2016 Monterey Grand Prix

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Track map of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

The 2016 Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix were a pair of sports car races sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) held on the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California on May 1, 2016. The events served as the fourth of twelve scheduled rounds of the 2016 IMSA SportsCar Championship. Both races were contested over two hours. The race marked the third time that the course had been used for IMSA racing and the second time that the venue had featured a doubleheader weekend with two races.

During the first race, the No. 55 Mazda Prototype driven by of Tristan Nunez started in first position overall and held the lead until a slow pit stop during the second full course caution period.This handed the lead to Sean Rayhall in the No. 0 DeltaWing who held first position until Oswaldo Negri Jr. overtook Rayhall on the restart. Negri maintained the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ligier's advantage after the final pit stop cycle to secure the victory. VisitFlorida Racing's No. 90 car of Marc Goossens and Ryan Dalziel finished second and the No. 31 Action Express Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype of Eric Curran and Dane Cameron came in third. Ford Chip Ganassi Racing won the Grand Touring Le Mans (GTLM) category with a Ford GT shared by Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook after Westbrook saved fuel in the closing minutes. Scuderia Corsa were second in class with Daniel Serra and Alessandro Pier Guidi. Porsche took third with Earl Bamber and Frédéric Makowiecki sharing a 911 RSR.

During the second race, Robert Alon started in first position overall, but was passed by James French on lap 4. After the pit stop cycle, Tom Kimber-Smith took the lead and maintained the PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports' car advantage to secure victory in the Prototype Challenge (PC) category. Alex Popow and Renger van der Zande finished second, while Jon Bennett and Colin Braun was third. Mario Farnbacher and Alex Riberas in the No. 23 Alex Job Racing Porsche were unchallenged throughout the race and took the victory in the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class. Christina Nielsen and Alessandro Balzan were second in class for Scuderia Corsa, and TRG's Brandon Davis and James Davison took third.

The result meant Cameron and Curran took over the lead of the Prototype Drivers' Championship with 121 points. Negri Jr. and Pew moved from seventh to fifth. Simpson and Goikhberg continued to top the Prototype Challenge Drivers' Championship with 128 points, but their advantage was reduced to zero points as Alon and Kimber-Smith took over second position. Gavin and Milner continued to the GTLM Drivers' Championship, but their advantage was reduced by six points as Bamber and Makowiecki took over second in the GTLM Drivers' Championship. Honda and Chevrolet left Laguna Seca as the respective Prototype and GTLM Manufactures' Championship leaders with eight races left in the season.

Background[edit]

Preview[edit]

International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) president Scott Atherton confirmed the race was part of the schedule for the 2016 IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA SCC) in August 2015.[1][2] It was the third consecutive year the event was held as part of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.[2] The 2016 Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix was the fourth of twelve scheduled sports car races of 2016 by IMSA, and it was the second round not held as part of the North American Endurance Cup.[2] The events were held at the eleven-turn 2.238 mi (3.602 km) Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey County, California on May 1, 2016.[3] Due to the field size, IMSA would use a doubleheader race format where the Prototype and GTLM classes would participate in the first event while the Prototype Challenge and GTD classes would participate in the second event.[4]

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, where the races were held.

Before the race, João Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi led the Prototype Drivers' Championship with 93 points, ahead of Eric Curran and Dane Cameron with 90 points, and Jordan Taylor and Ricky Taylor in third with 89 points.[5] With 101 points, PC was led by Misha Goikhberg and Stephen Simpson with an eight-point advantage over Alex Popow and Renger van der Zande.[5] In GTLM, the Drivers' Championship was led by Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner with 105 points; the trio held an eighteen-point gap over Earl Bamber and Frédéric Makowiecki.[5] Andy Lally, John Potter, and Marco Seefried led the GTD Drivers' Championship with 67 points; the trio held a five-point advantage over Alessandro Balzan, Christina Nielsen, and Jeff Segal.[5] Honda, Chevrolet, and Audi were leading their respective Manufacturers' Championships, while Action Express Racing, JDC-Miller MotorSports, Corvette Racing, and Magnus Racing each led their own Teams' Championships.[5]

Entry list[edit]

