2007 Sebring International Raceway

In 2006, the International Motor Sport Association (IMSA) introduced IMSA Lites. The series was created to provide an opportunity for drivers competing at the amateur level to advance to a professional series or to prepare for a category such as the American Le Mans (ALMS). The mission is to develop future drivers and teams for the ALMS.

IMSA Lites features three classes of purpose-built sports racing prototypes – Lites 1, Lites 2 and Lites 3. The primary factor determining the categorization of a car is engine displacement.

Lites 1 (L1) – This is the fastest category. The most common vehicle in this group is the Elan DP-02 manufactured by Elan Van Diemen. The DP-02 features a carbon fiber monocoque fitted with an aerodynamic package that includes a front splitter, diffuser and rear wing. The car is powered by a 2.3-liter four-cylinder Mazda MZR motor mounted to a six-speed sequential transmission.
Lites 2 (L2) – This group includes several chassis and engine combinations. The West WR1000 is a popular choice powered by a 1000-cc Kawasaki ZX engine. The car also uses an electronic paddle-shift system.
Lites 3 (L3) – Only one car competes in this category. The Van Diemen DP-06, introduced by the Sports Car Club of America in 2002, is powered by a 2.3-liter Mazda MZR engine.

2007 IMSA Lites Championship consisted of six race weekends, with doubleheaders at each event.

March 16-17 – Sebring International Raceway
May 18-19 – Miller Motorsports Park
July 6-7 - Lime Rock Park
August 25-26 – Mosport International Raceway
October 4-5 - Road Atlanta
October 20-21 – Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

In addition to a driver’s championship, there are also titles for Teams and Constructors.

The opening rounds of the 2007 IMSA Lites Championship presented by Hankook Performance Tires was held at Sebring International Raceway during the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring event. Drivers would compete in two races around the seventeen-turn 3.74-mile road course.

The No. 9 BK Motorsports / Skip Barber Elan DP-02 was driven by Gerardo Bonilla. Before entering the IMSA Lites series, he had completed in many open-wheel divisions and won the 2005 Skip Barber National Championship. Bonilla proved to be a quick study and qualified on the overall and L1 pole in his debut. In the first race, he led flag-to-flag. Bonilla started second in the finale but collected another victory.

The first L2 victory of the year went to John Greene. Greene raced the No. 23 PVM Racing prepared West WR1000 and qualified twentieth overall and a distant fifth to the class pole-sitter, Dan McBreen. He found more speed in the race and finished seventh overall on the way to the class win. Greene was gridded fourteenth and fourth in L2 in round two, but he would finish sixth in his category.

Robby Card competed in last season’s L2 category. He started 2006 in a Radical but switched to a PVM Racing prepared West WR1000. Card returned to PVM for this year’s campaign driving the No. 45 West. He qualified second in class for the weekend’s first contest and finished a distant sixth in his group. However, Card qualified on the class pole in the finale, finished fifth overall, and took the L2 win.

Last year, Richard Spicer ran a limited schedule. But the 2001 and 2002 Spec Racer Ford National champion was always a threat to win and he proved it by sweeping the first two L3 rounds he entered at Mid-Ohio. At Sebring International Raceway, Spicer was racing the familiar No. 65 Hagerman RacEngineering Van Diemen DP-06 and won the L3 category in race one and ended the weekend with a fourth place.

Another successful Sports Car Club of America Spec Racer Ford competitor entered in the series is Chris Funk. Last season, Funk competed in the IMSA Lites championship, driving the No. 5 KC Racing Van Diemen DP-06. He returned this year with the same car and team. He qualified behind and finished second to the L3 pole-sitter, Richard Spicer, in the first race. The next day, Funk won the class by a margin of 1.415-seconds.

Chasing the L1 winner, Gerardo Bonilla, both days was Tonis Kasemets in the No. 6 Elan DP-02. Like Bonilla, Kasemets entered the IMSA Lites series with a tremendous amount of open-wheel experience; he was the 2000 Formula Continental National Champion. Kasemets qualified third for round one but finished second by 0.818-seconds. He ended the weekend with the pole but another runner-up result.

