The2016 Northeast Grand Prixwas asports car racesanctioned by theInternational Motor Sports Association(IMSA). The race was held atLime Rock ParkinLakeville, Connecticuton July 23, 2016. The race was the eighth round of the2016 IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Background
editPreview
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International Motor Sports Association(IMSA) president Scott Atherton confirmed the race was part of the schedule for the2016 IMSA SportsCar Championship(IMSA SCC) in August 2015.[1]It was the second consecutive year the event was held as part of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the twenty-fifth annual running of the race. The 2016 Northeast Grand Prix was the eighth of twelve scheduled sports car races of 2016 by IMSA, and was the fifth round not held on the held as part of the North American Endurance Cup.[1]The race was held at the seven-turn 1.530 mi (2.462 km)Lime Rock ParkinLakeville, Connecticuton July 23, 2016.[2]The GTLM category would participate in the event for the first time since the2013running.[3]
IMSA altered the balance of performance to try to create parity within the GTLM category. TheBMW M6 GTLMreceived a reduction in turbo boost pressure and a 2-litre fuel capacity reduction. TheFerrari 488 GTEreceived an increase in turbo boost pressure, and a 2-litre fuel capacity increase as well as a 1.0 mm refuelling hose restrictor reduction increase. The Ford GT received a 0.1 mm refuelling hose restrictor reduction. The Porsche 911 RSR had its weight increased by 20kg (44 lb).[4]
Before the race,Alex PopowandRenger van der Zandeled the Prototype Challenge Drivers' Championship with 231 points, ahead ofRobert AlonandTom Kimber-Smithin second by 14 points, andStephen SimpsonandMisha Goikhbergin third with 209 points.[5]With 192 points,Oliver GavinandTommy Milnerled the GTLM Drivers' Championship, 5 points ahead ofRyan BriscoeandRichard Westbrook.[5]In GTD, the Drivers' Championship was led byAlessandro BalzanandChristina Nielsenwith 191 points; the duo held a twenty two-point advantage overMario FarnbacherandAlex Riberas.[5]ChevroletandFerrariwere leading their respective Manufacturers' Championships, whileStarworks Motorsport,Corvette Racing,andScuderia Corsaeach led their own Teams' Championships.[5]
Entry list
editThirty-one cars were officially entered for the Northeast Grand Prix, with most of the entries being in the Grand Touring Le Mans (GTLM) and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) categories. ThePrototype Challenge(PC) class was composed of eight Oreca FLM09 cars: three fromStarworks Motorsports.BAR1 Motorsports,CORE Autosport,JDC-Miller MotorSports,Performance Tech andPR1/Mathiasen Motorsportsentered one car each.[6]GTLM was represented by nine entries from five different brands.[6]In the list of GTD entrants, fourteenGT3-specificationvehicles were represented by six different manufacturers.[6]With the absence of the Prototype (P) class from the field, only three racing classes were represented in Lime Rock.[2]
Practice
editThere were two practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Saturday, both on Friday. The two one-hour sessions were on Friday afternoon.[7]
In the first practice session,Renger van der Zandeset the fastest time in the No. 8 Starworks car with a time of 48.808 seconds, 0.214 seconds faster thanColin Braun's No. 54 CORE Autosport vehicle, and Stephen Simpson's No. 85 car was third.[8]The GTLM class was topped by the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R ofOliver Gavin.Joey Hand in the No. 66 Ford GT was second andToni Vilander's Risi Ferrari was third.[9]Audi paced GTD with Magnus Racing's R8 of Lally lapping at 52.807, followed byJens Klingmann's No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6.[9]The session was stopped for 10 minutes when John Edwards No.100 RLL BMW M6 stopped on track due to a driveline failure.[8]
Braun led the final practice session in CORE's No. 54 car with a lap of 48.990 seconds. Kimber-Smith's No. 52 PR/1's vehicle was second fastest. Marcelli was third fastest for Performance Tech.[10]BMW topped GTLM with Werner's No. 25 car lapping at 51.164 seconds. Vilander was second fastest for Risi Competizione and Milner's No. 4 Corvette was third.[10]Farnbacher led the GTD class in the No. 23 Porsche, followed by Liddell's No. 6 Stevenson Motorsport Audi R8.[10][11]
Qualifying
editFriday afternoon's 65-minute three-group qualifying session gave 15-minute sessions to all categories. Cars in GTD were sent out first before those grouped in GTLM, and PC had two separate identically timed sessions. Regulations stipulated teams to nominate one qualifying driver, with the fastest laps determining each classes starting order. IMSA would arranged the grid to put all PCs ahead of the GTLM, and GTD cars.[12][7]
Qualifying results
editPole positionsin each class are indicated inboldand by ‡.
