Motorsport Week delved into five key, developing stories to follow in the upcoming 2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship season.
The 24 Hours of Daytona is one of the key events on the global endurance racing calendar and takes place on 25-26 January.
IMSA is set to host the 63rd running of the historic event as the second round, the 12 Hours of Sebring, is even older with its 73rd edition on 15 March.
This unique pair of two races in the motorsport ‘Triple Crown of Endurance’ sets IMSA apart from other championships owing to their iconicity and intensity.
Since the merger of the American Le Mans Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series, it marks IMSA’s 12th SportsCar campaign of thrilling multi-class racing across sprint and endurance events.
Whilst many of the same teams and drivers are ready and reset for another season, a manifold of new talking points bring intrigue and excitement for this year.
READ MORE: Examining the 63rd 24 Hours of Daytona entry list
Meyer Shank Racing’s anticipated return
Changes have taken place in the headline GTP category for this year.
Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR) are back in Cadillac machinery and their two Acura ARX-06s are both enabling Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) to make their IMSA comeback.
Prior to their absence last year, they had one Acura ARX-06 in the first GTP season whilst WTR ran the other machine.
Meyer Shank Racing won the last ever 24 Hours of Daytona in the DPi era in 2022 before they took another victory at the start of the GTP era – albeit under controversial circumstances.
A mixture of talented names will pilot the two Acuras, including former BMW driver Nick Yelloly, reigning Petit Le Mans winner Renger van der Zande and Japanese racing sensation Kakunoshin Ohta.
Their driver lineup is compelling in the prediction around which teams will stand out not only to win, but take the title by the end of Road Atlanta.
MSR are undoubtedly contenders in both of these areas against the might of Porsche Penske.
Lamborghini partners with Riley
The exotic Italian automotive manufacturer are finally making their first 24 Hours of Daytona appearance this year in partnership with Riley Motorsport after their split with Iron Lynx.
Lamborghini has condensed their LMDh project into one entrant competing in the IMSA Endurance Cup, like last year, but without any means to the WEC’s Hypercar category.
Their project last year was a challenging debut season in two of the world’s most prominent international multi-class racing championships.
Le Mans marked their only WEC points finish in 10th position (two points), admittedly impressive for the SC63 LMDh’s first 24-hour race.
Underwhelming results characterised the IMSA campaign with retirements at Watkins Glen and Indianapolis, as well as having finished three laps down on the race winner at Road Atlanta.
In spite of this trend, their genuine showcase of competitive pace in the wet at Indianapolis was a distinctively high moment for the team. As the wet caused chaos during the first of six-hours, the #63 Lamborghini fought for the lead for the first time – even though they retired due to contact with another GTD car.
In this excitement, one must not ignore that outing and so a rain-soaked Daytona race could enable Lamborghini to fight once again with great pace.
Their split with Iron Lynx was the result of unseen frustrations from the four total retirements across the IMSA and WEC projects.
Perhaps with Riley, they can now use their former struggles to propel into progress throughout the five endurance races at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Indianapolis and Road Atlanta.
PR1 Mathiasen solo once again
PR1 have won four LMP2 drivers’ and teams’ titles – finishing runner-up in 2022 amidst the success; plus another from last year’s collaboration with Inter Europol.
Meanwhile the Centenary Le Mans-winning outfit and well-known Polish bakery chain Inter Europol are pursuing an independent IMSA entry this year.
As reigning champions once again, PR1 have put themselves as a benchmark with a completely new driver lineup for this year.
Rodrigo Sales and Mathias Beche will run the full season, including two sprint events whilst Benjamin Pedersen will assist at the endurance races, and Ben Keating for the Daytona opener.
LMP2 is a category filled with quick and capable lineups and so PR1 will need to overcome their opponents with consistent points finishes and cunning driving.
Inter Europol’s #43 Oreca are amongst the protagonists as they will aim to win their second 24-hour race and also project themselves as title contenders.
Could PR1 take their six championship title in seven years? Even more so, the pressure is on to perform at Daytona and Sebring.
Paul Miller Racing doubles BMW GTD Pro charge on Corvette and Ford
In the GTD Pro competition, two-time GTD champions Paul Miller Racing are stepping up their game with another BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
Their sole win last year came at the VIRginia International Raceway sprint event, though it was their performances at the endurance races which earned them the Endurance Cup title.
Corvette and Ford fielded brand new cars for the season and procured their high and low moments whilst learning their new packages.
The BMW M4 is a capable machine as exemplified by the team’s dominant GTD campaign in 2023.
An EVO package will continue its potential and two cars sets the team up for representing BMW in a GT works setting against the two Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs and two Ford Mustangs GT3s.
Paul Miller Racing recently confirmed talented driver rosters in the #1 and #48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO entrants as the Roar Before the 24 testing on 16-19 January is fast approaching.
AO Racing were a key force in the GTD Pro category against Heart of Racing (HOR) but now it is time for BMW, as the only Germanic manufacturer with two class entries, to kindle another fight for the championship starting with a Daytona win – especially after Paul Miller Racing suffered a wheel-related issue after a pit stop towards the end of last year’s Daytona 24.
As a result, Sheldon van der Linde nursed the unfastened wheel and his car back around into the pit road, though the team still grasped third place in the end.
READ MORE: Dan Harper set for IMSA GTD Pro debut with Paul Miller Racing
Robert Wickens in GTD sprint competition
One of the more uplifting IMSA stories this year is about Robert Wickens’ return to the SportsCar Championship since his sole appearance at the 2017 running of Daytona with Starworks Motorsport, though it was an incident-filled affair resulting in a P23rd finish overall.
During his debut IndyCar campaign in 2018, Wickens suffered a dramatic accident at Ponoco Raceway which led to him becoming paraplegic after injuring his spinal column.
In 2022, he returned to racing in the IMSA Pilot Challenge after a careful initial recovery process by utilising adapted hand controls, developed by Bosch.
He co-piloted the #33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR with Harry Gottsacker towards the drivers’ title in the following year, and they were a runner-up in the 2024 season.
Wickens will be joined by a co-driver in the #36 DXDT Racing Corvette – fitted with hand controls – for the five GTD sprint races: Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Road America and the VIR.
Out of his six podiums last year, he took his only win at home as a proud Canadian so this year he will finally be able to compete in the heat of the SportsCar Championship’s feisty prototype and GT classes once again.
***A bonus mention to the newest car
You might wonder why HOR’s single Aston Martin Valkyrie GTP entrant has not been mentioned in this piece, although it was in the WEC version.
It is an undeniable if not highly intruiging project to follow in the upcoming Endurance Cup schedule but is one which has not finalised its pre-homologation testing and development phase.
Their IMSA racing endeavours will begin at the gruelling 12 Hours of Sebring on 15 March, the second round of the 2025 season.
In between now and then, their V12 racer will be finalised and their as yet confirmed driver lineup of three will take on the challenge in two months time.
The ‘hype’ is certainly real but before the newest race car takes the spotlight, the mighty Daytona 24 Hours season-opener is first and foremost.
READ MORE: United Autosports announces full driver lineups for Daytona 24H
