Examining the Differences Between the IMSA Classes: GTD Pro and GTD
The Two GTD Classes in IMSA have a huge impact on the sport. Especially this year. Each year, these classes have grown and grown and grown. New heights have been reached with the cars and the teams. There are more manufacturers than ever in these classes all competing for race wins and a championship. Here are some key differences between the two classes.
To start off, both classes use very similar cars. The cars look a lot like beefed up versions of their stock and street cohorts. There is an easy way to identify each class though. On the door of every car, you will see a number with either a red or green background. The backgrounds on these numbers define which class a specific car is in. The red background indicates that the car is in the GTD Pro class, while the green one declares the car is in the GTD class.
In the GTD Pro class, these manufacturers will all be racing against one another (manufacturer-number of cars in class). BMW-1; Chevrolet-2; McLaren-1; Lexus-1; Lamborghini-2; Aston Martin-1; Ferrari-1; Ford-2; Mercedes-1; Porsche-1. Total cars in the GTD Pro class is at 13 with 10 different manufacturers.
For the GTD class however, Lexus-1; Chevrolet-2; Ferrari-4; Aston Martin-2; Mercedes-3; Porsche-4; Lamborghini-3; Ford-1; Acura-1; McLaren-1; BMW-1; will all be competing. Equaling to 23 cars and 11 manufacturers.
GTD cars will race in every IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar championship race this year, whether it’s the GTD Pro, or GTD class. GTD Pro will race 10/11 races. The only race this class will miss is Long Beach. GTD class will race 10/11 races as well. However, the only race they will miss will be Detroit. In all races, the teams will qualify and race for points towards their championship in which specific class they are in. You can find out more about that here.
Both GTD class cars have boost control per the IMSA Rule Book. Boost control requirements have to be met to IMSA standards otherwise teams can and will be penalized for actions taken against the rule book.
In qualifying, both classes are joined together. They have similar cars and similar speeds so they race and qualify together unless IMSA states otherwise for the particular race weekend. This does affect points as they are handed out to the qualifying order that each car is in within the two classes.
Both GTD classes start each race behind the other two classes in the sport, those being the GTP and LMP2 classes. These two classes also are different from the faster two by the operation of pit road under a full course yellow. This means while under yellow the pit road will open for teams to service their cars. The first lap that pit road is open, the GTD cars are NOT allowed to pit. This separates the classes between prototypes and GTD. The next lap around while pit road is open, the GTD cars will then be able to make their pit stops under the full course yellow.
GTD Pro and GTD cars must pass FiA aerodynamic testing before they can compete in racing events with that car model they are testing.
For more information about each class, please read the updated 2024 IMSA Rule Book provided on their website, imsa.com
Sources
2024 IMSA Rule Book
DiZinno, Tony. "62nd Rolex 24 At Daytona - GTD PRO and GTD Team-by-Team." IMSA.com, 24 Jan. 2024. https://www.imsa.com/news/2023/01/23/61st-rolex-24-at-daytona-gtd-pro-and-gtd-team-by-team/.
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