Michelin IMSA Insider: Road America Return

Leave it to the 1992 IMSA media guide to educate you on at least two aspects of Road America that haven’t changed – it’s still one of the most ‘picturesque racing facilities in the world’ and one of the ‘fastest’ tracks on the schedule.

The top class that year also happened to be GTP with Juan-Manuel Fangio II winning. He secured GTP championships with Toyota in 1992 and 1993—the last of that GTP era.

New GTP Era, Close Competition

The inaugural season of the new GTP era saw all four manufacturers win races. The 2023 championship battle at Motul Petit Le Mans came down to three teams separated by just five points.

“It’s exciting for Michelin to be part of this incredibly tight racing, said Hans Emmel, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series manager – GTP and LMP2.

“Every manufacturer in GTP has the chance to maximize tire performance, to maximize their own car’s performance and a shot at victory.”

There have been five different GTP race winners in the first six races of this season, with three manufacturers scoring victories.

Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr are the only repeat winners this season in the No. 7 Penske Porsche 963. They hold a 93-point lead in the championship over Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing’s Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais.

“Several of the events have been competitive down to the wire,” Emmel said. “I think it just shows that the process is working.”

Year Two for Car and Road America Repave

The second year of this new GTP generation pairs with the age of the track at Road America.

Michelin broke 11 qualifying and race lap records at Road America in 2023 across classes with the new surface.

The GTP pole time by Pipo Derani was 0.985 seconds quicker than the DPi record set by Cameron. The quickest GTP race lap by Filipe Albuquerque was 1.358 seconds quicker than the DPi record, also set by Cameron.

“We saw a very high grip level online,” said Emmel. “But we had reports that if you strayed off that line, the grip level could drop quite a bit. That just has to do with the surface being burnished versus non-burnished.”

Michelin expects that effect to be diminished this time around after a full year of track days, club racing and other series events. This opens the potential for more passing and records being broken.

“It’s all about how hard the driver wants to push on this old school, natural terrain track,” Emmel said. “The circuit is characterized by high speeds with big braking zones and not much runoff for drivers. You go too far and you’re putting two tires in the grass.”