A total of 26 cars are set to take part in next weekend’s (4/8-10th) Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, marking the first sprint race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

Released on Wednesday, the entry list consists of six DPis, six GTD Pro entries and 14 GTD cars that are set to do battle in the 100-minute street race.

All DPi entries except for the Michelin Endurance Cup-only No. 48 Action Express Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R are listed, as expected,
while, six manufacturers are now represented in GTD Pro, thanks to WeatherTech Racing’s switch to a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo as its full-season entry.
Mercedes-AMG factory star Raffaele Marciello will join Cooper MacNeil in the No. 97 entry for Long Beach.

Corvette Racing’s Jordan Taylor, who drives the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R with Antonio Garcia, met with members of the media during a Zoom conference call Tuesday with other GT Daytona (GTD) PRO drivers to discuss next week’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, the team’s recent victory at Sebring and other topics.

WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR AND EXPECT THIS YEAR AT LONG BEACH?

“It’s always a fun weekend. Our schedule is a unique one. We usually practice early in the morning on Friday and qualify at the end of the day Friday, so the track always has a big evolution. Then we’re only racing Saturday afternoon. The big thing is to lean on the experience from the team to develop the setup throughout the weekend to stay on top of things. Corvette Racing has won there eight times, so they know how to keep on top of the ball.

It’ll be my first time racing there in a car with ABS, so that will be new in trying to understand how to maximize that in some of the bumpy brake zones and trusting it will be a big part. The GTD PRO class has been fun. GTLM was pretty small last year, so it wasn’t huge fights.

This year, between Sebring and Daytona, it’s been fun to be back in a class full of cars.
On starts and restarts, you’re in the middle of packs of guys racing, and it’s really competitive.
It’s nice to be back to old-school racing, and that’s what we usually get at Long Beach.”

ON THE CHALLENGES OF A STREET COURSE AND LONG BEACH.

“When you get to the Fountain section and the Hairpin at the end of a lap, it’s definitely narrow and most of the time just one line.
It only really becomes tricky when the prototypes are coming around and putting their noses in funny places.
The other thing that is unique about that weekend is that the Drift cars are there, and they always race around there Friday.
That kind of narrows up the line in certain parts of the track, which makes things tricky.

It’s definitely a unique event and circuit. As far as street courses go, it’s definitely one of the more enjoyable ones. It has good passing zones and is very raceable.
When you go to other street courses, you can get stuck in line a lot of times. But when you mix in the traffic with the prototypes around a place like Long Beach, you can use them as picks in a lot of places, and it offers some excellent racing. It’s definitely one of my favorite street courses that I’ve run in my career.”

HOW BENEFICIAL WILL THE ABS EXPERIENCE FROM DETROIT LAST YEAR BE FOR LONG BEACH?

“The biggest difference also is that the tire is so different from what we ran in Detroit last year. The way the ABS interacts to the S9M tire compared to the confidential tire is much different in how you can attack the brakes. It was good to get a couple of miles under our belts at Detroit last year.
We saw at Daytona and Sebring that we still have a lot to learn with that system.

Sebring was probably good for us to get some experience on a bumpy track with that tire and ABS. I think we’ll still be figuring things out throughout the weekend at Long Beach. We made some good developments through the Sebring weekend to help the interaction, but it will be an interesting weekend to stay on top of it.”

THE INTERACTION WITH GTD CARS SO FAR THIS YEAR AND HOW IT MIGHT PLAY A BIGGER ROLE AT LONG BEACH.

“We’ve seen in years past that if one of the Am guys get out early by pitting at the beginning of their window before a yellow comes out and the Pro cycles to the front… especially with ABS now it’s so hard to pass that I think a GTD with an Am could win the race outright in the GTD category.

Our focus is on the GTD PRO guys. If we see guys diving in early then maybe we’ll react to that. But if we see the Ams doing it, we’ll focus on our own program. If the yellow falls into their hand with an Am driver, then so be it. Thankfully the points are split in that aspect so we can focus on our own program.”

AT SEBRING, THERE WAS THE ANNOUNCMENT OF THE NEXT-GEN CAMARO BEING IN GARAGE 56 AT LE MANS NEXT YEAR.
YOU’VE WORKED IN THE STOCK CAR ARENA A LITTLE BIT, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?

“It looks interesting and sounds interesting. They have a lot of smart guys on it. From a European perspective, you look at NASCAR and see stock car racing and it looks pretty basic from the outside these big metal machines racing around an oval.
Being on the inside and seeing the engineering behind what they do and how much research and development they have, you know they are going to have a lot of smart guys working on it and developing it.

