IMSA: 2023 Petit Le Mans Entry List lists 54 cars

Next week at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, it’s the 26th annual Motul Petit Le Mans to close the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech season.

All five competition classes – three in prototypes and two in GT3-spec cars – will be in the 10-hour race on the fast and challenging 2.54-mile road course.

Two classes boast ridiculously close points battles for the championship and a third class will be racing as part of the WeatherTech Championship for the final time. The Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class has embraced its first season with hybrid-powered cars to the fullest, with six entries still in title contention. Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) has three cars clustered within 100 points. The Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) class, meanwhile, will complete a three-year run as part of the WeatherTech Championship.

A full slate of 54 cars and nearly 160 drivers are on the pre-event entry list. On-track activities at Michelin Raceway begin Wednesday, Oct. 11. Peacock and USA Network combine for full live race coverage on Saturday, Oct. 14, starting at 11:35 a.m. ET. Here’s what you need to know:

Fast Facts

Motul Petit Le Mans

Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta – Braselton, Georgia

October 11-14, 2023

Race Day/Time:  Saturday, October 14 – 11:40 a.m. ET

Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 11:35 a.m. (outside the U.S. on IMSA.com/TVLive)

USA Network Coverage: LIVE – 6:30-10 p.m.

Live Qualifying Stream:  Friday, October 13 – 3:15-4:30 p.m. ET on Peacock and IMSA.com/TVLive

IMSA Radio: Select sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, October 14 (XM 207, Web/App 992, local radio 98.1 FM)

Circuit Type:  2.54-mile, 12-turn road course

Classes Competing: Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3), Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), Grand Touring Daytona (GTD)

Race Length:  10 hours

Track Social Media:

• Twitter: @roadatlanta
• Instagram: @roadatlanta
• Facebook: @roadatlanta

Event Hashtags:  #IMSA, #MotulPetitLeMans

WeatherTech Championship Track Records

GTP: New class in 2023 (DPi track record: Dane Cameron, Acura ARX-05, 1:08.412 / 133.660 mph, October 2020)

LMP2: Colin Braun, ORECA LMP2 07, 1:10.634 / 129.455 mph, October 2020

LMP3: Kay van Berlo, Ligier JS P320, 1:15.517 / 121.085 mph, September 2022

GTD PRO: Jack Hawksworth, Lexus RC F GT3, 1:18.835 / 115.988 mph, September 2022

GTD: Madison Snow, BMW M4 GT3, 1:19.118 / 115.573 mph, September 2022

2022 Motul Petit Le Mans Winners:

GTP: New class in 2023 (2022 DPi winners: Oliver Jarvis/Tom Blomqvist, No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-05)

LMP2: John Farano/Louis Deletraz/Rui Pinto de Andrade, No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07

LMP3: Jarett Andretti/Gabby Chaves/Josh Burdon, No. 36 Andretti Autosport Ligier JS P320

GTD PRO: Jack Hawksworth/Ben Barnicoat/Kyle Kirkwood, No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3

GTD: Kyffin Simpson/Till Bechtolsheimer/Mario Farnbacher, No. 66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3

