2023 Northeast Grand Prix

The 2023 Northeast Grand Prix was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut, on July 22, 2023. The race was seventh round of the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the fourth round of the 2023 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.

Track map of Lime Rock Park

Background

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Lime Rock Park, where the race was held.

International Motor Sports Association's (IMSA) president John Doonan confirmed the race was part of the schedule for the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA SCC) in August 2022.[1] It was the eighth year the event was held as part of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the thirty-first annual running of the race. The 2023 Northeast Grand Prix was the seventh of eleven scheduled sports car races of 2023 by IMSA, and it was the fourth round held as part of the WeatherTech Sprint Cup.[2] The race was held at the seven-turn 1.530 mi (2.462 km) Lime Rock Park on July 22, 2023.[2] As in previous years, it was the first of two GT-only rounds of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, in which only the GTD Pro and GTD classes will compete.[3]

After the Chevrolet Grand Prix 13 days earlier, Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth led the GTD Pro Drivers' Championship with 2110 points, ahead of Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella with 2014 points followed by Antonio García and Jordan Taylor with 2001 points.[4] With 1974 points, Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow led the GTD Drivers' Championship by 212 points over Roman De Angelis and Marco Sørensen.[4] Lexus and BMW were leading their respective Manufacturers' Championships, while Vasser Sullivan Racing and Paul Miller Racing each led their own Teams' Championships.[4]

On July 13, 2023, IMSA released the latest technical bulletin outlining Balance of Performance for the GTD Pro, and GTD classes.[5] The Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo received a 10 kilogram weight increase and gained 5.9 horsepower as well as 1 liter of fuel capacity. The Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) received a 20 kilogram weight reduction.[6]

Entries

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A total of 20 cars took part in the event split across two classes. 5 cars were entered in GTD Pro, and 15 in GTD.[7] In GTD, Andretti Autosport made their first appearance since the Laguna Seca round.[8] Julien Andlauer returned to the No. 92 Kelly-Moss with Riley entry.[9]

Practice

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There were two practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Saturday, two on Friday. The first session lasted an hour on Friday morning while the second session lasted for 75 minutes on Friday afternoon.[10]

Practice 1

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The first practice session took place at 11:45 am ET and ended with Aaron Telitz topping the charts for Vasser Sullivan Racing, with a lap time of 51.762.[11] Antonio García set the fastest time in GTD Pro.[12]

Pos. Class No. Team Driver Time Gap
1 GTD 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Aaron Telitz 51.762 _
2 GTD Pro 3 Corvette Racing Antonio García 51.821 +0.059
3 GTD 78 Forte Racing powered by US RaceTronics Misha Goikhberg 51.832 +0.070
Sources:[13][14]

Practice 2

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The second and final practice session took place at 2:45 pm ET and ended with Antonio García topping the charts for Corvette Racing, with a lap time of 51.029.[15] Frederik Schandorff set the fastest time in GTD.[16]

Pos. Class No. Team Driver Time Gap
1 GTD Pro 3 Corvette Racing Antonio García 51.029 _
2 GTD Pro 14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Jack Hawksworth 51.155 +0.126
3 GTD Pro 9 Pfaff Motorsports Patrick Pilet 51.195 +0.166
Sources:[17][18]

Qualifying

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Qualifying featured one session. The only session was for cars in the GTD Pro and GTD classes. Ross Gunn qualified on pole in GTD Pro driving the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team car, beating Jack Hawksworth in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Racing by just under two tenths of a second.[19] Mike Skeen qualified on pole in GTD driving the No. 32 car for Team Korthoff Motorsports, besting Frederik Schandorff in the Inception Racing entry.[20]

Qualifying results

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Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold and by ‡.

