CTSC Monterey Weekend Notebook

Photo: Brian Cleary/BCPix.com

***While the team’s Audi R8 LMS will continue for the remainder of the IMSA WetherTech SportsCar Championship season to fulfill a contract with the German manufacturer, Stevenson Motorsports’ Camaro GT4.R program has ended with immediate effect and is not here this weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

***It’s resulted in a 15-car GS class entry for this weekend, thanks to a handful of additions to the grid since last month’s round at Virginia International Raceway.

***Saturday’s round marks the second and final four-hour race of the season. The endurance round will move to Watkins Glen next year, during the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen weekend, with Laguna Seca reverting to a two-hour race.

***A few teams have opted for three-driver lineups as a result of the lengthened race, namely KohR Motorsports, which sees Nate Stacy rejoin the team alongside Scott Maxwell and Jack Roush Jr. The debuting No. 14 Motorsports USA Maserati GT4, featuring Memo Gidley in his IMSA return, also features a three-driver roster.

***Despite some expanded lineups and race length, the minimum drive time remains at 45 minutes for all drivers.

***TRG-AMR returns with a two-car Aston Martin Vantage GT4s effort, with Craig Lyons and Kris Wilson in the No. 3 entry and Brandon Davis and Gregory Milzcik int he No. 71 car.

***Justin Piscitell has been drafted into the No. 56 Murillo Racing Porsche Cayman in place of Jeff Mosing, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to fractured vertebrae. Mosing and co-driver Eric Foss currently lead the ST championship by 22 points.

***The McLaren 570S GT4 has received a 10kg weight break for this weekend, in the latest round of Balance of Performance adjustments to GS class entries. Both GS and GT4-spec Aston Martins, meanwhile, will have a three-liter increase in fuel capacity, with a 1mm larger refueling restrictor for the Astons, plus both versions of the Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsports.

***The Camaro GT4.R has officially gone on sale to customers. The car, built to global SRO GT4 regulations, is priced at $259,000 plus taxes. More information can be found at CamaroGT4R.com.

***The No. 17 RS1 Porsche Cayman of Spencer Pumpellly and Nick Galante is sporting a new livery, in support of the Race 2 End Alzheimer’s charity. Those donating to Alzheimer’s research will have the opportunity to put the name of their afflicted loved one on the car. Click Here for more information. Thursday was World Alzheimer’s Day.

***80 percent of the ST class podium finishes at Laguna Seca over the last five years has come from Mazda. It includes a streak of five class wins and a sweep of the podium in 2014-15. 

***C360R, which is set for a two-car Audi RS 3 LMS TCR effort next year, will take delivery of its second Audi TCR car at Road Atlanta next month, according to team principal Karl Thomson. The team currently runs one car in the Pirelli World Challenge TC class, having scored multiple wins.

***It’s understood at least four manufacturers will be represented on the TCR grid next year, with Audi being joined by Volkswagen, Honda and Alfa Romeo. LAP Motorsports, meanwhile, is still targeting to have a TCR-spec MINI in the class as well.

***Watch the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 240 Saturday at 4:50 p.m. ET live on IMSA.tv, with delayed coverage on FS1 to air Sun. Oct. 1 at 5 p.m. ET.

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