2020 Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship
The 2020 Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey County, California, on November 1, 2020. This race was the tenth round of the 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the seventh round of the WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The overall race was won by Hélio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor, their fourth victory of the season. In LMP2, PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports secured the class victory by default, as no other teams were entered. The GTLM class was won for the second consecutive race by Porsche, albeit this time with the #912 team of Earl Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor. In GTD, Mario Farnbacher and Matt McMurry scored their second victory of the season.[1]
Background
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Then International Motor Sports Association's (IMSA) president Scott Atherton confirmed the race was part of the schedule for the 2020 IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA SCC) in August 2019.[2] It was the seventh consecutive year it was held as part of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The 2020 Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship was the tenth of eleven sports car races of 2020 by IMSA, and the event was the last of seven races on the WeatherTech Sprint Cup.[3] The race was held at the eleven-turn 2.238 mi (3.602 km) WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.[4]
Initially scheduled to be run on September 13, the event was rescheduled for the weekend of November 1st, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] The event was run behind closed doors in order to maintain compliance with California state gathering regulations, as it was the only DPi round, and second GT round (Virginia International Raceway the other round in the season) to be held as such, as the second Daytona, Road America, Mid-Ohio, Charlotte, and both Sebring and Road Atlanta rounds were run with spectators. [6] In May, Hyundai was announced as the new title sponsor of the event.[7]
No changes were made to IMSA's balance of performance from the previous round at Road Atlanta.
Before the race, Ryan Briscoe and Renger van der Zande led the DPi Drivers' Championship with 215 points, ahead of Hélio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor in second with 207 points, and Pipo Derani in third.[8] In LMP2, Patrick Kelly led the Drivers' Championship with 126 points.[8] Antonio García and Jordan Taylor led the GTLM Drivers' Championship with 293 points, 28 points ahead of Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner.[8] With 228 points, Aaron Telitz led the GTD Drivers' Championship, ahead of Jack Hawksworth.[8] Cadillac, Chevrolet, and Lexus were leading their respective Manufactures' Championships while Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, Corvette Racing, and AIM Vasser Sullivan each led their own Teams' Championships.[8]
Entries
A total of 28 cars took part in the event, split across four classes. 8 were entered in DPi, 1 in LMP2, 6 in GTLM, and 13 in GTD. DPi's only changes were between the two JDC entries. With João Barbosa's exit from the team, Tristan Vautier was drafted in to replace him. As a result, Stephen Simpson returned to the #85 to partner Matheus Leist.[9] LMP2 was reduced to just one entry due to a back injury sustained by Era Motorsport driver Dwight Merriman, leaving championship leaders PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports as the only entrant.[10] In GTD, Alessandro Balzan replaced Toni Vilander as Scuderia Corsa's pro driver.[10] Sprint competitors Team Hardpoint and Compass Racing also returned after skipping Petit Le Mans.[9]
Practice
There were two practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Sunday, both on Saturday. The first session lasted one hour on Saturday morning while the second session lasted 75 minutes on Saturday afternoon.[11]
