Officials from IMSA and SRO Motorsports Group will collaborate on Balance of Performance (BoP) testing of all FIA GT3 models at Daytona International Speedway in Florida later this year.

Used in a variety of championships throughout the world, including the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) and GTD PRO classes, as well as national and international SRO-sanctioned series and the FIA World Endurance Championship, GT3 cars utilize a wide variety of configurations––front engine, mid-engine, or rear engine; turbocharged or normally aspirated; V6, Flat-Six, V8 or V10––necessitating BoP to enable close competition.

Each year, all GT3 cars undergo testing by SRO at Circuit Paul Ricard in France. During the test sessions, the cars are driven by independent, SRO-nominated professional drivers to establish BoP parameters.

The Rolex 24 At Daytona has averaged more than 35 GT3 cars in the five years since IMSA adopted the specification for all GTD and GTD PRO cars in 2022. This December, each GT3 manufacturer will be required to supply a car for dedicated test sessions at Daytona International Speedway, which will be instrumental in establishing the BoP for the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona.

"We traditionally see one of the largest gatherings of GT3 race cars in the world each year in the Rolex 24 At Daytona," said IMSA President John Doonan. "The global importance of this event, coupled with new car models and the unique characteristics of the Daytona International Speedway road course layout, were key factors in our decision to add this test to our plans for this December. We're looking forward to collaborating with our partners at SRO to administer this test with an eye toward ensuring competitive balance for the 2027 Rolex 24."

"The opportunity to collaborate with IMSA and its Balance of Performance testing at Daytona will prove mutually beneficial to both parties. Sharing the data and experience of our respective technical departments makes perfect sense and is something we are very pleased to be part of," said SRO Motorsports Group Founder and CEO Stéphane Ratel. "I've no doubt the similar pre-season testing SRO has conducted for more than 15 years will assist IMSA's Rolex 24 preparations, but there are also things we can learn and apply to what is an inherently complex process."

For more information, visit imsa.com.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock | Jean Pierre Kathoefer