IMSA has confirmed the entry list for its upcoming six-hour Michelin Endurance Cup round at Road Atlanta, with 28 cars set to contest the race. DPi and LMP2 make their return to the grid after the GT-only round at Virginia International Raceway. The race at Road Atlanta was originally set to be held at Watkins Glen before being moved as a result of travel restrictions.
In DPi, a number of teams have brought back their endurance drivers to their line-ups, which haven’t been seen since the season kicked off with the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January. Tristan Vautier joins Joao Barbosa and Sebastien Bourdais at Mustang Sampling Racing, Felipe Albuquerque partners Felipe Nasr and Pipo Derani at Whelen Engineering and Mazda has brought Ryan Hunter-Reay and Olivier Pla back to its line-ups.
The remaining teams, including Wayne Taylor Racing and Acura Team Penske, will be contesting the race with two drivers.
LMP2 returns to the grid with a season-low entry of three cars, with Dragonspeed curtailing its efforts to focus on Le Mans preparations. Era Motorsport’s line-up sees Colin Braun partner Dwight Merriman and Kyle Tilley.
Scott Huffaker looks set for his IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship debut with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, partnering Simon Trummer and Patrick Kelly, while Performance Tech Motorsports currently only has Don Yount confirmed for driver duties.
In GTD, all 11 entries have converted to a mandatory three-man driver crew. Aaron Telitz has moved across from the #14 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 to partner Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo aboard the #12 car. Telitz’ place is filled up by Daniel Morad. Morad partners fellow 2017 Rolex 24 GTD winner Michael de Quesada and team regular Jack Hawksworth.
Darren Turner has joined the Heart of Racing Aston Martin crew, while Spencer Pumpelly partners John Potter and Andy Lally at GRT Magnus. Corey Lewis returns to Paul Miller Racing, while Meyer Shank Racing has Trent Hindman listed as the third driver aboard the #57 Acura NSX GT3 Evo and Shinya Michimi aboard the #86.
Ben Keating joins Gar Robinson and Lawson Aschenbach behind the wheel of the #74 Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3 and Dillon Machavern partners Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley at Turner Motorsports.
Wright Motorsport and Scuderia Corsa are yet to confirm their third driver. Line-ups in GTLM remain unchanged.
Porsche pegged back
The two Porsche 911 RSR-19 will be running increased weight for the six-hour enduro at Road Atlanta, while the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 has been given a power break.
The Porsche, which was fast at the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR but is yet to win a race in 2020, will go into the second round of the Michelin Endurance Cup with 20 kilograms added to its minimum weight, bringing it up to 1320 kg. No other changes have been made to the Balance of Performance for GTLM.
In GTD, the Aston Martin Vantage GT3, campaigned by The Heart of Racing, has been given a 9.5 horsepower increase thanks to an increased boost ratio, while also receiving a two-liter increase in fuel capacity.
The only other change in GTD is a two-liter decrease for the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo following Paul Miller Racing’s post-race infraction at the previous round at VIR. DPi and LMP2 has seen no changes made to the BoP.
