Watkins Glen Thursday Notebook

Photo: Jonathan Grace

***The entry list for this weekend’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen has been reduced from 56 to 55 entries following the withdrawal of the Iron Dames Porsche 911 GT3 R amid Michelle Gatting’s foot injury that ruled her out of last weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Proton Competition-run Iron Dames squad sits 14th in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTD standings following the first two races of the season.

***There has been several driver changes due to this weekend’s clashing Nürburgring 24, with Sandy Mitchell subbing for fellow Lamborghini factory driver Marco Mapelli in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, while Daniel Morad has been drafted into fill in for Maxi Goetz in the No. 32 Korthoff Competition Motors Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. Morad served as the team’s fourth driver in the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona.

***Eric Filgueiras has parted ways with Lone Star Racing, in what was originally scheduled to be a full Endurance Cup program in the team’s No. 80 Mercedes-AMG. European Le Mans Series and Michelin Le Mans Cup racer Wyatt Brichacek has completed the lineup this weekend alongside Scott Andrews and team owner Dan Knox.

***Filgueiras said: “After a series of discussions, we mutually agreed that strictly from a business standpoint, it wasn’t possible to move forward with the rest of the season… Racing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Twelve Hours of Sebring in top-tier equipment alongside such a dedicated team and gave me the chance to show I can compete at this level, and I’m thankful for that. While this isn’t how we envisioned the season unfolding, I wish the team continued success and hope our paths cross again.”

***Another late change has come with the No. 78 Forte Racing Lamborghini, which sees Scott Hargrove join full season drivers Misha Goikhberg and Mario Farnbacher this weekend. Hargrove replaces Parker Kligerman, who was the third driver at Daytona and Sebring, but has NASCAR Xfinity Series television commitments with The CW Network this weekend.

***Sportscar365 understands there will also be a lineup change in the No. 021 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 that will be made official following technical inspection later this evening.

***Nico Varrone, a Corvette factory driver, is making his first WeatherTech SportsCar Championship start in the GTP ranks, aboard the No. 5 Proton Competition Porsche 963. Varrone took part in the first two Endurance Cup rounds at the wheel of the No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, with both factory-supported Corvettes featuring two-driver lineups this weekend.

***The No. 99 Proton Porsche, No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R (Frederik Vesti) and No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 (Kaku Ohta) are the only three-driver lineups in GTP, with all nine of the ten GTD Pro entries utilizing two-driver squads (all except No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO, with Connor De Phillippi). LMP2 and GTD, meanwhile, mandate three-driver lineups.

***A number of teams and drivers are hot on the heels of Le Mans, including Nick Yelloly and Tom Dillmann (LMP2), Louis Deletraz, PJ Hyett and Dane Cameron (LMP2 Pro-Am) who picked up class victories for Inter Europol Competition and AO by TF, respectively, in the French endurance classic.

***Porsche Penske Motorsport, Wayne Taylor Racing, Action Express Racing, Proton Competition, Heart of Racing Team, United Autosports, Algarve Pro Racing, TDS Racing, AF Corse and AWA were also all present at Le Mans in various capacities, with no fewer than 57 drivers making the trip to Watkins Glen fresh off Le Mans.

***The No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R is sporting its ‘Chip Hart Racing’ livery this weekend that was first used for filming duties at the 2024 Rolex 24 for the soon-to-be-released movie ‘F1’ starring Brad Pitt. The same design was on Manthey’s third Porsche entry last weekend at Le Mans, in what’s understood to be an initiative from Porsche to promote the film’s upcoming release on June 27.

***DragonSpeed has returned to its traditional white and blue livery for its No. 81 Ferrari, driven this weekend by Albert Costa and Davide Rigon. The Elton Julian-led team had a collaboration with the AntiSocialSocialClub for the last two races and started the season with a yellow base color for its Prancing Horse, which sits fourth in the GTD Pro championship.

***The GTD Pro class-leading No. 77 AO Racing Porsche of Klaus Bachler and Laurin Heinrich, meanwhile, is back to its ‘Rexy’ the dinosaur-liveried design after two races as ‘Roxy.’

***Ryan Dalziel has been named sporting director of Era Motorsport, which will see the U.S.-based Scot take on an increased role with the Kyle Tilley-owned squad. Dalziel is not racing this weekend, with David Heinemeier Hansson and Tobi Lutke again joined by Paul-Loup Chatin in the No. 18 Oreca 07 Gibson. Dalziel, however, will continue driving duties in the team’s 24H Series program with a Ferrari.

***The LMP2 class is making only its third start of the WeatherTech Championship season this weekend, following a 14-week break since the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The next round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, however, will be a LMP2 headline show for the second consecutive year.

***With the CTMP race clashing with the FIA World Endurance Championship round in Sao Paulo, there will again be a number of substitute drivers, particularly in the LMP2 ranks. Sportscar365 understands that Renger van der Zande is set to fill in for Sebastien Bourdais in Tower Motorsports’ entry, while Hunter McElrea will sub for Mikkel Jensen in the TDS Racing machine.

***WeatherTech Championship track action kicks off on Friday with a 90-minute opening practice at 11:25 a.m EST. It is the only session for the four classes that day, followed by Practice 2 and qualifying on Saturday and Sunday’s race, starting at 12 p.m. EST with live coverage on NBC.

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