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Continental Tire Keys to the Race: Monterey

Continental Tire Keys to the Race: Monterey…

Photo: IMSA

Photo: IMSA

Following two of the longest races of the year and one of the shortest, the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship holds its first regular-distance race this weekend on the Monterey Peninsula.

Continental Tire Keys to the Race: 

Race: Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix powered by Mazda

Track: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Length: 2 hours, 40 minutes

Entries: 37 cars spread across four classes: 9 cars (P), 7 cars (PC), 8 cars (GTLM), 13 cars (GTD)

Schedule:

Friday, May 1 (all times PT)
Practice 1 – 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Practice 2 – 3:30 – 4:30p.m.

Saturday, May 2
Practice 3 – 10:50 – 11:50 a.m.
CTSC Race – 1 – 3:30 p.m. (2 hours, 30 minutes)
Qualifying –  4:15-5:45 p.m.)

Sunday, May 3
Warm-up – 8:15-8:35 a.m.
Race –  1:05 – 3:45 p.m. (2 hours, 40 minutes)

Previous Winners: Extreme Speed Motorsports (P), Starworks Motorsport (PC), Corvette Racing (GTLM), Turner Motorsport (GTD)

Previous Polesitters: Johannes van Overbeek (P), Bruno Junqueira (PC), Antonio Garcia (GTLM), Spencer Pumpelly (GTD).

Driver Insight: “I’ve only raced at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca a few times in my career, but it is absolutely one of my favorite locations in the world. I love the track, the area. One thing that will make this weekend especially difficult is the relative lack of practice sessions. Historically, those few sessions are plagued with yellows as well, so it’ll be imperative that we unload with a quick car and maximize green flag conditions. It’ll be crowded out there as well, a lot of cars on a smaller, twisty track. We’ll have to turn perfect laps, have flawless pit stops, and really lock in qualifying to ensure a strong finish.” – Tom Kimber-Smith, No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca FLM09

Drive Times: Minimum: 60 minutes for PC/GTD Silver/Bronze drivers; Maximum: None

Tires: Continental Tire “Black” for P, PC and GTD. Multiple tire brands/compounds for GTLM

Pit Stops: 40-45 minute stint length for P, PC; 50-55 minutes for GTLM, GTD

Weather: Partly Cloudy, High: 64 F, 10 percent chance of rain

TV: Sunday May 3, 4-7 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1)

Radio: Complete session-by-session coverage on IMSA Radio

Spotter’s Guide: Click Here

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

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