Forty-two cars were officially entered for the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix, with the bulk of entries in the two Grand Touring (GT) categories: Grand Touring Le Mans (GTLM) and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD). Since the majority of the remaining rounds of the 2016 IMSA SportsCar Championship were sprint races, GTD teams entered their regular driver pairings for the first time this season.[6] Action Express Racing (AER) fielded two Chevrolet Corvette DP cars while VisitFlorida Racing (VFR) and WTR fielded one.[7] Mazda Motorsports had two Lola B12/80 cars and Michael Shank Racing (MSR) entered one Ligier JS P2. Panoz brought the DeltaWing car to Laguna Seca for the fourth successive year.[8] The Prototype Challenge (PC) class was composed of seven Oreca FLM09 cars: two from Starworks Motorsports. BAR1 Motorsports, CORE Autosport, JDC-Miller MotorSports, Performance Tech Motorsports and PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports entered one car each.[7] GTLM was represented by ten entries from five different brands.[7] Alessandro Pier Guidi returned to the No. 68 Scuderia Corsa entry.[7] In the list of GTD entrants, seventeen GT3-specification vehicles were represented by seven different manufacturers.[8] Lone Star Racing made their season debut.[9]

Practice[edit]

There were three practice sessions preceding the start of the races on Sunday: two on Friday and one on Saturday.The first two one-hour sessions were on Friday morning and afternoon while the third session on Saturday morning lasted 45 minutes.[10]

In the first practice session, Joel Miller set the fastest time in the No. 70 Mazda with a time of 1 minute, 18.564 seconds, 0.004 seconds faster than teammate Jonathan Bomarito in the No. 55 Mazda.[11] Oswaldo Negri Jr. was third fastest in the No. 60 Ligier, Ricky Taylor's No. 10 Corvette DP placed fourth, and Dane Cameron's No. 31 AER car rounded out the top five.[12] The fastest PC class car was Renger van der Zande in the No. 8 Starworks entry with 1 minute, 20.018 seconds, followed by Colin Braun in the No. 54 CORE Autosport car.[12] The GTLM class was topped by the No. 68 Ferrari 488 GTE of Alessandro Pier Guidi. Dirk Müller in the No. 66 Ford GT was second and Toni Vilander's No. 62 Ferrari was third.[11] Alex Riberas in the No. 23 Team Seattle/Alex Job Racing Porsche was fastest in GTD with a time of 1 minute, 25.260 seconds.[12]

In the second practice session, Bomarito's No. 55 Mazda was fastest with a time of 1 minute, 18.139 seconds, ahead of the No. 70 Mazda.[13] The seven-vehicle PC class was led by CORE Autosport's No. 54 car, driven by Braun with a time of 1 minute, 19.673 seconds.[14] Scuderia Corsa's Daniel Serra led GTLM from Joey Hand's second-placed No. 66 Ford GT.[15] Mario Farnbacher led GTD with a time of 1 minute, 25.390 seconds.[14]

Miller led the final session in the No. 70 Mazda with a lap of 1 minute, 18.478 seconds. Tristan Nunez's No. 55 Mazda was second fastest. The No. 60 Ligier of Negri set the third-quickest lap. Dane Cameron's No. 31 AER car, along with Jordan Taylor's No. 10 WTR Corvette DP were fourth and fifth.[16] A 1:20.094 lap saw van der Zande's No. 8 Starworks vehicle lead PC over Braun's CORE Autosport entry.[16] Ferrari paced GTLM with Risi Competizione's 488 of Vilander lapping 1:23.086, ahead of the two Ford GTs.[17][16] With a 1:25.639 lap, Riberas led the GTD class in the No. 23 Porsche, followed by Jens Klingmann's No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6.[16]

Qualifying[edit]

Saturday afternoon's 90-minute four-group qualifying session gave 15-minute sessions to all categories. Cars in GTD were sent out first before those grouped in GTLM, PC, and Prototype had three 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 Prototypes ahead of the PC, GTLM, and GTD cars.[18][10]

Nunez in the No. 55 Mazda set a new category track record, and took his first career pole position with a lap of 1 minutes, 18.143 seconds.[19] He was joined on the grid's front row by Tom Long whose best lap in the sister No. 70 car was 0.236 seconds slower.[20] Cameron's No. 31 Corvette DP took third followed by Ricky Taylor's No. 10 WTR car in fourth.[19] Christian Fittipaldi's No. 5 ATR car started from fifth place.[20] Sean Rayhall qualified the DeltaWing in sixth position.[21] In GTLM, Serra took his first pole of the season with a lap of 1 minutes, 22.867 seconds.[20] Ford took second and third positions, led by its No. 67 car driven by Briscoe (whose time was 0.169 seconds faster than Müller's third-placed No. 66 entry).[19] The duo of Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs were fourth and sixth: Tommy Milner in the No. 4 car was faster than the sister No. 3 entry of Jan Magnussen.[22] They were separated by fifth-placed Vilander in the No. 62 Ferrari.[20] The two BMW Team RLL entries and Porsche North America cars rounded out the GTLM qualifiers.[23][24]

