25 Entries for IMSA at Long Beach

IMSA has released a 25-car entry list for next weekend’s Bubba burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach, which serves as the third round of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The 100-minute race on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street circuit begins at 4:05 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 16. Live television coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on FS2 and the FOX Sports GO app, with a rebroadcast on FS1 airing at 12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 17.

ENTRY LIST: Long Beach

The Prototype class features eight entries, including the No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP of brothers Ricky and Jordan Taylor, which won last year’s event after finishing second in 2014.

“I’m really looking forward to going back to Long Beach,” Ricky Taylor said. “We had a rough Sebring, so going somewhere that we have had a win and a second place is very encouraging to hopefully get some points back in the championship.

“It is always nice to go back when you are the defending race winners. It gives you a little extra confidence and a boost in your step walking into the track on Thursday.”

Other Corvette DPs include for two Action Express Racing and the No. 90 Visit Florida Corvette DP, with Marc Goossens joined by IndyCar driver Ryan Hunter-Reay.

The entry also features a pair of Mazda Prototypes, the Ligier JS P2 Honda for Michael Shank Racing, and the unique Panoz DeltaWing Racing coupe.

The GT Le Mans class has a 10-car entry, with BMW, Corvette, Ford, Ferrari and Porsche each racing a pair of factory-backed cars.

BMW Team RLL is the defending winner, with Bill Auberlen of nearby Redondo Beach, Calif. rejoining Dirk Werner in a new-for-2016 race car, the No. 25 BMW M6 GTLM.

The Prototype Challenge class will be racing for the first time at Long Beach as part of the WeatherTech Championship.

Colin Braun and Jon Bennett – who won in the class in an American Le Mans Series race in 2013 – return in the No. 54 CORE autosport Oreca FLM09.

Starworks Motorsport will field a pair of cars, joining entries from BAR 1 Motorsports, Performance Tech Motorsports, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports and Rolex 24 At Daytona winners JDC-Miller Motorsports.

Practice for the Bubba burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach begins at 7:40 a.m. PT on Friday, April 15, with qualifying that afternoon beginning at 5:35 p.m. PT. The complete entry list is attached.