IMSA Evaluating Mandatory GTD Pro Entry for All GTD Brands

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

IMSA is evaluating the possibility of mandating all active GTD manufacturers in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to also have a car in the GTD Pro class, beginning as early as next year.

Sportscar365 has learned that the topic has been discussed between OEMs in recent IMSA sporting working group meetings, although a decision has yet to be taken.

It’s understood that the move for such a rule would be for the sanctioning body to have a more accurate read on the Balance of Performance, by utilizing data from all-pro lineups.

“We’ve talked about it,” IMSA President John Doonan told Sportscar365.

“Credit to Simon Hodgson and Brian [Wilson] because they’ve set up a sporting working group with the OEMs to share ideas of what’s good for the sport, what things they can potentially look at.

“That’s something that’s on the table. We haven’t sent out a bulletin. We’re not in a place to make an official statement yet.

“It’s an idea that has been discussed.”

Out of the ten active GT3 manufacturers in the series, Aston Martin, Ferrari and Mercedes-AMG do not currently have full season GTD Pro cars.

All three, however, have been represented in the class either in Michelin Endurance Cup races or at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Aston entrant YRB Racing, meanwhile, has signaled plans to step up to GTD Pro full-time next year, which could potentially leave just two brands needing to fulfill the possible requirement.

Doonan confirmed the reason for such a mandate, if decided upon, would be for BoP purposes.

“I think it’s another key element of gathering every element of a data book that can help us with BoP,” he explained.

“When we base a particular platform’s performance, best car, worst car, whatever. You take the MRC, the most representative car, to use as the benchmark for the [next race].

“It would help us in that regard for sure.”

When asked when IMSA would need to make a decision, Doonan said “real soon.”

He added: “There’s been a lot of back and forth, relative to the meetings. We had a meeting at Watkins Glen.”

As expected, the proposal has been met with mixed reactions amongst OEMs.

Most manufacturers that have factory or works-supported programs in GTD Pro appear to be indifferent to the possible new rule, while those that treat GT3 as a genuine customer racing program have voiced internal concerns, as they don’t dictate where their customers race.

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