Howdy everyone to the 2014 racing season. I plan on putting up the 2014 IndyCar and Formula 1 threads soon, but I realized that the 2014 Tudor United SportsCar Championship begins in 5 days as of this posting!
The United SportsCar Championship is the result of the merger between the Rolex Grand-Am series and the American Le Mans Series. It is organized by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), which is part of NASCAR. The United SportsCar Championship's website may be found
here.
The unique aspect of a racing series like the United SportsCar Championship is that multiple classes of cars race on the same track at the same time. For the USSC there are four car classes
Prototype (P),
Prototype Challenge (PC),
GT Le Mans, and
GT Daytona (GTD). The Prototype cars will be the quickest and the GT Daytona cars will be the slowest.
Below are the class specifications taken from the
USSC's website:
Prototype (P)About: The Prototype (P) class features the fastest and most technologically advanced cars in North America. They are specifically designed and engineered for the race track and look drastically different than a typical street car.
Top Speed: 190 mph
Horsepower: 450 - 600
Wheelbase: Length varies; based on production vehicle design
Weight: 1,990 to 2,285 pounds
Height: Height varies; based on production vehicle design
Width: 74 inches
Cars: Corvette DP, DeltaWing DWC 13, HPD ARX-03b, ORECA, Mazda, Riley DP
Engines: Chevrolet V8, Dinan, Ford EcoBoost Turbo, Honda V6 Turbo, Mazda SKYACTIV Clean Diesel, Nissan
Fuel: VP Racing Fuel E-10 and diesel
Gearbox: 6-speed paddle shift
Tires: Continental
Chassis: Steel tubing with integral roll cage or carbon fiber monocoque
Suspension: Front and rear - independent coil springs, upper and lower A arms
Traction Control: Permitted
Prototype Challenge (PC)About: The Prototype Challenge (PC) class is a spec class featuring open-cockpit race cars and technology such as carbon fiber chassis, carbon brakes and sequential gearbox.
Top Speed: 175 mph
Horsepower: 430
Wheelbase: Length varies; based on production vehicle design
Weight: 1,990
Height: 40 inches
Width: 74 inches
Cars: ORECA FLM09
Engines: Chevrolet LS3
Fuel: VP Racing Fuel E-10
Gearbox: Xtrac sequential with paddle shifting
Tires: Continental
Chassis: Carbon fiber
Suspension: Front and rear - independent coil springs, upper and lower A arms
Traction Control: Not permitted
GT Le Mans (GTLM)About: The GT Le Mans (GTLM) cars are the most elite and fastest GT cars on the track. They are based on production models and are engineered to extract the maximum performance possible. The class serves as a true proving ground for leading manufacturers such as BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche and SRT.
Top Speed: 180 mph
Horsepower: 500
Wheelbase: Length varies; based on production vehicle design
Weight: 2,745 minimum
Height: Height varies; based on production vehicle design
Width: 79 inches
Cars: Aston Martin V8 Vantage, BMW Z4 GTE, Corvette C7.R, Ferrari F458 Italia, Porsche 911 RSR, SRT Viper GTS-R
Engines: Aston Martin V8, BMW 4-valve; 6-liter Chevrolet pushrod 2-valve; Ferrari V8; 5.0 liter Ford 4-valve; Porsche flat 6, Viper V10
Fuel: VP Racing Fuel E-85C
Gearbox: 5- or 6-speed
Tires: Open (Michelin and Falken currently are participating)
Chassis: Steel tubing and integral roll cage or production tube with cage, based on production model available to the public
Suspension: Front and rear - independent coil springs, upper and lower A arms
Traction Control: Not permitted
GT Daytona (GTD)About: The GT Daytona cars are enhanced (not defined by) technology. They are also based on production model cars but do not feature the same level of aerodynamics and power as the GTLM class cars. The GDTD class consists of cars from the GRAND-AM GT and ALMS GTC classes, as well as FIA GT3-spec cars.
Top Speed: 180 mph
Horsepower: 450
Wheelbase: Length varies; based on production vehicle design
Weight: 2,680 pounds
Height: Height varies; based on production vehicle design
Width: 79 inches
Cars: Aston Martin Vantage, Audi R8 LMS, MBW Z4, Ferrari 458 Italia, Porsche 911 GT America, SRT Viper GT3-R
Engines: Aston Martin V12; Audi 5.0-liter V10; 5.0-liter BMW 4-valve; Ferrari V8; Porsche 3.6-liter flat 6, Viper V10
Fuel: VP Racing Fuel E-10
Gearbox: 5- or 6-speed
Tires: Continental
Chassis: Steel tubing with integral roll cage or production tube with cage, based on production model available to the public
Suspension: Front and rear - independent coil springs, upper and lower A arms
Traction Control: Not permitted
Below are the following tracks where the USSC will head this season according to
their website:
January 24 - 26: Rolex 24 at Daytona
February 20 - 21: Sebring Test
March 12 - 15: Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
April 11 - 12: Grand Prix of Long Beach
May 3 - 4: Continental Tire Sports Car Festival
May 30 - 31: The Raceway at Belle Isle Park
June 6 - 7: Kansas Speedway
June 27 - 29: Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen
July 12 - 13: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
July 24 - 25: Brickyard Grand Prix
August 8 - 10: Road America
August 23 - 24: Virginia International Raceway
September 19 - 20: Circuit of the Americas
October 1 - 4: Petit Le Mans
I will go into more detail in the next post about the first race of the season: The Rolex 24 at Daytona.