IMSA reveals 2021 WeatherTech Championship calendar

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emailBy Marshall Pruett | September 9, 2020 11:15 AM

IMSA has scheduled 12 weekends of WeatherTech SportsCar Championship racing for 2021 with a customary start in Florida and finish in Georgia.

Following a compressed and highly modified 2020 calendar due to the arrival of COVID-19, IMSA’s WeatherTech Championship plans for next year speak to expectations for a return to normalcy. One significant change for 2021 involves the inclusion of LMP3 in the WeatherTech Championship, expanding its roster of classes to five as IMSA hopes to add more cars to its grid.

DPi, GT Le Mans, and GT Daytona have 10 rounds to contest; LMP2 and LMP3 are set for six. The WeatherTech Sprint Cup for GTD entries comprises eight races, and the Michelin Endurance Cup, reserved for the four longest races, continued unchanged.

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Starting with the newly condensed back-to-back orchestrations at Daytona International Speedway, the Roar Before The 24 will be held on January 22-24, and move directly into the Jan 28-31 Rolex 24 At Daytona. The remainder of the schedule should be a familiar sight to IMSA teams and fans.

Rumors of significant interest between the series and Barber Motorsports Park, along with the desire expressed by Roger Penske for more endurance racing to be held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, gave rise to speculation the new calendar could offer increased variety. However, all of the tracks listed on the 2021 schedule are carried over from recent years. Although the upcoming visit to the Roval in Charlotte was thought to be a candidate for a return in 2021, it too didn’t make the list.

The only unanswered item on IMSA’s upcoming WeatherTech Championship calendar is found in June, where a TBA is listed. Based on previous schedules, the vacant slot between Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen would suggest Belle Isle in Detroit would play host to the series. Promoted by Roger Penske with his headlining NTT IndyCar Series, a confirmation of IMSA’s inclusion at Belle Isle would be anticipated once the open-wheel series announces its 2021 calendar.

2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

• Roar Before The 24, January 22-24

1. Rolex 24 At Daytona January 28-31 (DPi, GTLM, GTD; LMP2, LMP3 non-points)
2. Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, March 17-20 (DPi, GTLM, GTD, LMP2, LMP3)
3. Long Beach Grand Prix, April 16-17 (DPi, GTLM, GTD)
4. WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, April 23-25 (DPi, GTLM, GTD, LMP2)
5. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course May 14-16 (DPi, GTD, LMP3)
6. TBA (Belle Isle, Detroit) (DPi, LMP2, GTD Sprint Cup)
7. Sahlen’s Six Hours at The Glen, June 24-27 (DPi, GTLM, GTD, LMP2, LMP3)
8. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, July 2-4 (DPi, GTLM, GTD, LMP3)
9. Lime Rock Park, July 16-17 (GTLM, GTD)
10. Road America, August 6-8 (DPi, GTLM, GTD, LMP2, LMP3)
11. Virginia International Raceway, August 20-22 (GTLM, GTD)
12. Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, October 6-9 (DPi, GTLM, GTD, LMP2, LMP3)

Schedule, IMSA, WeatherTech Sportscar Championship