The 2015 United SportsCar Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2015 Tudor United SportsCar Championship) was the second season of the International Motor Sports Association's United SportsCar Championship and last to be held under that name. It was also the 45th overall season of the IMSA GT championship tracing its lineage to the 1971 IMSA season. It began January 24 with the 24 Hours of Daytona.[1] and ended on October 3 at Petit Le Mans.
Classes edit
The class structure remained largely unchanged from 2014.
- Prototype (P) (DP and LMP2)
- Prototype Challenge (PC)
- GT Le Mans (GTLM)
- GT Daytona (GTD)
2015 will see the introduction of two awards for the top-finishing Pro-Am drivers in Prototype (P) and GT Le Mans (GTLM). The Jim Trueman Award will be given to the top finishing Pro-Am pairing in Prototype, while the Bob Akin Award will be for the top GTLM pairing. The top Pro-Am pairings from these classes at the end of the year will be given automatic entries to the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the Trueman award winner eligible for the LMP2 class, while the Akin Award winner would be for the LM GTE Am class. To be eligible for these awards, the drivers must at a minimum contest the North American Endurance Cup events.[2][3]
Schedule edit
Race schedule edit
The 2015 schedule was released on August 10, 2014 and features twelve rounds.[4] One major change to the rules for 2015 was a slight reduction of race time to fit television constraints. Two and three hour races, which were 15 minutes shorter than their times, will have their race times reduced five more minutes, so that they would be 1:40 and 2:40, respectively, instead of 1:45 and 2:45, as was the case in the previous years. The races set for 6, 10, 12, and 24 hours will remain at the respective lengths.
Race is part of the North American Endurance Cup
Calendar changes edit
- The events at Kansas Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway have been discontinued.
- A round at Lime Rock Park was added for PC and GTD.
- The round at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park will see PC replace GTD alongside P and GTLM.
- The IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge support series follows the same schedule as above in 2015 except for the street circuits of Long Beach and Detroit Belle Isle for a ten-round season.
- On October 31, 2014, the calendar was modified removing PC from the Virginia International Raceway round and adding the class to the round at Detroit Belle Isle alongside P and GTD.[9]
- The Monterey round would feature all four classes in a single event.[10]
Entries edit
Prototype edit
Prototype Challenge edit
All entries use an Oreca FLM09 chassis powered by a Chevrolet LS3 6.2 L V8.
| Team | No. | Drivers | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
 Starworks Motorsport[21]
|
8 |  Renger van der Zande
|
All |
 Mirco Schultis
|
1–2, 4–5, 7–9, 12 | ||
 Alex Popow
|
1–2, 6, 12 | ||
| Mike Hedlund
|
1, 6, 11–12 | ||
 Filipe Albuquerque
|
1 | ||
| 88 | Alex Popow
|
11–12 | |
| Sean Rayhall
|
11–12 | ||
| John Falb
|
12 | ||
| RSR Racing[22]
|
11 |  Chris Cumming
|
All |
 Bruno Junqueira
|
All | ||
| Gustavo Menezes
|
1–2, 12 | ||
 Jack Hawksworth
|
1, 12 | ||
| BAR1 Motorsports[23]
|
16 | Tomy Drissi
|
1–2, 12 |
| Martin Plowman
|
1–2, 6 | ||
| Johnny Mowlem
|
1, 12 | ||
| Brian Alder
|
1 | ||
| Tom Papadopoulos
|
1 | ||
| Marc Drumwright
|
2, 12 | ||
| David Cheng
|
2 | ||
| John Falb
|
4, 7, 11 | ||
| Todd Slusher
|
4, 8, 11 | ||
| Daniel Burkett
|
6, 9 | ||
| Matt McMurry
|
6, 9 | ||
| Sean Rayhall
|
7–8 | ||
| Don Yount
|
12 | ||
| 61 | Shelby Blackstock
|
1 | |
| Ivo Breukers
|
1 | ||
| Marc Drumwright
|
1 | ||
| Martin Plowman
|
1 | ||
| Remo Ruscitti
|
1 | ||
| Ryan Lewis
|
11 | ||
| Don Yount
|
11 | ||
| Performance Tech Motorsports[11]
|
38 | James French
|
All |
| Jerome Mee
|
1–2, 6, 12 | ||
| James Vance
|
1, 5 | ||
| Sean Johnston
|
1 | ||
| Conor Daly
|
2, 6–9, 11–12 | ||
| Mike Hedlund
|
4 | ||
| PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports
