and this is just another example of it.
Racing for all the three IMSA series around the tight and twisty 1.5-mile circuit will be fast and furious for as long as the Safety Car cab be kept within pit lane. We wish them all well.
Photo credits – Teams / Series / J Price
