See The Thrill In Person
The best way to watch a race is on a screen and preferably at home. No question about it, watching it on a screen gives you the best views for every moment on track. Cameras pan around, keeping close to the action while commentators feed information about what’s happening.
But the ultimate way to experience a race will always be in person. Hearing every audio note of the cars roaring around the track, seeing them speed past and watching as they enter a turn with the possibility of another car attacking for an overtake is electrifying.
Having been to different race events in person, even flown across the world to attend F1 in Japan, I can tell you experiencing a race does not have to cost an arm or a leg. And there’s one nearby during the first weekend of May.
A couple budget-friendly and prestigious sports car races are held in California, a must-see for anyone wanting to scratch that itch to see a competitive sports car race in person. And the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship lands in Laguna Seca May 1st through 3rd, just a couple hours away.
IMSA WeatherTech also has a Long Beach stop, usually in March as it was this year, and there’s another tour, the GT World Challenge, which just wrapped up its California event at Sonoma Raceway.
Both series include lower division races that lead up to the main event, though in the overall hierarchy, IMSA takes the cake as a single race involves four classes: GTP (Grand Touring Prototype), LMP2 (Le Mans Prototype 2), GTD Pro (GT Daytona Pro) and GTD (GT Daytona). GT World Challenge focuses solely on GT3 class cars, with a mix of Pro (Professional) and Am (amateur) drivers.
Both IMSA and GT World Challenge are national tours, with races around the U.S.
Both series have multiple tiers of admission, depending on whether someone may want to spend the whole weekend at the track or just one day. In fact, people are even allowed to camp on the track. Regardless of which one you choose to, race day for the main event is on Sunday.
Focusing on just a base single day ticket, the price of a general admission at Sonoma is $33 per person. While a one-day general admission ticket for IMSA at Laguna Seca costs approximately $98 per person, the promoters do hike the price of tickets as the event closes in on the calendar.
Two to three weeks before the race, the event website posts the date of the ticket price increase. General admission tickets include parking and let holders explore any spectator-accessible areas around the track.
For those interested, I highly recommend it – just for the experience alone.
A McCann Racing Team Porsche 911 GT3-R (992) EVO powers into a turn at the Sonoma Raceway, but the full effect can only be felt in person. The roar of engines and the thrill of GT World Challenge racing make the live experience at the track unforgettable. With general admission starting at just $33, fans can witness every turn, overtake and high-speed battle up close without overloading a credit card.
