IMSA President John Doonan has teased further growth for IMSA’s GTP class in the coming years during today’s pre-Rolex 24 press conference.
Doonan spoke directly about the potential for additional manufacturers to join beyond Genesis, which confirmed last year that it intends to race in GTP from 2027 onwards with its GMR-001 LMDh prototype.
“For all of us who have had the opportunity to help put together the regulations, we are super proud,” he said. “As you know, we are not done yet. Genesis from the Hyundai family has announced they are coming and I’ve read the stories.
“It looks like the ‘Papaya Army’ (McLaren) plans to join us and maybe even the ‘Blue Oval’ (Ford). We are super excited about what has happened and also what’s to come.”
Doonan and his team at IMSA are also believed to be trying to find a solution – and space on the grid – for Alpine to bring its A424 to IMSA in the future to coincide with the reported planned introduction of its road cars to the North American marketplace.
When asked by RACER in the conference for further insight into the ongoing negotiations and working groups behind the scenes with manufacturers, Doonan added that IMSA continues to push to maintain a stable platform for years to come.
“We’ve tried to take a very methodical approach to introducing the regulations and manufacturers to competition. I’m super sensitive to the ebbs and flows of the auto industry. We’ve tried to keep the regulations stable, that’s number one,” he said.
“Clearly there are BoP discussions, but we’ve tried to integrate torque sensors and a common hybrid to LMDh that provides manufacturers stability. It allows them to enter, announce they’re coming, to prepare and know they have a long runway.
“Last year at Le Mans last year we announced an extension to the regulations (by two years through 2029) which provides stability for those that are here and now you are seeing a brand like Genesis that wants to come to make use of an extended runway.
“We have to take care. No huge spikes in rules, control costs. We’re like kids in a candy store because we’re excited about what’s developed.”
RACER followed up by asking if there is further scope to extend the LMDh ruleset even further still, into the next decade, with momentum ongoing.
“I think we want to continue to be the heartbeat of the auto industry,” he replied. “The automakers are going to help us dictate what types of powertrains and propulsion systems they feel are relevant.
“At the moment everyone feels comfortable with where we are with hybrid. If you read the industry publications that are focused on what’s happening on the road car side you are seeing that hybrid in terms of retail sales is continuing to show its strength.
“The feedback from OEMs is going to dictate what happens with the next OEM cycle.”
Story originally appeared on Racer
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