Corvette's Nicky Catsburg 'predicts mayhem' at restarts with the new-for-2025 GTD class split at IMSA race restarts after cautions.
'In the past, you would have GTD cars between you and the last thing you want is a GTD car touch you or you touch a GTD car and that affecting your race,' he said.
'So I would take a little more care with a GTD car than someone in GTD PRO because that wasn’t for position. So now with GTD PROs all together, I predict mayhem.'
Previously at race restarts in IMSA, the GTD cars across both GTD and GTD Pro were grouped together, with the pro/am GTD cars mixed in with the professional GTD Pro cars.
However, in 2025, this has changed, with the two classes now being split for the restart, with GTD Pro cars in front of GTD.
The last thing a driver in either class wants is to impact their race by making contact with a car they aren't fighting for position with. So, as Catsburg said, caution would be taken when the cars are grouped together to avoid contact.
But now, with the two split, they'll be fighting for position in each group, which could result in the Dutchman's prediction of mayhem.
Phil Oakley
'If IMSA keeps officiating like they do now, I predict that people may just ram each other off. That’s something that I really hope does not happen.
'Because you’ve survived for 11 hours and then in the end you are just waiting to get smashed. That shouldn’t be. I hope they officiate this a bit stronger or they try and set the tone in the drivers’ briefing to put more emphasis on it.
'You want a nice show but I also want fair racing so let’s see. But I don’t think the splitting of the field will necessarily help.'
Aggressive racing in GTD
Aggressive racing between GTD cars isn't unheard of, with the on-track action getting feisty especially towards the end of the race.
In 2024 at Sebring, Corvette's Daniel Juncadella was very critical of driving standards in the GTD Pro class after contact with Lauren Heinrich in the #77 AO racing Porsche took him out of the fight for third late on. Plus, he was also critical of Jack Hawksworth after contact with the Briton's Vasser Sullivan Lexus at an restart earlier on in the race.
And, this year at Daytona, the Corvette of Tommy Milner and the BMW of Connor de Phillippi made contact late on in the race after De Philippi's teammate Augusto Farfus in the sister BMW repeatedly blocked Milner.
Phil Oakley
Last year, Antonio Garcia blamed ABS for contact issues between GTD cars, with his car being taken out on the first lap of the race at Road America after contact with Mike Rockenfeller's Ford Mustang GT3.
Garcia, then, has a different view on the class split compared to his Corvette team mate.
'Now that GTD PRO and GTD are split (on restarts), I think it’s going to be better,' he said in an IMSA pre-Sebring media call.
'At night you don’t know who is behind you; you just see lights. I know the GTD lights are yellow but it’s very difficult to know who was following you. Now that things are split, I think it will make things easier for both classes.
'We know we are going to be fighting our class on the restart and not get in the mix with (GTD) or them with us. So I think that was a good call, and at Daytona it was a big upgrade,' he finished.
What do you think about the GTD class split at restarts? Let us know on social media — tag us @onlyendurance and let us know your thoughts.
Phil Oakley
Feature image: Kevin Dejewski
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