Road America Thursday Notebook

Photo: John Dagys

***The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entry list for this weekend’s Motul SportsCar Grand Prix is down to 48 cars, with the No. 32 Korthoff Competition Motors Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Daniel Morad and Mike Skeen a no-show. Of note, Morad is not slated to take part in any race action this weekend as he’s been replaced by Philip Ellis in Winward Racing’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge entry.

***Sportscar365 understands that Korthoff is done for the season, with the team’s long-term future currently unclear.

***Connor De Phillippi will be making his LMP2 debut in the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca 07 Gibson, with the BMW factory driver filling in for the injured Tom Dillmann, who recently underwent surgery for fractured vertebrae from his high-speed accident at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

***The Frenchman wrote on social media that he expects to be back in a car “in a couple of weeks.” The European Le Mans Series round at Spa-Francorchamps on Aug 24 understood to be his targeted return race. The next WeatherTech Championship LMP2 round is the Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sept. 21.

***It was announced on Thursday that the BMW board has approved a “long-term” commitment to its LMDh program in both the WeatherTech Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship, although it has not confirmed whether its GTP effort will be for a full season program or a Michelin Endurance Cup-only campaign.

***While not yet officially confirmed as BMW’s new factory GTP operator, Team WRT has multiple job listings on its website for “Charlotte, USA” presenting further evidence the Vincent Vosse-led team will run the expected pair of BMW M Hybrid V8s in the WeatherTech Championship next year.

***Sportscar365 understands that a board-level decision on Porsche’s factory involvement in Hypercar/GTP for next year is due to come sometime in August. Porsche LMDh factory director Urs Kuratle told Sportscar365 earlier this month that he was “confident” the factory program with Penske would continue in both series, although the German manufacturer, like a number of OEMs, have been facing recent financial challenges due to slowing EV sales and U.S. tariffs.

***This weekend marks the one-and-only all-class sprint race of the season. Next year’s round at Road America will be a six-hour contest, replacing Indianapolis Motor Speedway as an Endurance Cup round.

***Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing driver Louis Deletraz said the complexion of Road America’s first IMSA-sanctioned endurance race since the American Le Mans Series days will change significantly in 2026 due to the extended race distance.

***Deletraz said: “You want to survive, you want to cycle through the first three hours and then get to the front. So, the approach changes a little bit. But, overall, I think from a [It’s] such a great track. It’s bigger, so for all those cars it’s easier with traffic and I’m looking forward to it. No offense to Indy, I like the track too, but Road America will be exciting.”

***Multiple drivers have commented that the 4.048-mile, 14-turn track, which was repaved in late 2022, has begun to return to its previous grip levels and characteristics.

***Porsche Penske Motorsport’s Felipe Nasr said: “I would say it’s kind of worn out a little bit more, as you would expect. Tracks, they have the tendency, when you have fresh tarmac, you come back the next year and it’s kind of close and then they take a step every year. That track always proceeds good racing all around.”

***Penske Racing competition director Travis Law has expressed confidence for this weekend following a “very productive” test at Road America earlier this month with both of its factory Porsche 963s. “The weather held out for us,” he told Sportscar365. “It was looking a bit dodgy but I think it was a good test for both groups. We have a lot to take away from that.”

***Jonathan Diuguid is on-site in his first sports car race in his new capacity as Penske Racing President. Diuguid, who also serves as the managing director of Porsche Penske Motorsport, missed the recent FIA World Endurance Championship round in Sao Paulo due to not being able to fly because of an ear infection.

***Despite their promotions, Diuguid and Law will continue to call race strategy on the Nos. 6 and 7 Porsches, respectively.

***Unlike recent WeatherTech Championship and WEC races, Porsche Penske does not have a reserve driver on-site this weekend according to Porsche’s Kuratle.

***Nick Tandy has been awarded the Segrave Trophy by the Royal Automobile Club in recognition of his outstanding achievements across the globe’s most storied endurance races. The Englishman notched his first career overall wins in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring this year, to go along with his outright wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Spa and Nürburgring 24.

***The Segrave Trophy is presented annually to the British or Commonwealth individual or team who demonstrates outstanding skill and courage on land, water, in the air or in space. Past recipients include such luminaries as Sir Malcolm Campbell MBE, Sir Stirling Moss OBE, and more recently, the Birchall Brothers.

***AO Racing driver Laurin Heinrich, who along with co-driver Klaus Bachler are in the midst of a tight title fight in GTD Pro, has laid out his “long-term goal” of becoming part of the factory Porsche 963 driver lineup.

***Heinrich said: “For sure I dream of it and it’s my goal to be in one of those cars racing for the Porsche factory team. But currently I’m in the middle of my GTD Pro season, fighting for a second straight championship, and I don’t want to lose the focus. For sure, it’s a long-term goal. Right now, all my focus is about securing back-to-back championships.”

***Heinrich revealed in this week’s pre-event IMSA Zoom conference that he and Bachler recently invited their engineer, Chaz Cleland, to a group sim session and was ‘right on the pace’ with the two Porsche-contracted drivers, despite having no real-life racing background.

***While set to remain unchanged for this weekend and the Michelin GT Challenge at Virginia International Raceway, DragonSpeed’s driver lineup will again see a change for the Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with Ferrari factory ace Davide Rigon joining Albert Costa in the team’s GTD Pro championship-contending No. 81 Ferrari 296 GT3.

***It will be the only remaining race that Giacomo Altoe is slated to miss, with Altoe completing the three-driver lineup for October’s Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta alongside Costa and Rigon. It’s understood that Rigon was confirmed for the full Endurance Cup season prior to Altoe’s signing.

***IMSA is hosting the Elkhart Lake Welcome Party at Siebkens tonight from 6-10 p.m., which will feature multiple race cars on display, a driver autograph session as well as the IMSA Celebrity Bartender Challenge, with all cash tips going to IMSA’s Proud Charities.

***Friday’s one-and-only WeatherTech Championship practice session is set to run from 2-3:30 p.m. CST.

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