The top prototype class has switched to hybrid engines this year to make IMSA the first North American racing series to make the technology upgrade. It was the automakers that wanted to move to hybrid so that their motorsports programs would reflect the direction most have taken for their road cars.
“We are in the transformation, or transition, into the electric world,” said
The cars make their debut Saturday in the twice-round-the-clock Rolex 24 at Daytona, which has been described as a "symphony of sounds" because of the new engines. The hybrid powertrains marry a traditional internal combustion engine with Bosch’s Motor Generation Unit, an energy recovery system that includes batteries and an Xtrac gearbox.
One of the major concerns headed into this new era was that the hybrid technology would rob the cars of the loud roar that is part of motorsports' allure. But the opposite has happened as the four manufacturers in GTP — double the number from last year — created engines with distinctive sounds.
“The thing I like about the hybrid system versus strictly (electric) is we still have a nice sound, and I think that's very important. They all sound good, like an orchestra playing out there,” said
The new rules package also makes IMSA's top GTP class eligible to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as early as this year. Acura and BMW have already said they won't be ready for Le Mans this year.
The changes have also lured
The excitement has Daytona officials predicting the largest crowd in at least a decade for the 61st running of
But getting to Saturday's debut has been a challenge as the manufacturers have battled supply—chain crises and a compressed timeline to launch an entirely new program.
“It’s been a huge undertaking,” said Mike O’Gara, the director of operations for
Teams had 18 months from when the rules package was set to build their cars and engines, but only 17 weeks from the conclusion of last season to finalize their entries for the biggest race of the IMSA season.
The
“Everything is new. So that comes with new challenges — you need enough parts to assemble a reasonable amount of race cars at a reasonable quality,” said
“The easy thing would have been just to have lifted (last year’s) engine and plunk it in, but that’s not why we do this. We just started with a clean sheet of paper and said, ‘What do we need to make the best racing car?’”
And now that the cars have made it to Daytona and are ready to race, there are significant concerns about their durability over a 24-hour race. So much concern that multiple second-class LMP2 teams believe they've got a shot at the overall win because the prototypes won't be able to finish the race.
There have been reports that the two Acura programs of Shank and Andretti/Taylor have yet to complete a 24-hour test.
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