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.
Taylor and García's GTLM class victory marked the first victory for the new Corvette C8.R, alongside Corvette Racing's 100th win in IMSA competition.[1] The race was also just the 12th caution-free race since the merger in 2014.[2]
Background
edit
The race was the first for the series following the suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was initially announced to be run behind closed doors.[3] However, it was later announced that a maximum of 5,000 fans were to be admitted, with all required to be residents of the state of Florida.[4] The race was also the first time since 2010 that the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship or its previous series had competed in the Paul Revere 250 Independence Day event.[5]
Before the race, Ryan Briscoe, Renger van der Zande, Scott Dixon, and Kamui Kobayashi led the DPi Drivers' Championship with 35 points each, ahead of Oliver Jarvis, Tristan Nunez, and Olivier Pla with 32 points each, and Sébastien Bourdais, João Barbosa, and Loïc Duval with 30 points each.[6] With 35 points, the GTLM Drivers' Championship was led by John Edwards, Jesse Krohn, Augusto Farfus, and Chaz Mostert with a three-point advantage over Earl Bamber, Laurens Vanthoor, and Mathieu Jaminet.[6] In GTD, the Drivers' Championship was led by Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow, Corey Lewis, and Andrea Caldarelli with 35 points, ahead of Andy Lally, John Potter, Spencer Pumpelly, and Marco Mapelli with 32 points each.[6] Cadillac, BMW, and Lamborghini were leading their respective Manufacturers' Championships, while Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R, BMW Team RLL, and Paul Miller Racing each led their own Teams' Championships.[6]
Entries
editA total of 26 cars took part in the event, down from the 39 entries from the season's opening event. There were 8 cars in the DPi class, 6 cars in the GTLM class, and 12 cars in the GTD class.[7] In DPi, Gabby Chaves filled in for Felipe Nasr in the Whelen Engineering Racing entry, due to Nasr testing positive for COVID-19.[8] Multimatic Motorsports took over the Mazda DPi program from Joest Racing.[9] The LMP2 class did not participate in the event.[7] In GTLM, Risi Competizione were absent. In GTD, Paul Miller Racing, the GTD class winner in the Rolex 24, didn't enter the event due to effects of the pandemic.[10] Likewise, Pfaff Motorsports also didn't enter, due to travel restrictions surrounding being based in Canada.[11] The No. 19 GEAR Racing powered by GRT Grasser entry, the No. 91 of Wright Motorsports, and the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin all declined to enter the event as well.[12][13][14] Team Hardpoint made their series debut, and Gradient Racing returned for the first time since 2018.[15][16] Prior to the event, Aaron Telitz was announced as the replacement for Parker Chase in the No. 14 entry for AIM Vasser Sullivan.[17] Compass Racing made their season debut.[7]
Practice
editThere were two practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Saturday, one on Friday and one on Saturday. The first session on Friday lasted one hour while the second session on Saturday lasted 75 minutes.[18]
Practice 1
editThe first practice session took place at 6:15 pm ET on Friday and ended with Juan Pablo Montoya topping the charts for Acura Team Penske, with a lap time of 1:35.960.[19] The GTLM class was topped by the #912 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR-19 of Laurens Vanthoor with a time of 1:44.003. Tommy Milner in the #4 Corvette Racing entry was second and Nick Tandy rounded out the top 3.[20] The GTD class was topped by the #63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 of Toni Vilander with a time of 1:47.481.[21]
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DPi | 6 | Acura Team Penske | Juan Pablo Montoya | 1:35.960 | _ |
| 2 | DPi | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing | Pipo Derani | 1:35.976 | +0.016 |
| 3 | DPi | 55 | Mazda Motorsports | Harry Tincknell | 1:36.013 | +0.053 |
| Sources:[22][23] | ||||||
Practice 2
editThe second and final practice session took place at 10:15 am ET on Saturday and ended with Oliver Jarvis topping the charts for Mazda Motorsports, with a lap time of 1:34.398.[24] The GTLM class was topped by the #911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR-19 of Nick Tandy with a time of 1:42.990. Oliver Gavin in the #4 Corvette Racing entry was second and Jordan Taylor rounded out the top 3.[25] The GTD class was topped by the #14 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 of Aaron Telitz with a time of 1:46.694.[26]
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DPi | 77 | Mazda Motorsports | Oliver Jarvis | 1:34.398 | _ |
| 2 | DPi | 7 | Acura Team Penske | Hélio Castroneves | 1:34.646 | +0.248 |
| 3 | DPi | 55 | Mazda Motorsports | Jonathan Bomarito | 1:34.689 | +0.291 |
| Sources:[27][28] | ||||||
Qualifying
edit
Saturday's afternoon qualifying was broken into three sessions, with one session for the DPi, GTLM, and GTD classes, which lasted for 15 minutes each, and a ten minute interval between the sessions.[18] 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. IMSA then arranged the grid to put DPis ahead of the GTLM and GTD cars.[29]
Qualifying was broken into three sessions. The first was for cars in GTD class. Corey Fergus qualified on pole for the class driving the #76 car for Compass Racing, beating Aaron Telitz in the #14 AIM Vasser Sullivan entry by less than two tenths of a second.[30]
The second session of qualifying was for cars in the GTLM class. Oliver Gavin qualified on pole driving the #4 car for Corvette Racing, besting Jordan Taylor in the sister #3 Corvette Racing entry.[31]
The final session of qualifying was for the DPi class. Hélio Castroneves qualified on pole driving the #7 car for Acura Team Penske, beating Oliver Jarvis in the #77 Mazda Motorsports by less than fifty-hundredths of a second.[32]
Qualifying results
editPole positions in each class are indicated in bold and by ‡.