It’s going to be an interesting project. I don’t know what the plans are to change the Next-Gen Camaro into (for Le Mans) but as soon as I saw the announcement
I texted Chad Knaus (Hendrick Motorsports VP of Competition) saying, ‘If you ever need some help or input, I’ll come test it if you want’ or something like that.
I think it’s exciting. It will be cool to bring a lot of NASCAR eyes to Le Mans who haven’t seen it before.

It might be confusing for the to see a one-off Cup car racing against Hypercars and things like that but it will be good to get some new eyes on the sport.”

ANY OVERTURES ON THE DRIVING FRONT?

“No, I reached out to Chad just to say, ‘If you need anything, let me know.’ But I haven’t been contacted by anyone. I’m sure they’ll want some big NASCAR names, which makes sense to take them over there.
Racing around Daytona for the Rolex 24 against guys like Kyle Larson, those guys know what they’re doing on road courses these days.

I don’t think they’ll need a lot of help maybe some tips on what to know about Le Mans to help prep the car and understanding what curbs you want to abuse and things like that. From a car durability standpoint, that would be interesting for them to understand.
As far as drivers, I’m sure they have a humongous list to go through. My commitments right now are to Corvette and Corvette Racing.
I wouldn’t want to take anything away from that.”

DID YOU THINK YOU’D BE ABLE TO MAKE THE JUMP FROM DAYTONA TO WINNING AT SEBRING?

“Daytona was definitely a struggle. At Sebring, we did a two-day test between Daytona and the Sebring race.
We made some big gains from a setup point of view – understanding the tire and what makes it work.
This car was designed around using the confidential tire so we did huge setup swings at that test and found a ton of laptime just in that, plus compliance and durability of the tire and understanding how to make the tire work over a stint and not just a lap. Just little details like that brought us closer to the window.

“The race at Sebring was pretty much perfect. No one in the car made any mistakes on track, all the pit stops were perfect and the strategy the last four hours kept us out front. I think our last stop gapped the Lamborghini by a couple of seconds even though they were coming back to us the last couple of laps. It was one of those days were everything went our way.”

IF YOU FEEL YOU’RE ON THE BACK FOOT IN THE RACE AND YOU DON’T HAVE A PODIUM CAR ON PACE, DOES THAT ALLOW YOU TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE ON STRATEGY?

“We’ve seen it in Long Beach in years past guys taking risks early on and it paying off in the end. Historically it has worked, so the risk-reward is decent at a track like Long Beach, especially if you don’t have the fastest car. Like we said before, it’s so difficult to pass sometimes that it’s a good place to take that risk.

I’m kind of new to the GT3 world; at Sebring I destroyed my tires in my first stint and felt like I was two seconds off the pace but was able to hold off the Lamborghini. I think ABS helps make that possible. Even if you are a little bit off the pace or struggling with tires, that tool kind of helps you in that situation as well.
Maybe that risk is a little better in this class.”

IT'S A SMALLER FIELD BUT A TIGHTER COURSE. ARE THE DYNAMICS OF TRAFFIC AS HECTIC FOR THIS RACE AS THE FIRST TWO?

“I think it will be quite a bit better without the LMP3 cars and some of the amateurs in LMP2. They were probably the biggest issue at the first two races. Restarting behind those guys at Daytona and Sebring was always interesting. If you were able to get by an amateur in an LMP3 and keep them between you and someone else, you could create a pretty big gap.
Without that, I think the racing in our class will be a bit tighter now since you don’t have that kind of option to split the class up. With only six DPis coming through, it shouldn’t be too big of a deal. I think it will feel like a VIR or Lime Rock race where it’s mostly GTs. I doubt we will be lapping anyone with how close the Am field is with us as well. It’s going to feel like you’re flat-out for pretty much all 100 minutes.”

PREPARATION FOR LONG BEACH VS. NORMAL RACES:

“There’s a lot of emphasis on that one pit stop that we’re going to have. I’m sure our guys will be practicing pit stops a lot more to nail that down and limiting mistakes. As far as car prep, the guys will prep the car in the same fashion but a lot more emphasis will be on the execution of the race and the pitstops and strategies.
A lot of stuff will be going on behind the scenes with strategy, calculations and stuff that thankfully we don’t have to worry about.”

IF A DPi CAR IS GOING TO DIVE-BOMB YOU IN A CORNER, IS THERE A PREFERRED PLACE?