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PC | 54 |  CORE Autosport
|
Colin Braun
|
48.824 | _ | 81 |
| 2 | PC | 52 | PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports
|
Robert Alon
|
48.840 | +0.016 | 1‡ |
| 3 | PC | 38 | Performance Tech Motorsports
|
James French
|
48.930 | +0.106 | 2 |
| 4 | PC | 7 | Starworks Motorsport
|
 José Gutiérrez
|
48.978 | +0.154 | 3 |
| 5 | PC | 8 | Starworks Motorsport
|
 Alex Popow
|
49.222 | +0.398 | 4 |
| 6 | PC | 20 | BAR1 Motorsports
|
Matt McMurry
|
49.266 | +0.442 | 5 |
| 7 | PC | 85 | JDC-Miller MotorSports
|
 Misha Goikhberg
|
49.659 | +0.835 | 6 |
| 8 | GTLM | 67 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing
|
 Richard Westbrook
|
50.748 | +1.924 | 9‡ |
| 9 | GTLM | 25 | BMW Team RLL
|
 Dirk Werner
|
50.834 | +2.010 | 10 |
| 10 | GTLM | 4 | Corvette Racing
|
Tommy Milner
|
50.858 | +2.034 | 11 |
| 11 | GTLM | 62 | Risi Competizione
|
 Toni Vilander
|
50.902 | +2.078 | 12 |
| 12 | GTLM | 66 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing
|
Joey Hand
|
51.015 | +2.191 | 13 |
| 13 | GTLM | 3 | Corvette Racing
|
 Jan Magnussen
|
51.264 | +2.440 | 14 |
| 14 | GTLM | 911 | Porsche North America
|
 Patrick Pilet
|
51.346 | +2.522 | 15 |
| 15 | GTLM | 100 | BMW Team RLL
|
John Edwards
|
51.431 | +2.607 | 16 |
| 16 | GTLM | 912 | Porsche North America
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Frédéric Makowiecki
|
51.445 | +2.621 | 17 |
| 17 | PC | 88 | Starworks Motorsport
|
Mark Kvamme
|
51.629 | +2.805 | 8 |
| 18 | GTD | 16 | Change Racing
|
Spencer Pumpelly
|
53.178 | +4.324 | 18‡ |
| 19 | GTD | 6 | Stevenson Motorsports
|
Andrew Davis
|
53.222 | +4.354 | 19 |
| 20 | GTD | 9 | Stevenson Motorsports
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Matt Bell
|
53.250 | +4.398 | 20 |
| 21 | GTD | 63 | Scuderia Corsa
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Christina Nielsen
|
53.250 | +4.426 | 21 |
| 22 | GTD | 48 | Paul Miller Racing
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Madison Snow
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53.330 | +4.506 | 22 |
| 23 | GTD | 23 | Team Seattle/Alex Job Racing
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Mario Farnbacher
|
53.538 | +4.714 | 23 |
| 24 | GTD | 96 | Turner Motorsport
|
Bret Curtis
|
53.588 | +4.764 | 24 |
| 25 | GTD | 73 | Park Place Motorsports
|
Patrick Lindsey
|
53.609 | +4.785 | 25 |
| 26 | GTD | 27 | Dream Racing
|
 Cédric Sbirrazzuoli
|
53.680 | +4.786 | 312 |
| 27 | GTD | 97 | Turner Motorsport
|
Michael Marsa
|
53.695 | +4.871 | 26 |
| 28 | GTD | 44 | Magnus Racing
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John Potter
|
53.698 | +4.874 | 27 |
| 29 | GTD | 22 | Alex Job Racing
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Cooper MacNeil
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53.784 | +4.960 | 28 |
| 30 | GTD | 33 | Riley Motorsports
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Ben Keating
|
53.983 | +5.159 | 303 |
| 31 | GTD | 540 | Black Swan Racing
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Tim Pappas
|
54.949 | +6.155 | 29 |
| Sources:[13][14] | |||||||
- 1The No. 54 CORE Autosport entry was sent to the rear of the PC grid as per 43.1 of the Sporting regulations (Starting driver change).[12]
- 2The No. 27 Dream Racing Lamborghini was sent to the rear of the GTD grid as per 43.1 of the Sporting regulations (Starting driver change).[12]
