[broadrun96]

Who’s going to build these GT3 Plus cars, from who’s running it does to appear there’s not going to be GT3 plus cars. MB and BMW already said no to that plan for DTM where they could actually sell multiple cars. Acura is already paying their “main” GTD team to move up to DPi and trying to find a new team to maintain their presence in IMSA. Lexus accountants would likely push to save that money building a Plus car to build up the LMDh program and return to the front of the field. Maybe Audi or Lamborghini could pull from their stable and testing to build a better mousetrap but would they? Porsche doesn’t need to build the car and they’re pulling out leading to this discussion, they could just stay running with the old car.

It’s a pipe dream from forum and FB but in reality? It just feels like there’s zero interest basis in it. Teams aren’t going to build the cars themselves, manufacturers are already building and contriving to make the best BOP car they can for GTE and GT3. Why would they make another spec to slot in between for a single series to use? GT2 is the other direction and seems dominated by collectible cars, look at the number of Porsches that ran once to say they did race and then in to the hermetically sealed storage to hit the auctions in 10 years. Everyone is pushing for regs and series to be built on cutting costs, building and testing and then getting hit back down by BOP isn’t going to be a profit making exercise. GTLM is going to run as GM wants and pays, in 2022 BMW will have a new GT3 and could push for GTD with confidential tires for a Pro class. We’ll end up with GTD Pro and GTD Am just like the fun of the ACO, but I would say run them 100% together and if an Am car ends up on the Pro podium great. We’d be better off pushing for GM to build a GT3 car and allow confidential tires for the fast sub-class. Cheaper than trying to force everyone to make their GT3s faster.

My feeling is you will ALWAYS see that GT subclass be it Porsche Challenge cars of the past or a specific AM class in GTD, it’s not going anywhere since it makes up a significant portion of the field and the money spent. And the 2 year window of 10 LM3s will work out well, in IMSA’s mind, to see Corvette end up in GTD by end of 2021/2022. Or at least a GTD spec car if not a full GT3.

In all honesty I would expect to see more GTLM runners with a private team than GT3 plus cars on the grid. Doubt we will see any but I could see Risi or Aston Martin do an endurance schedule with a GTE-AM team, maybe Aston with a car in a few events but with the current world I think you have to have NA operations and European operations with near 100% crew separation just in case, even next year.