Officials with the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) have announced plans to increase recognition for Bronze-rated drivers in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona (GTD) class.

Details include the new-for-2023 Bob Akin Bronze Cup championship, which will honor the top Bronze-rated drivers in GTD at each race, along with end-of-season recognition, as part of the annual WeatherTech Night of Champions celebration and entry into the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans. It also was confirmed that the first 15 minutes of Practice 2 for every WeatherTech Championship race would continue to be reserved for the GTD, LMP2, and LMP3 classes.

For 2023, IMSA will allow a single driver of any categorization—Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum as shown on the FIA Driver Categorization List—to qualify the car to earn starting position and qualifying points. If a Bronze driver qualifies, they may start the race on any set of tires from the car’s allocation without penalty. Any non-Bronze driver will be required to start on their qualifying tires.

In addition to the overall Bob Akin Bronze Cup championship, IMSA will recognize the top three Bronze-rated finishers in the season standings during WeatherTech Night of Champions.

For more information, visit the original announcement here or visit imsa.com.