Michelin IMSA Insider: Weary or Fresh, Teams Ready for The Glen

The Sahlen’s Six Hour of the Glen marks the third stop of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup and follows closely on the heels of the centennial anniversary Le Mans 24 Hour race.

The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP teams arrive at Watkins Glen, the midpoint of the GTP season, on two distinct paths.

For Porsche Penske Motorsport, Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing and Action Express Cadillac teams, the time between Monterey and Watkins Glen has been an exhausting effort in the preparations, competition, and return from Le Mans.

On another path, BMW Team RLL, and the Acura GTP teams from Wayne Taylor with Andretti and Meyer Shank Racing, all recently tested at Watkins Glen.

The five-week Le Mans break provided a perfect opportunity to digest reams of data, and test, develop, and simulate changes for The Glen and the second half of the season which concludes in October at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with the 10 hours of the Motul Petit Le Mans.

The GTP class has featured a different winner in each of the first four races. The Meyer Shank Acura took the win at Daytona, while the Cadillacs from Action Express (Sebring) and Ganassi (Monterey) sandwiched the Porsche Penske win at Long Beach.

Conquering The Glen

Each of the four races comprising the Michelin Endurance Cup presents a distinct challenge. The season opened in January with 24 hours on the distinct high banks of Daytona. Next, came the wondrously bumpy 12 Hours of Sebring and the dramatic race finish in near total darkness.

At six hours, Watkins Glen is the shortest of the Endurance Cup foursome, and perhaps the fiercest technical challenge. The elevation and side hill changes and fast, long duration corners on the 3.4-mile circuit place heavy demands on tires, brakes, drivers, and chassis set ups.

Tire Strategies

The proprietary new Michelin Pilot Sport Medium High Temperature (MHT) tires will make their IMSA competition debut to help the GTP teams manage the higher loads and track temperatures.

“Watkins Glen is perhaps the most demanding circuit on the IMSA schedule. The full circuit was repaved several years ago and remains fairly dark, thus retaining heat. Ambient temperatures can be some of the highest of the season which means tire blistering can occur if the set-up is not optimized,” said Hans Emmel, Michelin WeatherTech series manager.

“We consider Watkins Glen to be a high energy track that can be demanding on the tire casing as well. A strong focus on cambers and pressures is necessary and during their out laps on sticker tires, teams should be sure not to run aggressively on curbing.

“Turns 1 and 5 can be particularly demanding on the left front and left rear tires.”

Tire allocation is a total of ten sets for GTP and LMP2 classes with just seven sets available for qualifying and the race. IMSA GTD Pro and GTD teams will have 10 sets of Michelin Pilot Sport S9M tires available for the event.

The six-hour race duration opens more strategic options than a standard WeatherTech race but presents little time to recover from problems.