Sports car racing returns to Indianapolis in 2023 'IMSA Battle on the Bricks'

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Indianapolis and IMSA have signed a three-year deal to bring sports car racing back to the Brickyard, with plans to race from daylight into night

2014 Indianapolis spots car race

Indianapolis last hosted a top-level IMSA race in 2014

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Top-level sports car racing will return to Indianapolis from next year, after IMSA signed a three-year deal to compete on the road course.

Billed as the “Battle on the Bricks”, the three-day event will take place in autumn next year, and will culminate in a 2hr, 40min IMSA SportsCar Championship race on Sunday 17 September.

A longer four-hour evening race will be held in 2024 and 2025, which will see the cars head from daylight into night.

“Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) is hallowed ground in the world of motorsport, and we are honoured to bring IMSA and the WeatherTech Championship back to IMS,” said IMSA president John Doonan.

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The circuit will host the new generation of GTP cars — IMSA’s label for LMDh Hypercars — from Porsche, BMW, Acura and Cadillac. Support races will include the Michelin Pilot Challenge, which will run into the night to prepare for the SportsCar Championship race the following year.

Douglas Boles, IMS president, said that the existing Jumbotron screens at the speedway were so bright that little additional lighting would be needed. He revealed that fans would uniquely be able to camp in the infield, giving it a feel of a true sports car event.

Roger Penske, owner of the circuit, has previously said that he would also like to host a round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC), and has had talks with officials. However a second US race, in addition to Sebring, is not thought to be a priority for WEC.

It will be the first time in nine years that the series has raced at the circuit. Sebastian Bourdais and Alex Popow won the first IMSA event in 2012, while Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa won the final IMSA Brickyard Grand Prix in 2014.