The 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship) was the 51st racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) which traces its lineage back to the 1971 IMSA GT Championship. This was also the eighth United SportsCar Championship season and sixth under the IMSA SportsCar Championship name. The series began on January 30 with the 24 Hours of Daytona, and ended on November 13 with the Petit Le Mans after 12 races.
For the 2021 season, a new class is set to join the class hierarchy: Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3), in an attempt to bolster the number of entries across each race. It is a new addition to the structure of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, having previously been the main class in one of the championships' feeder series, the IMSA Prototype Challenge.[1][2]
On September 9, 2020, IMSA announced a revamp of their points system. For the 2021 season onward, the existing points system would be used for the results of qualifying, with the same points system being multiplied by 10 for the main race. In addition, the existing amateur-based classes (LMP2 and GTD) would have a revised qualifying structure, with the session being split into two halves, with both halves requiring a different driver and set of tires to be used for qualifying. This format would be applied to the incoming LMP3 class as well.[3]
The provisional schedule was released on September 9, 2020, and features 12 rounds. The schedule was pending, however, because of COVID-19 regulations that may still be in effect.[1]
On December 3, 2020, IMSA announced the addition of the "Motul Pole Award 100", a qualifying race run in conjunction with the "Roar Before the Rolex 24" preseason test. The 100-minute event awards qualifying points and sets the starting order for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Two drivers must compete in each car, however points are awarded to all drivers on the entry list for each car. This effectively made participation in the Roar Before the 24 test mandatory for all teams planning to race in the 24 Hours of Daytona.[4]
On March 4, 2021, IMSA announced a further change to the schedule, again because of the pandemic, because the 24 Heures du Mans was rescheduled to August 21–22. The round at VIR, which clashed with the rescheduled Le Mans date, was moved from August 22 to October 9, while the season-ending Petit Le Mans shifted from October 9 to November 13.[6]
In a related change on March 25, 2021, the Detroit round, initially scheduled for June 5 with the classes not at Le Mans attending, was moved back after the date shift for Le Mans, with the round shifted to June 12 and becoming a single meeting with INDYCAR. The LMP2 class was dropped from the event, with a replacement venue to be announced at a later date. The GTLM class was added, but will not score points towards the championship.[7]
In a fourth pandemic-related change on April 7, 2021, IMSA announced the cancellation of the event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park because of Canadian quarantine restrictions, replacing it with a standard-distance (three hour race, 2 hours, 40 minutes of racing format) at Watkins Glen International on Friday, July 2, dubbed the "WeatherTech 240 at The Glen." The race will use the format intended for Mosport, with all classes competing; however the GTD class will score points only towards the WeatherTech Sprint Cup.[8]
Championship points are awarded in each class at the finish of each event. Points are awarded based on finishing positions in qualifying and the race as shown in the chart below.
Position
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30+
Qualifying
35
32
30
28
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Race
350
320
300
280
260
250
240
230
220
210
200
190
180
170
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Drivers points
Points are awarded in each class at the finish of each event.
Team points
Team points are calculated in exactly the same way as driver points, using the point distribution chart. Each car entered is considered its own "team" regardless if it is a single entry or part of a two-car team.
Manufacturer points
There are also a number of manufacturer championships which utilize the same season-long point distribution chart. The manufacturer championships recognized by IMSA are as follows:
Daytona Prototype international (DPi): Engine & bodywork manufacturer
GT Le Mans (GTLM): Car manufacturer
GT Daytona (GTD): Car manufacturer
Each manufacturer receives finishing points for its highest finishing car in each class. The positions of subsequent finishing cars from the same manufacturer are not taken into consideration, and all other manufacturers move up in the order.
Example: Manufacturer A finishes 1st and 2nd at an event, and Manufacturer B finishes 3rd. Manufacturer A receives 35 first-place points while Manufacturer B would earn 32 second-place points.
Michelin Endurance Cup
The points system for the Michelin Endurance Cup is different from the normal points system. Points are awarded on a 5–4–3–2 basis for drivers, teams and manufacturers. The first finishing position at each interval earns five points, four points for second position, three points for third, with two points awarded for fourth and each subsequent finishing position.
Position
1
2
3
Other Classified
Race
5
4
3
2
At Rolex 24 at Daytona, points are awarded at 6 hours, 12 hours, 18 hours and at the finish. At the Sebring 12 hours, points are awarded at 4 hours, 8 hours and at the finish. At the Watkins Glen 6 hours, points are awarded at 3 hours and at the finish. At the Petit Le Mans (10 hours), points are awarded at 4 hours, 8 hours and at the finish.
Like the season-long team championship, Michelin Endurance Cup team points are awarded for each car and drivers get points in any car that they drive, in which they are entered for points. The manufacturer points go to the highest placed car from that manufacturer (the others from that manufacturer not being counted), just like the season-long manufacturer championship.
For example: in any particular segment manufacturer A finishes 1st and 2nd and manufacturer B finishes 3rd. Manufacturer A only receives first-place points for that segment. Manufacturer B receives the second-place points.
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Corvette Racing[75] 
Antonio García[76] 
Nicky Catsburg[76] 
Nick Tandy[76] 
Augusto Farfus[10] 
Jesse Krohn[10] 
Marco Wittmann[10] 
Philipp Eng[10] 
Bruno Spengler[10] 
Jules Gounon[79] 
Alessandro Pier Guidi[79] 
Matt Campbell[81] 
Michael Christensen[82] 
Salih Yoluç