“I think it depends on the guy that’s doing it. Some of them don’t leave a lot of space. Turn One has a little bit of room on the outside to get away with it. You can at least see them coming. There are a few spots where guys will stick their nose in that you’re not going to have time to react the Three, Four, Five section.

Once you get to the end of the lap where the Drift cars go, that’s a bad spot to get stuck off-line. You can be put in a bad position around the track.
Understanding where you want to place the car and telling a prototype where not to go and put yourself in a bad situation is a big part of it. You try to control your fate most of the time.”

The Corvette C8.R GTD & BMW M4 GT3 are among the GTD spec cars hit with Balance of Performance adjustments ahead of next weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Confirmed in the latest technical bulletin from IMSA, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring GTD Pro class-winning
Corvette has been given 10 kg of additional weight, and a 0.4 mm smaller air restrictor equating to an 8.3 horsepower decrease as well as a 4 liter reduction in fuel capacity.

The Corvette is now running with a total of 50 kg of ballast compared to its previous specification in the GT Le Mans class.

The new-for-2022 BMW, meanwhile, will have a 17-horsepower reduction but slightly offset with a 20-kg reduced minimum weight and 8-liter fuel capacity reduction to coincide with the power cut.

Notice WeatherTech never negative BoPs their own car in this class ?

After winning for the 12th time at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring three weeks ago, C8.R Corvette Racing moves to a different style of racing when it returns to the Long Beach (Calif.) street circuit for the continuation of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Antonio Garcia & Jordan Taylor will pilot the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R in Saturday’s 100-minute Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on the streets of southern California. It’s the third race for Corvette in the new GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class and first on a street circuit.
Garcia and Taylor sit second in GTD PRO points after two races, including their victory at Sebring with Nicky Catsburg.
The goal is to continue adding to Corvette Racing’s lengthy list of successes, including those at Long Beach.

The team has won eight times at the circuit, including a win last year for Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy in the now-extinct GT Le Mans (GTLM) category. Garcia and Taylor finished second and this time around face a tough field of five other manufacturers in GTD PRO.

The GTD PRO Corvette differs in several ways from the C8.R that ran at Long Beach in 2021. Chief among the differences are additional weight, restricted power and customer Michelin tires that are mandated for all GTD entries as opposed to Michelins specifically designed for the C8.R in GTLM trim.

The combination of moving to GTD PRO plus a 100-minute race places even more importance on qualifying than normal. With such a short race, there likely will be just one planned pit stop for fuel and change of tires and driver. With all 20 GTD cars having roughly the same performance levels, track position will be at a premium.
Chevrolet Motorsports Display On-Site at Long Beach

In addition to the many series and events on the racetrack at Long Beach, fans will have plenty to see and experience from Chevrolet.
The Chevrolet’s Motorsports Display will be full of Chevy vehicles that spectators can learn more about throughout the weekend.
The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 8 a.m. Friday through Sunday and is located in the Long Beach Convention Center.
Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include:

• The 2023 Corvette convertible 3LT
• Additional Chevrolet products such as Blazer RS, Trailblazer RS, Camaro 2SS 1LE, Silverado Trail Boss and
• A Corvette Racing C8.R showcar and LT6.R engine
• An opportunity to receive a 2022 Chevrolet t-shirt
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. ET/2:05 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 9. The race will air live on USA and stream on Peacock starting at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions beginning at IMSA.com along with XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“Traffic won’t be such a factor because you won’t be lapping as many cars as you normally would. It’s more of a single-group deal and working your way through that. That race is always about qualifying and doing a perfect stop and driver change.
I don’t see a lot of difference in GTLM and GTD PRO at Long Beach. I hope the car behaves as well as it did at Sebring because it was excellent.
I hope it’s as warm as possible. It feels like when we have those conditions and as we saw at Sebring, we have something of an advantage.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R:

“There’s going to be a lot to learn about this car and tire at pretty much every track we go to. We were shocked at how different things were at Sebring.
It was a wake-up call to see how far the setups were from GTLM.
Having seen success at Sebring gives us some promise that we know the right direction to take the Corvette. Long Beach is always a different animal but I can’t wait for it.”

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship rolls into Southern California this week for the 47th running of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The 100-minute “sprint” race for the IMSA sports cars on the famous Long Beach street course that headlines the Saturday card is a completely different kind of challenge than the pair of endurance races that opened the 2022 WeatherTech Championship campaign.
Daytona International Speedway (3.56 miles) and Sebring International Raceway (3.74 miles) are both longer and offer more room for error than Long Beach, which packs 11 corners into less than two miles, all lined by unforgiving concrete walls.