|
52 | Mike Guasch
|
All |
| Tom Kimber-Smith
|
All | ||
| Andrew Palmer
|
1–2, 6, 12 | ||
| Andrew Novich
|
1 | ||
| CORE Autosport[11]
|
54 | Jon Bennett
|
All |
| Colin Braun
|
All | ||
| James Gue
|
1–2, 6 | ||
| Mark Wilkins
|
1 | ||
| Anthony Lazzaro
|
12 | ||
| JDC-Miller MotorSports
|
85 | Mikhail Goikhberg
|
All |
| Chris Miller
|
1–2, 6, 9, 12 | ||
| Rusty Mitchell
|
1–2, 6, 12 | ||
 Stephen Simpson
|
1, 5, 8 | ||
 Tristan Vautier
|
1 | ||
| Gerry Kraut
|
2 | ||
| Zach Veach
|
4 | ||
| Matt McMurry
|
7, 11 |
GT Le Mans edit
GT Daytona edit
Results edit
Bold indicates overall winner.
| Rnd | Circuit | Prototype Winning Team | PC Winning Team | GTLM Winning Team | GTD Winning Team | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prototype Winning Drivers | PC Winning Drivers | GTLM Winning Drivers | GTD Winning Drivers | |||
| 1 | Daytona | No. 02 Chip Ganassi Racing
|
No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports
|
No. 3 Corvette Racing
|
No. 93 Riley Motorsports
|
Report |
 Scott Dixon Tony Kanaan Kyle Larson Jamie McMurray
|
Michael Guasch Tom Kimber-Smith Andrew Novich Andrew Palmer
|
 Ryan Briscoe Antonio García Jan Magnussen
|
Al Carter Dominik Farnbacher Ben Keating Cameron Lawrence Kuno Wittmer
| |||
| 2 | Sebring | No. 5 Action Express Racing
|
No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports
|
No. 3 Corvette Racing
|
No. 23 Team Seattle / Alex Job Racing
|
Report |
| João Barbosa Sébastien Bourdais Christian Fittipaldi
|
Michael Guasch Tom Kimber-Smith Andrew Palmer
|
Ryan Briscoe Antonio García Jan Magnussen
|
Mario Farnbacher Ian James Alex Riberas
| |||
| 3 | Long Beach | No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing
|
did not participate | No. 25 BMW Team RLL
|
did not participate | Report |
| Jordan Taylor Ricky Taylor
|
Bill Auberlen Dirk Werner
| |||||
| 4 | Laguna Seca | No. 90 VisitFlorida.com Racing
|
No. 11 RSR Racing
|
No. 24 BMW Team RLL
|
No. 73 Park Place Motorsports
|
Report |
| Michael Valiante Richard Westbrook
|
Chris Cumming Bruno Junqueira
|
John Edwards Lucas Luhr
|
Patrick Lindsey Spencer Pumpelly
| |||
| 5 | Belle Isle | No. 31 Action Express Racing
|
No. 8 Starworks Motorsport
|
did not participate | No. 23 Team Seattle / Alex Job Racing
|
Report |
| Dane Cameron Eric Curran
|
Mirco Schultis Renger van der Zande
|
Mario Farnbacher Ian James
| ||||
| 6 | Watkins Glen | No. 90 VisitFlorida.com Racing
|
No. 8 Starworks Motorsport
|
No. 17 Team Falken Racing
|
No. 93 Riley Motorsports
|
Report |
| Michael Valiante Richard Westbrook
|
Mike Hedlund Alex Popow Renger van der Zande
|
Wolf Henzler Bryan Sellers
|
Al Carter Marc Goossens Cameron Lawrence
| |||
| 7 | Mosport | No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing
|
No. 54 CORE Autosport
|
No. 911 Porsche North America
|
did not participate | Report |
| Jordan Taylor Ricky Taylor
|
Jon Bennett Colin Braun
|
Patrick Pilet Nick Tandy
| ||||
| 8 | Lime Rock | did not participate | No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports
|
did not participate | No. 97 Turner Motorsport
|
Report |
| Michael Guasch Tom Kimber-Smith
|
Dane Cameron Michael Marsal
| |||||
| 9 | Road America | No. 31 Action Express Racing
|
No. 11 RSR Racing
|
No. 911 Porsche North America
|
No. 33 Riley Motorsports
|
Report |
| Dane Cameron Eric Curran
|
Chris Cumming Bruno Junqueira
|
Patrick Pilet Nick Tandy
|
Jeroen Bleekemolen Ben Keating
| |||
| 10 | Virginia | did not participate | did not participate | No. 911 Porsche North America
|
No. 63 Scuderia Corsa
|
Report |
| Patrick Pilet Nick Tandy
|
Townsend Bell Bill Sweedler
| |||||
| 11 | Austin | No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing
|
No. 54 CORE Autosport
|
No. 25 BMW Team RLL
|
No. 33 Riley Motorsports
|
Report |
| Joey Hand Scott Pruett
|
Jon Bennett Colin Braun
|
Bill Auberlen Dirk Werner
|
Jeroen Bleekemolen Ben Keating
| |||
| 12 | Road Atlanta | No. 5 Action Express Racing
|
No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports
|
No. 911 Porsche North America
|
No. 73 Park Place Motorsports
|
Report |