On his tenth lap, Alon took pole position for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports with a time 1 minute, 21.146 in PC.[19] James French's Performance Tech car qualified second, and Alex Popow's No. 8 Starworks vehicle took third.[25] Riberas took pole position in GTD in AJR's No. 23 Porsche with a 1-minute, 25.775 seconds time. Christina Nielsen put the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari second, Patrick Lindsey for Park Place was third and Cédric Sbirrazzuoli's No. 27 Dream Lamborghini took fourth.[25]

Qualifying results[edit]

Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold and by ‡. P stands for Prototype, PC (Prototype Challenge), GTLM (Grand Touring Le Mans) and GTD (Grand Touring Daytona).

Pos. Class No. Team Driver Time Gap Grid
1 P 55 Japan Mazda Motorsports United States Tristan Nunez 1:18.143 1‡ (1)
2 P 70 Japan Mazda Motorsports United States Tom Long 1:18.379 +0.236 2 (1)
3 P 31 United States Action Express Racing United States Dane Cameron 1:19.072 +0.929 3 (1)
4 P 10 United States Wayne Taylor Racing United States Ricky Taylor 1:19.119 +0.976 4 (1)
5 P 5 United States Action Express Racing Brazil Christian Fittipaldi 1:19.214 +1.071 5 (1)
6 P 0 United States Panoz DeltaWing Racing United States Sean Rayhall 1:19.301 +1.158 6 (1)
7 P 90 United States VisitFlorida Racing United Kingdom Ryan Dalziel 1:19.652 +1.509 7 (1)
8 P 60 United States Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian United States John Pew 1:20.881 +2.738 8 (1)
9 PC 52 United States PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports United States Robert Alon 1:21.146 +3.003 1‡ (2)
10 PC 38 United States Performance Tech Motorsports United States James French 1:21.285 +3.142 2 (2)
11 PC 8 United States Starworks Motorsport Venezuela Alex Popow 1:21.564 +3.421 3 (2)
12 PC 20 United States BAR1 Motorsports United States Matt McMurry 1:22.088 +3.945 4 (2)
13 PC 54 United States CORE Autosport United States Jon Bennett 1:22.842 +4.699 5 (2)
14 PC 85 United States JDC-Miller MotorSports Canada Misha Goikhberg 1:22.863 +4.720 6 (2)
15 GTLM 68 United States Scuderia Corsa Brazil Daniel Serra 1:22.867 +4.724 9‡ (1)
16 GTLM 67 United States Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Australia Ryan Briscoe 1:22.946 +4.803 10 (1)
17 GTLM 66 United States Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Germany Dirk Müller 1:23.115 +4.972 11 (1)
18 GTLM 4 United States Corvette Racing United States Tommy Milner 1:23.385 +5.242 12 (1)
19 GTLM 62 United States Risi Competizione Finland Toni Vilander 1:23.399 +5.256 13 (1)
20 GTLM 3 United States Corvette Racing Denmark Jan Magnussen 1:23.450 +5.307 14 (1)
21 GTLM 25 United States BMW Team RLL Germany Dirk Werner 1:23.571 +5.428 15 (1)
22 GTLM 912 United States Porsche North America New Zealand Earl Bamber 1:23.963 +5.820 161 (1)
23 GTLM 911 United States Porsche North America United Kingdom Nick Tandy 1:24.049 +5.906 172 (1)
24 GTLM 100 United States BMW Team RLL Germany Lucas Luhr 1:24.382 +6.239 18 (1)
25 GTD 23 United States Team Seattle/Alex Job Racing Spain Alex Riberas 1:25.775 +7.632 8‡ (2)
26 GTD 63 United States Scuderia Corsa Denmark Christina Nielsen 1:26.497 +8.354 9 (2)
27 GTD 73 United States Park Place Motorsports United States Patrick Lindsey 1:26.943 +8.800 233 (2)
28 GTD 27 United States Dream Racing Monaco Cédric Sbirrazzuoli 1:27.184 +9.041 224 (2)
29 PC 88 United States Starworks Motorsport United States Mark Kvamme 1:27.250 +9.107 7 (2)
30 GTD 007 United States TRG-AMR United States Brandon Davis 1:27.273 +9.130 10 (2)
31 GTD 6 United States Stevenson Motorsports United States Andrew Davis 1:27.277 +9.134 11 (2)
32 GTD 96 United States Turner Motorsport United States Bret Curtis 1:27.354 +9.211 12 (2)
33 GTD 16 United States Change Racing United States Corey Lewis 1:27.422 +9.279 13 (2)
34 GTD 48 United States Paul Miller Racing United States Madison Snow 1:27.476 +9.333 14 (2)
35 GTD 540 United States Black Swan Racing United States Tim Pappas 1:27.735 +9.592 15 (2)
36 GTD 9 United States Stevenson Motorsports United States Matt Bell 1:27.945 +9.802 16 (2)
37 GTD 33 United States Riley Motorsports United States Ben Keating 1:28.062 +9.919 17 (2)
38 GTD 97 United States Turner Motorsport United States Michael Marsal 1:28.118 +9.975 18 (2)
39 GTD 44 United States Magnus Racing United States John Potter 1:28.348 +10.205 19 (2)
40 GTD 11 United States Change Racing United States Bill Sweedler 1:28.451 +10.308 20 (2)
41 GTD 80 United States Lone Star Racing United States Dan Knox 1:29.825 +11.682 215 (2)
42 GTD 22 United States Alex Job Racing United States Cooper MacNeil 1:43.968 +25.825 246 (2)
Sources:[26][27][28]
Key Meaning
(1) Race One
(2) Race Two