Mark White competed in last season’s IMSA Lites series, driving the No. 02 Accumoto Motorsports prepared West WR1000. He returned in 2007 for another shot at the L2 title with the same combination of car and team. He started this year’s first contest sixth in class and chased the leader, John Greene, to a runner-up result. White started third in his category the next day and finished second to Robby Card.

POS.	CLASS	DRIVERS	CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	L1	Gerardo Bonilla	Elan DP-02	10	-
2	L1	Tonis Kasemets	Elan DP-02	10	-
3	L1	Kerry Jacobsen	Elan DP-02	10	-
4	L1	John Bender	Elan DP-02	10	-
5	L1	Mishael Abbott	Elan DP-02	10	-
6	L1	Kurt Roehrig	Elan DP-02	10	-
7	L2	John Greene	West WR1000	10	-
8	L2	Mark White	West WR1000	10	-
9	L1	Bob Humphreys	Elan DP-02	10	-
10	L2	Alex Gonzalez	West WR1000	10	-
11	L2	Scott Tucker	West WR1000	10	-
12	L2	Eric Vassian	West WR1000	10	-
13	L3	Richard Spicer	Van Diemen DP-06	10	-
14	L3	Chris Funk	Van Diemen DP-06	10	-
15	L1	Jon Brownson	Elan DP-02	10	-
16	L2	Robby Card	West WR1000	10	-
17	L3	Kelly Toombs	Van Diemen DP-06	10	-
18	L3	Paul Schneider	Van Diemen DP-06	10	-
19	L3	Robert Mumm	Van Diemen DP-06	10	-
20	L2	Edward Zabinski	West WR1000	10	-
21	L1	Dan Weyland	Elan DP-02	10	-
22	L1	Richard Berry	Elan DP-02	8	Did Not Finish
23	L2	Dan McBreen	West WR1000	7	Did Not Finish
24	L1	Jim Ferro	Elan DP-02	7	Did Not Finish
25	L1	Charlie Shears	Elan DP-02	2	Did Not Finish
26	L2	Carl Skerlong	West WR1000	1	Did Not Finish
27	L1	Johnny Meriggi	Elan DP-02	0	Did Not Finish
28	L1	Joel Feinberg	Elan DP-02	7	Excluded
29	L1	Chris Meredith	Elan DP-02	3	Excluded

POS.	CLASS	DRIVERS	CAR / ENTRANT	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	L1	Gerardo Bonilla	Elan DP-02	8	-
2	L1	Tonis Kasemets	Elan DP-02	8	-
3	L1	Kerry Jacobsen	Elan DP-02	8	-
4	L1	Charlie Shears	Elan DP-02	8	-
5	L2	Robby Card	West WR1000	8	-
6	L2	Mark White	West WR1000	8	-
7	L1	Chris Meredith	Elan DP-02	8	-
8	L2	Alex Gonzalez	West WR1000	8	-
9	L1	Richard Berry	Elan DP-02	8	-
10	L2	Edward Zabinski	West WR1000	8	-
11	L1	Joel Feinberg	Elan DP-02	8	-
12	L1	Jon Brownson	Elan DP-02	8	-
13	L2	Dan McBreen	West WR1000	8	-
14	L2	John Greene	West WR1000	8	-
15	L2	Eric Vassian	West WR1000	8	-
16	L1	Jim Ferro	Elan DP-02	8	-
17	L3	Chris Funk	Van Diemen DP-06	8	-
18	L3	Paul Schneider	Van Diemen DP-06	8	-
19	L3	Kelly Toombs	Van Diemen DP-06	8	-
20	L1	Kurt Roehrig	Elan DP-02	6	Did Not Finish
21	L1	Mishael Abbott	Elan DP-02	1	Did Not Finish
22	L3	Richard Spicer	Van Diemen DP-06	1	Did Not Finish
23	L1	Dan Weyland	Elan DP-02	1	Did Not Finish
24	L1	Bob Humphreys	Elan DP-02	0	Did Not Start
25	L1	John Bender	Elan DP-02	0	Did Not Start
26	L1	Johnny Meriggi	Elan DP-02	0	Did Not Start
27	L2	Scott Tucker	West WR1000	0	Did Not Start
28	L2	Carl Skerlong	West WR1000	0	Did Not Start
29	L3	Robert Mumm	Van Diemen DP-06	0	Did Not Start

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