How the IMSA Championship Works
Updated: Jan 7, 2024
The 2024 IMSA Weather Tech Sportscar Championship Season is less than three weeks away until going underway starting at the 62nd running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. These are just a few things you might want to know not only about this years IMSA Weather Tech Sportscar Championship, but how they will decide a Champion and how the races are broken down.
IMSA uses a simple yet compelling points system to keep the racing series interesting throughout the season as fans cheer on there favorite team, driver, and/or manufacture. This system includes giving points for drivers qualifying and at the conclusion of races.
Qualifying Procedure's and Points
The qualifying points are fairly simple as each driver that qualifies grabs points. if they qualify in there class. Each driver/team will make a qualifying lap setting there time. Each driver/team will gather points and their starting position at the end of the session.
Points in qualifying will be awarded by qualifying position. The fastest car in qualifying will gain a total of 35 points to add onto there season points. The second fastest, will add 32, third fastest: 30; fourth fastest: 28; fifth fastest: 26; and so on. If there are more than 30 drivers/teams in a class to qualify, the drivers/teams from 30th+ will each gather 1 point.
IMSA Rule Book (2024) - https://www.imsa.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2023/11/01/2024-IMSA-SPORTING-REGULATIONS-and-SSR-IWSC-Redline-110123.pdf
Each class will gather points in their Championship during qualifying. The points do not gather in an 'overall' class qualifying effort. They are released to teams/drivers in each class. These classes are GTP, LMP2, GTD Pro, and GTD.
Race Points
The drivers/teams battle during each race for the most points by finishing ahead of each of their competitors. To understand how many points each driver is awarded, it is fairly simple. Multiply the amount of points awarded in qualifying to the respective position by ten, and then hand those points to the driver that finished in that position. Finishing first brings the driver/team 350 points; second: 320 points; third: 300 points; fourth: 280 points; fifth: 260 points, and so on.
IMSA Rule Book (2024) - https://www.imsa.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2023/11/01/2024-IMSA-SPORTING-REGULATIONS-and-SSR-IWSC-Redline-110123.pdf
Classes of IMSA
GTP Class
The GTP Class is the Highest Standard class in IMSA. It's high profile standards keep racing competitive yet exclusive to only the top tiers of drivers. It's introduction in the prior season (2023) introduced a class with Hybrid Technology that adds power to the hybrid battery through braking to keep the car 'charged' and for use later when needed.
Four Manufactures race in this class including Porsche, Cadillac, Acura, and BMW.
LMP2 Class
The LMP2 Class has a similar body style to the GTP Class. They both use engines manufactured by the auto maker of each car and style the body to the cutting edge of aerodynamics with the IMSA Rule Book. The LMP2 cars are eligible to compete in other forms of endurance racing around the world because of their specifications.
GTD Pro Class
GTD Pro Class is a class of cars shaped and designed by manufactures within the IMSA Rule Book. These cars look like their production counterparts and perform to the highest standards well above the spec chassis build by the manufacture.
GTD Class
Whilst having a similar look to the GTD Pro cars, you can find some differences as these cars are not spec by FiA regulations. That means that manufactures/teams have a little more room to compete in there chassis and engine build while still able to compete in the IMSA Championship. They are not defined by what another racing Rule Book states.
There is a lot more to learn about IMSA. To get started though, this should be able to catch you up to understand the workings of the racing series. While complicated do to the different classes, IMSA makes a simple way to understand how things work. At Racing First, we want you to be able to understand how the sport works just as well as we do.
Sources
IMSA. "WeatherTech: Discover the Classes." International Motor Sports Association, https://www.imsa.com/weathertech/discover/the-classes/. Accessed 6 Jan. 2024.
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