Road America Thursday Notebook

Photo: Porsche

***A total of 54 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entries unloaded on Thursday in preparation for Sunday’s Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix at Road America, the first IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup round to be held at the four-mile Wisconsin circuit. Among the attention-grabbing entries included both of Porsche Penske Motorsport’s heritage liveries, honoring the Sunoco Porsche 917/30 and Porsche RS Spyder (pictured above) from their respective eras.

***Porsche Penske driver Kevin Estre, who is in the No. 6 entry paying tribute to the Mark Donohue-driven car that won the 1973 Can-Am race here, will be making his first start at Road America since 2014 when he finished tenth in the GTD class in a Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT America. This weekend marks the Frenchman’s prototype debut the circuit.

***Estre said: “We all have many memories associated with the Sunoco colors of the Porsche 917/30 from back then. That car was a real beast. I hope we’ll be just as successful. I have a special yellow helmet design. With it, I’m following in the footsteps of Mark Donohue. It’s an honor for me.”

***The final to-be-determined slots on the entry list was announced on Tuesday, with Joey Hand confirmed to be making his racing return in the No. 66 Gradient Racing Ford Mustang GT3 EVO after recovering from a broken pelvis, while Porsche Motorsport North America Selected Driver Ryan Yardley and open-wheel/sports car driver Devlin DeFrancesco were confirmed in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo. Late last week, it was announced that European Le Mans Series and Michelin Le Mans Cup driver Max van der Snel would replace Seth Lucas in Intersport Racing’s Oreca 07 Gibson.

***On Wednesday, meanwhile, it was revealed that Robert Wickens would be making his GTD class Endurance Cup debut in the No. 36 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, in place of Salih Yoluc, due to a family emergency for the Turkish driver.

***The six-hour enduro will mark the longest IMSA-sanctioned race at Road America since 2002, when the American Le Mans Series made its debut at the track in what was billed as the Road America 500. However, the race, won by Tom Kristensen and Dindo Capello in a Joest-run Audi R8, ran to 472 miles as it was capped to a time limit of four hours and 15 minutes.

***Only one driver, Jon Field, that took part in the 2002 ALMS race will be present on the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship grid this weekend, in the returning No. 37 Intersport Oreca that missed the last round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

***Grand-Am also held 500-mile contests at Road America in 2000 and 2001, while more recently, the ALMS contested four-hour races on four occasions (2007, 2008, 2011, 2012). The only other six-hour sports car race to be held at the track came in 1956, in the permanent circuit’s second year of operation.

***This weekend’s entry is just one car short of the track’s maximum capacity of 55 cars, per the event’s supplementary regulations. Road America has extended its pit lane, utilizing space previously used for the false grid, to accommodate the additional entries. This is the first event the track has had to dedicate the extra space.

***Pfaff Motorsports’ Lamborghini Temerario GT3 is sporting a new brake supplier in Brembo this weekend. The change is understood to have been approved by the FIA, the homologation authority for GT3 machinery, although it has not yet implemented on the cars in Europe, which continue to use TM Performance brakes.

***The Canadian squad was seen installing the new brake package on the car this morning, although it’s understood Lamborghini’s test car in Europe has already completed testing in the updated configuration.

***The Pfaff Lamborghini is on its fourth different livery of the season this weekend, promoting its partnership with Motul, which is serving as the event’s title sponsor for the first time. Sportscar365 understands the team will revert to its traditional design, seen last time out at CTMP, for the rest of the year.

***A number of teams tested at Road America over the last two weeks, including LMP2 points leaders CrowdStrike by APR and driver Alex Quinn, who is one of a number of drivers that are set for their race debuts at the track. “There’s of course a lot to take in and coming from Mosport,” he said. “It’s a lot longer. [It’s] just a different feeling, but it’s one of my first times here and it’s really enjoyable to drive just in general.”

