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.
International Motor Sports Association's (IMSA) president John Doonan confirmed the race was part of the schedule for the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA SCC) in August 2022. [1] It was the eighth year the event was held as part of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the thirty-first annual running of the race. The 2023 Northeast Grand Prix was the seventh of eleven scheduled sports car races of 2023 by IMSA, and it was the fourth round held as part of the WeatherTech Sprint Cup. [2] The race was held at the seven-turn 1.530 mi (2.462 km) Lime Rock Park on July 22, 2023. [2] As in previous years, it was the first of two GT-only rounds of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, in which only the GTD Pro and GTD classes will compete. [3]
After the Chevrolet Grand Prix 13 days earlier, Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth led the GTD Pro Drivers' Championship with 2110 points, ahead of Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella with 2014 points followed by Antonio García and Jordan Taylor with 2001 points. [4] With 1974 points, Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow led the GTD Drivers' Championship by 212 points over Roman De Angelis and Marco Sørensen. [4] Lexus and BMW were leading their respective Manufacturers' Championships, while Vasser Sullivan Racing and Paul Miller Racing each led their own Teams' Championships. [4]
On July 13, 2023, IMSA released the latest technical bulletin outlining Balance of Performance for the GTD Pro, and GTD classes. [5] The Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo received a 10 kilogram weight increase and gained 5.9 horsepower as well as 1 liter of fuel capacity. The Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) received a 20 kilogram weight reduction. [6]
A total of 20 cars took part in the event split across two classes. 5 cars were entered in GTD Pro, and 15 in GTD. [7] In GTD, Andretti Autosport made their first appearance since the Laguna Seca round. [8] Julien Andlauer returned to the No. 92 Kelly-Moss with Riley entry. [9]
There were two practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Saturday, two on Friday. The first session lasted an hour on Friday morning while the second session lasted for 75 minutes on Friday afternoon. [10]
The first practice session took place at 11:45 am ET and ended with Aaron Telitz topping the charts for Vasser Sullivan Racing, with a lap time of 51.762. [11] Antonio García set the fastest time in GTD Pro. [12]
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GTD | 12 | Vasser Sullivan Racing | Aaron Telitz | 51.762 | _ |
| 2 | GTD Pro | 3 | Corvette Racing | Antonio García | 51.821 | +0.059 |
| 3 | GTD | 78 | Forte Racing powered by US RaceTronics | Misha Goikhberg | 51.832 | +0.070 |
| Sources: [13] [14] | ||||||
The second and final practice session took place at 2:45 pm ET and ended with Antonio García topping the charts for Corvette Racing, with a lap time of 51.029. [15] Frederik Schandorff set the fastest time in GTD. [16]
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GTD Pro | 3 | Corvette Racing | Antonio García | 51.029 | _ |
| 2 | GTD Pro | 14 | Vasser Sullivan Racing | Jack Hawksworth | 51.155 | +0.126 |
| 3 | GTD Pro | 9 | Pfaff Motorsports | Patrick Pilet | 51.195 | +0.166 |
| Sources: [17] [18] | ||||||
Qualifying featured one session. The only session was for cars in the GTD Pro and GTD classes. Ross Gunn qualified on pole in GTD Pro driving the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team car, beating Jack Hawksworth in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Racing by just under two tenths of a second. [19] Mike Skeen qualified on pole in GTD driving the No. 32 car for Team Korthoff Motorsports, besting Frederik Schandorff in the Inception Racing entry. [20]
Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold and by ‡.
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GTD Pro | 23 |  Heart of Racing Team |  Ross Gunn | 50.593 | _ | 1‡ |
| 2 | GTD Pro | 14 | Vasser Sullivan Racing | Jack Hawksworth | 50.784 | +0.191 | 2 |
| 3 | GTD Pro | 3 | Corvette Racing |  Antonio García | 50.897 | +0.304 | 3 |
| 4 | GTD Pro | 79 | WeatherTech Racing |  Jules Gounon | 50.932 | +0.339 | 4 |
| 5 | GTD Pro | 9 |  Pfaff Motorsports |  Patrick Pilet | 51.074 | +0.481 | 5 |
| 6 | GTD | 32 | Team Korthoff Motorsports | Mike Skeen | 51.157 | +0.564 | 6‡ |
| 7 | GTD | 70 | Inception Racing |  Frederik Schandorff | 51.164 | +0.571 | 7 |
| 8 | GTD | 78 | Forte Racing powered by US RaceTronics | Misha Goikhberg | 51.184 | +0.591 | 8 |
| 9 | GTD | 27 | Heart of Racing Team | Roman De Angelis | 51.283 | +0.690 | 9 |
| 10 | GTD | 12 | Vasser Sullivan Racing | Frankie Montecalvo | 51.400 | +0.807 | 10 |
| 11 | GTD | 96 | Turner Motorsport | Patrick Gallagher | 51.419 | +0.826 | 11 |
| 12 | GTD | 97 | Turner Motorsport | Bill Auberlen | 51.469 | +0.876 | 12 |
| 13 | GTD | 92 | Kelly-Moss with Riley | Alec Udell | 51.476 | +0.883 | 13 |
| 14 | GTD | 1 | Paul Miller Racing | Madison Snow | 51.643 | +1.050 | 14 |
| 15 | GTD | 57 | Winward Racing | Russell Ward | 51.758 | +1.165 | 15 |
| 16 | GTD | 80 | AO Racing Team | P.J. Hyett | 51.834 | +1.241 | 16 |
| 17 | GTD | 94 | Andretti Autosport | Jarett Andretti | 52.030 | +1.437 | 17 |
| 18 | GTD | 91 | Kelly-Moss with Riley | Alan Metni | 52.051 | +1.458 | 18 |
| 19 | GTD | 77 | Wright Motorsports | Alan Brynjolfsson | 52.095 | +1.502 | 19 |
| 20 | GTD | 66 | Gradient Racing | Sheena Monk | 52.632 | +2.039 | 20 |
| Sources: [21] [22] | |||||||
The result kept Barnicoat and Hawksworth atop the GTD Pro Drivers' Championship with 2462 points. García and Taylor advanced from third to second. [23] The results kept Sellers and Snow atop the GTD Drivers' Championship with 2226 points, 86 points ahead of race winners De Angelis and Sørensen. Brynjolfsson and Hindman advanced from eighth to fifth while Grenier and Skeen dropped from fifth to ninth. [23] Lexus and BMW continued to lead their respective Manufactures' Championships while Vasser Sullivan Racing and Paul Miller Racing kept their advantages in the Teams' Championships with four rounds left in the season. [23]
Class winners denoted in bold and with ‡
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