Cameron on Drive for Five IMSA Titles: “It’s Hugely Meaningful”

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

Dane Cameron said winning any big race or title is “hugely meaningful” in IMSA as the four-time class champion sets his sights on a record fifth WeatherTech SportsCar Championship title in this weekend’s season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans.

The 36-year-old, who is tied with Corvette Racing factory ace Antonio Garcia with the current record number of titles in the post-merger era of IMSA’s top series, could break into new territory on Saturday, should he and AO Racing co-driver PJ Hyett claim the LMP2 championship.

Cameron and Hyett hold a 85-point lead over United Autosports driver Daniel Goldburg entering the ten-hour title-decider at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

With championships in GT (2014), Prototype (2016), DPi (2019) and GTP (2024), Cameron would also hold the unique distinction of winning five different WeatherTech Championship titles in as many different class names, in what has proven his versatility through the years in the premier sports car racing ranks.

Ahead of his 164th start in IMSA competition, Cameron said:  “You can never expect to have any sort of sustained success in motorsport. Nothing is ever given here for sure, so, it’s something I’m actually quite proud of that they are all different [classes].

“I think it has a special meaning, to be able to just jump in and go, which is really something I aspired to quite a bit.

“When I first came to sports cars, you would see these guys that just they were ‘the guy’ you just put them in your car and they would win the championship and it didn’t seem to matter what category, what class.

“Back when we had two [series], the whole thing, guys were going back and forth, and there was a few guys that could do that.

“I really aspired to do that. I really enjoyed the years when I was doing GT and prototype together. I thought it was really fun and really good for me.”

Cameron said he hasn’t really gotten caught up in the magnitude of potentially winning titles in five different categories, with three of them having been the top class of the WeatherTech Championship at the time.

“At the end of the day, you’re always just kind of racing, obviously, wherever you’re racing, and I’ve never worried too much about class, category, overall, whatever,” he said.

“I think all these classes are incredibly competitive these days… It gets maybe a little too much underrated [that] some of the guys from GT that are hugely fast.

“I’m glad they all had this opportunity now to get to come here and see how deep the talent is across all these categories and they’re all meaningful to win any race and any championship, it is hugely meaningful these days.

“I’m super proud to have it across all the different ones and at the end of the day, that’s what you set out for every year is to win a couple of big races and win the championships.

“So, I feel very, very lucky to have been in a lot of good positions with great teammates… and in good teams and had a lot of good tools to get it done.

“Hopefully [there’s] one more still to come and if I’m lucky a few more after that.”

Cameron “Not Super Stressed” Ahead of Title Decider

While Petit Le Mans remains one of the major races Cameron hasn’t yet won, the California native said he isn’t too concerned going into the enduro, where he will share ‘Skeleton Spike’ the Halloween Dragon with Hyett and Jonny Edgar.

“It’s, a really, really tough race just to get to the end of the thing,” said Cameron. “It’s a challenge so honestly… I’m not super stressed about that, but you just have to survive the day, and the easiest way to survive the day is just run the race. You can’t do anything special.

“What’s put us in a good position this year and all those other years is kind of the mindset I have for all these races, which doesn’t really change.

“You do have to get to the end of them, you have to keep all the bits on the car, all these things, while at the same time balancing a certain level of aggression, a certain need to be up front.

“It’s quite difficult to manage traffic… The easiest thing to do is just get after the thing, so I think we’re just going to do it exactly like we have all year.

“It’s a race that I have not won, so I would also very much like to win it.

“I think we’re just going to try to get up front, stay up front, and that’s the easiest way to get it done at the end of the day. But there’s so many things that you can’t control there, but there’s also no sense on being stressed on all these other factors, because it’s going to be what it’s going to be.

“Maybe we’ll be chosen, maybe not. We’ll find out what 10:00 p.m. [on Saturday] has to say.”

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