Storylines

• Who’s Who Headed to Michelin Raceway: On top of the wealth of world-class drivers competing yearlong in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, a host of top pilots from other racing disciplines are expected to join teams for Motul Petit Le Mans. They include past Formula One champion Jenson Button (JDC-Miller MotorSports), 2023 Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden (Porsche Penske Motorsport), four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves (Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian) and six-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon (Cadillac Racing) in GTP, this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans overall winners Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado in GTD PRO, and blossoming IndyCar stars Scott McLaughlin (Tower Motorsports) and Kyle Kirkwood (Vasser Sullivan) in LMP2 and GTD PRO, respectively.
• Thrilling Season Conclusion for Reborn GTP Class: The innovative Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class has been an unqualified success in its first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. GTP prototypes feature hybrid-electrified powertrains paired with internal combustion engines in each car. Each of the four competing manufacturers – Acura, BMW, Cadillac and Porsche – has won this season and each has at least one entry in the championship hunt. The top three cars are separated by just five points, with the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R in first place ahead of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 (by three points) and the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 (by five points). The No. 25 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 is still in the mix at 38 points back, as are the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 (73 points behind) and the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-06 (127 points behind). The GTP manufacturer battle is between Porsche and Cadillac. Whichever finishes better in the race takes the 2023 honors.
• LMP2 Title Up for Grabs: The championship picture in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class is almost as murky. The No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA LMP2 07 leads the standings by 20 points over the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA and by 100 over the No. 04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR ORECA. Even the No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA, which is 133 points from the lead, has an outside chance to repeat as the LMP2 team champion.
• Remaining Classes Decided or Nearly so: The championship in the GT Daytona (GTD) class has already been clinched by Madison Snow, Bryan Sellers and the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3, while titles in Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) and GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) will be sewn up when the class-leading cars start the race on Oct. 14. Gar Robinson and the No. 74 Riley Ligier JS P320 are poised to take their second LMP3 crown in three years while Ben Barnicoat, Jack Hawksworth and the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 will claim their first IMSA championships when the green flag waves at Motul Petit Le Mans.
• Trueman-Akin Honors Still in the Balance: The Jim Trueman Bronze Cup in LMP2 and Bob Akin Bronze Cup in GTD are both still on the line, with the top Bronze-rated driver in each category earning a prized invitation to race next year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Unbelievably, the Trueman standings find a three-way tie at the top among Steven Thomas (No. 11 TDS Racing), George Kurtz (No. 04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR) and Ben Keating (No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports) heading to Michelin Raceway. The Akin standings in GTD find Brendan Iribe (No. 70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 EVO) 160 points ahead of Alan Brynjolfsson (No. 77 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R) and 240 ahead of Sheena Monk (No. 66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3).
• IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championships: Along with the season titles earned, the Motul Petit Le Mans is also the last of the four longer races that make up the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup. Using a different scoring system with points awarded at designated junctures throughout the race, the honors in all five classes of this prized competition are still undecided heading into the race. No team or driver leads their class by more than seven points, so these titles will all go down to the checkered flag.
• Crowdstrike Endurance, Teamwork and Speed Award:A new honor in 2023, the Crowdstrike Endurance, Teamwork and Speed Award rewards the teams in each WeatherTech Championship class that post the quickest combined times of their best qualifying lap and fastest race lap for each driver at Michelin Endurance Cup events. The winning teams from Watkins Glen in June – the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R in GTP, No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07 in LMP2, No. 30 Jr III Racing Ligier JS P320 in LMP3, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 in GTD PRO and No. 78 Forte Racing Powered by US RaceTronics Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 in GTD – will be recognized in Motul Petit Le Mans prerace ceremonies.

Who’s Hot?

• Porsche Penske Motorsport: The Penske Porsche 963s have won the past two GTP races. The No. 7 with drivers Matt Campell and Felipe Nasr won at Road America and the No. 6 with Mathieu Jaminet and Nick Tandy won at Indianapolis (with the No. 7 taking second place).
• Robinson and the No. 74 LMP3: Gar Robinson and the No. 74 Riley Ligier won four straight races, then finished second in the most recent outing at Indy to all but wrap up the LMP3 title. Robinson has done it with either Felipe Fraga or Josh Burdon (or both) as co-drivers, and the trio is together again for Motul Petit Le Mans.
• Sellers, Snow and Paul Miller Racing: By winning three of the last five GTD races, the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 crew wrapped up the class season championship with a race remaining and clinched their second consecutive IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup title. With a strong and consistent performance at Motul Petit Le Mans, they would also claim Michelin Endurance Cup honors in GTD.

Who’s Good Here?

• 14 Lexus Shoots for Repeat: A year ago, Jack Hawksworth, Ben Barnicoat and Kyle Kirkwood guided the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 to the GTD PRO victory at Motul Petit Le Mans. It was the first endurance victory for the program and manufacturer and set the No. 14 on course to control the class this season. Hawksworth, Barnicoat and the No. 14 have won two races and finished on the podium in all but one race this year as they prepare to be crowned GTD PRO champions at Michelin Raceway.

Entry List Total Entries: 54