| João Barbosa Sébastien Bourdais Christian Fittipaldi
|
Michael Guasch Tom Kimber-Smith Andrew Palmer
|
 Richard Lietz Patrick Pilet Nick Tandy
|
Patrick Lindsey Spencer Pumpelly Madison Snow
|
Championship standings edit
Points Systems edit
Championship points are awarded in each class at the finish of each event. Points are awarded based on finishing positions as shown in the chart below.[35]
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race | 35 | 32 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Drivers Points edit
Points are awarded in each class at the finish of each event. Drivers must complete a minimum driving time (outlined to teams prior to each event) in order to score points. A driver does not score points if the minimum drive time is not met.[35]
In addition, for each car credited with a race start, each driver nominated in that car also receives one additional “starting point.”[35]
Team Points edit
Team points are calculated in exactly the same way as driver points, using the point distribution chart and “starting points.” Each car entered is considered its own “team” regardless if it is a single entry or part of a two-car team.[35]
Manufacturer Points edit
There are also a number of manufacturer championships which utilize the same season-long point distribution chart, minus the “starting points” used for the driver and team championships. (The “starting point” is not used in manufacturer championship points.) The manufacturer championships recognized by IMSA are as follows:[35]
- Prototype (P): Engine Manufacturer
- GT Le Mans (GTLM): Car Manufacturer; Tire Manufacturer
- GT Daytona (GTD): Car Manufacturer
Each manufacturer receives finishing points for its highest finishing car in each class. The positions of subsequent finishing cars from the same manufacturer are not taken into consideration, and all other manufacturers move up in the order.[35]
- Example: Manufacturer A finishes 1st and 2nd at an event, and Manufacturer B finishes 3rd. Manufacturer A receives 35 first-place points while Manufacturer B would earn 32 second-place points.[35]
The points system from the 2014 season is the same as in 2015.[36]
North American Endurance Cup edit
The points system for the North American Endurance Cup is different from the normal points system. Points are awarded on a 5-4-3-2 basis for drivers, teams and manufacturers. The first finishing position at each interval earns five points, four points for second position, three points for third, with two points awarded for fourth and each subsequent finishing position.[35]
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | Other Classified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
At Daytona (24 hour race), points are awarded at six hours, 12 hours, 18 hours and at the finish. At the Sebring (12 hour race), points are awarded at four hours, eight hours and at the finish. At Watkins Glen (6 hour race), points are awarded at three hours and at the finish. At Road Atlanta (10-hour race), points are awarded at four hours, eight hours and at the finish.[35]
Like the season-long team championship, North American Endurance Cup team points are awarded for each car and drivers get points in any car that they drive, in which they are entered for points. The manufacturer points go to the highest placed car from that manufacturer (the others from that manufacturer not being counted), just like the season-long manufacturer championship.[35]
For example: in any particular segment manufacturer A finishes 1st and 2nd and manufacturer B finishes 3rd. Manufacturer A only receives first-place points for that segment. Manufacturer B receives the second-place points.[35]
Drivers' Championships edit
Race is part of the North American Endurance Cup
Prototype edit
|
Bold - Pole position |
- Notes
- 1 – All drivers of car #10 were moved to last in class at Daytona for exceeding maximum drive-time limitation.[37]
- 2 – The #7 of Starworks Motorsport withdrew from the 12 Hours of Sebring before Practice with only Scott Mayer and Brendon Hartley confirmed as drivers.
