Braun Relishing Influx of GTP Drivers for LMP2 Headline Race

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

Colin Braun said he’s looking forward to racing against some familiar faces in this weekend’s Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, amid the influx of GTP stars joining the LMP2 grid in cameo appearances.

Four current IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP drivers: Renger van der Zande, Pipo Derani, Filipe Albuquerque and Louis Deletraz are deputizing for FIA World Endurance Championship-bound pilots competing in Sunday’s 6 Hours of Sao Paulo.

It will result in a significantly different-looking LMP2 field of drivers, whom Braun mostly raced against during his GTP stint with Meyer Shank Racing last year.

The CrowdStrike by APR driver holds six class wins at CTMP, including last year’s overall triumph in MSR’s Acura ARX-06.

“I’m looking forward to it,” said Braun. “It’s kind of fun in a way because I’ve raced against a lot of those guys throughout my entire career but particularly last year driving for Meyer Shank in the Acura.

“While it’s new to P2, I feel like it’s kind of no change in a way.

“Even at Le Mans, Renger and I were talking about it. We talked about back in the day in LMPC banging wheels with each other through Turns 1 and 2 at Mosport.

“It’s always been a lot of fun racing those guys and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how it stacks up.

“I’m sure for them it’s a bit different, a different level of car performance, depending on when they have driven a LMP2 last.

“For me, it’s a bit of the same, whenever we go to the race track it’s always trying to figure out what makes the P2 car, in its current spec, work.

“I think it’s a bit different than what it was in 2018 when I drove it with all the power and the full kit.

“It’s going to be interesting. We’re probably one of the few teams that haven’t tested, so we’ve got to get right to work when we start practicing.

“I’m looking forward to the extra pressure of getting after it quick.”

The CTMP round will mark the first-ever LMP2 headline race, offering a unique experience for the Pro-Am-enforced category.

“I think it’s neat from a LMP2 class perspective, in what IMSA’s done to give this class a spotlight race where they can compete for the overall win,” said Braun.

“It makes it really fun for us as teams and good for our sponsors and partners.

“It just brings some awareness to how great the racing is in the class. Oftentimes there’s some storylines that maybe go untold or unseen from the TV side just because there’s so much good racing in IMSA right now, you can’t cover everything.

“It will be neat to have some spotlight on that and showcase what the class is about.

“It’s a heck of a class and with the fact that we’re with all the same cars, there’s no BoP to talk about, there’s no different performance levels, it’s just about how good each team executes and how good the drivers and engineers can come up with the setup that is fast.

“It makes for pretty intense racing for sure.”

Braun only expects “small” differences in the race with the absence of the GTP class.

“We’re not going to have the GTP cars coming through, having to worry about the traffic from behind,” he said.

“It’s all going to be able focusing forward and getting through the GT traffic.

“We’ve always had the prototype and class split within GTP and P2, to get ahead of the GT cars under the yellows.

“So we’re just going to be restarting as the overall race leaders. I think the restarts are going to be a little different, just in the fact that we’re not going to be behind any of the GTP cars.

“Quite honestly, sometimes the GTP car tire warmup takes a bit longer and so when you’re in as a pro on a restart behind the guys in the back of GTP, that can sometimes have an influence on the restart as a leader in P2.

“It will be nice. I love a good restart and love having a chance to lay the laps down straight off the bat and go.

“Hopefully we can put our CrowdStrike car up in the front and get a restart and set sail. It will be fun.”

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