Road Atlanta Thursday Notebook

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

***Several IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entries faced setbacks in Thursday’s Practice 2 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, including the GTD points-leading No 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, which completed only nine laps after a throttle-related issue.

***Accidents for LMP2 runners Daniel Goldburg (United Autosports) and Chris Cumming (Pratt Miller Motorsports) resulted in red flags. The No. 911 Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo of Thomas Preining, meanwhile, stopped on track with an apparent issue in the Esses. Extensive damage was sustained to the United entry, although the team is understood to be working to get the car back out for night practice.

***So far, only the No. 22 United Oreca 07 Gibson will lose its quickest time in qualifying, due to being deemed at fault for bringing out a red in practice. Cumming’s incident was ruled inconclusive by IMSA race control, while Preining’s stoppage is understood to be mechanical-related.

***A total of 43 drivers will be required to turn laps in night practice in order to be authorized to race during periods of darkness in the race. Click Here for the list.

***IMSA’s annual ‘State of the Sport’ address took center stage during the lunch hour (pictured above), with NBC Sports’ Leigh Diffey and IMSA President John Doonan providing updates to series stakeholders, as well as announcing Westin Workman as the 2027-28 IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship winner.

***A multi-year extension of Motul’s partnership with IMSA was also announced. The French lubricant company will continue as the “Official Motor Oil” and “Official Lubricant Partner” of IMSA, the WeatherTech Championship and Michelin Pilot Challenge. Pole-winning drivers in all WeatherTech Championship and Michelin Pilot Challenge qualifying sessions also will continue to receive Motul Pole Awards. In addition, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta announced that Motul will continue as the entitlement sponsor of Motul Petit Le Mans.

***Motul Americas CEO Guillaume Pailleret said: “Extending our partnership with IMSA strengthens the relationship we have built since 2017 and supports our ambitions in North America. It is also the extension of our endurance journey that began in France, with our presence at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 1954 and decades spent supporting competitors while using the race as a laboratory to test and validate our fluids in the most severe conditions.”

***Sebring International Raceway, meanwhile, unveiled a new “perpetual” trophy for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring ahead of the race’s 75th running of the race on March 20. The trophy, designed by Jostens, is named for event founder and the race’s first promoter, Alec Ulmann. The trophy incorporates “multiple layers of symbolism” honoring Sebring’s “storied history, enduring spirit and place among the greatest motor races in the world.”

***Doonan communicated key statistics during the address, including that every IMSA race has exceeded previous attendance records since the 2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona, with four of the events having had in excess of 100,000 spectators over four-day events. Precise attendance numbers, however, were not disclosed.

***IMSA is closing on 2 million subscribers to its YouTube channel, while it has tripled its social media following since 2023. Doonan said there are now “12 million fans of IMSA” and that it is also the “fastest growing form of motorsport in the U.S.” according to market research service Nielsen Scarborough.

***Doonan said: “I feel like we’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible. Just getting into these places are tougher. It makes me proud for the sport, and specifically for IMSA, that we’re seeing this kind of trend.”

***Michelin’s ‘Bibendum’ was named the grand marshal for Saturday’s season-ending race, which also closes out the Michelin Endurance Cup campaign.

***Doonan, meanwhile, clarified to the media that the FIA and ACO’s new ten-year contract renewal for the FIA World Endurance Championship, which calls for increased control by the FIA, will not impact IMSA’s involvement with the 2030 top-class prototype regulations, telling Sportscar365 that it will be “no different” than its current role with the LMDh platform.

***This is despite IMSA’s name being absent from the FIA/ACO/WEC press release issued on Wednesday, which stated the “FIA and ACO [will oversee] the homologation of all cars competing in the Hypercar class.”

***Doonan said: “In terms of the process of homologation, the FIA is a homologating authority. IMSA will absolutely be involved in that process. ACO is our partner and will be long-term. The ACO, as the homologating authority, will be focused on that process.”

***When asked what the long-term agreement with the FIA and ACO means for sports car racing globally, Doonan said it brings “stability” to the sport.

****He said: “For me, and if anyone else in the [IMSA] family were standing here, they’d say stability for the sport is a good thing and I think just makes the overall sport stronger. It gives participants, OEMs, tire companies, members of the press, the knowledge that this is going to be here for a long time to come and it gives all of us hope for the future and a longer runway for planning.”

***Mathieu Jaminet has returned to the WeatherTech Championship paddock for the first time since winning the GTP title here last year. “This is actually funny because it feels [like a very long time ago],” he told Sportscar365. “On one hand, it was just yesterday. I’m just happy to be back. There will be a new champion for sure this weekend.”

***The Frenchman joked the change of livery on Manthey’s GTD Pro Porsche, which has been in the famous ‘Grello’ colors up until now, to an orange design for primary sponsor Viessmann, was because of the Genesis Magma Racing driver joining the lineup. “That’s what I told them,” said Jaminet. “I just come for one race and you bring the Magma colors, so that’s perfect! It looks very familiar colors to me, so that’s good.”

***Laurin Heinrich, who holds an outside chance of this year’s GTP title, said he “never would have imagined” having the season unfold like it did. The 24-year-old German was originally only confirmed for Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans with Porsche Penske, but then had several races added with the customer JDC-Miller Motorsports squad before later being confirmed to contest all remaining races, amid his position in the points.

***Heinrich said: “Who would have thought? We’re still fighting for the driver championship title, which is a great feat, driving three different cars, six podiums out of eight races. We won Daytona, Sebring, which is a dream come true. And also, thinking back to the start of the year where I thought I would only do the long races, to win so far two of them. It’s something crazy and I’m really thankful for the chance, because it has been a wild ride.

***Heinrich and No. 7 Porsche Penske co-pilots Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer are aiming to become the first drivers to have won the Rolex 24, Twelve Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans overall in the same year. Drivers have won two of the three races on at least ten previous occasions but never all three in the same season.

***Jack Aitken is set to make his 31st WeatherTech Championship start on Saturday, all coming in the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R. The Englishman made his series debut in 2023 contesting the Endurance Cup races with the team before stepping into a full season seat the following year.

***Either Aitken or Heinrich are set to become the first solo top-series, top-class IMSA champion in 20 years, a record dating back to 2006 when Joerg Bergmeister claimed the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series title in a Krohn Racing Riley-Ford DP as a single driver. This was because Bergmeister’s then co-driver, Colin Braun, who was 17 at the time, was not allowed to race at Homestead-Miami Raceway, Watkins Glen International and Sonoma Raceway, which were all companion IndyCar events sporting tobacco sponsorship  from Marlboro on Team Penske’s cars, where minors were not allowed to compete.

***While Heinrich has swapped between three different Porsche 963 entries this year, Aitken has been paired with Earl Bamber for all but one race, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, this year, due to the event’s clash with the WEC season opener in Imola which saw Fred Vesti drafted in to sub for the Kiwi.

***Aitken has called for IMSA to consider a “drop score” to prevent something like this not occurring again. “It seems to be happening more often at the moment with drivers, generally being pulled in more directions, with more clashes between championships that are expanding and trying to fight for limited spots on the calendar,” he said. “So, it’s slightly inevitable these days. But it’s a shame because, Earl is my full season teammate has been fantastic and has put more than his fair share into this championship. The fact that he misses one race and will pay for that by not being on the podium with me feels quite unfair.”

***Next up is night practice, which will run from 7:30-9 p.m. Tomorrow’s action will include the Fox Factory 120 Michelin Pilot Challenge season finale from 11:40 a.m. EST followed by WeatherTech Championship qualifying starting at 2:20 p.m., both of which will be streamed on Peacock and IMSA’s YouTube channel.

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