Prototype Challenge edit
|
- Notes
- 1 – Three drivers of car #8, Mirco Schultis, Renger van der Zande and Mike Hedlund, only scored one point at Daytona for exceeding maximum drive-time limitation.
- 2 – Two drivers of car #11, Gustavo Menezes and Jack Hawksworth, only scored one point at Daytona for exceeding maximum drive-time limitation.
- 3 – All drivers of car #16 were moved to last in class and only scored one point at Daytona for exceeding maximum drive-time limitation.
- 4 – Two drivers of car #85, Chris Miller and Gerry Kraut, only scored one point at Sebring for exceeding maximum drive-time limitation.
- Drivers denoted by † did not complete sufficient laps in order to score points.
GT Le Mans edit
|
GT Daytona edit
|
- Notes
- 1 – Three drivers of car #73, Jim Norman, Nelson Canache Jr. and Kévin Estre, only scored one point at Daytona for exceeding maximum drive-time limitation.
- 2 – Michael Avenatti, driving with four other drivers in car #81, only scored one point at Daytona for exceeding maximum drive-time limitation.
- 3 – Two drivers of car #19, Ricardo Flores Jr. and Jim Michaelian, only scored one point at Daytona for exceeding maximum drive-time limitation.
- 4 – The #18 of Mühlner Motorsport America and the #009 of TRG-AMR North America withdrew from the 12 Hours of Sebring before Practice with only Connor De Phillippi and Dennis Trebing confirmed as drivers respectively.
- Drivers denoted by † did not complete sufficient laps in order to score points.
Teams' Championships edit
Race is part of the North American Endurance Cup
Prototype edit
|
- Notes
- 1 – Car #10 was moved to last in class at Daytona for exceeding maximum drive-time limitation.[37]
- 2 – The #7 of Starworks Motorsport withdrew from the 12 Hours of Sebring before Practice with only Scott Mayer and Brendon Hartley confirmed as drivers.
Prototype Challenge edit
|
- Notes
- 1 – Car #16 was moved to last in class and only scored one point at Daytona for exceeding maximum drive-time limitation.
- Cars denoted by † did not complete sufficient laps in order to score points.
GT Le Mans edit
|
GT Daytona edit
|
- Notes
- 1 – The #18 of Mühlner Motorsport America and the #009 of TRG-AMR North America withdrew from the 12 Hours of Sebring before Practice with only Connor De Phillippi and Dennis Trebing confirmed as drivers respectively.
- Cars denoted by † did not complete sufficient laps in order to score points.