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DPi | 7 |  Acura Team Penske
|
 Hélio Castroneves
|
1:34.390 | _ | 1‡ |
| 2 | DPi | 77 |  Mazda Motorsports
|
 Oliver Jarvis
|
1:34.422 | +0.032 | 2 |
| 3 | DPi | 55 | Mazda Motorsports
|
Jonathan Bomarito
|
1:34.454 | +0.064 | 3 |
| 4 | DPi | 6 | Acura Team Penske
|
 Juan Pablo Montoya
|
1:34.532 | +0.142 | 4 |
| 5 | DPi | 10 | Konica Minolta Cadillac |  Ryan Briscoe
|
1:35.061 | +0.671 | 5 |
| 6 | DPi | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing
|
Gabby Chaves
|
1:35.244 | +0.854 | 6 |
| 7 | DPi | 5 | JDC-Mustang Sampling Racing
|
 João Barbosa
|
1:35.737 | +1.347 | 7 |
| 8 | DPi | 85 | JDC-Miller MotorSports
|
Chris Miller
|
1:35.945 | +1.555 | 8 |
| 9 | GTLM | 4 | Corvette Racing
|
Oliver Gavin
|
1:42.251 | +7.861 | 9‡ |
| 10 | GTLM | 3 | Corvette Racing
|
Jordan Taylor
|
1:42.523 | +8.133 | 10 |
| 11 | GTLM | 24 | BMW Team RLL
|
 Jesse Krohn
|
1:42.628 | +8.238 | 11 |
| 12 | GTLM | 912 | Porsche GT Team
|
 Laurens Vanthoor
|
1:42.629 | +8.239 | 12 |
| 13 | GTLM | 25 | BMW Team RLL
|
Bruno Spengler
|
1:42.674 | +8.284 | 13 |
| 14 | GTLM | 911 | Porsche GT Team
|
Nick Tandy
|
1:42.754 | +8.364 | 14 |
| 15 | GTD | 76 | Compass Racing
|
Corey Fergus
|
1:47.015 | +12.625 | 15‡ |
| 16 | GTD | 14 | AIM Vasser Sullivan
|
Aaron Telitz
|
1:47.152 | +12.762 | 16 |
| 17 | GTD | 96 | Turner Motorsport
|
Robby Foley
|
1:47.468 | +13.078 | 17 |
| 18 | GTD | 12 | AIM Vasser Sullivan
|
Frankie Montecalvo
|
1:47.502 | +13.112 | 18 |
| 19 | GTD | 63 | Scuderia Corsa
|
Cooper MacNeil
|
1:47.595 | +13.205 | 19 |
| 20 | GTD | 86 | Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian
|
Matt McMurry
|
1:47.779 | +13.389 | 20 |
| 21 | GTD | 57 | Heinricher Racing with MSR Curb-Agajanian
|
Misha Goikhberg
|
1:47.799 | +13.409 | 21 |
| 22 | GTD | 16 | Wright Motorsports
|
Ryan Hardwick
|
1:47.839 | +13.449 | 22 |
| 23 | GTD | 74 | Riley Motorsports
|
Gar Robinson
|
1:47.998 | +13.608 | 23 |
| 24 | GTD | 44 | GRT Magnus
|
John Potter
|
1:48.772 | +14.382 | 261 |
| 25 | GTD | 22 | Gradient Racing
|
Till Bechtolsheimer
|
1:48.795 | +14.405 | 24 |
| 26 | GTD | 30 | Team Hardpoint
|
Rob Ferriol
|
1:49.193 | +14.803 | 25 |
| Sources:[33][34] | |||||||
Race
editPost-race
editAs a result of winning the race, Bomarito and Tincknell advanced from sixth to third in the DPi Drivers' Championship. Jarvis and Nunez jumped from second to first while Briscoe and van der Zande dropped from first to second.[35] In GTLM, Bamber and Vanthoor jumped to first after being second coming into the event. Edwards and Krohn dropped from first to third while Antonio García and Jordan Taylor advanced from fourth to second.[35] As a result of winning the race, Hawksworth advanced from eighth to first in the GTD Drivers' Championship. Telitz jumped from twelfth to second while Lally and Potter dropped from second to third. Bell and Montecalvo jumped to fifth after being from twelfth coming into the event.[35] Cadillac, BMW, and Lamborghini continued to top their respective Manufacturers' Championships while Mazda Motorsports, Porsche GT Team, and AIM Vasser Sullivan became the leaders of their respective class Teams' Championships with nine rounds remaining in the season.[35]
Result
editDue to a lightning storm, the race start was delayed. While the race was originally scheduled to end at sunset, a considerable portion of the race ended up running after dark. The race ran full course caution free.