- 3The No. 33 Riley Motorsports Dodge was sent to the rear of the GTD grid as per 40.1.5 of the Sporting regulations (Tire change).[12]
Race
editPost-race
editWith a total of 267 points, Popow and van der Zande's victory allowed them to extend their advantage in the Prototype Challenge Drivers' Championship to 17 points over Alon and Kimber-Smith.[5]The final results of GTLM meant Gavin and Milner's victory allowed them to extend their advantage in the Drivers' Championship by 5 points over Briscoe and Westbrook. García and Magnussen advanced from fifth to third.[5]Balzan and Nielsen's eleventh-placed finish allowed them to keep their advantage in the GTD Drivers' Championship, but their advantage was reduced to 13 points as race winners Lally and Potter jumped to second.[5]Chevrolet continued to the GTLM Manufactures' Championship while Audi became the leader of the GTD Manufactures' Championship. Starworks Motorsport, Corvette Racing, and Scuderia Corsa kept their respective advantages in their of Teams' Championships with four rounds left in the season.[5]
Race Results
editClass winners are denoted inboldand ‡. PC stands forPrototype Challenge,GTLM (Grand Touring Le Mans) and GTD (Grand Touring Daytona)
Championship standings after the race
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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.
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- Note:Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.
References
edit- ^abPruett, Marshall (August 8, 2015)."IMSA: 2016 schedule revealed".Racer.Archivedfrom the original on January 1, 2020.Retrieved24 May2024.
- ^ab"IMSA announces new title sponsor, 2016 schedule".motorsport.August 9, 2015.Retrieved24 May2024.
- ^Dagys, John (August 8, 2015)."2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Schedule Released".sportscar365.Retrieved24 May2024.
- ^Dagys, John (15 July 2016)."IMSA Makes Further BoP Changes to GTLM".sportscar365.Retrieved24 May2024.
- ^abcdefghijklmnopqrs"2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – Championship Point Standings"(PDF).International Motor Sports Association. October 12, 2016.Archived(PDF)from the original on September 26, 2021.Retrieved5 September2024.
- ^abc"GTLM Makes Return to Lime Rock; Entry List Released".sportscar365.13 July 2016.Retrieved24 May2024.
- ^abDagys, John (21 July 2016)."Continental Tire Keys to the Race: Lime Rock Park".sportscar365.Retrieved24 May2024.
- ^abMyrehn, Ryan (22 July 2016)."Van der Zande Quickest in Opening Practice at Lime Rock".sportscar365.Retrieved24 May2024.
- ^abPruett, Marshall (22 July 2016)."IMSA: Starworks leads FP1 at Lime Rock".Racer.Retrieved24 May2024.
- ^abcPruett, Marshall (22 July 2016)."IMSA: CORE autosport, BMW, Porsche lead Lime Rock FP2".Racer.Retrieved24 May2024.
- ^Myrehn, Ryan (22 July 2016)."Braun Paces Practice 2 at Lime Rock".sportscar365.Retrieved24 May2024.
- ^abcd"2016 IMSA Sporting Regulations & Series Supplementary Regulations of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship"(PDF).International Motor Sports Association.May 25, 2016. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on July 5, 2016.Retrieved24 May2024.
- ^"03_Results.PDF"(PDF).results.imsa.22 July 2016.Retrieved24 May2024.
- ^"01_Starting Grid.PDF"(PDF).results.imsa.23 July 2016.Retrieved24 May2024.
- ^"03_Results.PDF"(PDF).results.imsa.23 July 2016.Retrieved24 May2024.
- ^"2016 NORTHEAST GRAND PRIX".Racing-Reference.NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.Retrieved24 May2024.