24h Le Mans
There are so many competitors entered for the fourth round of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship that it will be split into two 2-hour races.
The Laguna Seca circuit in Monterey, California is narrow and has a famous corkscrew curve that means it would be impossible to align 42 cars on the same grid. The round will therefore take place in two parts with the Prototype (P) and GT Le Mans (GTLM) classes in one race and the Protoype Challenge (PC) and GT Daytona (GTD) in another.
As Extreme Speed Motorsports is only entered for the four long races that make up the North American Endurance Cup, it will be down to Michael Shank Racing to defend Ligier’s interests. However, both teams will be on the grid at Le Mans in June.
Fans are sure to be excited to witness the next episode of the ongoing battle in the GTLM class which comprises five constructors: Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford and BMW. Each marque is fielding two cars driven by experienced professionals, all of whom are capable of winning. There is a difference of only seven-tenths of a second between the car in pole position and the one that was tenth on the grid at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March!
The first free practice session is scheduled at 11:45 (local time) on Friday 29 April and the four qualifying sessions will take place the next day. The first race (P and GTLM) starts at 14:15 and the second (PC and GTD) at 18:45.
Fans in the US can watch on Fox Sports and the race will also be streamed on the IMSA website and application.
Cécile Bonardel / ACO Translated from French by Emma Paulay
PHOTO: MONTEREY (CALIFORNIA, USA), LAGUNA SECA CIRCUIT, WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP, SUNDAY 3 MAY 2015, GRID. This year, the four classes will race two by two at Laguna Seca.
