IMSA Holds BoP Meeting with Manufacturers

Photo: IMSA

Following a season where Balance of Performance was often one of the talking points, IMSA addressed the subject with manufacturers Wednesday, in an effort to provide further transparency into the process used in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

“We’ve had requests in the past to provide a greater level of insight into process and procedure, just how we go about it,” IMSA President and COO Scott Atherton told Sportscar365.

“We made the decision, through our technical department, to organize a proper presentation. A lot of time was spent to organize this.

“We’re didn’t divulge all of the information because I don’t think that would be appropriate. I think we need to retain some confidentiality in terms of some of the measurement techniques and how we go about holding people accountable.”

The 2014 season saw a number of BoP changes in all three of the multi-car classes, with the GT Le Mans category in particular having been in the spotlight due to the level of manufacturer involvement.

Atherton said no changes will be made in the actual BoP procedure this year, but instead have targeted manufacturers and teams gaining a better understanding of the process used by the sanctioning body.

“We will be much more transparent in terms of the process,” he said. “I think we will also open a lot of eyes as to the level of sophistication and sheer amount of data that is utilized in the decision making process.”

The one change for 2015 comes with the formation of a technical committee, comprised of IMSA technical director Scott Raymond, TUDOR Championship senior technical manager Charlie Cook, Continental Tire Challenge senior technical manager Jeff Mishtawy, as well as the newly appointed TUDOR Championship series manager Geoff Carter.

The committee, which will be in charge of future BoP adjustments, takes over the role previously held by Scot Elkins, who as of Saturday, will be stepping down from his post at IMSA.

Atherton said they are not in a position to reveal further details of the new technical committee, with more news to follow following this weekend’s season-opener.

“We are status quo for this weekend,” he said. “There is no change from our historical process and personnel. They’re all the same people and the same process that people are familiar with for at least the last two years.

“The technical committee and its role will be activated after the Rolex.”

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