WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Shortly after the checkered flag waved Sunday at Le Mans, Paul di Resta was on a flight headed for the U.S.
One busy weekend down, another coming up.
This time, though, it’s a return to a car and a class he hasn’t seen in three months. After a lengthy absence, the Le Mans Prototype 2 class returns to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule this weekend in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen Int’l, where di Resta and his No. 22 United Autosports USA ORECA LMP2 07 teammates, Daniel Goldburg and Rasmus Lindh, renew their chase for the class championship.
A global, varied and busy racing schedule requires proper pace.
“Rest is very much key,” said di Resta, who teamed with Mikkel Jensen and Jean-Eric Vergne to finish 17th on the road in class Sunday in the No. 93 Peugeot TotalEnergies Peugeot 9X8 at the 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“I think the most important thing is listening to your body. Everybody gets used to what they want to do. We travel very well, and you know what you want to do to maintain your own level. What works for me will work very differently for other drivers.”
Additionally, di Resta noted splitting his time between the Peugeot Hypercar in WEC and the United Autosports ORECA in IMSA helps him stay sharp in both classes.
“It’s very beneficial to do both,” he said. “(It requires) timing and awareness, what to expect and not to expect. Traffic is the biggest thing. Being able to run close to other cars and keeping your eyes (locked) in, that’s the big thing. That’s where I see the benefit.”
That class interaction and traffic dynamic is a big part of the Watkins Glen race, with 56 cars entered including 12 in LMP2.
Adjusting to a long period without competing in LMP2 is a familiar feeling for his competitors in the class. They haven’t raced since the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 15, watching as the WeatherTech Championship raced without them on the streets of Long Beach and Detroit, and on the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca natural terrain road course in Monterey.
Considering IMSA’s short offseason, the downtime isn’t necessarily unwelcome.
“I don’t really mind it, to be completely honest,” said Gar Robinson, who will return to the No. 74 Riley ORECA LMP2 07 at Watkins Glen. “We have an offseason that doesn’t really feel like an offseason. You go from (Road Atlanta) to Daytona pretty quickly. This feels like the only offseason we actually have – a midseason offseason.”
Robinson and co-drivers Josh Burdon and Felipe Fraga will resume their fight for the LMP2 overall championship and IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup just two points ahead of di Resta, Goldburg and Lindh in the No. 22 United Autosports ORECA at Watkins Glen (645-643).
It’s been a good track for the Riley crew. Although Robinson and Fraga are yet to win in an LMP2 car, they won three straight Le Mans Prototype 3 races at “The Glen” from 2021 to 2023, with Burdon joining them for the latter win.
“Watkins Glen is definitely high on my fun and loving list,” Robinson said. “You go from Sebring, which is like being thrown into a dishwasher for 12 hours, to Watkins Glen, where it’s smooth and flowing and high speed.”
The hottest team in the category right now is Inter Europol Competition, last year’s LMP2 champions and third ranked in IMSA points this year with 602. The team won both the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans this year with two different lineups. Tom Dillmann has been at the wheel of both winning entries and shares the No. 43 Inter Europol ORECA LMP2 07 with Bijoy Garg and Jeremy Clarke at Watkins Glen.
Di Resta and Dillmann are among the 60-plus drivers who raced at Le Mans this weekend and now head to Watkins Glen. A veteran of the travel demands of competing in multiple classes and series, di Resta arrives at Watkins Glen physically and mentally prepared.
“The most important thing is ensuring that when you arrive at the track that you’re as prepared as you can be,” said di Resta, who teamed with Filipe Albuquerque and Phil Hanson in 2020 to win the LMP2 class at Le Mans for United Autosports. “At this point in my life, certainly, I know what makes the body work and I know what I’m capable of.”
Di Resta, who finished fifth last year at Watkins Glen, says it’s one of his favorite circuits.
“It’s bold,” he said. “It has great elevation. It’s got big commitment. The cars relish to be on there. They absolutely love it. There’s not much room for any mistakes. The key thing about it is it’s just a great event. It happens at a great point after Le Mans. I love to go there.”
