The 2017 Northeast Grand Prix was a 2017 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, 2017. The race was the eighth round of the 2017 IMSA SportsCar Championship.
IMSA's president Scott Atherton confirmed the Northeast Grand Prix was part of the series' schedule for the 2017 IMSA SportsCar Championship at Road America's victory lane in August 2016. [1] It was the third consecutive year the event was held as part of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the twenty-sixth annual running of the race. The 2017 Northeast Grand Prix was the eighth of twelve scheduled sports car races of 2017 by IMSA, and was the fifth round not held on the held as part of the North American Endurance Cup. [2] The race was held at the seven-turn 1.530 mi (2.462 km) Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut on July 22, 2017. [2] For the first time since the 2009 running of the event, the PC class would not be competing. [3] [4]
After the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix one week earlier, Antonio García and Jan Magnussen led the GTLM Drivers' Championship with 182 points, ahead of Bill Auberlen and Alexander Sims with 179 points, and Joey Hand and Dirk Müller with 172 points. [5] In GTD, the Drivers' Championship was led by Alessandro Balzan and Christina Nielsen with 203 points, ahead of Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen with 195 points. [5] Chevrolet, and Mercedes-AMG were leading their respective Manufacturers' Championships, while Corvette Racing, and Scuderia Corsa each led their own Teams' Championships. [5]
A total of 25 cars took part in the event split across two classes. 8 cars were entered in GTLM and 17 in GTD. [6] In GTD, Alex Job Racing returned after skipping the previous round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. [6] [7] Patrick Long joined Daniel Morad in the Alegra Motorsports entry. [8] TRG made their first appearance since the Circuit of the Americas round. [9] Jesse Krohn joined Jens Klingmann in the Turner Motorsport entry. [10]
There were two practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Saturday, both on Friday. The two one-hour sessions were on Friday afternoon. [11]
The first practice session took place at 12:05 pm ET on Friday and ended with Dirk Müller topping the charts for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing, with a lap time of 51.077. [12] Jörg Bergmeister was fastest in GTD. [13]
Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GTLM | 66 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Dirk Müller | 51.077 | _ |
2 | GTLM | 67 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Ryan Briscoe | 51.268 | +0.191 |
3 | GTLM | 912 | Porsche GT Team | Laurens Vanthoor | 51.330 | +0.253 |
Sources: [14] [15] | ||||||
The second and final practice session took place at 2:25 pm ET on Friday and ended with Gianmaria Bruni topping the charts for Porsche GT Team, with a lap time of 50.601. [16] Madison Snow set the fastest time in GTD. [17]
Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GTLM | 912 | Porsche GT Team | Gianmaria Bruni | 50.601 | _ |
2 | GTLM | 66 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Dirk Müller | 51.030 | +0.429 |
3 | GTLM | 3 | Corvette Racing | Jan Magnussen | 51.079 | +0.478 |
Sources: [18] [19] | ||||||
Friday afternoon's 40-minute two-group qualifying, each category had separate 15-minute sessions. Regulations stipulated that teams nominate one qualifying driver, with the fastest laps determining each class' starting order. IMSA then arranged the grid to put GTLMs ahead of GTD cars. [20] [11]
Qualifying was broken into two sessions. The first was for cars in GTD class. Madison Snow qualified on pole for the class driving the No. 48 car for Paul Miller Racing. [21]
The final session of qualifying was for the GTLM class. Gianmaria Bruni qualified on pole driving the No. 912 car for Porsche GT Team, besting Ryan Briscoe in the #67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing entry. [22]
Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold and by ‡.
Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap | Grid |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GTLM | 912 | Porsche GT Team | Gianmaria Bruni | 50.404 | _ | 1‡ |
2 | GTLM | 67 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Ryan Briscoe | 50.540 | +0.136 | 2 |
3 | GTLM | 911 | Porsche GT Team | Dirk Werner | 50.606 | +0.202 | 3 |
4 | GTLM | 24 | BMW Team RLL | John Edwards | 50.681 | +0.277 | 4 |
5 | GTLM | 4 | Corvette Racing | Tommy Milner | 50.720 | +0.316 | 5 |
6 | GTLM | 3 | Corvette Racing | Jan Magnussen | 50.730 | +0.326 | 6 |
7 | GTLM | 66 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Dirk Müller | 50.806 | +0.402 | 7 |
8 | GTLM | 25 | BMW Team RLL | Bill Auberlen | 50.939 | +0.535 | 8 |
9 | GTD | 48 | Paul Miller Racing | Madison Snow | 52.508 | +2.104 | 9‡ |
10 | GTD | 54 | CORE Autosport | Colin Braun | 52.699 | +2.295 | 23 1 |
11 | GTD | 28 | Alegra Motorsports | Patrick Long | 52.836 | +2.432 | 10 |
12 | GTD | 15 | 3GT Racing | Jack Hawksworth | 52.876 | +2.472 | 11 |
13 | GTD | 96 | Turner Motorsport | Jens Klingmann | 52.937 | +2.533 | 12 |
14 | GTD | 73 | Park Place Motorsports | Patrick Lindsey | 52.947 | +2.543 | 13 |
15 | GTD | 57 | Stevenson Motorsports | Andrew Davis | 52.960 | +2.556 | 14 |
16 | GTD | 93 | Michael Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian | Katherine Legge | 52.961 | +2.557 | 15 |
17 | GTD | 63 | Scuderia Corsa | Christina Nielsen | 53.010 | +2.606 | 16 |
18 | GTD | 007 | TRG | Brandon Davis | 53.107 | +2.703 | 17 |
19 | GTD | 14 | 3GT Racing | Sage Karam | 53.140 | +2.736 | 18 |
20 | GTD | 33 | Riley Motorsports – Team AMG | Ben Keating | 53.194 | +2.790 | 19 |
21 | GTD | 86 | Michael Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian | Oswaldo Negri Jr. | 53.197 | +2.793 | 20 |
22 | GTD | 16 | Change Racing | Corey Lewis | 53.294 | +2.890 | 21 |
23 | GTD | 75 | SunEnergy1 Racing | Kenny Habul | 53.500 | +3.096 | 25 2 |
24 | GTD | 50 | Riley Motorsports – WeatherTech Racing | Cooper MacNeil | 53.629 | +3.225 | 22 3 |
25 | GTD | 23 | Alex Job Racing | Bill Sweedler | 53.998 | +3.594 | 24 4 |
Sources: [23] [24] | |||||||