Pos. Class No. Team Driver Time Gap Grid
1 GTD Pro 23   Heart of Racing Team   Ross Gunn 50.593 _ 1
2 GTD Pro 14   Vasser Sullivan Racing   Jack Hawksworth 50.784 +0.191 2
3 GTD Pro 3   Corvette Racing   Antonio García 50.897 +0.304 3
4 GTD Pro 79   WeatherTech Racing   Jules Gounon 50.932 +0.339 4
5 GTD Pro 9   Pfaff Motorsports   Patrick Pilet 51.074 +0.481 5
6 GTD 32   Team Korthoff Motorsports   Mike Skeen 51.157 +0.564 6‡
7 GTD 70   Inception Racing   Frederik Schandorff 51.164 +0.571 7
8 GTD 78   Forte Racing powered by US RaceTronics   Misha Goikhberg 51.184 +0.591 8
9 GTD 27   Heart of Racing Team   Roman De Angelis 51.283 +0.690 9
10 GTD 12   Vasser Sullivan Racing   Frankie Montecalvo 51.400 +0.807 10
11 GTD 96   Turner Motorsport   Patrick Gallagher 51.419 +0.826 11
12 GTD 97   Turner Motorsport   Bill Auberlen 51.469 +0.876 12
13 GTD 92   Kelly-Moss with Riley   Alec Udell 51.476 +0.883 13
14 GTD 1   Paul Miller Racing   Madison Snow 51.643 +1.050 14
15 GTD 57   Winward Racing   Russell Ward 51.758 +1.165 15
16 GTD 80   AO Racing Team   P.J. Hyett 51.834 +1.241 16
17 GTD 94   Andretti Autosport   Jarett Andretti 52.030 +1.437 17
18 GTD 91   Kelly-Moss with Riley   Alan Metni 52.051 +1.458 18
19 GTD 77   Wright Motorsports   Alan Brynjolfsson 52.095 +1.502 19
20 GTD 66   Gradient Racing   Sheena Monk 52.632 +2.039 20
Sources:[21][22]

Race

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Post-race

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The result kept Barnicoat and Hawksworth atop the GTD Pro Drivers' Championship with 2462 points. García and Taylor advanced from third to second.[23] The results kept Sellers and Snow atop the GTD Drivers' Championship with 2226 points, 86 points ahead of race winners De Angelis and Sørensen. Brynjolfsson and Hindman advanced from eighth to fifth while Grenier and Skeen dropped from fifth to ninth.[23] Lexus and BMW continued to lead their respective Manufactures' Championships while Vasser Sullivan Racing and Paul Miller Racing kept their advantages in the Teams' Championships with four rounds left in the season.[23]

Results

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Class winners denoted in bold and with ‡

Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Laps Time/Retired
Engine
1 GTD Pro 23   Heart of Racing Team   Ross Gunn
  Alex Riberas
Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 168 2:40.25.371‡
Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8
2 GTD Pro 14   Vasser Sullivan Racing   Ben Barnicoat
  Jack Hawksworth
Lexus RC F GT3 168 +0.336
Toyota 2UR 5.0 L V8
3 GTD Pro 9   Pfaff Motorsports   Klaus Bachler
  Patrick Pilet
Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) 168 +0.859
Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6
4 GTD Pro 3   Corvette Racing   Antonio García
  Jordan Taylor
Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD 168 +1.138
Chevrolet 5.5 L V8
5 GTD 27   Heart of Racing Team   Roman De Angelis
  Marco Sørensen
Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 168 +14.443‡
Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8
6 GTD 92   Kelly-Moss with Riley   Julien Andlauer
  Alec Udell
Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) 168 +14.998
Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6
7 GTD 77   Wright Motorsports   Alan Brynjolfsson
  Trent Hindman
Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) 168 +15.451
Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6
8 GTD 96   Turner Motorsport   Robby Foley
  Patrick Gallagher
BMW M4 GT3 168 +17.228
BMW S58B30T0 3.0 L Turbo I6
9 GTD 78   Forte Racing powered by US RaceTronics   Misha Goikhberg
  Loris Spinelli
Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 168 +19.880
Lamborghini 5.2 L V10
10 GTD 66   Gradient Racing   Katherine Legge
  Sheena Monk
Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 168 +25.336
Acura 3.5 L Turbo V6
11 GTD 80   AO Racing Team   P.J. Hyett
  Sebastian Priaulx
Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) 168 +25.893
Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6
12 GTD Pro 79   WeatherTech Racing   Jules Gounon
  Daniel Juncadella
Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 168 +26.841
Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8
13 GTD 1   Paul Miller Racing   Bryan Sellers
  Madison Snow
BMW M4 GT3 168 +30.943
BMW S58B30T0 3.0 L Turbo I6
14 GTD 57   Winward Racing   Philip Ellis
  Russell Ward
Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 168 +37.213
Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8
15 GTD 32   Team Korthoff Motorsports   Mikaël Grenier
  Mike Skeen
Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 168 +38.011
Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8
16 GTD 97   Turner Motorsport   Bill Auberlen
  Chandler Hull
BMW M4 GT3 167 +1 lap
BMW S58B30T0 3.0 L Turbo I6
17 GTD 12   Vasser Sullivan Racing   Frankie Montecalvo
  Aaron Telitz
Lexus RC F GT3 166 +2 Lqps
Toyota 2UR 5.0 L V8
18 GTD 70   Inception Racing   Brendan Iribe
  Frederik Schandorff
McLaren 720S GT3 Evo 102 Did Not Finish
McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8
19 GTD 91   Kelly-Moss with Riley   Kay van Berlo
  Alan Metni
Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) 46 Did Not Finish
Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6
20 GTD 94   Andretti Autosport   Jarett Andretti
  Gabby Chaves
Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 41 Did Not Finish
Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8
Source:[24]

