# 1997 IMSA GT Championship

The 1997 Exxon World Sports Car Championship and Supreme GT Series seasons were the 27th season of the IMSA GT Championship. It consisted of open-cockpit prototypes referred to as World Sports Car (WSC) and Grand Tourer-style racing cars divided into GTS-1, GTS-2, and GTS-3 classes.
It began February 1, 1997, and ended October 26, 1997, after eleven rounds. 1997 would mark the final year in IMSA GT for the 24 Hours of Daytona and the Six Hours of Watkins Glen. In 1998, the SCCA's revived United States Road Racing Championship would acquire the events.

## Schedule

Most races on the schedule ran with the GTS and WSC classes running separate races, sometimes with different lengths. Races marked with Both had both classes on track at the same time for the whole race.
| Rnd | Race | Length | Class | Circuit | Date |
| 1 | Rolex 24 at Daytona | 24 Hours | Both | Daytona International Speedway | February 1 February 2 |
| 2 | Superflo 12 Hours of Sebring | 12 Hours | Both | Sebring International Raceway | March 15 |
| 3 | NAPA Grand Prix of Atlanta | 2 Hours | GTS | Road Atlanta | April 19 |
| 3 | NAPA Grand Prix of Atlanta | 2 Hours | WSC | Road Atlanta | April 20 |
| 4 | Dodge Dealers Grand Prix | 1 Hour 45 Minutes | GTS | Lime Rock Park | May 26 |
| 4 | Dodge Dealers Grand Prix | 1 Hour 45 Minutes | WSC | Lime Rock Park | May 26 |
| 5 | First Union Six Hours at the Glen | 6 Hours | Both | Watkins Glen International | June 1 |
| 6 | California Grand Prix | 1 Hour 45 Minutes | GTS | Sears Point Raceway | July 13 |
| 6 | California Grand Prix | 2 Hours | WSC | Sears Point Raceway | July 13 |
| 7 | Mosport Festival | 1 Hour 45 Minutes | GTS | Mosport International Raceway | August 31 |
| 7 | Mosport Festival | 2 Hours | WSC | Mosport International Raceway | August 31 |
| 8 | Sportscar Grand Prix | 1 Hour 45 Minutes | GTS | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | September 20 |
| 8 | Sportscar Grand Prix | 2 Hours | WSC | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | September 20 |
| 9 | Festival of Road Racing | 2 Hours | WSC | Pikes Peak International Raceway | September 28 |
| 9 | Festival of Road Racing | 1 Hour 45 Minutes | GTS | Pikes Peak International Raceway | September 28 |
| 10 | NAPA Sebring Octoberfest | 2 Hours | WSC | Sebring International Raceway | October 18 |
| 10 | NAPA Sebring Octoberfest | 1 Hour 45 Minutes | GTS | Sebring International Raceway | October 18 |
| 11 | Visa Sports Car Championship | 1 Hour 45 Minutes | GTS | Laguna Seca Raceway | October 26 |
| 11 | Visa Sports Car Championship | 1 Hour 45 Minutes | WSC | Laguna Seca Raceway | October 26 |