Class winners are denoted in bold and ‡.
Standings after the race
edit
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.
References
edit- ^ "Corvette Take First Win For C8.R & 100th IMSA Victory". dailysportscar.com. 5 July 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ "Mazda Maintains Midsummer Magic with 1-2 in IMSA WeatherTech 240 At Daytona". imsa.com. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ "IMSA Announces Updated Return to Racing Plan". imsa.com. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "IMSA: July 4 race at Daytona will have limited crowd; masks required". motorsports.nbcsports.com. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Returns to Daytona". daytonainternationalspeedway.com. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d "00_Championship Points - Official.pdf" (PDF). results.imsa.com. January 28, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ a b c Dagys, John (June 24, 2020). "26 Entries for IMSA's Return to Racing at Daytona". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (July 3, 2020). "Nasr to Miss Daytona after Testing Positive for COVID-19". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (March 19, 2020). "Mazda Confirms Multimatic Takeover from Joest". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Dagys, John (June 9, 2020). "Paul Miller Racing to Skip Daytona, Sebring July Races". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Dagys, John (June 12, 2020). "Pfaff "Undecided" on Timing of IMSA Return". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Dagys, John (June 17, 2020). "GEAR, Grasser Part Ways". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Dagys, John (June 18, 2020). "Wright Down to Single Porsche GTD Entry". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Dagys, John (June 23, 2020). "The Heart of Racing to Skip Daytona". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ "Entry List: WeatherTech 240 at Daytona". fronstretch.com. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ Dagys, John (June 17, 2020). "Hardpoint Expands to GTD with Audi Entry for Pumpelly, Ferriol". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ "Telitz Replaces Chase in AVS Lexus for Remainder of Season". sportscar365.com. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ a b "2020 IMSA Official Schedule and SR Daytona July 4 062420 V1" (PDF). results.imsa.com/noticeBoard.php. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ O'Malley, J.J. (July 3, 2020). "Montoya tops opening IMSA Daytona practice". racer.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Dagys, John (July 3, 2020). "Montoya Quickest in Opening Practice at Daytona". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Malsher-Lopez, David (July 3, 2020). "Daytona IMSA: Montoya tops first practice for Acura Penske". motorsport.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ "03_Results_Practice 1.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ "06_Fastest Lap By Driver_Practice 1.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ O'Malley, J.J. (July 3, 2020). "Mazda's Jarvis fastest in Daytona Practice 2". racer.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Dagys, John (July 4, 2020). "Jarvis Rebounds to Put Mazda On Top in Final Practice". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Malsher-Lopez, David (July 4, 2020). "Daytona IMSA: Mazda's Jarvis tops second practice". motorsport.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ "03_Results_Practice 2.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. July 4, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ "06_Fastest Lap By Driver_Practice 2.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. July 4, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ a b "2020 IMSA SPORTING REGULATIONS and SERIES SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 December 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
- ^ Dagys, John (July 4, 2020). "Castroneves Storms to Daytona Pole". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Malsher-Lopez, David (July 4, 2020). "Daytona IMSA: Castroneves' Acura beats Mazdas to pole". motorsport.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ O'Malley, J.J. (July 4, 2020). "Castroneves takes Daytona IMSA pole for Acura". racer.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ "03_Results_Qualifying" (PDF). Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "01_Grid_Race_Official.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. July 4, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "00_Championship Points - Official.pdf" (PDF). results.imsa.com. July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ "03_Results_Race_Official.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ "2020 WEATHERTECH 240 AT DAYTONA". racing-reference.info. Retrieved July 30, 2023.