Connect with us

WeatherTech Championship

Michelin Sebring Notebook

Pre-event news and notes ahead of IMSA season finale weekend at Sebring…

Photo: Michelin

Ahead of the season finale Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring weekend at Sebring International Raceway, here are Michelin’s pre-race statistics, notes and data.

Tire Allocations:

WeatherTech Championship
DPi: 23 sets – IMSA Medium
LMP2: 23 sets – IMSA Medium
GTLM: 21 sets – GTLM Range
GTD: 18 sets – Michelin Pilot Sport GT S8M

Michelin Pilot Challenge
GS: 5 sets – Michelin Pilot Sport GT S8M
TCR: 4 sets – Michelin Pilot Sport GT S9M

Michelin Endurance Cup Concludes: After the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January, then a combined 16 hours at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in September and October, the final 12 hours of the 52-hour Michelin Endurance Cup will run at Sebring. Teams can score points at the four and eight-hour marks before the checkered flag.

Class leaders and points gaps through three of the four rounds are:

***DPi: Renger van der Zande/Ryan Briscoe lead Scott Dixon by four (33-29) and Pipo Derani/Felipe Nasr/Filipe Albuquerque by five (28). Cadillac leads Acura by six among manufacturers (41-35).

***LMP2: Simon Trummer leads Colin Braun by six (40-34).

***GTLM: John Edwards/Jesse Krohn lead Augusto Farfus, Fred Makowiecki and Nick Tandy by six (37-31). BMW leads Porsche by four in manufacturers (41-37).

***GTD: Bryan Sellers/Madison Snow/Corey Lewis lead three different lineups by nine points (35-26). Lamborghini has mathematically clinched the GTD manufacturer’s crown in the Michelin Endurance Cup.

Tracking Pit Time: One of Michelin’s contingency awards presented to GTD, GS, TCR and LMP3 class teams is a simple one, Least Time in Pits. IMSA tracks the time spent in pits via its timing & scoring and tracks which teams lead in those categories.

The closest battle heading into Sebring this week is in Michelin Pilot Challenge GS, where Winward Racing’s No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT4 holds a narrow lead over Murillo Racing’s No. 56 Mercedes-AMG. The points-leading No. 60 KohR Aston Martin Vantage GT4 is also in with a good shot.

Wright Motorsports Porsche (GTD) and Bryan Herta Autosport’s No. 33 Hyundai (TCR) hold significant leads in those classes, while MLT Motorsports claimed the LMP3 award at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta last month.

IMSA Sweepstakes Deadline: This the last race weekend to enter for a chance to win a trip to attend the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January 2021 and Michelin tires to cover multiple vehicles as part of the IMSA Ultimate Fan Sweepstakes.

Entries close at 11:50 p.m. on November 20. Winners receive tickets and hotel accommodations for the Rolex 24 and a Michelin “Share of Garage” package that includes Michelin passenger or light truck tires, motorcycle, bicycle and UTV tires up to the $3,000 retail value.

Entrants must be 21 years of age. Visit www.imsa.com/sweepstakes to enter.

Sebring – Take 3: Sebring International Raceway will hold a unique mark on the 2020 IMSA calendar. Michelin and Jackson staff descended on the circuit in early March to prepare for SuperSebring before the event was postponed as COVID-19 shutdowns began.

Then in July, Sebring hosted all three of Michelin’s IMSA race series. The Michelin Pilot Challenge and Prototype Challenge series restarted. The rescheduled Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Alan Jay Automotive 120 races will conclude the WeatherTech Championship and Pilot Challenge seasons.

Compound Notes: The compound switches continue from the last race in Monterey to the season finale in Sebring. The DPi and LMP2 classes go back from the IMSA Hard to IMSA Medium for this race, and GS shifts from the S9M to S8M.

In July, DPi, LMP2 (IMSA Hard), GTD and GS (S9M) all ran on the harder of the two slick compounds.

“Not the Encore” Weekend: This November Sebring weekend had already been on IMSA’s schedule for what would have been the third annual Michelin IMSA SportsCar Encore.

The first Encore event in 2018 was a de facto “dry run” for LMP3, GT4 and TCR cars to run a four-hour, non-points race to learn both Michelin’s tires and at-track support process ahead of the 2019 IMSA season. The second one in 2019 swapped in GT3 cars for TCR cars.

Hello, Darkness: With the race occurring after turning back the clocks one hour, the Sebring race will have more than four and a half hours of darkness. Sunset occurs at 5:34 p.m., and the race doesn’t conclude until 10:10 p.m.

The Torque Show: The Torque Show, presented by Michelin, heads back to the track at Sebring. Hosts Justin Bell and Tommy Kendall broadcasted the Charlotte and Monterey shows from Jackson, a top brand marketing and motorsport marketing agency, in Simpsonville, S.C.. Stay tuned to its social media channels (@TorqueShowLive) for air times.

Social Media Handles: Follow Michelin at VIR with these handles:
Facebook: @MichelinUSA
Twitter: @MichelinUSA and @MichelinRaceUSA
Instagram: @MichelinUSA
Web: michelinracingusa.com

The latest news, photos and video features from the trusted Sportscar365 web staff.

Click to comment

More in WeatherTech Championship