A smaller field somewhat mitigates those tighter confines. With the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) and Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) classes not racing at Long Beach, 27 cars are expected to take the green flag roughly half the size of the fields for the Rolex 24 At Daytona (61 entries) and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts (53).

But it’s not as simple as saying, “Half the track length, half the cars. What’s the big deal?”

The absence of the LMP2 and LMP3 classes changes the dynamic of the racing, not only for the six Daytona Prototype international (DPi) cars battling for the overall win, but for the competitors in the GTD PRO and GT Daytona (GTD) classes that make up the majority of the field.
It gives Long Beach more similarities to the WeatherTech Championship races at Lime Rock Park and VIRginia International Raceway, 2-hour, 40-minute contests where no prototype classes compete and the GT cars are the headliners.

In fact, the brevity of the Long Beach race offers GTD competitors their best opportunity to upstage the theoretically faster GTD PRO runners.
It makes calling strategy absolutely critical, because the race is likely to include only one pit stop for fuel and a mandatory driver change.

“We’ve seen in years past that if one of the Am guys (Silver- or Bronze-rated drivers in a GTD car) get out early by pitting at the beginning of their window before a yellow comes out, they can cycle to the front,” said Corvette Racing’s Jordan Taylor, a three-time series champion who shares the No. 3 Corvette C8.R GTD with Antonio Garcia in the GTD PRO class.
“I think a GTD with an Am could win the race outright in the (GT) category.
It’s so hard to pass now, especially with ABS (anti-lock braking system used in both GT classes).
It’s going to feel like you’re flat out for pretty much all 100 minutes.”

The pit stops are more intense than usual because they often require less than a full fuel fill.
GT cars can run approximately 60 minutes on a tank, creating a huge window for being able to complete the race on a single stop.
With a fuel fill sometimes taking as little as 20 seconds at Long Beach, the pressure is on drivers to execute a perfect driver change in addition to performing error-free on the track.

“There’s a huge emphasis on the pit stop, and it’s something we’ve already been discussing a lot,” said Ben Barnicoat, co-driver of the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 in GTD PRO with Jack Hawksworth.
“It can make or break your race if something goes wrong in that change.
It’s a bit of an ‘own goal’ if you don’t practice stops because, if you make a mistake, it could be hugely important to the overall result.”

Barnicoat hasn’t driven at Long Beach before. The Brit is eager for his maiden race there, but also gives the tight street circuit its due respect.

“I’ve run a fair few laps of Long Beach on the (Toyota Racing Development) simulator in Charlotte,” he said, “but these things are always different when you get there in real life.
In the simulator, there’s no fear factor that you’re going to clip something and rip a corner off the car or do some damage, which we can’t afford to do on such a short, tight weekend like this. I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”

WeatherTech Championship practices are set for 12:15 and 4:15 p.m. ET Friday,
with qualifying for all three classes streaming live on IMSA.com/TVLive at 8:10 p.m.

Saturday’s race airs live at 5 p.m. on the USA Network, Peacock and IMSA Radio.

Grand Prix Of Long Beach

April 8-10th, 2022
Track: Long Beach Street Circuit
Race Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes
Circuit Length: 1.968 miles

Entry by Class:
Daytona Prototype (6)
GTD Pro (6)
GTD (15)

Qualifying Friday, April 8th, 2022
WeatherTech Championship

(GTD/GTD Pro)
8:15 PM to 8:30 PM EDT
(DPI)
8:40 PM to 8:55 PM EDT

Watch Live on IMSA TV: http://imsatv.imsa.com/

Television Broadcast Saturday April 9, 2022
US: USA 5:00 to 7:00 pm ET

Online-Peacock TV
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm ET

International: IMSA TV
5:00 pm to 6:45 pm ET http://imsatv.imsa.com/

Online in-car cameras-Coverage
5:05 pm to 6:45 pm ET

IMSA.com (includes live images, in-car cameras and announcers)
http://www.imsa.com/camera/imsatv

RADIO:
1) Streaming on IMSA TV on IMSA.com & RadioLeMans.com
2) Scanner frequency 454.000
3) XM 207
4) SiriusXM Online 992

LIVE TIMING: http://scoring.imsa.com/

Live Timing for mobile device: http://scoring.imsa.com/mobile.html

PIT NOTES: https://twitter.com/search?q=IMSA

http://twitter.com/ @CorvetteRacing, @IMSA, @IMSAlive, @toyotagplb

Long Beach BoP https://www.imsa.com/wp-content/uplo...P-03312022.pdf

TICKET INFO:
Corral tickets call: (888) 827-7333
http://www.gplb.com/ticket-prices/

