The 2022 Northeast Grand Prix (known as the 2022 FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix for sponsorship reasons) 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 16, 2022. This race was the ninth round of the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the sixth round of the 2022 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The race was won by the No. 9 GTD Pro entry of Pfaff Motorsports, driven by Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet. [1] [2] The GTD class victory was taken by the No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 of Paul Miller Racing, piloted by Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow. [3] The race for the GTD class victory came down to the last corner, with the leading #57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Winward Racing falling victim to a fuel pump failure and fading to fifth in class. [4]
International Motor Sports Association's (IMSA) president John Doonan confirmed the race was part of the schedule for the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA SCC) in August 2021. [5] It was the seventh year the event was held as part of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The 2022 Northeast Grand Prix was the ninth of twelve scheduled sports car races of 2022 by IMSA , and it was the sixth of eight rounds held as part of the WeatherTech Sprint Cup. [6] The race was held at the seven-turn 1.530 mi (2.462 km) Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut on July 16, 2022. [7]
The event marked 50 years since the first IMSA-sanctioned event held at the circuit, which took place as part of the 1972 IMSA GT Championship. As a result, 1972 overall winner Bob Bailey served as the grand marshal for the 2022 edition of the event. [8] As in previous years, it would be the first of two GT-only rounds of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, in which only the GTD Pro and GTD classes competed. [9] In June, Connecticut-based auto parts retailer FCP Euro was announced as the race's title sponsor. [10] FCP Euro also fielded an entry in the Michelin Pilot Challenge event that weekend, which served as the sole IMSA-sanctioned support race. [11] The race, officially labeled the Lime Rock Park 120, was won by the #71 Rebel Rock Racing entry of Frank DePew and Robin Liddell. [12]
On July 6, 2022, IMSA released the latest technical bulletin outlining Balance of Performance for the event. [13] The lone change was a two liter fuel capacity increase for the Lexus RC F GT3.
The #23 Heart of Racing Team entry entered the event as defending GTD-class winners, while the GTD Pro class would compete at Lime Rock for the first time in class history. [9]
Before the race, Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet led the GTD Pro Drivers' Championship with 2056 points, 138 ahead of Antonio García and Jordan Taylor in second. [14] In GTD, Stevan McAleer led the Drivers' Championship with 1765 points, 5 points ahead of Ryan Hardwick and Jan Heylen in second followed by Bill Auberlen and Robby Foley in third with 1721 points. [14] Porsche and BMW were leading their respective Manufactures' Championships while Pfaff Motorsports and Gilbert Korthoff Motorsports each led their own Teams' Championships. [14]
A total of 15 cars took part in the event, split across two classes. 5 cars were entered in GTD Pro, and 10 in GTD. [15] GTD Pro saw a reduced entry total after the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing entry of Cooper MacNeil and returning co-driver Jules Gounon moved to the GTD class, having competed in the Pro class for the first six events of the season. [16] MacNeil, an FIA Silver-rated driver, had been eligible to compete in the Pro-Am GTD class for the entire season, and cited the change as an effort to support Mercedes-AMG's push for the GTD manufacturer's championship as well as for undisclosed internal reasons. [8] Jack Hawksworth, who drove the No. 14 GTD Pro entry for Vasser Sullivan Racing, returned after missing the previous two rounds due to injuries suffered in a motocross accident. [17] In GTD, several teams returned after forgoing the international round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, which only paid points towards the WeatherTech Sprint Cup. Wright Motorsports and Team Korthoff Motorsports returned, as did CarBahn with Peregrine Racing, who had sourced a replacement Lamborghini Huracán GT3 chassis after damaging their primary car during the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen in June. The Inception Racing McLaren did not return after skipping the race at Mosport, as the team continued to juggle a dual North American and European campaign. [18]
There were two practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Saturday, both on Friday. The first session lasted 80 minutes on Friday morning while the second session lasted for 75 minutes on Friday afternoon. [19]
The first practice session took place at 11:25 am ET and ended with John Edwards topping the charts for BMW M Team RLL, with a lap time of 51.735. [20]
Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GTD Pro | 25 | BMW M Team RLL | John Edwards | 51.735 | _ |
2 | GTD | 39 | CarBahn with Peregrine Racing | Robert Megennis | 51.814 | +0.079 |
3 | GTD Pro | 14 | Vasser Sullivan Racing | Jack Hawksworth | 51.820 | +0.085 |
Source: [21] | ||||||
The second practice session took place at 3:05 pm ET and ended with Matt Campbell topping the charts for Pfaff Motorsports, with a lap time of 51.050. [22]
Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GTD Pro | 9 | Pfaff Motorsports | Matt Campbell | 51.050 | _ |
2 | GTD Pro | 3 | Corvette Racing | Jordan Taylor | 51.101 | +0.051 |
3 | GTD Pro | 14 | Vasser Sullivan Racing | Jack Hawksworth | 51.263 | +0.213 |
Source: [23] | ||||||
Friday’s afternoon qualifying was broken into one session for the GTD Pro and GTD classes, which lasted for 15 minutes. [19] The rules dictated that all teams nominated a driver to qualify their cars, with the Pro-Am (GTD) class requiring a Bronze/Silver Rated Driver to qualify the car. The competitors' fastest lap times determined the starting order. [24]
Matt Campbell took overall pole for Pfaff Motorsports, while Frankie Montecalvo and Vasser Sullivan Racing scored pole in GTD. [25]
Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold and by ‡.
Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap | Grid |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GTD Pro | 9 | ![]() | ![]() | 51.079 | _ | 1‡ |
2 | GTD Pro | 14 | ![]() | ![]() | 51.097 | +0.018 | 2 |
3 | GTD Pro | 25 | ![]() | ![]() | 51.227 | +0.148 | 15 [lower-alpha 1] |
4 | GTD Pro | 23 | ![]() | ![]() | 51.281 | +0.202 | 3 |
5 | GTD Pro | 3 | ![]() | ![]() | 51.302 | +0.202 | 4 |
6 | GTD | 12 | ![]() | ![]() | 51.459 | +0.380 | 5‡ |
7 | GTD | 39 | ![]() | ![]() | 51.465 | +0.386 | 6 |
8 | GTD | 27 | ![]() | ![]() | 51.477 | +0.398 | 7 |
9 | GTD | 96 | ![]() | ![]() | 51.490 | +0.411 | 8 |
10 | GTD | 32 | ![]() | ![]() | 51.516 | +0.437 | 9 |
11 | GTD | 57 | ![]() | ![]() | 51.517 | +0.438 | 10 |
12 | GTD | 1 | ![]() | ![]() | 51.651 | +0.572 | 11 |
13 | GTD | 51 | ![]() | ![]() | 51.741 | +0.662 | 12 |
14 | GTD | 79 | ![]() | ![]() | 52.213 | +1.134 | 13 |
15 | GTD | 16 | ![]() | ![]() | 52.312 | +1.233 | 14 |
Sources: [27] [28] | |||||||
The morning warm-up took place at 9:05 am ET and ended with Jules Gounon topping the charts for WeatherTech Racing, with a lap time of 51.342. [29]
Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GTD | 79 | WeatherTech Racing | Jules Gounon | 51.342 | _ |
2 | GTD | 16 | Wright Motorsports | Jan Heylen | 51.783 | +0.441 |
3 | GTD Pro | 3 | Corvette Racing | Antonio García | 51.877 | +0.535 |
Source: [30] |
With a total of 2441 points, Campbell and Jaminet's victory increased their advantage to 226 points over García and Taylor while De Phillippi and Edwards took over fifth position in the GTD Pro Drivers' Championship. [31] The final results of GTD meant McAleer increased his points lead to 40 points over Hardwick and Heylen while De Angelis took over third position in the Drivers' Championship. [31] Porsche and BMW continued to top their respective Manufacturers' Championships, while Pfaff Motorsports and Gilbert Korthoff Motorsports kept their respective advantages in their Teams' Championships with three rounds remaining. [31]
Class winners are denoted in bold and ‡.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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 WeatherTech 240 was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at the Daytona International Speedway combined road course in Daytona Beach, Florida, on July 4, 2020. This race was the second round of the 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the first round of the 2020 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The 2021 12 Hours of Sebring was an endurance sports car race held at Sebring International Raceway near Sebring, Florida from 17 to 20 March 2021. It was the second round of both the 2021 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the Michelin Endurance Cup. Mazda Motorsports entered as the defending overall winners of the 12-hour event.
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 2021 Petit Le Mans was the 24th running of the Petit Le Mans, and was held on November 13, 2021. It was the 12th and final race in the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the 4th race of the 2021 Michelin Endurance Cup. The race was held at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. This race was the last ever race for the GTLM Class.
