Sports car racing makes its annual return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks on Sept. 19-21, with the unique, “race within a race” format of class racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Michelin Pilot Challenge series.
Just one type of race car competes either on the 2.5-mile oval or the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course at the Racing Capital of the World during NTT INDYCAR SERIES and NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series competition. The length of those series’ races also is measured by laps, and there is just one driver assigned per car.
SEE: WeatherTech Championship Entry List | Michelin Pilot Challenge Entry List
Sports car racing is different and unique.
Four separate classes of cars will race simultaneously when the featured WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race starts at 11:40 a.m. ET Sunday on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course. And the race is not measured by laps; it’s measured by time – a six-hour endurance race for the second consecutive year.
Drivers from all over the world compete for overall victory but also for first place within their respective class. That unique format always keeps the racing interesting, and the varying speeds of the four classes of machines create intense racing within classes and plenty of traffic for the fastest classes to navigate for most of the race.
The four classes of cars in the series are comprised of two styles of cars – prototype, which showcases the latest automotive technology and are designed uniquely for the racetrack; and GT, based on road-going production models.
Teams also perform driver changes during selected pit stops, as drivers rotate in and out of the cars over the six-hour endurance race.
So, let’s take a look at the four classes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship:
Grand Touring Prototype (GTP): The newest and most technologically advanced Prototype race car debuted in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2023, featuring a common hybrid powertrain for all entries that takes kinetic energy gained in braking and stores it in batteries for later use when needed. Six global automotive manufacturers – Acura, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Lamborghini and Porsche – are entered in the class this weekend. Each manufacturer developed its unique internal combustion engine and bodywork styling.
Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2): The Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) is a closed-cockpit car developed by four approved constructors. In addition to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, LMP2 cars are eligible to compete in other global series such as the FIA World Endurance Championship, which includes the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.
GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO): GTD PRO, which debuted in 2022, includes race cars built to FIA GT3 technical regulations and offers the opportunity for factory teams and driver lineups to compete in the class. Manufacturers competing in this class include Aston Martin, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, Lexus, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche.
GT Daytona (GTD): The GT Daytona cars are enhanced – not defined by – technology and use the global FIA GT3 specification. GTD consists of cars from Aston Martin, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche.
INDYCAR fans will recognize plenty of names competing in the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks in a number of classes.
Former NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers Tom Blomqvist and Romain Grosjean are racing in GTP for Acura and Lamborghini, respectively.
The LMP2 class is filled with drivers familiar to INDYCAR fans, led by four-time series champion Sebastien Bourdais. Other former INDYCAR SERIES drivers competing in the class include Pietro Fittipaldi, Hunter McElrea, Benjamin Pedersen and Toby Sowery.
Pedersen’s No. 55 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports team will gain even more attention than usual this weekend, as former Williams Racing Formula One driver Logan Sargeant will share the seat with fellow Americans Pedersen and Naveen Rao.
Current INDY NXT by Firestone standout James Roe also is racing in the LMP2 class, sharing the No. 73 Pratt Miller entry with Fittipaldi and Chris Cumming.
Former INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT driver Jack Hawksworth has been a standout in IMSA for nearly a decade, winning the GTD Pro season championship in 2023 for former INDYCAR SERIES team Vasser Sullivan Racing. He will lead the team’s No. 12 Lexus in GTD this weekend with Frankie Montecalvo and Parker Thompson.
Also grabbing attention in the GTD class will be Eduardo Barrichello, the son of longtime Formula One star and NTT INDYCAR SERIES veteran Rubens Barrichello. Eduardo Barrichello is sharing the No. 19 van der Steur Racing Aston Martin with Valentin Hasse-Clot and Anthony McIntosh.
The Michelin Pilot Challenge also is racing this weekend at IMS in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120, a two-hour race starting at 12:40 p.m. ET Saturday. That series also features a “race within a race,” but with just two classes of production-based sports cars and touring cars.
A look at the two classes:
Grand Sport (GS): The Grand Sport class consists of SRO GT4-homologated cars with engines tuned to produce between 400 and 450 horsepower and can reach speeds faster than 160 mph. Competition is equalized by adjustments to fuel-tank capacities, ride height, power and weight. Manufacturers in GS include Aston Martin, BMW, Ford, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG, Porsche and Toyota.
Touring Car (TCR): The Touring Car class consists of WSC TCR-homologated cars with engines tuned to produce between 300 and 350 horsepower and can reach speeds faster than 140 mph. Competition is equalized by adjustments to fuel-tank capacities, ride height, power and weight. Manufacturers competing in TCR include Audi, Cupra, Honda and Hyundai.
There are two familiar names to INDYCAR SERIES fans racing in the Michelin Pilot Challenge this weekend. Former series driver Zach Veach is racing in the GS class, while 2002 Indianapolis 500 pole winner Bruno Junqueira is driving in the TCR category.
An event weekend full of variety also will feature two single-make series in which competitors race the same brand of car, placing the skill of the driver in the spotlight.
The Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America features a 50-minute race at 4 p.m. Friday and another 50-minute event at 5:10 p.m. Saturday. Drivers compete in machines from the exotic Italian marque.
Porsche enthusiasts also can see the evocative German machines compete in identical 911 GT3 Cup race cars in two Porsche Carrera Cup North America races this weekend. Both races are 40 minutes each. Race 1 is at 3 p.m. Friday, with Race 2 at 10:45 a.m. Saturday.
Tickets and information for the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks are available at IMS.com.
TIRERACK.COM BATTLE ON THE BRICKS PUBLIC SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 19
8 a.m.-5 p.m. Public Gates Open
8:20-9:20 a.m. Michelin Pilot Challenge Practice 1
9:35-10:05 a.m. Porsche Carrera Cup North America Qualifying
10:20-10:35 a.m. Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Qualifying 1
10:40-10:55 a.m. Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Qualifying 2
11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m. WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Practice 1 (all classes)
1:45-2:45 p.m. Michelin Pilot Challenge Practice 2
3-3:40 p.m. Porsche Carrera Cup North America Race 1 (40 mins.)
4-4:50 p.m. Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Race 1 (50 mins.)
Saturday, Sept. 20
7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Public Gates Open
8-8:15 a.m. Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR Qualifying
8:20-8:35 a.m. Michelin Pilot Challenge GS Qualifying
8:55-10:25 a.m. WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Practice 2 (all classes)
10:45-11:25 a.m. Porsche Carrera Cup North America Race 2 (40 mins.)
12:40-2:40 p.m. Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120 Race for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (two hours)
3:15-3:30 p.m. WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Qualifying (GTD)
3:40-3:55 p.m. WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Qualifying (GTD PRO)
4:05-4:20 p.m. WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Qualifying (LMP2)
4:30-4:45 p.m. WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Qualifying (GTP)
5:10-6 p.m. Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Race 2 (50 mins.)
Sunday, Sept. 21
9 a.m.-6 p.m. Public Gates Open
11:40 a.m.-5:40 p.m. TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Race (six hours)
