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IMSA is returning to Watkins Glen, this weekend…
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It seems like we were just there, last weekend. Why, indeed we were, as they did the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen - the 3rd of 4 Michelin Pilot Challenge endurances races in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. The next scheduled race on the IMSA calendar was this coming weekend, with a trip to Canadian Tire and Motorsport Park - aka Mosport - but COVID-19 travel restrictions in Canada are preventing that race, so the series stayed in Watkins Glen and will now do the sprint race there, instead, with support from the Michelin Pilot Challenge series and the IMSA Prototype Challenge series - and all in 2 days!
With the IndyCar series scheduled to race at Mid-Ohio SportsCar Course this weekend, all the current series drivers will be there, but that still leaves a number of recent IndyCar and Road to Indy pilots for the IMSA races at the Glen. Let’s see who they are:
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DPi class - Former Indy Lights champ Tristan Vautier will drive the # 5 Cadillac DPi V.R for JDC-Miller Motorsports with co-driver Loic Duval. These guys WON the 12 Hours at Sebring, this year, with help then from Sebastien Bourdais, who will not be at the Glen.
Tristan Vautier
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Former Indy Pro 2000 driver Pipo Derani is a regular in the # 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi V.R for Action Express. His co-driver in the car is Felipe Nasr. These guys are 3rd in the points at the moment.
Pipo Derani
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LMP3 class - The # 36 Ligier JS P320 for Andretti Autosport will have Indy Lights champ and IndyCar driver Oliver Askew and Indy Lights driver and Pirelli GT4 champ Jarett Andretti.
Oliver Askew (left) and Jarett Andretti
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Road to Indy ace Rasmus Lindh will drive the # 38 Ligier JS P320 for Performance Tech Motorsports with co-driver Dan Goldburg. These guys are tentative, as Perf Tech is still looking for an engine for the car. The Nissan engine in it was damaged in a shunt at the Glen, last weekend.
Rasmus Lindh
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GTD class - Road to Indy ace and IndyCar driver Zach Veach is one of the regulars in the # 12 Lexus RCF GT3, along with co-driver Frankie Montecalvo. These guys were P2 at Mid-Ohio.
Zach Veach
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In Vaser Sullivan’s # 14 Lexus RCF GT3 there are 2 former Indy Pro 2000 champs and Road to Indy aces, Jack Hawksworth and Aaron Telitz.
Aaron Telitz (left), Jack Hawksworth
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Former Champ Car driver Katherine Legge is a regular in the # 88 Team Hardpoint EBM Porsche 911 GT3 R with co-driver Rob Ferriol.
Katherine Legge
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The Michelin Pilot Challenge series also has a few IndyCar guys in both classes. They are:
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Grand Sport class - Former Indy Lights champ and IndyCar driver Spencer Pigot drives the # 3 McLaren 570S GT4 for Motorsports in Action with co-driver Sheena Monk. The pair came in P3 at the MPC race at the Glen last weekend and are 3rd in the points, at the moment.
Spencer Pigot
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Former Champ Car driver Jan Heylen will be driving the Wright Motorsports # 16 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport with co-driver Ryan Hardwick.
Jan Heylen
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TCR class - Indy Pro 2000 alum and paraplegic Michael Johnson will drive the # 54 Hyundai Veloster N TCR for Michael Johnson Racing, using hand controls. The car is prepped by Brian Herta Autosport and Michael’s co-driver is Stephen Simpson. These guys podiumed at Daytona, this season.
Michael Johnson
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Road to Indy Shootout contestant and former Porsche Challenge champ Trenton Estep will drive the # 81 Hyundai Veloster N TCR for CB Motorsports with co-driver Mark Kvamme.
Trenton Estep
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Former Indy Lights champion and 2020 TCR class champion Gabby Chaves will drive the # 98 Hyundai Elantra N TCR for Bryan Herta Autosport with co-driver Parker Chase. Gabby is subbing for Ryan Norman who is making his IndyCar debut with Dale Coyne Racing at Mid-Ohio, this weekend.
Gabby Chaves
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IMSA Prototype Challenge will have a bunch of IndyCar guys in the LMP3-1 class. They are:
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Road to Indy ace Rasmus Lindh will pull double duty, this weekend, with this drive in the # 6 Ligier JS P320 for Performance Tech Motorsports, again with Dan Goldburg as co-driver. The team may sacrifice the engine in this car to supply the # 38 LMP3 in the WeatherTech race. We’ll see.
Rasmus Lindh
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Road to Indy ace Jake Eidson is a regular in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series but will try an LMP3 in IPC this weekend, with co-driver Brian Thienes. The car is the # 17 Ligier JS P320 from O’Gara Motorsports / USRT - Jake’s Lambo team.
Jake Eidson
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Canadian Garett Grist is an Indy Pro 2000 alum who was the Asian Le Mans Series LMP3 Vice-Champion in 2019. He will share the # 33 Ligier with Ari Balough for Jr III Racing.
Garett Grist
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Indy Pro 2000 alum Antoine Comeau with share the # 40 Duqueine D08 with Team USA Scholarship WINNER Colin Mullan for Conquest Racing / JMF Motorsports.
Antoine Comeau
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Road to Indy ace Dakota Dickerson holds many open-wheel titles in junior formula racing. He’s driving the # 54 Ligier for MLT Motorsports with co-driver Josh Sarchet.
Dakota Dickerson
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Road to Indy Shootout contestant Courtney Crone was the Formula Car Challenge national champ in 2018. She will drive the # 74 Duqueine D08 for Forty 7 Motorsports with Jason Rabe as co-driver.
Courtney Crone
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We will be fully covering the IndyCar race at Mid-Ohio in another thread, this weekend, but we will do our best to stay on top of this IMSA event, right here in the Off-Season thread. Wish us luck.
Thursday will be a day of practice for all three IMSA series in the morning and then all three will qualify later in the day with all the racing on Friday.
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