Standings after the race

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  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.


References

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  1. ^ Malsher-Lopez, David (August 5, 2022). "IMSA reveals 2023 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule". us.motorsport.com. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Allaway, Phil (August 5, 2022). "IMSA Announces 2023 Schedules in State of the Sport Address". frontstretch.com. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  3. ^ "IMSA Reveals Schedule For 2023 Season". dailysportscar.com. August 6, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "00_Championship Points - Official.pdf" (PDF). results.imsa.com. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  5. ^ Dagys, John (July 13, 2023). "IMSA Sets GT BoP for Next Three Events". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  6. ^ "TB-IWSC-23-62-GTD-GTD_PRO-BoP-LRP-IMS_test-RoadAm-07132023.pdf" (PDF). imsa.com. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  7. ^ Dagys, John (July 12, 2023). "20 Entries for Lime Rock". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  8. ^ "20 Cars For IMSA Northeast Grand Prix". dailysportscar.com. July 12, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  9. ^ Dagys, John (July 21, 2023). "Lime Rock Friday Notebook". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  10. ^ "2023 IMSA Official Schedule and SR Lime Rock 071223 V1" (PDF). results.imsa.com/noticeBoard.php. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  11. ^ Kish, Ryan (July 21, 2023). "Telitz tops opening Lime Rock Park IMSA practice". racer.com. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  12. ^ Dagys, John (July 21, 2023). "Telitz Leads Opening Practice at Lime Rock". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  13. ^ "03_Results_Practice 1.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  14. ^ "06_Fastest Lap By Driver_Practice 1.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  15. ^ Dagys, John (July 21, 2023). "Corvette's Garcia Tops Lime Rock Practice 2". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  16. ^ Kish, Ryan (July 21, 2023). "Garcia puts Corvette ahead in second Lime Rock Park practice". racer.com. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  17. ^ "03_Results_Practice 2.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  18. ^ "06_Fastest Lap By Driver_Practice 2.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  19. ^ Dagys, John (July 21, 2023). "Gunn Storms to Lime Rock Pole". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  20. ^ Kish, Ryan (July 21, 2023). "Heart of Racing Aston leapfrogs Corvette to land on Lime Rock pole". racer.com. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  21. ^ "03_Results_Qualifying.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  22. ^ "01_Grid_Race_Official.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "00_Championship Points - Provisional.pdf" (PDF). results.imsa.com. July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  24. ^ "03_Results_Race_Unofficial.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
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IMSA SportsCar Championship
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