Notes:

  • ^1  – The No. 912 Porsche North America entry was sent to the rear of the GTLM grid after the team elected to change tires after qualifying.[29]
  • ^2  – The No. 911 Porsche North America entry was sent to the rear of the GTLM grid after the team elected to change tires after qualifying.[29]
  • ^3  – The No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche was sent to the rear of the GTD grid after the team elected to change tires after qualifying.[29]
  • ^4  – The No. 27 Dream Racing Lamborghini was sent to the rear of the GTD grid for changing their starting driver.[29]
  • ^5  – The No. 80 Lone Star Racing Dodge was sent to the rear of the GTD grid after the team elected to change tires after qualifying.[29]
  • ^6  – The No. 22 Alex Job Racing Porsche was sent to the rear of the GTD grid after the team elected to change tires after qualifying.[29]

Races[edit]

Race 1[edit]

Eighteen cars were due to start, but Dalziel was in the pit lane to serve a drive-through penalty after his car did not make it to the grid in time.[30][31] Nunez maintained his pole position advantage while Fittipaldi and Ricky Taylor overtook Cameron for third and fourth. Milner attempted to pass Briscoe and Müller in GTLM, but was unsuccessful before Vilander overtook Milner for fourth at turn eleven.[32] Nunez and Long pulled away from the third-placed Fittipaldi by over 10 seconds before the first full course caution came out and the safety car appeared.[30][31] The tire barrier at the Corkscrew was dislodged and necessitated a full course yellow.[32] When racing resumed, Nunez maintained the lead from Long and Fittipaldi at the rolling restart on lap 10.[33] A second full course yellow was called for on the twenty-fourth lap when Ricky Taylor passed Fittipaldi at turn nine. Fittipaldi attempted to overtake Taylor at turn ten, but lost traction on his Action Express car and sent both cars into the gravel trap.[34][30] Under caution, majority of the field made pit stops for fuel, tires, and driver changes.[30] The No. 55 Mazda had a slow pit stop due to refueling issues.[33] The car eventually got refueled and Bomarito rejoined the race. Rayhall's DeltaWing took the overall lead following pit stops for the Prototype class.[32] Dirk Werner's No. 25 BMW M6 had pitted earlier and advanced to first in GTLM through an alternate strategy.[30]

Richard Westbrook (pictured in 2010) saved enough fuel to win the GTLM category for the No. 67 team in the first race.

