Another year is upon us and as usual, the IMSA "WeatherTech" Sportscar Championship 24 hours of Daytona is first up over the weekend of Saturday/Sunday 28/29 January.
However, Qualifying is a near 100 minute race in itself, held on Sunday 22 January, so I will include it (see below). Other than this, to be posted separately, it will be just the races themselves.
Before that though, below is a chronological Calendar for the forthcoming year of the 4 Championships I have posted on here over the years. Start times may/will be updated nearer race day as some are not yet published and/or seem incorrect to me.
IMSA have dropped the DPi category and it is now GTP, a throwback name from the late 80s, while we here in Europe had Group C. GTP now has BMW and Porsche (their 963 being another throwback name but from Group C in the 80s) to add to Acura and Cadillac. In GTD, Ferrari have a new car to replace the very successful 488 GTE/GT3; this is the 296 GT3. Ex-F1 pilot Romain Grosjean will make a return to racing in a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 in the GTD class in preparation for their entry in 2024 into the top class in both IMSA and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
Ferrari will be re-entering the top class in WEC with their 499P to be run by AF Corse, the title winners from the GTE-Pro Class last year. The last top class effort from Ferrari was back in the mid/late 90s with the 333SP, although these were all "privateer" teams, there was no direct Factory involvement. Also returning to WEC are Porsche. And for the first time Cadillac and Vanwall. Yes indeed, Vanwall, but very different in appearance from what you may have seen before with that name! These will join the Toyota, Peugeot and Glickenhaus team efforts from last years Championship, making for a much healthier grid in this Class. The GTE-Pro class was dropped at the end of 2022 as both Ferrari and Porsche were developing their new cars, which wouldve left a single Corvette C8-R in that class, clearly no longer viable; they have "down-graded" and will enter it in GTE-Am. This will be the final season for the GTE platform in the GT class, 2024 will see all GT3 spec cars.
So, here is the Calendar for 2023....
IMSA 24 hours of Daytona Qualifying - Sunday 22 January
IMSA Round 1 - 24 hours of Daytona - Saturday 28 January
Asian Le Mans Series Round 1 - 4 hours of Dubai (Dubai Autodrome) - Saturday 11 February
Asian Le Mans Series Round 2 - 4 hours of Dubai (Dubai Autodrome) - Sunday 12 February
Asian Le Mans Series Round 3 - 4 hours of Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina) - Saturday 18 February
Asian Le Mans Series Round 4 - 4 hours of Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina) - Sunday 19 February
FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Round 1 - 1000 miles of Sebring - Friday 17 March
IMSA Round 2 - 12 hours of Sebring - Saturday 18 March
IMSA Round 3 - Grand Prix of Long Beach - Saturday 15 April
WEC Round 2 - 6 hours of Portimão - Sunday 16 April
European Le Mans Series (ELMS) Round 1 - 4 hours of Barcelona-Catalunya - Sunday 23 April
WEC Round 3 - 6 hours of Spa-Francorchamps - Saturday 29 April
ELMS Round X - 4 hours of Imola - Sunday 7 May - cancelled due to over-running works to the paddock and pit-building
IMSA Round 4 - Course de Monterey (Laguna Seca) - Sunday 14 May
WEC Round 4 - Les vingt-quatre heures du Mans (24 hours of Le Mans 100th "edition") - Saturday 10 June to Sunday 11 June
IMSA Round 5 - 6 hours of The Glen (Watkins Glen) - Sunday 25 June
WEC Round 5 - 6 hours of Monza - Sunday 9 July
IMSA Round 6 - Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (previously known as Mosport) - Sunday 9 July
ELMS Round 2 - 4 hours of Le Castellet (previously known as Paul Ricard) - Sunday 16 July
IMSA Round 7 - Northeast Grand Prix (Lime Rock Park) - Saturday 22 July
IMSA Round 8 - IMSA Sportscar Weekend (Road America) - Sunday 6 August
ELMS Round 3 - 4 hours of Aragón - Saturday 26 August
IMSA Round 9 - GT Challenge at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) - Sunday 27 August
WEC Round 6 - 6 hours of Fuji - Sunday 10 September
IMSA Round 10 - "Battle on the bricks" (Indianapolis) - Sunday 17 September
ELMS Round 4 - 4 hours of Spa-Francorchamps - Sunday 24 September
IMSA Round 11 - "Petit Le Mans" (Road Atlanta) - Saturday 14 October
ELMS Round 5 - 4 hours of Algarve - Friday 20 October - this event was added to the Calendar due to the cancellation of the Round at Imola in May and was held at Portimão, the same circuit as Round 6 on Sunday 22 October.
ELMS Round 6 - 4 hours of Portimão - Sunday 22 October
WEC Round 7 - 8 hours of Bahrain - Saturday 4 November
I can now add the first two Rounds of the 2023-2024 Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS) to this Calendar and Im pleased to report that the Organisers have re-introduced a return to the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia for the first two Rounds, which was last visited in 2019/pre-covid. The remaining Rounds take us back to the UAE and these will appear in the 2024 Calendar, but I will include them here.
ALMS Round 1 - 4 hours of Sepang - Saturday 2 December
ALMS Round 2 - 4 hours of Sepang - Sunday 3 December
ALMS Round 3 - 4 hours of Dubai - 4 February 2024
ALMS Round 4 - 4 hours of Abu Dhabi - 10 February 2024
ALMS Round 5 - 4 hours of Abu Dhabi - 11 February 2024
