2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar ChampionshipSports Cars 

  • Thread starter Northstar
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Morgoth_666
The whole paddock area has always been open to all at the Watkins Glen races I've been to over the years too, most of the teams are quite friendly with people as long as you aren't interrupting some actual work. They also do have some designated times when they are officially doing signings/giving out collectibles. Some of them hand stuff out during the grid walk too which is a great time to see all of the cars together and get a feel for how many fans are there before they all spread out to the far corners of the track.

I'm not 100% sure but I think that's the norm for most of IMSA's races, has been since at least the Grand-Am days.
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It's the same way for the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta each year. Just stay behind the team's ropes and let them do their work and you'll be fine. I always get there early for morning warmup when you can get a little closer to the cars like this.

 
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To hear NASCAR go on about the access fans get with the fan zones is a joke to the access IMSA fans have, for FREE!!

I hear that IndyCar is the same as IMSA, don't know, haven't been but World Challenge is.
 
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01GTP
To hear the NASCAR as go on about the access fans get with the fan zones is a joke to the access IMSA fans have, for FREE!!

I hear that IndyCar is the same as IMSA, don't know, haven't been but World Challenge is.
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It is an even bigger joke considering how expensive NASCAR tickets are. That, spending less than half the money on 5 tickets than my parents did buying 4 NASCAR tickets, and the 2007 MIS August debacle are why we quit going to NASCAR races.
 
Weather was all over the place today. Fog, then rain, then warmer with the Sun almost breaking through the clouds...before it rained some more. Despite that and mud on the facility grounds so thick in spots it could almost pull the boot off your foot, I can say I thoroughly enjoyed my first taste of an IMSA race weekend. Looking forward to the action tomorrow!
 
Northstar
ADT will be sponsoring CORE and are reportedly the ones that paid for Nissan's manufacturer fee.

http://coreautosport.com/2019/05/04/core-partners-with-adt-for-imsa-championship/

I recall them saying they had a major sponsor prior to Daytona but was worried it fell through since nothing was ever announced. Thankfully that wasn't the case and it's now official.
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So I wonder then if sometime soon they'll start running the second car. I seem to remember they announced around Daytona that they had received said car.
 
#4 straight to garage, drive train issues

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Wow that was a crazy last 10 minutes. First the 3rd place Porsche in GTD crashes, the constant battle for first in GTD, and battle for 3rd in DP, the pass under yellow, and then the 3rd place Mazda seemed to have a problem for a moment?
 
I was hoping to see Mazda get a win, but I'll settle for both being on podium. At least the #6 finally got a win.

ProjectWHaT
then the 3rd place Mazda seemed to have a problem for a moment?
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I think he may have been trying to get back behind the Porsche to avoid a penalty for passing under yellow.
 
Acura win and an almost win on their home track (#rigged). Was hoping for that Mazda win, but still a good result. I know those kind of good results won't continue since they have a lump of an engine, but one can still be hopeful.

Porsche in GTLM continues to demonstrate how beneficial the BoP is for them this year, but I'm sure it'll be evened out at some point.
 
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Despite the mud, I thoroughly enjoyed the race yesterday. Meeting some of the drivers at the autograph session, including my total geek out moment when I met my favorite Jordan Taylor :embarrassed:, was totally awesome! My mom got to meet her favorite Helio Castroneves - I love his positive energy, he's so animated. Montoya was grumpy as always :lol:.

Hearing/seeing some of the cars warming up their engines was cool, including the Porsche 911 RSR (so loud!). The weather went from cool, foggy, and full overcast to hints of sun 10 minutes before the race to completely clear skies by the end. What a change (typical for Ohio)!

I loved seeing my Corvettes out front until the #4 had issues. At least the #3 was able to fight it's way up for a good finish. I spotted the damage on Castroneves' car right away but didn't see how it happened - I'll catch it on my DVR. I didn't see the #9 Porsche spin (we were by the esses after the keyhole straight) but that was a bummer because they seemed to be having a good run. I did see them pull the car out after the race.

There were body parts flying all over the place! The Ford GT lost its left rear right in front of us and I'm pretty surprised they didn't throw the caution to pick up the debris (not complaining as the drivers acted professionally, for the most part, as it forced the turn exit into basically one lane). The #9 Porsche had it's right mirror flailing about hanging by a cord for a couple laps.