Rayhall led the restart on lap 29. That lap, Negri moved to second position by passing Curran at turn one.[32] Later that lap, Negri's MSR Ligier overtook Rayhall at turn eleven to take the overall lead.[32] On lap 36, the final caution was given. Miller's No. 70 Mazda stopped at turn seven with a fuel pump failure and the car was retired.[30][32] At the restart on lap 38, Negri maintained his lead over Bomarito. Werner pitted at the end of lap 38 and promoted Fisichella to the lead in GTLM.[30] Pilet dropped to seventh in GTLM after being overtaken by Hand, Westbrook, Gavin, and García. Bomarito made an error, and spun at turn 10 on lap 45.[30]After the final pit stop cycle, Negri kept his lead and Goossens moved to second. Hand moved into the lead of GTLM through an alternate strategy.[30] With just under 15 minutes remaining, Westbrook overtook Hand for the lead in GTLM.[32][34] Hand and García made late pit stops for fuel. Negri maintained the lead for the rest of the race winning after completing 80 laps. Goossens finished second, 30.099 seconds adrift of the No. 60 MSR Ligier, and Curran completed the podium positions by finishing third.[32] Westbrook conserved enough fuel over the final 52 laps to win for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing by 12.545 seconds over Alessandro Pier Guidi's No. 68 Ferrari 488 GTE in second.[34][33] Porsche completed the GTLM podium in third with the No. 912 car.[30] It was the Ford GT's first victory in five starts globally.[31]

Race results[edit]

Class winners are denoted in bold and ‡.

Final race classification
Pos Class No. Team Drivers Chassis Tire Laps Time/Retired
Engine
1 P 60 United States Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian United States John Pew
Brazil Oswaldo Negri Jr.
Ligier JS P2 C 80 02:00:11.145‡
Honda HR35TT 3.5 Turbo V6
2 P 90 United States VisitFlorida Racing Belgium Marc Goossens
United Kingdom Ryan Dalziel
Corvette Daytona Prototype C 80 +30.099
Chevrolet 5.5 L V8
3 P 31 United States Action Express Racing United States Eric Curran
United States Dane Cameron
Corvette Daytona Prototype C 80 +30.954
Chevrolet 5.5 L V8
4 P 55 Japan Mazda Motorsports United States Jonathan Bomarito
United States Tristan Nunez
Mazda Prototype C 80 +1:03.035
Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0 L I4 Turbo
5 P 0 United States Panoz DeltaWing Racing United Kingdom Katherine Legge
United States Sean Rayhall
DeltaWing DWC13 C 80 +1:08.594
Élan (Mazda) 1.9 L I4 Turbo
6 GTLM 67 United States Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Australia Ryan Briscoe
United Kingdom Richard Westbrook
Ford GT M 79 +1 Lap‡
Ford EcoBoost 3.5 L Twin-turbo V6
7 GTLM 68 United States Scuderia Corsa Italy Alessandro Pier Guidi
Brazil Daniel Serra
Ferrari 488 GTE M 79 +1 Lap
Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8
8 P 10 United States Wayne Taylor Racing United States Jordan Taylor
United States Ricky Taylor
Corvette Daytona Prototype C 78 +2 Laps
Chevrolet 5.5 L V8
9 GTLM 912 United States Porsche North America New Zealand Earl Bamber
France Frédéric Makowiecki
Porsche 911 RSR M 78 +2 Laps
Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6
10 GTLM 3 United States Corvette Racing Spain Antonio García
Denmark Jan Magnussen
Chevrolet Corvette C7.R M 78 +2 Laps
Chevrolet LT5.5 5.5 L V8
11 GTLM 62 United States Risi Competizione Finland Toni Vilander
Italy Giancarlo Fisichella
Ferrari 488 GTE M 78 +2 Laps
Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8
12 GTLM 66 United States Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Germany Dirk Müller
United States Joey Hand
Ford GT M 78 +2 Laps
Ford EcoBoost 3.5 L Twin-turbo V6
13 GTLM 4 United States Corvette Racing United Kingdom Oliver Gavin
United States Tommy Milner
Chevrolet Corvette C7.R M 78 +2 Laps
Chevrolet LT5.5 5.5 L V8
14 GTLM 911 United States Porsche North America France Patrick Pilet
United Kingdom Nick Tandy
Porsche 911 RSR M 78 +2 Laps
Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6
15 GTLM 25 United States BMW Team RLL United States Bill Auberlen
Germany Dirk Werner
BMW M6 GTLM M 78 +2 Laps
BMW 4.4 L Turbo V8
16 GTLM 100 United States BMW Team RLL United States John Edwards
Germany Lucas Luhr
BMW M6 GTLM M 78 +2 Laps
BMW 4.4 L Turbo V8
17 P 5 United States Action Express Racing Portugal João Barbosa
Brazil Christian Fittipaldi
Corvette Daytona Prototype C 76 +4 Laps
Chevrolet 5.5 L V8
18

DNF

P 70 Japan Mazda Motorsports United States Tom Long
United States Joel Miller
Mazda Prototype C 34 Oil Pump
Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0 L I4 Turbo
Sources:[35][36]
Tyre manufacturers
Key
Symbol Tyre manufacturer
C Continental
M Michelin

Race 2[edit]

Tom Kimber-Smith (pictured in 2013) secured PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports' first victory of the season in the second race.