The 2022 24 Hours of Daytona was an endurance sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The event was held at Daytona International Speedway combined road course in Daytona Beach, Florida, on January 29–30, 2022. This event was the 60th running of the 24 Hours of Daytona since its inception in 1962, and the first of 12 races across multiple classes in the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship, as well as the first of four rounds in the 2022 Michelin Endurance Cup. The #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura, driven by Tom Blomqvist, Hélio Castroneves, Oliver Jarvis, Simon Pagenaud, took the overall win in one of the most competitive events in race history. The top four overall finishers led for at least 88 laps each. Despite being fourth with around three hours left in the race, a monster stretch from Blomqvist helped his team assume the lead before giving way to Castroneves. Castroneves held off former teammate and two-time champion Ricky Taylor to win his second Rolex 24 in a row. The final margin of 3.028 seconds was the third closest in race history. It was also Meyer Shank Racing's first win in IMSA since 2020.
The 2022 12 Hours of Sebring was an endurance sports car race held at Sebring International Raceway near Sebring, Florida from 16 to 19 March 2022. It was the second round of both the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the Michelin Endurance Cup. JDC-Mustang Sampling Racing entered as the defending overall winners of the 12-hour event.
The 2022 Grand Prix of Long Beach was a sports car race held at Long Beach street circuit in Long Beach, California on April 9, 2022. It was the third round of the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the first round of the 2022 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The 2022 Hyundai Monterey SportsCar Championship was a sports car race held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, California on May 1, 2022. It was the fourth round of the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the second round of the 2022 WeatherTech Sprint Cup. Wayne Taylor Racing's No. 10 car piloted by Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque collected their first victory of the season.
The 2022 Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen was a sports car race held at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York on June 26, 2022. It was the seventh round of the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the third round of the 2022 Michelin Endurance Cup. The No. 10 WTR - Konica Minolta Acura piloted by Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque took the victory in DPi. In LMP2, the PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports No. 52 piloted by Ben Keating, Scott Huffaker, and Mikkel Jensen took the victory, while the No. 74 Riley Motorsports entry driven by Gar Robinson, Felipe Fraga, and Kay van Berlo took the victory in LMP3. In GTD Pro, the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 piloted by Ross Gunn and Alex Riberas claimed victory after the No. 25 BMW M Team RLL BMW M4 GT3 were penalized post-race. In GTD, the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 took the victory with Maxime Martin and Ian James.
The 2022 Chevrolet Grand Prix was a sports car race held at the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada on July 3, 2022. It was the eighth round of the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the fifth round of the 2022 WeatherTech Sprint Cup. The 01 Cadillac Racing entry piloted by Sébastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande took the overall victory. The No. 54 CORE Autosport Ligier JS P320 driven by Jon Bennett and Colin Braun won in the LMP3 class. In the GTD Pro class, the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell claimed victory, while in GTD the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 driven by Roman De Angelis and Maxime Martin claimed victory.
The 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship was the 53rd racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association, which traces its lineage back to the 1971 IMSA GT Championship. It was also the tenth season of the IMSA SportsCar Championship since the merger between the American Le Mans Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2014, and the eighth under the sponsorship of WeatherTech. The 2023 season marked an overhaul season for the championship, with a change in class structure and a new race on the season calendar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The championship began with the 24 Hours of Daytona on January 28 and concluded with the Petit Le Mans on October 14 after 11 races
The 2022 Petit Le Mans was the 25th running of the Petit Le Mans, and was held on October 1, 2022. It was the 12th and final race in the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the 4th race of the 2022 Michelin Endurance Cup. The race was held at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. The event was the last ever race for the DPi Class.
The 2023 12 Hours of Sebring was an endurance sports car race held at Sebring International Raceway near Sebring, Florida from 15 to 18 March 2023. It was the second round of both the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the Michelin Endurance Cup. Cadillac Racing entered as the defending overall winners of the 12-hour event, albeit in the new-for-2023 GTP class rather than DPi.
The 2023 Grand Prix of Long Beach was a sports car race held at Long Beach street circuit in Long Beach, California on April 15, 2023. It was the third round of the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the first round of the 2023 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The 2022 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 28, 2022. The race was the eleventh round of the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the eighth round of the WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The 2022 IMSA SportsCar Weekend 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 7, 2022. The race was the tenth round of the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the seventh round of the WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The 2023 Motul Course de Monterey was a sports car race held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, California on May 14, 2023. It was the fourth round of the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the second round of the 2023 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The 2023 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 22, 2023. The race was seventh round of the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the fourth round of the 2023 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The 2023 IMSA Battle on the Bricks was a sports car race that was sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on September 17, 2023. The event was the tenth round of the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the seventh round of the WeatherTech Sprint Cup.