***Ford Racing factory driver Ben Barker is coming off overall victory in the Aurum 1006 km, better known as the Palanga 1000km, Lithuania’s only long-distance sports car race that’s largely held on a highway on the country’s Baltic coast. Barker teamed with Mantas Janavičius and Marius Bartkus to claim top honors at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, marking the first time a GT3 car did not win the race overall since 2021.

***Parker Thompson, who returns to the No. 52 Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports LMP2 entry, is also fresh off a win, in Italian GT Championship Sprint Cup competition at Mugello, with his FIA World Endurance Championship co-driver Anthony McIntosh in Pro-Am. The duo, who have scored three class wins out of six races so far, have closed the championship gap to just nine points to Spirit of Race’s Francesco Braschi and Jef Machiels entering October’s season-ending round at Monza.

***Triarsi Competizione’s Kenton Koch, who is the defending GTD class winner at Road America, is returning to the first track on the WeatherTech Championship calendar where he has previous Ferrari 296 GT3 experience. Koch made the mid-season switch from Korthoff Motorsports to Triarsi at CTMP last year, finishing second in the GTD standings.

***Koch, however, is only focusing on the Endurance Cup races this year, while also not being on the grid to defend his GT World Challenge America powered by AWS Pro class title, and instead with Random Vandals Racing’s Pirelli GT4 America program as his focus in SRO America competition.

***He said: “It’s just being a year of driving a little less GT3 cars. That’s probably the only thing that I’m bummed about. I would love to be driving some more GT3 cars this year. But I’m very happy and fortunate to be in this situation with a good program. Hopefully next year is going be full season. I’m not sure yet with regards to what’s gonna happen there, but we’ll see.”

***Vasser Sullivan Lexus drivers Aaron Telitz, Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth, plus former driver turned coach and mentor Jonatan Jorge, took part in last weekend’s iRacing Six Hours of Road America, with the quartet finishing fourth in their split.

***Telitz said: “We have fun in iRacing, but it’s more about team building and getting reps at the track. You can have fun battles and save fuel. Our last stop was a 12-second fuel advantage. That was kind of how we jumped up to fourth. There’s a lot of good iRacers out there. We’re not automatically going to be at the front by any stretch of the imagination.”

***Barnicoat and Hawksworth are seeking their third consecutive GTD Pro class win on Sunday after taking top honors in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen and at CTMP.

***Myers Riley Motorsports appears set to return to the GTD class next year with its Mustang GT3 EVO according to team principal Bill Riley. “Right now it looks like we’re going to continue with the Mustang in GTD,” Riley told Sportscar365. “We have commitments from Mr. Myers to continue for next year and now we’re just putting together all the pieces of the puzzle to make sure it all works.”

***Turner Motorsport held its annual track day at the Thompson Speedway road course in Connecticut, benefitting seriously ill or disabled children who received ride-alongs by Robby Foley and Francis Selldorf. More than 40 children took part in this year’s event, which was hosted by Team IMPACT.

***Two-time American Le Mans Series class champion and 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona GTD Pro winner Cooper MacNeil revealed on social media that he had brain surgery two years ago. MacNeil retired from professional competition following the Daytona victory and has focused on product development at his family’s WeatherTech company.

***The second annual IMSA Elkhart Lake Welcome Party runs from 6-10 p.m. tonight, situated around the Siebkens Resort. The free-of-charge fan event will feature celebrity bartending by IMSA drivers, live music by The Chocolateers and local brews on tap. Proceeds and donations will benefit the Austin Hatcher Foundation and Camp Boggy Creek, the “Proud Charities” of IMSA, as well as the Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah Education Foundation.

***Friday’s track action at Road America will include a 90-minute opening practice session for WeatherTech Championship competitors, beginning at 11:25 a.m. CST. Practice and qualifying for Michelin Pilot Challenge, as well as the first Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America race of the weekend, and two of the three Porsche Carrera Cup North America races, are also on tap for tomorrow.

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