The No. 44 Magnus Racing Audi R8 LMS of John Potter and Andy Lally caught fire during the warm-up and was in the pit lane to serve a drive-through penalty after their car did not make it to the grid in time.[37] Alon maintained his pole position advantage over French to hold the lead on the approach to turn one. Nielsen attempted to pass Riberas for the lead in GTD, but was unsuccessful.[38] French overtook Alon to take the overall lead on lap 4.[37] Sbirrazzuoli's Dream Racing Lamborghini suffered suspension damage making contact with Kvamme's No. 88 Starworks Oreca. On lap 36, the only full course yellow was given. Tim Pappas, driving the No. 540 Black Swan Porsche spun at turn five and got stuck in the gravel trap.[37] Under caution, majority of the field made pit stops for fuel, tires, and driver changes. Renger van der Zande's No. 8 Starworks car took the overall lead following pit stops for the Prototype Challenge class.[30] Farnbacher kept the No. 23 Porsche's lead in GTD with Balzan in second.[37]

van der Zande led the restart on lap 41. On that lap, Tom Kimber-Smith overtook van der Zande at turn one for the overall lead. One lap later, Simpson moved the JDC-Miller MotorSports Oreca into second position.[38] van der Zande re-overtook Simpson for second. Colin Braun moved the CORE Autosport car to fourth overall by passing Kyle Marcelli on the approach to turn five on lap 78.[39] 3 laps later, Braun passed Simpson for third in PC.[39] Klingmann's No. 96 BMW was caught by Davison's TGR Aston Martin on the final lap, who took third position in GTD at turn 9.[40][41] Liddell's No. 6 Stevenson Audi passed Klingmann to finish fourth in the class. Kimber-Smith maintained the lead for the rest of the race winning after completing 82 laps. van der Zande finished second, 1.736 seconds behind the PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports car, and Braun completed the podium positions by finishing third in Prototype Challenge.[42] [30] The No. 23 AJR Porsche of Farnbacher and Riberas secured victory in GTD by 3.632 seconds ahead of the No. 63 Ferrari of Balzan and Nielsen in second.[37] TGR's Brandon Davis and James Davison completed the GTD podium in third.[42]

Race results[edit]

Class winners are denoted in bold and ‡.

Final race classification
Pos Class No. Team Drivers Chassis Tire Laps Time/Retired
Engine
1 PC 52 United States PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports United States Robert Alon
United Kingdom Tom Kimber-Smith
Oreca FLM09 C 82 02:00:31.047‡
Chevrolet 6.2 L V8
2 PC 8 United States Starworks Motorsport Venezuela Alex Popow
Netherlands Renger van der Zande
Oreca FLM09 C 82 +1.736
Chevrolet 6.2 L V8
3 PC 54 United States CORE Autosport United States Jon Bennett
United States Colin Braun
Oreca FLM09 C 82 +15.483
Chevrolet 6.2 L V8
4 PC 38 United States Performance Tech Motorsports United States James French
Canada Kyle Marcelli
Oreca FLM09 C 82 +21.661
Chevrolet 6.2 L V8
5 PC 85 United States JDC-Miller MotorSports Canada Misha Goikhberg
South Africa Stephen Simpson
Oreca FLM09 C 82 +24.067
Chevrolet 6.2 L V8
6 PC 20 United States BAR1 Motorsports United States Matt McMurry
United Kingdom Johnny Mowlem
Oreca FLM09 C 81 +1 Lap
Chevrolet 6.2 L V8
7 PC 88 United States Starworks Motorsport United States Mark Kvamme
United States Ashley Freiberg
Oreca FLM09 C 80 +2 Laps
Chevrolet 6.2 L V8
8 GTD 23 United States Team Seattle/Alex Job Racing Germany Mario Farnbacher
Spain Alex Riberas
Porsche 911 GT3 R C 79 +3 Laps‡
Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6
9 GTD 63 United States Scuderia Corsa Denmark Christina Nielsen
Italy Alessandro Balzan
Ferrari 488 GT3 C 79 +3 Laps
Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8
10 GTD 007 United States TRG-AMR United States Brandon Davis
Australia James Davison
Aston Martin Vantage GT3 C 79 +3 Laps
Aston Martin 6.0 L V12
11 GTD 6 United States Stevenson Motorsports United States Andrew Davis
United Kingdom Robin Liddell
Audi R8 LMS C 79 +3 Laps
Audi 5.2L V10
12 GTD 96 United States Turner Motorsport United States Bret Curtis
Germany Jens Klingmann
BMW M6 GT3 C 79 +3 Laps
BMW 4.4L Turbo V8
13 GTD 33 United States Riley Motorsports Netherlands Jeroen Bleekemolen
United States Ben Keating
Dodge Viper GT3-R C 79 +3 Laps
Dodge 8.3L V10
14 GTD 48 United States Paul Miller Racing United States Bryan Sellers
United States Madison Snow
Lamborghini Huracán GT3 C 79 +3 Laps
Lamborghini 5.2 L V10
15 GTD 22 United States Alex Job Racing United States Cooper MacNeil
United States Leh Keen
Porsche 911 GT3 R C 79 +3 Laps
Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6
16 GTD 9 United States Stevenson Motorsports United States Lawson Aschenbach
United States Matt Bell
Audi R8 LMS C 79 +3 Laps
Audi 5.2L V10
17 GTD 16 United States Change Racing United States Corey Lewis
United States Spencer Pumpelly
Lamborghini Huracán GT3 C 79 +3 Laps
Lamborghini 5.2 L V10
18 GTD 73 United States Park Place Motorsports Germany Jörg Bergmeister
United States Patrick Lindsey
Porsche 911 GT3 R C 79 +3 Laps
Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6
19 GTD 97 United States Turner Motorsport United States Michael Marsal
Finland Markus Palttala
BMW M6 GT3 C 78 +4 Laps
BMW 4.4L Turbo V8
20 GTD 44 United States Magnus Racing United States John Potter
United States Andy Lally
Audi R8 LMS C 78 +4 Laps
Audi 5.2L V10
21 GTD 80 United States Lone Star Racing United States Dan Knox
United States Mike Skeen
Dodge Viper GT3-R C 78 +4 Laps
Dodge 8.3L V10
22

