The Watkins Glen and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park-winning Mazda RT24-P has been handed a 20 kg increase in minimum weight and a reduction in turbo boost equivalent to nearly 17 horsepower in the mid-to-high RPM ranges for next weekend’s round at Road America.

It marks the first major BoP hit for the Multimatic-built prototype, which has come onto form in recent races.

Other BoP changes to the DPi class include a 20 kg weight increase for the Cadillac DPi-V.R, although offset by a 0.6 mm larger air restrictor for approximately a 11 horsepower increase from the normally aspirated V8.

Additionally, the Acura ARX-05 has been hit with 10 kg of additional weight as well, with the Nissan DPi remaining unchanged.

Both the Cadillac and Mazda have also been given fuel capacity adjustments due to the power level changes.

***Mazda’s RT24-P will be 20 kg heavier and have nearly 20 fewer horsepower this weekend, following a Balance of Performance adjustment handed down by IMSA last week. It equates to roughly a 30 horsepower power swing to the Cadillac DPi-V.R, which has also been given 20 kg of additional weight in addition to a power boost.

***While not revealing the precise extent of the BoP changes to the Mazda, Harry Tincknell told Sportscar365 that 0.5 seconds (per lap) would be a “conservative” number. The team tested at Road America in June, prior to the BoP changes.

Jordan Taylor feels that Wayne Taylor Racing “can take as much risk as it wants to” in the latter rounds of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship based on its position in the DPi points standings.

The 2017 title-winning Cadillac DPi squad is currently fifth in the championship with Taylor and Renger van der Zande sat 19 points off the top spot.
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He pointed to the updated Balance of Performance, which saw the Mazda RT24-Ps handed a 20kg weight increase after back-to-back victories, as an opportunity for WTR to regain a spot in the lead battle.

The Cadillacs were also handed additional weight in the pre-Road America BoP but this was counteracted by positive changes to their air restrictor diameters.

“We think we’ll be more in line with the Mazda now since they got a pretty big hit,” said Taylor.

“We gained and we lost, but we think the Mazda has lost enough that we could equal them. But we still feel that the Acura and the Nissan are a little bit ahead of us.

WTR Can Take Big Risks

Acura Team Penske’s Dane Cameron set the pace during an incident-free opening practice session for this weekend’s IMSA Road Race Showcase at Road America.

Cameron turned in a time of 1:50.007 behind the wheel of the No. 6 Acura ARX-05 to lead the DPi field, ahead of Colin Braun in the CORE autosport Nissan DPi.

Braun’s effort fell just 0.023 seconds short of the session best, while Ricky Taylor put the sister Penske-run Acura in third on a 1:50.107.

The two Acuras and the sole Nissan in the field controlled Friday’s opening practice run-out, with the Cadillac and Mazda DPi entries all more than a second off the pace.

Cadillac entries from Action Express Racing and JDC-Miller Motorsports filled out the next two places, with the quickest DPi-V-R time of 1:51.241 coming courtesy of Felipe Nasr.

Harry Tincknell set the fastest lap for Mazda Team Joest, with the Englishman posting a time of 1:51.578 to go sixth overall.

“The Nissan had huge top speed at CTMP, and obviously top speed is huge here at Road America. They’ll be super strong, and the Acuras have been strong all year but haven’t really been hit with BoP since the middle of the year.

Ford has ruled out a DPi program for the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, with the manufacturer’s “focus” on potentially entering the platform under the new regulations in 2022.

The decision, confirmed by Ford Performance global motorsports director Mark Rushbrook, will result in no factory Ford presence in the WeatherTech Championship for at least the next two years.

As previously reported by Sportscar365, Ford had been considering a continuation of its factory IMSA program, but into the DPi ranks, prior to a possible effort around IMSA’s so-called DPi 2.0 regulations.

It’s understood work on a Multimatic-designed DPi, around the base platform of Mazda’s RT24-P, had been under development at some stage over the last year.

However, it’s believed the manufacturer ran out of time for a commitment to 2020, with a board meeting reportedly scheduled the same day as a recent IMSA DPi 2.0 steering committee in June that solidified the planned utilization of a high-voltage hybrid system.

A high-voltage system was one of the key requirements of Ford’s commitment, which was dependent on an interim DPi program for the 2020-21 seasons.

“Our focus is on DPi 2.0,” Rushbrook told Sportscar365.

“While it’s not fully mature, it is taking some shape and we have a good idea of what the bones of it are and details to be worked out.

“We’re very encouraged in the direction the DPi 2.0 talks are going.”

Rushbrook would not confirm a timeline for a potential commitment to the DPi 2.0 platform, although Sportscar365 understands that it could come as early as next month during Ford’s next scheduled board meeting.

“We do have a regular cadence of meetings and reviews with our senior management,” he said. “We’re always reviewing with cycle plans and proposals.

“Whenever there’s enough maturity to the DPi 2.0 rules, or any other series, then we’ll go in there and say whether we’re interested or we’re not.”

Acura Team Penske continued to set the pace at Road America by leading the second of Friday’s two practice sessions for the IMSA Road Race Showcase.

The pair of Acura ARX-05s sat first and second in the timing sheets at the end of the afternoon run, with Juan Pablo Montoya leading from Ricky Taylor.

Montoya’s session-leading time of 1:50.256 fell two-tenths short of being the fastest lap of the day, which was set by his co-driver Dane Cameron in Practice 1, but it was nonetheless enough to beat Taylor by 0.028 seconds.

Mazda Team Joest improved on its morning numbers to end up third and fourth with Oliver Jarvis lapping ahead of fellow Englishman Harry Tincknell.

