IMSA – The 2023 Long Beach Grand Prix guide

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship makes its coast-to-coast journey this week to the world-famous temporary street course in Southern California for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

 

Following the opening two rounds of the 2023 season in Florida for iconic endurance races at Daytona International Speedway and Sebring International Raceway, the series heads west for the first of two California events. The 100-minute race at Long Beach on April 15 continues the IMSA tradition of racing at the circuit every year since 2006, with the exception of 2020 when the global pandemic forced its cancellation.

 

A total of 28 cars are entered in the three competing classes: eight in Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), five in GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and 15 in GT Daytona (GTD). Practice and qualifying take place Friday, April 14.

 

ENTRY LIST : ⬇️

 

QUALIFYING : Friday, April 14 – 8:10 p.m. ET

? Watch live video on en.endurance-Info.com

 

RACE : Saturday, April 15 – 5:05 p.m. ET

? Watch live video on en.endurance-Info.com

 

You will find, below, what you need to know heading into race week :

Fast Facts

Circuit: Long Beach Street Course – Long Beach, California 

Circuit Type: 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street course

Race Length: 100 minutes

Classes Competing: GTP, GTD PRO, GTD

Race Day/Time:  Saturday, April 15 – 5:05 p.m. ET

WeatherTech Championship Track Records

GTP (DPi record) : Sebastien Bourdais, Cadillac DPi-V.R, 1:09.472 / 101.980 mph, April 2022)

GTD PRO: Jordan Taylor, Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD, 1:18.048 / 90.774 mph, April 2022

GTD: Madison Snow, BMW M4 GT3, 1:18.487 / 90.276 mph, April 2022

2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Winners

GTP (DPi) : Renger van der Zande / Sebastien Bourdais, No. 01 Cadillac Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R)

GTD PRO: Ross Gunn/Alex Riberas, No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3

GTD: Bryan Sellers/Madison Snow, No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3

Storylines

• Spectacular GTP Season Continues: The new Grand Touring Prototype class that debuted this year, featuring hybrid-electrified entries from four manufacturers, enters Long Beach with two races under its belt. Thus far, Acura and Cadillac have each won one race with BMW and Porsche in hot pursuit. Cadillac is seeking to continue a run that has seen it win the past five Long Beach races overall and in the top prototype class.

 

• The Long and Short of It: After opening the season with the two longest races of the year (Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring), the WeatherTech Championship shifts gears to the shortest race on the schedule – just 100 minutes at Long Beach. How will teams and drivers adapt to a true sprint race?

 

• Sprint Cup Season Commences: The Long Beach race also serves as the first of seven events that make up the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup for the GTD class. Points earned in these non-endurance races count toward both the overall season championship and the Sprint Cup crown.

 

• Once, Twice, Three Times a Winner? Paul Miller Racing and co-drivers Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow are seeking a rare three-peat of Long Beach victories in the GTD class. They won in 2021 driving a Lamborghini Huracán and last year in a BMW M4 GT3. The team is also fresh off a victory last month at Sebring.

Who’s Hot?

• GTD PRO Mercedes and Lexus: Only two teams have finished on the podium in the first two races of 2023, and both compete in the GTD PRO class. The No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 topped the class at the Rolex 24 and finished third at Sebring. The No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 placed third at Daytona and second at Sebring.

 

• Inception Racing: Embarking on its first full-season GTD effort, the No. 70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 hasn’t won yet this season but successive finishes of third and fourth have put drivers Brendan Iribe and Frederik Schandorff in the class points lead heading into Long Beach.

Who’s Good Here?

• Cadillac and Action Express: The manufacturer rides a five-race Long Beach prototype winning streak into race weekend. Three of those (2018, ’19 and ’21) came via Action Express Racing, whose No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac V-Series.R also took the GTP and overall victory last month at Sebring. Co-drivers Alexander Sims and Pipo Derani are the GTP championship leaders after two races.

 

• Taylor Brothers: Jordan and Ricky Taylor teamed to win three consecutive Long Beach races from 2015-17 in the Prototype class when they drove for their father’s team, but neither has added a victory since. Ricky co-pilots the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 GTP with Filipe Albuquerque this year, with Jordan sharing the No. 3 Corvette C8.R GTD with Antonio Garcia in GTD PRO.

championshIPs STANDINGS

Drivers / Teams GTP

1. Derani-Sims-Aitken (Action Express Racing) 670 pts, 2. Albuquerque-R. Taylor-Delétraz (660), 3. Bourdais-Van der Zande-Dixon (Cadillac Racing) 600, 4. De Philippi-Yelloly-van der Linde (BMW M Team RLL) 586, 5. Jaminet-Tandy-Cameron (Porsche Penske Motorsports) 580, etc.

 

Manufacturers GTP

1. Cadillac 735 pts, 2. Acura 697, 3. BMW 676, 4. Porsche 642.

 

Drivers / Teams GTD Pro

1. Engel / Gounon / Juncadella (WeatherTech Racing) 708 pts, 2. Barnicoat-Hawksworth (Vasser Sullivan) 682, 3. Bachler-L. Vanthoor-Pilet (Pfaff Motorsports) 659, 4. Garcia-J. Taylor-Milner (Corvette Racing) 643, 5. Grosjean-Pepper (Iron Lynx) 612, etc.

 

Manufacturers GTD Pro

1. Mercedes-AMG 708 pts, 2. Lexus 682, 3. Porsche 659, 4. Chevrolet 643, 5. Lamborghini 612, etc.

 

Drivers / Teams GTD

1. Iribe-Schandorf-Millroy (Inception Racing) 629 pts, 2. Sellers-Lewis-Snow (Paul Miller Racing) 628, 3. Lally-Potter-Pumpelly (Magnus Racing) 577, 4. Telitz-Montecalvo-Thompson (Vasser Sullivan) 576, 5. James-Sorensen-De Angelis (Heart of Racing Team) 554, etc.

 

Manufacturers GTD

1. McLaren 674 pts, 2. Aston Martin 661, 3. BMW 650, 4. Lexus 618, 5. Porsche 613, etc.