DNF

GTD 11 United States Change Racing United States Bill Sweedler
United States Townsend Bell
Lamborghini Huracán GT3 C 77 Out of Fuel
Lamborghini 5.2 L V10
23 GTD 27 United States Dream Racing Monaco Cédric Sbirrazzuoli
United States Lawrence DeGeorge
Lamborghini Huracán GT3 C 65 +17 Laps
Lamborghini 5.2 L V10
24 GTD 540 United States Black Swan Racing United States Tim Pappas
Netherlands Nicky Catsburg
Porsche 911 GT3 R C 55 +27 Laps
Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6
Sources:[43][44]
Tyre manufacturer
Key
Symbol Tyre manufacturer
C Continental

Post-race[edit]

With a total of 121 points, Cameron and Curran's second-place finish allowed them to take the lead of the Prototype Drivers' Championship. Goossens advanced from fourth to third.[5] Goikhberg and Simpson continued to lead the Prototype Challenge Drivers' Championship with 128 points while Alon and Kimber-Smith advanced from third to second.[5] The final results of GTLM meant Milner and Gavin continued to lead the Drivers' Championship, but their advantage was reduced by 6 points as Bamber and Makowiecki took over the second position. Briscoe and Westbrook advanced from seventh to third.[5] With a total of 95 points, Balzan and Nielsen's second-place finish allowed them to take the lead of the GTD Drivers' Championship. David and Liddell advanced from eleventh to fifth while Lally and Potter dropped from first to third.[5] Honda and Chevrolet continued to top their respective Manufacturers' Championships, while Porsche took the lead of the GTD Manufactures' Championship. Action Express Racing, JDC-Miller Motorsports, and Corvette Racing continued to top their respective Teams' Championships, while Scuderia Corsa took the lead of the GTD Teams' Championship with eight rounds left in the season.[5]