Manufacturers' Championships edit
Race is part of the North American Endurance Cup
Prototype edit
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GT Le Mans edit
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
GT Daytona edit
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Notes
- 1 – Porsche was unable to score at Laguna Seca due to a technical infraction, so they did not get the 35 points the winner usually gets. Audi finished second in the manufacturers' championship that race, but they did not get the points for first place.[38]
Tires' Championship edit
No North American Endurance Cup in the tires' championship
GT Le Mans edit
|
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ "2015 Rolex 24 and Roar Before Dates Confirmed – TUDOR Championship – The Checkered Flag". thecheckeredflag.co.uk. 27 June 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
- ^ "TUSC Set To Further Recognize Pro-Am P, GTLM Drivers". Sportscar365.com. 21 September 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
- ^ Dagys, John (15 October 2014). "Interest Building in New Pro-Am Trueman/Akin Cup". Sportscar365.com. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
- ^ "IMSA Unveils 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Schedule". imsa.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ DiZinno, Tony (February 6, 2015). "Mazda Raceway TUSC Round to Feature All Four Classes in One Race". Sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media, LLC. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
- ^ a b c d DiZinno, Tony (7 November 2014). "IMSA Driver Pairing Regulations Adjusted". Sportscar365.com. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ "Petit Le Mans". IMSA.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
- ^ Dagys, John. "#DidYouKnow". Twitter.com. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
- ^ "IMSA: PC race joins Detroit event for 2015". Racer.com. Archived from the original on 2014-11-07. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ DiZinno, Tony (February 6, 2015). "Mazda Raceway TUSC Round to Feature All Four Classes in One Race". Sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media, LLC. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g Dagys, John (October 16, 2014). "2015 Silly Season Update 1: P/PC". Sportscar365. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ "Extreme Speed Motorsport contest full FIA WEC schedule in 2015". Autoweek. November 18, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ^ "Action Express to Run Whelen Corvette DP for Cameron, Curran". Sportscar365. October 23, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ DiZinno, Tony. "Bourdais Back with Action Express for 2015". Sportscar365. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
- ^ a b Dagys, John (December 10, 2014). "Papis, Keen Complete Lineup in AXR Whelen Corvette DP for Daytona". Sportscar365. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
- ^ a b DiZinno, Tony (December 12, 2014). "Shank Confirms Honda Power for 2015 TUSC Season". Sportscar365. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
- ^ Dagys, John (October 20, 2014). "RG Racing Targeting NAEC Program with Riley-Dinan DP". Sportscar365. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
- ^ DiZinno, Tony (October 29, 2014). "Bomarito Returns to Mazda for 2015". Sportscar365. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
- ^ DiZinno, Tony (December 16, 2014). "Hand Confirmed at Ganassi for 2015". Sportscar365. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f "Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates sets 2015 Rolex 24 lineup". Motorsport.com. 18 December 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
- ^ Dagys, John (January 5, 2015). "Van der Zande, Schultis Return to Starworks in PC". Sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media, LLC. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
- ^ Dagys, John. "RSR Confirms PC Lineup, Closing in on FIA WEC LMP2 Effort for 2015". Sportscar365.com. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- ^ Dagys, John (6 January 2015). "Mowlem, Papadopoulos Set for PC Season with BAR1". Sportscar365.com. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ^ a b c Dagys, John (October 20, 2014). "2015 Silly Season Update 1: GTLM/GTD". Sportscar365. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ Dagys, John. "Team RLL to Continue with BMW in 2015 with Revised Lineup". Sportscar365. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
- ^ Dagys, John (January 5, 2015). "AMR Confirms One Vantage GTE for Daytona". Sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media, LLC. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
- ^ Dagys, John (11 January 2015). "Roar Before 24 Sunday Notebook". Sportscar365.com. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- ^ DiZinno, Tony (January 5, 2015). "Flying Lizard Reveals Rolex 24 Lineup". Sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media, LLC. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
- ^ DiZinno, Tony (31 October 2014). "Bryce Miller to Focus on Enduros in 2015". Sportscar365.com. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
- ^ Dagys, John (6 November 2014). "Bell, Sweedler Move to Scuderia Corsa for 2015". Sportscar365.com. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Dagys, John (May 2015). "Compass360 Racing announces IMSA GTD program". SportsCar365. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ Dagys, John (9 September 2015). "Lone Star Viper to Debut at COTA; Goossens Named Driver". SportsCar365. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
- ^ DiZinno, Tony (January 5, 2015). "Turner Reverses Course, Announces Full-Season GTD Return". Sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media, LLC. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
- ^ Dagys, John (6 November 2014). "TRG-AMR Signs Nielsen for GTD Program with Davison". Sportscar365.com. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "IMSA 101: Understanding the Points System". Archived from the original on 2015-09-09. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
- ^ "IMSA announces rules package for 2014 United SportsCar Championship". Autoweek. Autoweek. January 5, 2014. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
- ^ a b "Wayne Taylor Racing loses Daytona 24 Hours podium". Autosport.com. Watkins, Gary. January 30, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
- ^ "IMSA GT Daytona manufacturer receives penalty technical infraction". Archived from the original on 2015-07-05. Retrieved 2015-07-04.