GT Racing On The Rise
- Updated: November 22, 2015
AMG Mercedes GT3 [photo credit IMSA]
By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine
Testing was held this week at Daytona International Speedway for potential entries in the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
A number of new cars were presented for testing, including new prototypes, but the main interest from race fans from around the world was how the GT classes are shaping up for 2016.
Of course, the main attraction was the all new Ford GT, a beautiful design that both looks modern and pays tribute to the legendary GT40 of the 1960s. The car ran well, but no official times were posted. We are sure it is going to be a big factor at the Rolex 24 at the end of January.
The new BMW M6 GTLM also was on hand and it is a beauty. BMW factory driver Lucas Luhr told us: “Our new car is very good. It is fast”. The BMW will certainly be a strong contender in 2016.
Also putting in laps was the latest version of the venerable Corvette C7.R, with revised bodywork for the 2016 season. The car looks great in solid black and perhaps Corvette should consider running one of the races with the car in black. It is evil looking. Corvette will have Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia as regular pilots of the #3 car, while Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin will handle duties on the #4 machine. Jordan and Ricky Taylor will be the third drivers for each car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in somewhat of a surprise announcement, Audi factory drivers Mike Rockenfeller and Marcel Fassler will be the third drivers at both the Rolex 24 and the 12 Hours of Sebring. In the back or our minds, we wonder what might be going on with the Audi LMP program next year in light of the current Volkswagen difficulties (with more bad news in that regard announced just today). Time will tell on that one.
In the GTD class, several new cars made an appearance, including the BMW M6 GT3 from Turner Motorsports and an example of the new Lamborghini Huracan GT3 that was tested by Change Racing, O’Gara Motorsports and Paul Miller Racing.
Audi was also on hand for testing in the GTD class with their beautiful and all new Audi R8 LMS GT3, which was also tested by several teams.
Mercedes ran laps with their beautiful AMG GT3, whose design pays homage to the classic Mercedes race cars of the past. Although it won’t be ready in time for the Rolex 24, look for Mercedes to join the IMSA battles later in 2016.
The GTD class may also see entries later in the season from Lexus and possibly Bentley and McLaren. Stay tuned for more.
Also on hand for the test at Daytona were the Aston Martin GT3, Dodge Viper GT3-R and Porsche 997 GT3-R. Although not present at Daytona for the test, the new Ferrari 488 GT3 (which has been testing in Europe) will make its presence felt in the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as well.
All in all, it was a fantastic turnout of new and exciting GT machinery and the 2016 season promises to be more competitive than ever. As close and exciting as it was last year, 2016 looks to be even better. With all the new GT cars already tested and the new ones to come, GT racing is looking great for 2016 and beyond.
BMW’s Lucas Luhr summed it up the best: “It is going to be the greatest GT racing season ever. Anybody can win next year.”
Race fans; make your plans now to get to Daytona January 28-31, 2016 for the Rolex 24. You don’t want to miss this one.
Jack Webster has been shooting motorsports since the early 1970’s, covering Formula One, CanAm, F5000, TransAm, GrandAm and American Le Mans races, among others. In addition to his photography, he has also worked on racing teams, both in IMSA and IndyCar, so has a complete knowledge of the inner workings of motorsport. Both his photography and writing can be seen here on racingnation.com. Eddie LePine has been involved in motorsports for over 30 years as photographer, columnist, and driver. Eddie also is now a retired racer (well, retired unless a good ride pops up). You can usually find Eddie in the paddock area, deep in conversation with a driver.