Championship standings after the race[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Dagys, John (August 8, 2015). "2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Schedule Released". sportscar365.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Pruett, Marshall (August 8, 2015). "IMSA: 2016 schedule revealed". Racer. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  3. ^ "IMSA announces new title sponsor, 2016 schedule". motorsport.com. August 9, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  4. ^ "Monterey Returns to Dual Race Format". sportscar365.com. March 16, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "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. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  6. ^ "2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship MRLS Provisional Pre-Event Entry List.xlsx" (PDF). Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d "42 Entries for Continental Monterey GP". sportscar365.com. April 20, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "42 Cars Entered For Continental Monterey Grand Prix". racer.com. April 20, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  9. ^ "Lone Star Racing Announces Four-Race IMSA GTD Campaign". dailysportscar.com. April 21, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Dagys, John (April 28, 2016). "Continental Tire Keys to the Race: Monterey". sportscar365.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Pruett, Marshall (April 29, 2016). "IMSA: Mazda goes 1–2 in first practice at Laguna". racer.com. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  12. ^ a b c Farmer, Josh (April 29, 2016). "Mazda 1–2 in Opening Practice at Monterey". sportscar365.com. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  13. ^ Pruett, Marshall (April 29, 2016). "IMSA: Mazdas retain advantage after FP2". racer.com. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Dagys, John (April 29, 2016). "Mazda Ends Friday on Top in Monterey". sportscar365.com. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  15. ^ "Mazda tops practice at its 'own' track". motorsport.com. April 30, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  16. ^ a b c d Dagys, John (April 30, 2016). "Mazda Quickest Again in Practice 3 at Monterey". sportscar365.com. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  17. ^ Pruett, Marshall (April 30, 2016). "IMSA: Mazdas repeat 1–2 sweep in final practice". racer.com. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
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  20. ^ a b c d Dagys, John (April 16, 2016). "Mazda Sweeps Front Row for Monterey GP". sportscar365.com. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  21. ^ "DeltaWing qualifies in a solid sixth". motorsport.com. May 1, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  22. ^ "Corvette Racing Post-Mazda Raceway Qualifying Report". racer.com. May 2, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  23. ^ "BMW Team RLL – Continental Monterey Grand Prix – Qualifying". press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  24. ^ "IMSA MONTEREY GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING ROUND-UP". sportscarracingnews.com. 1 May 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  25. ^ a b Dagys, John (April 30, 2016). "PR1/Mathiasen Takes PC Pole in Monterey". sportscar365.com. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  26. ^ "ResultsQuery" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 9, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  27. ^ "Laguna Seca 2 Hours 2016". racingsportscars.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  28. ^ "Laguna Seca 2 Hours – Challenge 2016". racingsportscars.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  29. ^ a b c d e f Dagys, John (May 1, 2016). "Monterey Pre-Race Notebook". sportscar365.com. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Fira, Michael (May 3, 2016). "2016 USCC Laguna Seca Race Report". topspeed.com. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  31. ^ a b c Dagys, John (May 1, 2016). "Shank Breaks Through for Victory; Ford Wins GTLM in Monterey". sportscar365.com. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g h "Laguna Seca, DP/GTLM Report, Debut Victory For Ford As Shank Wins Overall". dailysportscar.com. May 1, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  33. ^ a b c "IMSA: Big Monterey wins for Shank, Ford GT". racer.com. May 1, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  34. ^ a b c Malsher-Lopez, David (May 1, 2016). "Ford GT scores first victory, as Shank Ligier earns Prototype win". motorsport.com. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  35. ^ "IMSA-2016-Laguna-Seca-Result-P-GTLM.pdf" (PDF). dailysportscar.com. May 1, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  36. ^ "2016 CONTINENTAL TIRE MONTEREY GRAND PRIX (P, GTLM)". www.racing-reference.info. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  37. ^ a b c d e Farmer, Josh (May 1, 2016). "PR1/Mathiasen Wins PC; Heart of Racing Takes GTD in Monterey". sportscar365.com. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  38. ^ a b "Laguna Seca, PC/GTD Report, Wins For PR1 & AJR". dailysportscar.com. May 2, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  39. ^ a b Malsher-Lopez, David (May 1, 2016). "PR1 and Alex Job Racing master Monterey". motorsport.com. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  40. ^ "TRG Takes Double Podiums with Aston Martin and Lamborghini at Laguna Seca Raceway". theracersgroup.com. May 3, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  41. ^ "aFe Power BMW M6 GT3 Captures Solid Top-Five Finish at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca". bmwblog.com. May 10, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  42. ^ a b "IMSA: Kimber-Smith, Alon take PC honors". racer.com. May 2, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  43. ^ "IMSA-2016-Laguna-Seca-Result-PC-GTD.pdf" (PDF). dailysportscar.com. May 1, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  44. ^ "2016 CONTINENTAL TIRE MONTEREY GRAND PRIX (PC, GTD)". www.racing-reference.info. Retrieved November 29, 2023.

External links[edit]

IMSA SportsCar Championship
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Tequila Patrón Sports Car Showcase
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Chevrolet Sports Car Classic