Special to 1812Blockhouse
The thrills of IMSA sports car racing will return to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course next season with a three-day event, June 7-9, 2024, headlined by the Michelin Pilot Challenge, IMSA officials announced today. The weekend will feature a four-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge endurance race – one of only two such competitions on the 2024 IMSA schedule – and the debut of the new IMSA-sanctioned Mustang Challenge.
“Sports car racing was a key foundation in Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course being built, and the track has a proud history of hosting IMSA events dating back to 1972,” said Craig Rust, president of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. “We are very excited to bring IMSA competition back to Mid-Ohio. The four-hour Pilot Challenge race, plus the inaugural Mustang Challenge event, further expands the motorsports offerings for our fans in 2024.”
The headlining four-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge endurance race at Mid-Ohio is one of two four-hour competitions on the series’ 2024 slate. Mid-Ohio joins Daytona International Speedway as the two tracks set to host four-hour races next year. The return of an IMSA sports car endurance race to Mid-Ohio next year ties into the sanctioning body’s long history at the track. The “Six Hours of Mid-Ohio” in 1972, featuring a 49-car field won by Bob Beasley and Michael Keyser, was IMSA’s first-ever race at the renowned road course.
IMSA officials’ 2024 season schedule announcement today also confirmed that the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires and VP Racing SportsCar Challenge will join the Michelin Pilot Challenge and the all-new Mustang Challenge on the weekend schedule. The Mustang Challenge, a single-make racing series featuring the new Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, will compete for the very first time in a pair of races on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn course, launching its inaugural six-weekend, 12-race campaign.
Further details about this new event and the 2024 Mid-Ohio season schedule will be released at a later date. Children 12 and under receive free general admission when accompanied by a ticketed adult at all Mid-Ohio events. Visit midohio.com for more information, and follow its Facebook page @MidOhioSportsCarCourse, Twitter @Mid_Ohio or Instagram @officialmidohio for the latest news.
