Hi IMSA fans!

I wanted to do this before the season got underway but never got around to it! Today I'm going to talk about who the early favourites are for the championship! In case you missed it, yesterday I released a video in which I talked about Porsche and their chances for this year's GTP championship. You can check out the link below for that, but today I want to focus on the other three classes!

Starting in LMP2, this was a great class to watch during the Rolex 24! Some of the best battles took place in this class and over the course of a season, it should regularly produce incredibly close racing. I'm not going to lie, ERA Motorsport surprised me with their performance at the Rolex and it seems like they have a future star in their stable with Connor Zilisch! However, Connor will only be racing with the team for the Michelin Endurance Cup series events and Christian Rasmussen was only racing with the team for the Rolex 24. Now I will point out that all the drivers did a fine job in that entry but Connor and Christian were on another level, both finishing in the top 5 of The B Pillar Driver Performance Report. So in LMP2, I'm actually going to go with the 04 crowd strike racing by APR entry. George Kurtz and Colin Brown, the full-time drivers, have looked very strong to start 2024. They had some great performances in the Asian Le Mans series, picking up the LMP2 Championship there, they had a great performance at the Rolex 24, and given how this team performed last year, I think they're the early favourites this season. Another team that impressed me was the number 74 Riley team with Gar Robinson and Felipe Fraga making the jump up from LMP3. I wasn't expecting them to immediately enter championship conversations, but given their strong start, they are definitely one to monitor as the season goes on.

In GTD PRO, I'm going with Paul Miller Racing as the early favourites. They're coming off a very strong season in GTD and they haven't skipped a beat in their first race in GTD PRO. Of course, you can't rule out teams like last year's champions Vasser Sullivan, but considering the amount of change that we've seen in the GT pro class from last year to this year, I think, if Paul Miller racing can get off to a strong start in the season before the other teams kind of catch up, that could be the difference in the championship. Right now, give me Paul Miller Racing to win back-to-back GTD/GTD PRO titles like Pfaff Motorsports did a couple of years ago!

For my boldest take, give me Conquest Racing in the GTD class. GTD is probably the toughest class to pick a championship favourite from. The amount of close racing that we saw in the Rolex 24 was insane, but there was one car that really stood out! That car is the Ferrari 296 GT3, it looked VERY strong and not just in this years Rolex 24. It performed well in other championships last season, especially as the year went on. I think now that there's a year under the belt for that car, it's difficult to see the Ferrari not being in the championship conversation as the season goes on. Again, this is a tough one, but give me the only full season Ferrari entry on the grid for the championship this year. Now if they were my favourite then a close second would be the 32 Mercedes of Preston Korthoff Motorsports. They've been so strong over the past few years but just haven't had all their luck go their way. They certainly have the speed to do it though and if they can get the luck on their side this year then they'll be right there in the championship hunt!

Are Porsche the Favorites in GTP? Off in the Esses ​

Aston Martin Unveil the Vantage GT3 EVO!

✍️ Davey Euwema/Sportscar365

🔗 Full Article 👉 https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/aston-martin-reveals-evo-spec-vantage-gt3/​

🏎️ Why it matters Aston Martin has unveiled its updated Vantage GT3 EVO, an evolution of the 2018 model which debuted in last month’s IMSA season opener. The car boasts the same 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine and gearbox as the previous car but notably has a new aerodynamic package and revised suspension. The car has undergone extensive testing, including a 30-hour endurance test with professional and amateur drivers, and received overwhelmingly positive feedback. A key improvement of the new car is its drivability for amateur drivers, as Aston Martin aimed to increase the performance window of the car so the amateur drivers can achieve lap times closer to their professional teammates. The new design, which includes an updated front end and a one-piece nose, gives the Vantage a new look and allows for faster nose changes if needed. If you have £575,000 ($726,000 USD), then you too can buy this car!

Finally, the new Aston Martin Vantage EVO has been revealed to the world, and it’s safe to say that it didn’t disappoint! One of the big goals of the EVO was to make it more user-friendly for amateur drivers. Given the early sales numbers, already in the range of 30, it’s safe to say that they accomplished that goal! Of course, Aston Martin didn’t have the start to the season they would’ve wanted at the Rolex 24, with them finishing the final two positions in the GTD class after both of them experienced issues. However, they did get a solid run with the number 23 in the GTD pro class, but it’s clear that there’s still some work to do on that car to get it to the performance level that the previous Vantage was at. Aston Martin fans shouldn’t be concerned, with a top-notch team like the Heart of Racing competing with the car, I’m sure they’re going to get up to pace pretty quickly and we’ll see them competing for race wins before we know it!

Final Lap

I want to hear about what you want in this newsletter! Are there any big pieces of news you'd like to hear more about? Or maybe you have questions about something that happened in a recent race!

Hit reply and let me know!

Thanks,

Stu

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