IMSA has released a 21-car provisional entry list for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sprint in Detroit featuring an additional GTD Pro Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3.
The fifth round of the 2024 schedule is set to host a 1-hour and 40-minute race around the streets of Detroit, making this a second and final instance this year with the exact race duration.
Unlike the IMSA Grand Prix of Long Beach where there were GTD cars, the GTP class will be joined by the GTD Pro field for the third sprint of the year.
GTP will welcome the usual 10 entries to fight it out for the overall victory as the #6 Porsche Penske 963 duo of Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet won last time out at Laguna Seca.
In their two customer cars, the #5 Proton Competition 963 will be driven by Gianmaria Bruni and Bent Viscaal, the latter driver having made his GTP debut at the previous race finishing 10th.
Meanwhile the #85 JDC-Miller MotorSports 963 will have Dutchman Tijmen van der Helm paired with Richard Westbrook as expected.
In the GTD Pro category, there will be 11 cars competing with a field consisting primarily of professional and factory drivers.
Alike when Vasser Sullivan entered an extra GTD car at Long Beach, they have performed the same move with the added #15 Lexus solely for this race as both GTD classes will compete in each of the remaining races later this year.
Familiar GTD regulars Parker Thompson and Frankie Montecalvo will pilot the #15 with the sibling #14 driven by the reigning GTD Pro champions Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat.
Barnicoat stood on the top step of the podium with Kyle Kirkwood in 2022 and so he will be keen not only to secure the win, but also take the championship lead.
Hawksworth and Barnicoat currently reside in second position within the GTD Pro standings on 925 points, yet only 56 behind the #77 AO Racing duo of Laurin Heinrich and Seb Priaulx (981 points).
Furthermore, the #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 has been added having made its appearance this year in GTD, enlisting Daniel Serra and Albert Costa Balboa for the effort.
Elsewhere, the two new Ford Multimatic Mustang GT3s will race at home for the first time with Harry Tincknell and Mike Rockenfeller in the #64, and Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller in the #65.
The Detroit Sportscar Classic will take place on 1 June at 8.05pm BST as the full provisional entry list can be seen here.
