Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Driver's Preview WeatherTech Raceway Event

ACURA Grand Prix Of Long Beach DPi Class race start at Turn 1. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2022)

Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Driver's Preview WeatherTech Raceway Event

The overall fourth event weekend in the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship season rolls into the Monterey Bay area to take over the Laguna Seca venue in a reset of a Springtime event timeframe. The last three years, when the INDYCAR Series finale was moved from Sears Point's Sonoma Raceway, saw a push to try to put IMSA Sportscars and NTT INDYCARS open-wheel racing on successive weekends in September but after a two year run at this set up, it was probably best for track management and the separate series to carry these events on a stand alone basis.

To some of the enthusiasts, it seemed smart to secure a campsite and live in the Monterey Bay area, tied to the dirt, but so much for glamping. It was fun while it lasted but now folks can get down to brass tacks and focus, focus, focus just one weekend on DPi (focus), GTD PRO (focus), and GTD (focus) competitors and cars.

Drivers of these three classes sat down and participated in arranged virtual press conferences via the ZOOM Call technology and format with a plan for three drivers for each class held on separate days for each of the classes. 

A line of questions made themselves clear to Motorsports Journal when DPi ACURA driver from Wayne Taylor racing pointed out one of the challenging characteristics in the driving surface of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is the maturity of the asphalt which creates tire wear and has the surface be a little slick in response. The next three clips start at a point where this topic is discussed by most all of the participating drivers. This is a great listen when one has the time and focus of a drive from Southern California to the Salinas Valley and beyond.

A Zoom interview held April 19 with select DPi drivers previewing the Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Presented by Motul, April 29-May 1, 2022.

 

ZOOM Call Time: Tuesday, April 19, 2022 | 2 p.m. ET

Participants:

** Alex Lynn, co-driver of the No. 02 Cadillac Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R

** Ricky Taylor, co-driver of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 Acura DPi

** Tristan Vautier, co-driver of the No. 5 JDC Miller MotorSports Cadillac DPi-V.R

18:18 - Ricky Taylor - Talking about Laguna Seca and track conditions. Just click and listen.

A Zoom interview held April 21 with select GTD PRO drivers previewing the Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Presented by Motul, April 29-May 1, 2022.

 

ZOOM Call Time: Thursday, April 21, 2022 | 1 p.m. ET

Participants:

** Antonio Garcia, co-driver of the No. 3 Corvette Racing Corvette C8.R GTD

** Mathieu Jaminet, co-driver of the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R

** (Scheduled/Missed Call) Cooper MacNeil, co-driver of the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3

19:23 - Mathieu Jaminet, in responding to a question about track surface. Just click and listen.

A Zoom interview held April 25 with select GTD drivers previewing the Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Presented by Motul, April 29-May 1, 2022 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

 

ZOOM Call Time: Monday, April 25, 2022 | 2 p.m. ET

Participants:

** Mike Skeen, co-driver of the No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3

** Ryan Hardwick, co-driver of the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R

** Bryan Sellers, co-driver of the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3

14:53 - Mike Skeen, in responding to a question about track surface. Just click and listen.

Context is everything, but the most important understanding, is that sportscars, racing in multiple classes at the same time, deliver one of the most satisfying racing experiences one can receive in modern motor culture. The Monterey Peninsula provides the best of backdrops geographically anywhere in North America for one to immerse themselves in Touring, Eating, Camping, Carmel-ing, or just plain multiple class IMSA professional sportscar racing (tickets) on a surface that helps to separate true competitors from simple drivers.

... notes from The EDJE

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TAGS: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship, DPi. GTD PRO, GTD, Class Racing, Presented by Motul, April 29 - May 1, 2022, The EDJE