Written by Sean McKean
After the last “stand-alone” event of the season in VIR, the IMSA field will take to the prestigious Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the penultimate endurance round of the season. The next two season-concluding rounds – including this one – will feature all classes.
There are 56 entries expected: 11 in GTP, 10 in LMP2, 12 in GTD Pro and 23 in GTD.
This event will be six hours long, a solid build-up to the finale in Petit Le Mans, which will be ten hours in mid-October.
The GTP title fight is still on, but the #7 Porsche of Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr have been the class of the field. Their second-placed result in Road America continues a streak of top four finishes that has yet to be stopped; in fact, the only time they finished off the podium was in Watkins Glen in fourth. Look for these two to continue their possibly title-winning drive.
But the #6 Porsche of Mathieu Jaminet and Nick Tandy have fired it up at the right time. After a slow start to the season in comparison to the other side of the garage, four consecutive podiums – highlighted by two wins in Laguna Seca and Road America – have brought the Frenchman and Briton within arm’s reach of their teammates.
Somehow, the title fight is even closer in the LMP2 class, with only seven points separating the top two.
Leading the class by that margin is the #52 Inter Europol squad, piloted by Nick Boulle and Tom Dillmann for most of the year. This weekend, they will be joined by the young Jakub Smiechowski – one who typically joins the pair for endurance rounds.
In second, the #74 Riley of Felipe Fraga and Gar Robinson have brought themselves close to the top. Although they have yet to win a race, sheer consistency has kept them within reach of the title. On top of being joined by Josh Burdon for the next two rounds, expect this gap to possibly shrink with three strong pairs of hands.
In the GTD Pro class, the #77 Porsche of Laurin Heinrich and Michael Christensen are the strongest pair of hands. Heinrich, who leads the GTD Pro standings alone, has two wins from Detroit and Laguna Seca. Meanwhile, Christensen last drove for the squad in Sebring, aiding them to a ninth place finish.
But the #23 Aston Martin of Ross Gunn and Alex Riberas has turned it up at the right time. Gunn himself sits second in the standings with only one finish outside of the top five – including a win in Watkins Glen with Riberas alongside. Will the pair close the gap between them and the Porsche?
The GTD class is still no contest, as the #57 Mercedes of Russell Ward and Philip Ellis continue their dominant form. They tallied their sixth podium in Virginia in third and look to further extend their gap to those behind.
The green flag is expected to drop on Sunday, 22 September at 15:00 local (20:00 UK).
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