Richard Westbrook, of the #85 JDC Miller MotorSports Porsche 963, expressed his frustrations about racing in downtown Detroit after the sprint event was characterised by various collisions.
For the first time, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship hosted a new Detroit circuit based in downtown as opposed to the Belle Isle location of past instances.
Both IMSA and IndyCar events were littered with collisions and contact, as the former featured five caution periods during the 100-minute race including when #31 Cadillac driver Jack Aitken hit Westbrook into a half-spin.
This manoeuvre sent Westbrook into temporarily blocking the width of the circuit before he completed a multi-point turn to continue racing. Aitken was later given a drive-through penalty.
“It’s hard for me to come up with anything positive,” he said candidly.
“To be honest, the track is not suitable for racing with prototypes in the top GTP class.
“It was like being in a bumper car. The damage to the vehicles worsened lap-by-lap. It was unacceptable – simply unacceptable.
“I found it frustrating. I have such fond memories of the times we competed on the beautiful Belle Isle in Detroit.
“I’m looking forward to Watkins Glen – now that’s a great circuit.”
His teammate Tijmen van der Helm qualified the #85 Porsche in ninth place and so he conducted a 30-minute opening stint before Westbrook completed the remainder of the race.
The pair struggled to extract competitive pace from their #85 Porsche and the circuit’s 90-degree corners gave little opportunity for overtakes, as well as little room to avoid drama.
Despite the promise of IMSA’s two professional categories – GTP and GTD Pro – competing on the same course, many cars across both classes suffered various levels of damage due to the contact which occurred throughout.
IMSA will look to the 6 Hours of the Glen, one week after the 24 Hours of Le Mans, to continue the WeatherTech season with the third endurance race on the 2024 schedule.
