As the 2024 SportsCar Championship draws to a close, all eyes are on Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for the highly anticipated Petit Le Mans. The 10-hour endurance classic, set in Braselton, Georgia, serves as the season finale for both the SportsCar Championship and the Endurance Cup, marking the conclusion of a thrilling year of racing that began in January at Daytona.
Road Atlanta’s 2.54-mile, 12-turn circuit is known for pushing both drivers and machines to the limit. With its demanding nature, the track will test every competitor in the race. For the teams competing in the fifth and final round of the Endurance Cup, every move will matter, as valuable points are awarded at the four-hour, eight-hour, and race-finish marks. With 42 entries, this year's edition of the event is poised to break its own record for participation, surpassing the last two year’s 38 entries. This year, the stakes are higher than ever, with championship battles across all classes.
GTP Class: #3 Porsche in control, with #51 Cadillac lurking
In the premier GTP class, the #3 Mayer Simspeed Performance Porsche holds the series lead with 3,793 points. Their consistent performances, including second and third-place finishes at Miami and VIR, have kept them ahead in the standings. To secure the championship, the #3 Porsche only needs to finish fifth or better in this race, regardless of where their closest rival, the #51 World of SimRacing Team Cadillac, finishes.
The #51 Cadillac, sitting 257 points behind, must win the race to have any chance of claiming the title. Even if they take first place, the #3 Porsche must finish outside the top-five. Behind them, the #88 DS Racing Esports Team Cadillac is mathematically out of the running for the overall series title but still holds a slender lead in the Endurance Cup standings.
Petit Le Mans will also see be the final time defending champions #1 Grizzly Motorsports will race with the number #1, after being eliminated from contention for the series championship.
LMP2: Two-way Championship Battle between #46 and #18 Dallara
In the LMP2 class, the season finale at Road Atlanta promises an exciting showdown between the #46 Rising Panda Racing Dallara and the #18 Gowin Racing Dallara. The #46 Dallara currently leads the championship by a slim margin of 43 points after their victory at Miami. The #18 car had started the season strong with four wins in the first five races but lost momentum in the latter half of the season, allowing the #46 team to overtake them.
For the #46 Dallara to clinch the championship, they need to finish second or better. Meanwhile, the #18 Dallara must win the race and hope that the #46 finishes third or worse. The third-placed #123 Tri-State Racing Dallara is mathematically eliminated from the championship unless an unlikely scenario of disqualification affects both leading teams.
In the Endurance Cup standings, the #46 Dallara holds a nearly unassailable lead, having already claimed two Endurance Cup wins this year. The #18 Dallara, with a single Endurance Cup victory, would need a perfect performance to overtake the leaders.
GT PRO: Fischer Motorsport Dominates the Title Race
In the GT PRO class, the #44 Fischer Motorsport Porsche has emerged as the dominant force, leading the series championship with 3,631 points. Their recent win in Miami, their first of the season, has solidified their position at the top of the standings. Trailing by 215 points is their sister-car #84 Fischer Motorsport Porsche, which has struggled with inconsistent performances despite securing two wins earlier in the season.
The 2022 series champions, #67 Kinetic Racing Porsche, sit third in the standings and face an uphill battle. They are only 20 points behind the #84 Porsche but would need both of their Fischer Motorsport rivals to falter to have a shot at the championship. The #992 DS Racing Esports Team Porsche, with a slim chance at the title, must perform flawlessly and hope for things to go sideways for their three opponents ahead, to close a 279-point deficit.
In the Endurance Cup, the #992 DS Racing Porsche holds a six-point lead but will need to secure at least ten points from the maximum 15 available to guarantee the title, regardless of their opponents' performances. The #84 Fischer Porsche, with two Endurance Cup wins to their name, has the tie-breaker in their favor, should the standings come down to the wire.
GT AM: Digital Chicane’s Year
The GT AM class has seen a dramatic turn of events following the sudden departure of long-time championship leaders, the #5 Screeching Moose Motorsports Mercedes. After their withdrawal in August, the #80 Digital Chicane Ferrari took over the championship lead, despite a ninth-place finish at Miami. With the #5 Mercedes absent from the grid at Road Atlanta, the #93 Digital Chicane Ferrari stands as the only real competition, trailing by 371 points. However, all the #80 Ferrari needs to do to secure the title is finish the race and avoid disqualification.
In the Endurance Cup, the #93 Ferrari has already clinched the championship, holding an 18-point lead over its sister team, the #80 Ferrari, and the now-departed #5 Mercedes.
Final Race Day and GreenFlag TV Broadcast
As the 2024 season comes to a close, track action begins on Thursday and Friday with Free Practices 1 and 2. On Saturday, track activities start at 13:00 GMT with a 20-minute warmup. Qualifying will begin at 13:50 GMT, with the 10-hour race kicking off soon after. GreenFlag TV will provide live coverage of Petit Le Mans, though this will be their final VSCA broadcast.
After VSCA and GreenFlag TV failed to agree on a new broadcast deal for the 2025 season, the series is now looking for a new broadcast provider. In a statement, VSCA Co-Founder and President Benjamin Fischer expressed his gratitude for GreenFlag TV’s partnership, noting that the split was due to technical difficulties caused by iRacing’s current limitations.
Benjamin Fischer: "First of all, let me make it clear that the folks over at GreenFlag TV, Nolan Rempel and his entire staff, have done a truly tremendous, remarkable job all year long, in bringing the series to our fans and competitors every race. We couldn't be happier with what these broadcasts have brought to VSCA this year. Their professionalism and excellent broadcast work has really added a lot of excitement for this series and added invaluable exposure to our competitors, their teams and sponsors."
"We also want to thank Daniel Avery and Twin Busch USA, who have made generous donations in making this broadcast deal possible. Originally this broadcast deal was limited to a couple of races. Only through their financial backing, it was possible to expand the deal for the full season, for which we are tremendously grateful."
On the reasons why VSCA and GreenFlag TV will not be continuing the broadcast deal for the upcoming 2025 season, Fischer had this to say:
"We would have loved to continue this relationship with GreenFlag TV, honestly. Unfortunately it came down to financial issues and technical issues. First of all, we have unfortunately been unable to secure sponsorship for the 2025 season, to cover the costs coming with a broadcast deal."
"But the second issue is a technical one. With GT PRO and GT AM going to be one class in-sim (inside the iRacing simulation) next year, it would be impossible for GreenFlag TV to be able to provide separate scoring and timing for both classes, in their broadcast overlays. This comes down to a limitation inside the iRacing simulation."
"Hopefully iRacing will add the functionality at some point, to allow the same GT3 car models to be used in more than one class, so that we can avoid this whole technical issue in the future. We did split GT3 car models into GT PRO and GT AM this year, but the feedback from teams and competitors was, that freedom of choice of car model for either GT PRO and GT AM was a priority.", Fischer added.
In closing, Fischer said: "I just want to say, on behalf of VSCA, we want to thank all teams, competitors and fans who have been a part of this season and who have contributed to make this such a special and unique racing community. We hope to see this season come to an exciting conclusion and look forward to welcoming everybody back on January 4th with our fourth annual 24 Hours of Daytona."
Petit Le Mans will undoubtedly provide a fitting and thrilling conclusion to what has been an unforgettable season for VSCA. As drivers prepare for this grueling 10-hour test, fans expect intense competition across all classes, as every team pushes for victory one last time in 2024.