2014 Race Lengths, Drive Times Confirmed

Photo: John Dagys

The TUDOR United SportsCar Championship will feature only five 2-hour and 45-minute races, with reduced race lengths set for Detroit and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

IMSA confirmed to teams Saturday a series of sporting regulations, including minimum and maximum drive times for each of the 13 events next year.

The series’ trip to the streets of Detroit, which will feature Prototype and GT Daytona cars only, has been reduced to a 100-minute race, the same length as the Long Beach round for Prototype and GT Le Mans competitors.

Additionally, the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca weekend will see a pair of two-hour races, one for P/GTLM and the other for PC/GTD. No word has been given if they will be both held on the same day.

As expected, the North American Endurance Cup rounds at Daytona (24H), Sebring (12H), Watkins Glen (6H) and Road Atlanta (1,000-mile/10-hour) remain unchanged from the traditional race lengths.

Two-hour and 45-minute races, meanwhile, are set to be contested at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Road America and Circuit of The Americas, with Virginia International Raceway holding a regular-length round for GTLM/GTD and a pair of 45-minute standalone races for Prototype Challenge.

The PC-only Kansas round will also be in a dual 45-minute sprint format. Both races will be run combined with the Prototype Lites Championship.

IMSA also confirmed each category’s driver classification requirements.

A maximum of three drivers per car will be allowed for races six hours of length or less, while up to four drivers can be used for Sebring and five for the Rolex 24.

In PC and GTD, a maximum of one Platinum or Gold-rated driver is permitted for two or three driver team combinations, with it being increased to two for Daytona and Sebring, should they utilize four or five-driver squads.

There are no driver classification restrictions in the P and GTLM classes.

Additionally, a driver may race in up to two cars during each event.

The minimum and maximum drive times will vary depending on the length of the race.

For instance, a typical 2-hour and 45-minute event will see a 60-minute drive time minimum for PC/GTD and 20 minutes for P/GTLM, while PC/GTD drivers must each complete at least 4 hours and 20 minutes in the Rolex 24 and 2 hours and 50 minutes in the Twelve Hours of Sebring to score points.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John