The result kept García and Magnussen atop the GTLM Drivers' Championship with 211 points, 7 points ahead of sixth-place finishers Auberlen and Sims. [25] The result kept Balzan and Nielsen atop the GTD Drivers' Championship while Sellers and Snow advanced from sixth to fourth. [25] Chevrolet and Ferrari continued to top their respective Manufacturers' Championships while Corvette Racing, and Scuderia Corsa kept their respective advantages in the Teams' Championships with four rounds left in the season. [25]
Class winners are denoted in bold and ‡.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The 65th Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring fueled by Fresh from Florida was an endurance sports car racing event held at Sebring International Raceway near Sebring, Florida from 16 to 18 March 2017. The race was the second round of the 2017 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as well as the second round of the North American Endurance Cup.
The 2018 IMSA SportsCar Championship was the 48th motor racing championship sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). It was the fifth season of the United SportsCar Championship and third to be held under the name as the IMSA SportsCar Championship. It began on January 27 with the 24 Hours of Daytona, and ended on October 13 with the Petit Le Mans.
The 20th Annual Motul Petit Le Mans was the 2017 edition of the Petit Le Mans automotive endurance race, held on October 4–7, 2017, at the Road Atlanta circuit in Braselton, Georgia, United States. It was the 12th and final race of the 2017 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the fourth Petit Le Mans run since the formation of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2014.
The 66th Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts was an endurance sports car racing event held at Sebring International Raceway near Sebring, Florida from 15 to 17 March 2018. The race was the second round of the 2018 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as well as the second round of the North American Endurance Cup.
The 2018 Petit Le Mans was the 21st running of the Petit Le Mans, and was held on October 15, 2018. It was the last race in the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, and the last race of the 2018 Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup, and was run at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. The race was won overall by the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R.
The 2019 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 20, 2019, as the eighth round of the 2019 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the fourth round of the 2019 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The 2020 IMSA SportsCar Championship was the 50th racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). This was also the seventh United SportsCar Championship season and fifth under the name as the IMSA SportsCar Championship. The series began on January 25 with the 24 Hours of Daytona, and ended on November 14 with the 12 Hours of Sebring.
The 2020 12 Hours of Sebring was an endurance sports car race held at Sebring International Raceway near Sebring, Florida from 11–14 November 2020, after being postponed from its original date on 14–15 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The race was the final round of the 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as well as the final round of the Michelin Endurance Cup. Action Express Racing entered as the defending overall winners of the 12-hour event.
The 2017 Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen was an endurance race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York on the July 2nd, 2017. This race was the sixth round of the 2017 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The 2020 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia on August 22, 2020. This race was the fifth round of the 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the fourth round of the WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The 2021 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 17, 2021. This race was the seventh round of the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the fourth round of the 2021 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The 2018 Acura Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio on May 6, 2018. The race was the fourth of the 2018 IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The 2018 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 21, 2018. The race was the eighth round of the 2018 IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The 2018 Continental Tire Road Race Showcase sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The Race was held at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on August 5, 2018. The race was the ninth round of the 2018 IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The 2017 Advance Auto Parts Sportscar Showdown was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on May 6, 2017. The race was the fourth round of the 2017 IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The 2017 Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada on July 9, 2017. The race was the seventh round of the 2017 IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The 2017 Continental Tire Road Race Showcase was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The Race was held at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on August 6, 2017. The race was the ninth round of the 2017 IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The 2017 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The Race was held at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia on August 27, 2017. The race was the tenth round of the 2017 IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The 2017 Monterey Grand Prix was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA).The Race was held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California on September 24, 2017. The race was the eleventh round of the 2017 IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The 2016 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 23, 2016. The race was the eighth round of the 2016 IMSA SportsCar Championship.