The McLaren looked impressive. It was really interesting though, during the grid walk I was looking over the rear of the McLaren and some of the crew members were there. I overheard them talking about how some of the bits of the engine/area were held together with zip ties - go figure lol!

All in all I loved it and am already planning to take my kids next year for their first time! I'm hoping I can get to Watkins Glen this year but not sure that will happen.
:cheers::cheers:
 
raven214
The McLaren looked impressive. It was really interesting though, during the grid walk I was looking over the rear of the McLaren and some of the crew members were there. I overheard them talking about how some of the bits of the engine/area were held together with zip ties - go figure lol!
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Was the grid walk jam packed with people? There's so many people at Road Atlanta each year that you barely have room to walk. I sometimes think I don't want to fool with it anymore because it's so crowded.
 
Jezza819
Was the grid walk jam packed with people? There's so many people at Road Atlanta each year that you barely have room to walk. I sometimes think I don't want to fool with it anymore because it's so crowded.
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There were tons of people but it didn't feel overly crowded, if that makes sense. I stopped at each car on the grid and was able to get a clean picture of pretty much each one so there was still room to breathe.
 
Pardon me for the late reaction, just finished watching the race.

Hell yeah Montoya and Cameron!!

That was a fantastic race! I don't think there was a single moment where there wasn't a battle for position!
 
It took a while for the nice weather to show up, but at least it came at the perfect time. Would've loved to see Corvette win live, but a 2nd place was still a good result. Most amazing thing to me was the level of access available to a regular ticket holder. From being able to stroll through the garage area after morning warm-up Saturday to getting my picture taken with Corvette Racing Crew Chief Dan Binks and pictures of Sebastian Bourdais hanging out on pit road during the Grid Walk on Sunday. Has a definite old-school feel where there's no massive walls between the race teams and fans.

Only negatives were the mud (good thing my Regal had AWD) and some of the facilities at the track are in definite need of renovation. (I could feel the wooden grandstands bow under my feet as I was walking on it more than a few times.) That said, I can very easily see me back for my second IMSA race at Mid-Ohio next year.



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JackRyanWMU
It took a while for the nice weather to show up, but at least it came at the perfect time. Would've loved to see Corvette win live, but a 2nd place was still a good result. Most amazing thing to me was the level of access available to a regular ticket holder. From being able to stroll through the garage area after morning warm-up Saturday to getting my picture taken with Corvette Racing Crew Chief Dan Binks and pictures of Sebastian Bourdais hanging out on pit road during the Grid Walk on Sunday. Has a definite old-school feel where there's no massive walls between the race teams and fans.

Only negatives were the mud (good thing my Regal had AWD) and some of the facilities at the track are in definite need of renovation. (I could feel the wooden grandstands bow under my feet as I was walking on it more than a few times.) That said, I can very easily see me back for my second IMSA race at Mid-Ohio next year.



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Agreed on the grandstands. We got grandstand tickets this year so my mom could sit, and the flex in those wooden boards was a little disconcerting. Next year I'm just gonna bring chairs so I can sit on one of the hills and save a few bucks.
 
As someone who has in the past traversed the angle-breaking path to Moss Corner at Mosport (which still has no grandstands at all) or gingerly descended down the extremely steep, sandy cliff face to visit the inside of Road America's Canada Corner before crunching through the undergrowth towards the last few corners , I will say that wooden grandstands are an absolute luxury.

Granted, both Road America and Mosport(CTMP) have undergone renovations that have changed both those things. However, now I have actual nostalgia for when it was difficult and you had to actually really want to visit those spots.

I'm being a bit cheeky, I'm glad you enjoyed your first IMSA race!
 
Has anyone here camped at Sebring? I'm very tempted to make the trip next year, but I'm only interested if their camping is decently set up as I don't like driving to the track every day. I only ask this now as I'm guessing it won't be a cheap trip so I'll need to start putting away money and work out how much time to take off. :lol:
 
Northstar
Has anyone here camped at Sebring? I'm very tempted to make the trip next year, but I'm only interested if their camping is decently set up as I don't like driving to the track every day. I only ask this now as I'm guessing it won't be a cheap trip so I'll need to start putting away money and work out how much time to take off. :lol:
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Depends how close to the track you want to be. There's okay sized spots inside the gates that you pay for, or there's free field camping literally across the road from the gate.
 
So IMSA has become a lobbyist for SmartWay? Opps, affiliate, sorry.
I like the electric pace car and hot laps idea, that should reduce carbon emissions enough.
 

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