ELKHART LAKE, Wis. –Â With GTD PRO set to replace the current GT Le Mans class in 2022, IMSA officials announced Friday that both of the WeatherTech Championship GT classes will use the same GT3-based technical specifications.
GTD PRO is targeted for Pro/Pro driver lineups and factory-supported programs with GTD continuing its customer racing focus and Pro/Am driver lineups.
All GTD PRO and GTD cars will utilize Michelin’s S9M tire specification and each will have the same tire allocation per event. IMSA will manage GTD PRO and GTD as a single GT category from a Balance of Performance (BoP) perspective, although IMSA will retain the right to maintain competitive equivalency between cars within each class and between classes if necessary.
Qualifying for GTD PRO and GTD will be combined to establish an overall starting grid for the GTD category based on each car’s single-fastest lap time. Qualifying drivers in GTD will be required to be Bronze- or Silver-rated, whereas each GTD PRO car can use any one driver from its lineup to qualify. Class-specific points for qualifying will continue to be awarded in 2022, but the separate session for GTD qualifying points used in 2021 will be discontinued.
All GTD PRO and GTD cars will be required to start the race on qualifying tires. In addition, all GTD PRO drivers will be subject to the same minimum drive time requirements as those competing in GTD beginning in 2022. The end result will be more required seat time for every GTD PRO driver and will be consistent with current minimum drive times for GTD.
During pit stops, GTD PRO and GTD minimum refueling times will be equal for all cars. Full-course caution operational procedures for GTD PRO and GTD will be the same as in 2021.
The Bob Akin Award, which annually provides an entry to the following year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, will be reserved for the highest-finishing Bronze-rated driver in the final WeatherTech Championship GTD point standings.
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