Practice 1
The first practice session took place at 8:00 am PT on Saturday and ended with Pipo Derani topping the charts for Whelen Engineering Racing, with a lap time of 1:15.851, ahead of the #10 Cadillac of Renger van der Zande.[12] Simon Trummer set the fastest time in LMP2.[13] The GTLM class topped by the #3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R of Antonio García with a time of 1:21.898.[13] Nick Tandy was second in the #911 Porsche GT Team entry and Earl Bamber rounded out the top 3. Bill Auberlen was fastest in GTD.[14] 44 minutes into the session, Tristan Nunez, driving the #77 Mazda RT24-P, hit a trackside sign at turn 9 whilst trying to avoid hitting the #85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Cadillac of Stephen Simpson. Debris became scattered across the track and brought out the red flag.[13] The Team Hardpoint Audi only completed three laps due to broken drive shaft.[15]
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DPi | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing | Pipo Derani | 1:15.851 | _ |
| 2 | DPi | 10 | Konica Minolta Cadillac | Renger van der Zande | 1:16.370 | +0.519 |
| 3 | DPi | 6 | Acura Team Penske | Juan Pablo Montoya | 1:16.410 | +0.579 |
| Sources:[16][17] | ||||||
Practice 2
The second final practice session took place at 12:00 pm PT on Saturday and ended with Oliver Jarvis topping the charts for Mazda Motorsports, with a lap time of 1:15.692, 0.185 seconds faster than Dane Cameron's #6 Acura.[18] The PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports did not set a time in LMP2.[19] The GTLM class was topped by the #3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R of Jordan Taylor with a time of 1:22.279. Connor De Phillippi in the #25 BMW Team RLL entry was second and Nick Tandy rounded out the top 3.[20] Robby Foley set the fastest time in GTD.[18] The #85 Cadillac of Matheus Leist crashed in turn 2 after suffering a mechanical issue.[19] Felipe Nasr and Hélio Castroneves collided at turn 3 after they exited the pits and Nasr tried letting Castorneves pass. The #7 Acura Team Penske Acura cut across the #31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac and both cars received damage. Castroneves received a stop-and-hold plus 60 second penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct while Nasr was given a drive-through penalty.[15][21]
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DPi | 77 | Mazda Motorsports | Oliver Jarvis | 1:15.692 | _ |
| 2 | DPi | 6 | Acura Team Penske | Dane Cameron | 1:15.877 | +0.185 |
| 3 | DPi | 55 | Mazda Motorsports | Juan Pablo Montoya | 1:16.037 | +0.345 |
| Sources:[22][23] | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was broken into three sessions. The first session was for cars in GTD class. Matt McMurry qualified on pole for the class driving the #86 car for Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian, beating Robby Foley in the Turner Motorsport entry by less than two-tenths of a second.[24]
The second session was for cars in the GTLM class. Jordan Taylor qualified on pole driving the #3 car for Corvette Racing, besting Laurens Vanthoor in the #912 Porsche GT Team entry.[25]
The final session of qualifying was for cars in the LMP2 and DPi classes. Juan Pablo Montoya took overall pole for the event driving the #6 car for Acura Team Penske, beating teammate Hélio Castroneves in the sister #7 Acura Team Penske by less than two-tenths of a second.[26] Patrick Kelly secured the LMP2 pole by default.[27]
Juan Pablo Montoya took overall pole for the event. Patrick Kelly secured the LMP2 pole by default, while Jordan Taylor started first in GTLM. In GTD, Matt McMurry scored pole position for Meyer Shank Racing.[27]
Qualifying results
Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold and by ‡.
