WeatherTech Championship Moves to Three-Class Format for 2018

Photo: IMSA

2017 will mark the final season for the Prototype Challenge class in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as the series moves to a three-class formula for 2018.

The single-spec PC category has been a part of the series since its inception and made its debut in 2010, in the American Le Mans Series.

However, 2017 will be the last chance for the Oreca FLM09s to take to the track in IMSA competition.

For 2018 onwards, the series will have three classes: Prototype, GT Le Mans and GT Daytona.

While there will no longer be a Pro-Am prototype class in the series, Pro-Am entries in the Prototype class can compete for the Jim Trueman Award at each race and at the end of the season.

The winner of the award at the end of the season will receive an LMP2 automatic invite to the following year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The top season’s Pro-Am driver in GTD will also receive an invite to GTE-Am at Le Mans.

As suggested by some, LMP3 will not replace the PC category in its current form, but instead will go to the new IMSA Prototype Challenge Presented by Mazda in 2017, replacing the IMSA Mazda Prototype Lites Presented by Cooper Tires series.

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.