Jarvis came up with a 1:50.531 to get within three-tenths of Montoya’s pace, while Tincknell was half a second off the leading effort.

After splitting the Acuras in Practice 1, the Nissan DPi of CORE autosport managed a 1:50.971 in the hands of Colin Braun to end up fifth in the standings.

This meant the five-car Cadillac DPi-V.R. contingent filled out positions six to 10, with Pipo Derani leading the block in the title-contending No. 31 Action Express machine.

The Brazilian’s time of 1:51.285 was just over a second slower than the fastest lap of the session.

Acura Team Penske finished 1-2 in third practice for the IMSA Road Race Showcase at Road America as the team’s No. 6 car completed a sweep of the practice times.

Dane Cameron put the No. 6 Acura ARX-05 on top of the DPi pile on Saturday morning having previously led Practice 1, while his co-driver Juan Pablo Montoya paced yesterday’s second session.

Cameron was the first driver to dip under the 1m 50s barrier this weekend with a time of 1:49.590 set early in Practice 3.

This held out until the end of the session, while a quickest second sector overall led to Helio Castroneves planting the sister No. 7 Acura in second, also with a sub-1m 50s run.

The best Penske Acura was six tenths quicker than the rest of the DPi field, with the third-best time of 1:50.259 coming courtesy of Oliver Jarvis in the No. 77 Mazda RT24-P.

Jarvis was already sat third when he improved on his final lap, having jumped ahead of Colin Braun’s 1:50.600 effort in the CORE autosport Nissan DPi.

The fastest Cadillac DPi-V.R was the No. 31 Whelen Engineering machine of Pipo Derani, who ran sixth-quickest behind the second Mazda entry.

Derani’s final time of 1:50.875 put the best of the Cadillacs 1.285 seconds off the overall pace.



Next up for the WeatherTech Championship is class-by-class qualifying, which takes place at 12:35 p.m. local time (1:35 p.m. eastern).

Harry Tincknell told Sportscar365 that 0.5 seconds (per lap) would be a “conservative” number. The team tested at Road America in June, prior to the BoP changes.

IMSA has confirmed the timeline for the development of its DPi 2022 platform, which will see the technical regulations released by the first quarter of next year.

Revealed during Friday evening’s ‘State of the Series’ address at Road America, IMSA President Scott Atherton outlined the current progress in the evolution of the new regs that will serve as the successor to the current DPi formula beginning in 2022.

With the initial feasibility studies and wind tunnel model testing already complete, IMSA is set to begin the tender process for the spec hybrid system.

Atherton said they’ve had discussions with between 10-11 hybrid manufacturers although would not confirm the intended specification, which is understood by Sportscar365 to be a high-voltage system.

“I don’t want to confirm any of the technical details,” Atherton told Sportscar365. “That’s not yet part of our [public] discussion.

“That will come out when the regulations are released.”

While confirming a deadline of Q1 2020, two years prior to the platform’s planned debut in the 2022 Rolex 24 at Daytona, Atherton indicated the regulations could be finalized even sooner.

It comes in contrast to the FIA World Endurance Championship, which just last month confirmed its Hypercar regulations for the 2020-21 season.

“The sooner the better,” Atherton said on confirming its DPi 2022 regs. “There’s no benefit to delaying. As soon as they’re ready, we’ll go public.”

The timeline, meanwhile, calls for on-track testing to begin in the first quarter of 2021.

The second-generation DPi platform will feature “increased styling freedoms” compared to the current platform that will provide “enhanced” production car relevance for OEMs.

Multiple engine configurations will continue to be permitted, while alternative fuels, as part of IMSA Green, could be introduced in the future.

While not confirmed, it’s understood the platform will continue to be LMP2-based with the current four constructors.

Atherton said there are currently nine manufacturers involved in steering committee meetings in helping shape the regulations that will be in effect for at least five seasons.

“IMSA prides itself on being as transparent as it can be,” he said. “It’s not always an option given the business that we’re in.

“But to have people aware of when to expect the next steps in the process… credit where credit’s due, it all goes to Simon [Hodgson], Matt [Kurdock] and his team.

“I’ve heard unsolicited comments from many of the manufacturers that are involved with us, that this is a new benchmark of process, thoroughness and communication.

“All of these things are important when you’re defining the next generation of anything.”

Dane Cameron has claimed pole for Sunday’s Road America Road Race Showcase, continuing Acura Team Penske’s streak of dominance this weekend.

Cameron reeled off a 1:48.715 in the DPi championship-leading No. 6 Acura ARX-05 in Saturday’s 15-minute qualifying session, which was interrupted for an off-course excursion by a LMP2 car.

It ended up leading an all-Acura front row, thanks to a late flyer by Helio Castroneves in the sister No. 7 entry.

Both the Brazilian’s 1:48.731 and Cameron’s pole-winning time were under the race lap record held by Marco Werner in an Audi R10 TDI from ten years ago.

The Canadian Tire Motorsport Park-winning No. 77 Team Joest Mazda RT24-P of Oliver Jarvis qualified third, ahead of teammate Jonathan Bomarito in fourth.

Simon Trummer completed the top-five as the quickest of the Cadillac DPi-V.Rs in the No. 84 JDC-Miller Motorsports entry.

A red flag for the No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07 Gibson of Matt McMurry, who spun off in Turn 3, saw the resumption of the session with five minutes to go, which saw a handful of improvements.

McMurry’s incident ultimately cost him the LMP2 class pole, as IMSA eliminated the car’s two fastest laps due to bringing out the red.

It gave the top qualifying position to James French in the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports Oreca.

The Road America Road Race Showcase gets underway Sunday at 1:35 p.m. CT.