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DPi | 6 |  Acura Team Penske |
 Juan Pablo Montoya |
1:15.174 | _ | 1‡ |
| 2 | DPi | 7 | Acura Team Penske |
 Hélio Castroneves |
1:15.333 | +0.159 | 2 |
| 3 | DPi | 77 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Mazda Motorsports |
 Oliver Jarvis |
1:15.411 | +0.237 | 3 |
| 4 | DPi | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing |
Pipo Derani |
1:15.420 | +0.246 | 4 |
| 5 | DPi | 5 | JDC-Mustang Sampling Racing |
 Tristan Vautier |
1:15.461 | +0.287 | 5 |
| 6 | DPi | 55 | Mazda Motorsports |
Jonathan Bomarito |
1:15.580 | +0.406 | 6 |
| 7 | DPi | 10 | Konica Minolta Cadillac |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Ryan Briscoe |
1:15.729 | +0.555 | 81 |
| 8 | DPi | 85 | JDC-Miller MotorSports |
Matheus Leist |
1:15.852 | +0.678 | 7 |
| 9 | LMP2 | 52 | PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports |
Patrick Kelly |
1:19.598 | +4.424 | 9‡ |
| 10 | GTLM | 3 | Corvette Racing |
Jordan Taylor |
1:21.483 | +6.309 | 10‡ |
| 11 | GTLM | 912 | Porsche GT Team |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Laurens Vanthoor |
1:21.725 | +6.551 | 11 |
| 12 | GTLM | 4 | Corvette Racing |
Oliver Gavin |
1:21.853 | +6.679 | 12 |
| 13 | GTLM | 25 | BMW Team RLL |
Bruno Spengler |
1:22.054 | +6.880 | 142 |
| 14 | GTLM | 24 | BMW Team RLL |
 Jesse Krohn |
1:22.120 | +6.946 | 153 |
| 15 | GTD | 86 | Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian |
Matt McMurry |
1:25.126 | +9.952 | 16‡ |
| 16 | GTD | 96 | Turner Motorsport |
Robby Foley |
1:25.140 | +9.966 | 17 |
| 17 | GTD | 63 | Scuderia Corsa |
Cooper MacNeil |
1:25.318 | +10.144 | 18 |
| 18 | GTD | 57 | Heinricher Racing with MSR Curb-Agajanian |
Misha Goikhberg |
1:25.426 | +10.252 | 19 |
| 19 | GTD | 12 | AIM Vasser Sullivan |
Frankie Montecalvo |
1:25.475 | +10.301 | 20 |
| 20 | GTD | 23 | Heart of Racing Team |
Ian James |
1:25.676 | +10.502 | 21 |
| 21 | GTD | 76 | Compass Racing |
Jeff Kingsley |
1:25.826 | +10.652 | 22 |
| 22 | GTD | 22 | Gradient Racing |
Till Bechtolsheimer |
1:26.012 | +10.838 | 23 |
| 23 | GTD | 16 | Wright Motorsports |
Ryan Hardwick |
1:26.171 | +10.997 | 24 |
| 24 | GTD | 44 | GRT Magnus |
John Potter |
1:26.359 | +11.185 | 25 |
| 25 | GTD | 14 | AIM Vasser Sullivan |
Aaron Telitz |
1:26.404 | +11.230 | 26 |
| 26 | GTD | 30 | Team Hardpoint |
Rob Ferriol |
1:26.791 | +11.617 | 27 |
| 27 | GTD | 74 | Riley Motorsports |
Gar Robinson |
1:29.460 | +14.286 | 284 |
| 28 | GTLM | 911 | Porsche GT Team |
Frederic Makowiecki |
1:32.856 | +17.682 | 13 |
| Sources:[28][29] | |||||||
- 1 The No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac entry was moved to the back of the DPi field after the team elected to change tires after qualifying.
- 2 The No. 25 BMW Team RLL entry was moved to the back of the GTLM field after the team elected to change tires after qualifying.
- 3 The No. 24 BMW Team RLL entry was moved to the back of the GTLM field after the team elected to change tires after qualifying.
- 4 The No. 74 Riley Motorsports entry was moved to the back of the GTD field after the team elected to change tires after qualifying.
Race
Post-race
As a result of winning the race Hélio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor took the lead of the DPi Drivers' Championship. Bomarito and Tincknell advanced from fifth to fourth.[30] By starting the race, Patrick Kelly clinched the LMP2 Drivers' Championship.[30][31] As a result of Gavin and Milner's disqualification, Antonio García and Jordan Taylor clinched the GTLM Drivers' Championship.[30][32] As a result of winning the race, Mario Farnbacher and Matt McMurry took the lead of the GTD Drivers' Championship. Hardwick and Long advanced from third to second while Telitz dropped from first to third.[30] Cadillac, and Chevrolet continued to top their respective Manufacturers' Championships while Acura took the lead of the GTD Manufactures' Championship.[30] PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports and Corvette Racing their respective advantages in the their respective of Teams' Championships while Acura Team Penske took the lead of the DPi Teams' Championship. Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian took the lead of the GTD Teams' Championship with one round remaining in the season.[30]
Results
Class winners are denoted in bold and ‡.
