The new M2 Racing class was set to make its IMSA debut in the first VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Endurance Challenge race at Sebring the weekend of March 6th-8th. Now, that has been rescheduled for the Circuit of the America’s (COTA) race on the weekend of May 8th-10th.
According to an IMSA press release, the decision was made after discussion between IMSA, BMW M Motorsport and other stakeholders, like the race teams. The statement said that the schedule change was made to make sure that teams are ready for endurance racing with proper testing. It also allows for a smaller budget, since there’s one less race on the calendar.
It was also announced that the top three finishers in the M2 Racing class standings will get the opportunity to test the M4 GT4 car at the Thermal Club in California, where BMW M Performance has a strong presence with existing schools and cars. This promotes a ladder system for BMW with drivers potentially moving from the M2 Racing into the M4 GT4 and perhaps the M4 GT3. “By working closely with BMW and our stakeholders, we’ve identified that the second Airbnb Endurance Challenge Event at COTA provides the most stable and competitive environment for the introduction of the BMW M2 Racing into IMSA endurance racing,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “We appreciate BMW’s dedication to delivering a world-class racing product.”
There are now only three confirmed VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Endurance races that the M2 Racing class will be competing in this year, including COTA, VIR (Virginia International Raceway) and Road America. IMSA will consider adding a fourth event later in the season to make up for the Sebring cancelation, but that will likely depend on car counts.
According to BMW NA Motorsport & Customer Racing Manager Adam McGregor, there were more of the initial batch of M2 Racing cars going to the SRO TC America series than to IMSA. The new M2 Racing will now make its US debut in the SRO TC America races at Sonoma Raceway on the weekend of March 26th-29th, with the potential to see up to six M2 Racing entries in that series for the season opener.
—David Haueter
[Photo courtesy Gruppe C Photography]
