#60 Meyer Shank team wins 2022 IMSA season finale and closes out championship

The 2022 Weathertech IMSA SportsCar Championship came to a close today at the 25th running of the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Road Atlanta. The main story of the day was the final DPi class championship on the line between the #60 Meyer Shank Acura and #10 Konica Minolta Acura. The #10 crew came into the weekend ahead, but it was a winner take all scenario for the top class championship. 

At the end of the day 10 hours of racing came down to a thrilling 30 minutes after the #01 and #02 Cadillacs made contact and brought out a yellow to compress the field for the final half hour. On equal tires and fuel the Acura cars did what they do best and raced their hearts out. 

Tom Blomqvist had the last stint in the #60 with Filipe Albuquerque behind the wheel of the #10 to finish out the season. Both cars pitted, and the fight was on. Blomqvist got a leg up out of the pits and took the lead. Blomqvist held the lead for the rest of the race, but the pressure was on from season long foe Albuquerque 

As the DPi cars weaved through traffic for the last time, Albuquerque made his move, but backed off. As both cars danced through the essses the #57 Winward Mercades imparted its way into history with light contact on the #10s back left quarter panel, the damage was dealt and the fate of the #10 car was sealed. A monster drive by Albuquerque, Brendon Hartley and Ricky Taylor was made obsolete in the last 15 minutes of a 10-hour race.

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Albuquerque slowed and retired to the pits with suspension issues and their day was done. The #60 team, Tom Blomqvist, Oliver Jarvis and Helio Castroneves, won their first top class championship and the last DPi class championship before the class is retired.

LMP2 was taken by Louis Deletraz, John Farano and Rui Andrade with Tower Motorsports. Farano won the drivers’ championship in LMP2 as well. Helped by a mid-race retirement from the #52 PR1 Mathiasen machine driven by Ben Keating, Tower Motorsports found themselves in late race combat with the #81 DragonSpeed USA car.

LMP3 was won by the #36 Andretti Autosport machine of Jerret Andretti, Gabby Chaves and Josh Burdon with their first win of the season. The championship was taken home by the #54 CORE Autosport team with Jon Bennet and Colin Braun.

GTD PRO was won as the green flag flew by the #9 Pfaff Motorsport BMW team. With help from Filipe Nasr, full season talent Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet took the GTD Pro championship in dominate fashion. Jaminet and Campbell will move up to the BMW GTP program in 2023.

A drive time violation caused the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari to lose the GTD Pro class win on track and sent it over to the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus. Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat alongside endurance driver Kyle Kirkwood took the top step of the podium for the #14 car.

The GTD championship was won by Roman De Angelis in the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin. A wild GTD race was won by the #66 Gradient Racing Acura with Mario Farrenbacher, Till Bectolsheimer and Kyffin Simpson.

The 2022 IMSA season came to a thrilling close around Road Atlanta and with a level of drama only the DPi class knows how to dish out. IMSA returns at the 24 Hours of Daytona with the “Roar Before the 24” on January 22.