.svg.png.webp){kind=small}
- The no. 4 Corvette Racing entry was moved to the rear of the GTLM classification for violating competition rules regarding the height of the car's rear diffuser.[33]
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
- "Laguna Seca IMSA: Taylor and Castroneves profit from team orders to win". autosport.com. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- Dagys, John (August 2, 2019). "2020 WeatherTech Championship Schedule Released". sportscar365.com. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- "Revised 2020 Sports Car Racing Calendars". sportscar365.com. April 4, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- Pruett, Marshall (June 25, 2020). "IMSA refines 2020 calendar". racer.com. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- "IMSA Announces Date Changes for Three 2020 WeatherTech Championship Event Weekends". imsa.com. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- "Laguna IMSA race to run without spectators". racer.com. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- "WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to Host Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship". imsa.com. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- "00_Championship Points - Official.pdf" (PDF). results.imsa.com. October 20, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- "Entry List: WeatherTech Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship". frontstretch.com. 28 October 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- "Single LMP2 Car on Laguna Seca Entry List". sportscar365.com. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- "2020 IMSA Official Schedule and SR WRLS 102120 V1" (PDF). results.imsa.com/noticeBoard.php. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- Malsher-Lopez, David (October 31, 2020). "IMSA Laguna Seca: Derani leads Cadillac 1-2 in FP1". motorsport.com. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- O'Malley, J.J. (October 31, 2020). "Derani leads opening Laguna IMSA practice". racer.com. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- Dagys, John (October 31, 2020). "Derani Blazes Field in Opening Practice at Laguna Seca". sportscar365.com. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- Dagys, John (October 31, 2020). "Laguna Seca Saturday Notebook". sportscar365.com. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- "03_Results_Practice 1.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. October 31, 2002. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- "06_Fastest Lap By Driver_Practice 1.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. October 31, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- Malsher-Lopez, David (October 31, 2020). "IMSA Laguna Seca: Mazda moves to the top in FP2". motorsport.com. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- Dagys, John (October 31, 2020). "Jarvis Quickest as Castroneves, Nasr Collide in Practice 2". sportscar365.com. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- O'Malley, J.J. (October 31, 2020). "Mazda fastest, tempers flare in P2 at Laguna Seca". racer.com. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- Allaway, Phil (October 31, 2020). "Oliver Jarvis Fastest in WeatherTech Laguna Seca Practice; Road Atlanta Anger Remains". frontstretch.com. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- "03_Results_Practice 2.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. October 31, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- "06_Fastest Lap By Driver_Practice 2.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. October 31, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- O'Malley, J.J. (November 1, 2020). "Montoya leads Penske Acura front-row sweep at Laguna". racer.com. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- Dagys, John (November 1, 2020). "Montoya Leads Acura Team Penske Front Row Lockout". sportscar365.com. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- "Acuras Sweep Laguna Seca Front Row". dailysportscar.com. November 1, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- "IMSA Laguna Seca: Acuras lock out front row, Corvette tops GTLM". motorsport.com. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- "03_Results_Qualifying.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- "01_Grid_Race_Official.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. November 1, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- "00_Championship Points - Official.pdf" (PDF). results.imsa.com. November 4, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- Dagys, John (November 1, 2020). "Taylor, Castroneves Take Tactical Win at Laguna Seca". sportscar365.com. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- O'Malley, J.J. (November 1, 2020). "No.3 Corvette secures IMSA GTLM title after sister car penalized". racer.com. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- "Garcia, Taylor win title after penalty for sister Corvette". 1 November 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- "03_Results_Race_Official.PDF" (PDF). November 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- "2020 HYUNDAI MONTEREY SPORTS CAR CHAMPIONSHIP". racing-reference.info. Retrieved August 2, 2023.