Event Schedule: https://www.imsa.com/wp-content/uplo...ach-033022.pdf

https://gplb.com/fan-guide/

Spotters Guide: https://spotterguides.com/portfolio/22_imsa/

Entry List: https://www.imsa.com/wp-content/uplo...ntryList_2.pdf

Track Map: https://www.imsa.com/wp-content/uplo...-Track-Map.pdf

WEATHER: http://www.weather.com/outlook/recre.../weekend/90806

Jordan Taylor says last month’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring was a “wake-up call” for Corvette Racing in terms of learning “how far” the car setup was compared to the Chevrolet Corvette C8.R in GTLM specification, as the factory squad is still coming to grips with its car in GTD trim.

While having claimed GTD Pro class honors at Sebring, Taylor and season-long co-driver Antonio Garcia enter the first sprint race of the season this weekend at Long Beach, with the 100-minute contest set to provide another slate of new experiences for the car and team.
It comes amid a Balance of Performance adjustment to the Corvette that has added 10 kg of additional weight and seen a reduction in power in the range of 8 horsepower.

“There’s going to be a lot to learn about this car and tire at pretty much every track we go to,” Taylor said.
We were shocked at how different things were at Sebring. It was a wake-up call to see how far the setups were from GTLM. Having seen success at Sebring gives us some promise that we know the right direction to take the Corvette.

It’ll be my first time racing there in a car with ABS, so that will be new in trying to understand how to maximize that in some of the bumpy brake zones and trusting it will be a big part.
The GTD Pro class has been fun. GTLM was pretty small last year, so it wasn’t huge fights.
This year, between Sebring and Daytona, it’s been fun to be back in a class full of cars.

“On starts and restarts, you’re in the middle of packs of guys racing, and it’s really competitive. It’s nice to be back to old-school racing, and that’s what we usually get at Long Beach.”
Taylor said Corvette’s previous experience with ABS on a temporary circuit during its non-points race at Detroit last year will not likely have any benefits this weekend, largely due to the difference in tires.
The Pratt & Miller-run team ran confidential Michelin tires on its Corvettes at Belle Isle, compared to the GTD class-wide customer S9M tires the team is still coming to grips with this year.

“The biggest difference also is that the tire is so different from what we ran in Detroit last year,” Taylor said.
The way the ABS interacts to the S9M tire compared to the confidential tire is much different in how you can attack the brakes.
It was good to get a couple of miles under our belts at Detroit last year. We saw at Daytona and Sebring that we still have a lot to learn with that system.
Sebring was probably good for us to get some experience on a bumpy track with that tire and ABS.

“I think we’ll still be figuring things out throughout the weekend at Long Beach. We made some good developments through the Sebring weekend to help the interaction, but it will be an interesting weekend to stay on top of it.”
A total of six cars are entered in GTD Pro this weekend, representing six different manufacturers.

“We’ve seen it in Long Beach in years past – guys taking risks early on, and it's paying off in the end,” Taylor added.
Historically it has worked, so the risk-reward is decent at a track like Long Beach, especially if you don’t have the fastest car.
Like we said before, it’s so difficult to pass sometimes that it’s a good place to take that risk.

“I’m kind of new to the GT3 world; at Sebring I destroyed my tires in my first stint and felt like I was two seconds off the pace but was able to hold off the Lamborghini.
I think ABS helps make that possible.
Even if you are a little bit off the pace or struggling with tires, that tool kind of helps you in that situation as well.
Maybe that risk is a little better in this class.”

After first practice for GTD-Pro Class
2nd practice at 3:15 PM ET today and then qualify tonight at 7:15 PM ET

GTD Pro was led by the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R of Mathieu Jaminet.

The Frenchman reeled off a 1:18.874 in the closing stages of the session to edge out the No. 25 Team RLL BMW M4 GT3 of Connor De Phillippi by 0.041 seconds.

The No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD of Jordan Taylor was third quickest among the GTD contenders and in the GTD Pro class.

Second Practice results

How they will line up in tomorrows short street race

Taylor Takes Last-Gasp Pole in GTD Pro

Jordan Taylor scored a last-gasp pole in GTD Pro, denying BMW a sweep of the top positions in both classes.

Taylor reeled off the best lap of 1:18.048 in his No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD to edge out the No. 25 Team RLL BMW M4 GT3 of Connor De Phillippi by 0.067 seconds.