IMSA officials have rolled out the starting Balance of Performance for the rest of the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series ahead of next Saturday’s running of the 12 Hours of Sebring. Technically, these performance tables come from last year’s season closer at Petit Le Mans since the Rolex 24 at Daytona’s Balance of Performance is unique to that one race. But as the C8.R ran in GTLM last year at Petit Le Mans, I guess race organizers are just going to make it up as we go along.
We are running on a waiver as the Corvette C8.R has been modified from its GTLM specs down to GT3, but as it’s not a true GT3 car, we are supposed to adopt the attitude of “hey, just being happy to compete.” But that’s not our way. We go to a race and expect the team to be competitive and it’s difficult to watch when we are regulated to the back of the class. I know it may take some time for the team to adapt fully to its new class, but this next bit of news will have you believing that IMSA literally has its toe on the scale when it comes to the Corvette’s new Balance of Performance.
The first opportunity for the Corvette Racing to generate data as a GTD Pro racer for the series organizers was at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 and the C8.Rs started that practice weekend with a minimum weight of 1320 kg. Following the Roar and just prior to the season opener at Daytona, Corvette Racing was hit with a 15 kg weight increase and the Corvettes ran at a minimum weight of 1335 kg. The team wasn’t on pace with the GTD-Pro leaders in the class at Daytona and it showed.
Next weekend we head into Sebring and now the new Balance of Performance tables have the Corvettes with another 5 kg added for a minimum weight of 1340 kg. The Corvette will also have a 41 mm air restrictor opening and carries only 88 liters of fuel – the lowest capacity in GTD-PRO. (The Acura NSX GT3 carries the most fuel in class with 107 liters.)
2022 IMSA GTD-Pro Balance of Performance
Click to Embiggen:
Fehan would tell us that when everybody is mad about the BoP, it must mean that race organizers are doing something right. And since we are the team responsible for “destroying” the competition back in GT1, and then GT2, and finally GTLM, maybe race organizers feel the need for the Corvette to start off a little bit slower instead of being competitive right from the start.
IMSA can make adjustments to the Balance of Performance throughout the season so we’ll be watching the C8.R and the lap times in relation to the class leaders at Sebring.
Source:
sportscar365.com
Related:
Corvette Racing at Daytona: Tough Debut in GTD PRO
Corvette C8.Rs Hit With Balance of Performance Adjustments Ahead of the Rolex 24
[VIDEO] Jordan Taylor Gives an Update from Private Corvette C8.R Test at Sebring
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BOP for C8Rs, ISMA must fear they
Will beat someone or they would not try to handy cap Corvette racing so this season. One might be leave they are reverse engineering so Corvette hasn’t a chance to win during transition to GT3!
So the cars were woefully off the pace at the Roar, then weight was added for the 24.
As a result, the team was completely uncompetitive at the 24…and the solution for Sebring is more weight?
Wow. Just wow.
#MindBlown
This “racing” is such baloney. I don’t even follow as it is meaningless. If I was GM I’d fuking walk away.
This BoP adjustment is a crock. I was hoping for the reverse of the Daytona penalty vs the rest of class. Illogical.
This same thing was happening in 2019 when the C7.R was running. The Porsches literally ran away from the GTLM field, and the team was ‘penalized’ with bigger restrictors, less weight, more fuel, etc. while everybody else got the opposite (bar the Ford GT). That season was painful to watch; nobody was competitive against those 911s.
I totally got it that the C8.Rs are adapted… but penalizing the Corvette for being penalized is not the answer.
This is not the Way.
What about Mercedes AMG with more weight (1370kg) plus 17 more liters of fuel than Corvette which liters presumably weigh something? Will MB be last in class?
ISMA IS A JOKE.
So are these jack holes at BoP trying to piss off the racers so they all say shove it??! WTF? Isn’t racing about who does the best job on their car?? To much BS in Motorsports these days, pretty sad.
chazoo- more fuel means the amg has to pit less often. Pit stops cost time, the more you have to pit the less you are out there racing.
These bop penalties suck, the air restrictor, the increase in weight, the fuel limit, the rear wing specs. All bull crap. I guess imsa is tired of the Corvettes dominating. If this continues I would pull out if I was Chevy. If Chevy leaves, I no longer watch or follow imsa, bye. And I won’t be the only 1, millions will do the same. Listen & smarten up imsa!
IMSA will lose fans over this parity(participation trophy) just like it’s owner NASCAR has. Personally I am no longer excited about watching these races anymore.
Like I have posted before the only way for IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship competition to be non biased is to take the BoP evaluation process out of the hands of IMSA and have an Independent Engineering Firm do the evaluating of and assigning the proper levels of BoP for teams entered in their events.
I was at the Roar and the Rolex and the Corvettes were not competing for the win. For IMSA to add even more weight is very strange. If IMSA wants Corvette fans to keep turning up in droves it needs to level the playing field.
All the Corvette fans complaining is hilarious! You shouldn’t expect anything less from IMSA, or NASCAR. All these racing series are a complete joke now! Find something else to do with your time.
Of course.
IMSA IS GOING DOWN THE WRONG PATH. WE LOVE WATCHING THESE CARS COMPETE HEAD TO HEAD AS DESIGNED WITH THE SAME BASIC RULES; HORSEPOWER LIMIT, SPEC FUEL, SPEC TIRES, CLEARANCE, AND WEIGHT. WHAT MORE DO YOU REALLY NEED TO LIMIT. I GET TRYING TO KEPP COSTS IN CONTROL SO IF THAT’S PART OF THE EQUATION THEN PUT AN EXPENDETURE CAP PER CAR.
THIS IS GETTING WAY TOO POLITICAL, TOO MUCH CONTROL. COME ON IMSA… GET OFF THE HIGH HORSE, IT’S GETTING DISAPOINTING REGARDLESS OF WHICH TEAM BoP IS APPLIED TO.
The nutters at IMSA are clearly DERANGED and haven’t a clue what real racing is all about. They’ve turned “racing” into a sit-com (a JOKE!) and a BAD joke at that. Modern sports car racing is DEAD! I’m DONE with these CHUCKELHEADS!
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