## Season results

| Rnd | Circuit | WSC Winning Team | GTS-1 Winning Team | GTS-2 Winning Team | GTS-3 Winning Team | Results |
| Rnd | Circuit | WSC Winning Drivers | GTS-1 Winning Drivers | GTS-2 Winning Drivers | GTS-3 Winning Drivers | Results |
| 1 | Daytona | #20 Dyson Racing | #01 Rohr Corp. | #99 Roock Racing | #10 PTG | Results |
| 1 | Daytona | Elliott Forbes-Robinson John Schneider Rob Dyson John Paul Jr. Butch Leitzinger Andy Wallace James Weaver | Jochen Rohr Andy Pilgrim Harald Grohs Arnd Meier | Ralf Kelleners Patrice Goueslard Claudia Hürtgen André Ahrlé | Javier Quiros Derek Hill Boris Said Bill Auberlen Tom Hessert | Results |
| 2 | Sebring | #3 Team Scandia | #11 Robinson Racing | #61 Konrad Motorsport | #10 PTG | Results |
| 2 | Sebring | Yannick Dalmas Stefan Johansson Fermín Vélez Andy Evans | Irv Hoerr Jack Baldwin George Robinson | Bob Wollek Franz Konrad Wido Rössler | Javier Quiros Bill Auberlen Derek Hill Tom Hessert | Results |
| 3 | Road Atlanta | #16 Dyson Racing | #66 Panoz Motorsports | #99 Schumacher Racing | #39 Jim Matthews | Results |
| 3 | Road Atlanta | Butch Leitzinger James Weaver | Doc Bundy Andy Wallace | Larry Schumacher John O'Steen | Jim Matthews David Murry | Results |
| 4 | Lime Rock | #30 Moretti Racing | #91 Rock Valley | #99 Schumacher Racing | #6 PTG | Results |
| 4 | Lime Rock | Antônio Hermann Andrea Montermini | Stu Hayner Roger Schramm | Larry Schumacher John O'Steen | Javier Quiros Derek Hill | Results |
| 5 | Watkins Glen | #16 Dyson Racing | #66 Panoz Motorsports | #61 Konrad Motorsport | #77 Mattco Racing | Results |
| 5 | Watkins Glen | Elliott Forbes-Robinson Butch Leitzinger James Weaver | Doc Bundy Andy Wallace David Brabham | Franz Konrad Nick Ham Michel Ligonnet | Pete Halsmer John Morton | Results |
| 6 | Sears Point | #16 Dyson Racing | #66 Panoz Motorsports | #61 Konrad Motorsport | #10 PTG | Results |
| 6 | Sears Point | Andy Wallace James Weaver | Doc Bundy Andy Wallace | Franz Konrad Nick Ham | Bill Auberlen Boris Said | Results |
| 7 | Mosport | #43 Central Arkansas Racing | #01 Rohr Motorsport | #61 Konrad Motorsport | #6 PTG | Results |
| 7 | Mosport | Ron Fellows Rob Morgan | Jochen Rohr Dorsey Schroeder Andy Pilgrim | Franz Konrad Nick Ham | Javier Quiros Derek Hill | Results |
| 8 | Las Vegas | #20 Dyson Racing | #01 Rohr Motosport | #99 Schumacher Racing | #39 Jim Matthews | Results |
| 8 | Las Vegas | John Paul Jr. Butch Leitzinger | Andy Pilgrim Allan McNish | Larry Schumacher Price Cobb | Jim Matthews David Murry | Results |
| 9 | Pikes Peak | #30 Moretti Racing | #00 Rohr Motorsport | #61 Konrad Motorsport | #10 PTG | Results |
| 9 | Pikes Peak | Antônio Hermann Andrea Montermini | Andy Pilgrim Allan McNish | Franz Konrad Nick Ham | Bill Auberlen Boris Said | Results |
| 10 | Sebring | #30 Moretti Racing | #01 Rohr Motorsport | #99 Schumacher Racing | #10 PTG | Results |
| 10 | Sebring | Antônio Hermann Andrea Montermini | Andy Pilgrim Allan McNish | Larry Schumacher Price Cobb | Bill Auberlen Butch Leitzinger Marc Duez | Results |
| 11 | Laguna Seca | #20 Dyson Racing | #96 Panoz Motorsports | #61 Konrad Motorsport | #7 PTG | Results |
| 11 | Laguna Seca | John Paul Jr. Butch Leitzinger | Éric Bernard David Brabham | Franz Konrad Nick Ham | Dieter Quester Marc Duez | Results |

## Teams Championship

Points are awarded to the finishers in the following order:
* 25-21-19-17-15-14-13-12-11-10-...
Exception however for the 12 Hours of Sebring, which awarded in the following order:
* 30-26-24-22-20-19-18-17-16-15-...
And the 24 Hours of Daytona, which is awarded in the following order:
* 33-29-27-25-23-22-21-20-19-18-...
Teams only score the points of their highest finishing entry in each race.

### WSC Standings

| Pos | Team | Chassis | Engine | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Rd 8 | Rd 9 | Rd 10 | Rd 11 | Total |
| 1 | Dyson Racing | Riley & Scott Mk III | Ford 5.0 L V8 | 33 | 26 | 25 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 25 | 19 | 19 | 25 | 264 |
| 2 | Moretti Racing | Ferrari 333 SP | Ferrari F130E 4.0 L V12 | 25 | 14 | 19 | 25 | 6 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 210 |
| 3 | Dibos Racing | Riley & Scott Mk III Ferrari 333 SP | Oldsmobile Aurora 4.0 L V8 Ferrari F310E 4.0 L V12 | 27 | 24 | 10 | 19 | 13 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 190 |
| 4 | Doyle/Riley & Scott | Riley & Scott Mk III | Oldsmobile Aurora 4.0 L V8 | 20 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 5 | 19 | 160 |
| 5 | Central Arkansas Racing | Ferrari 333 SP | Ferrari F310E 4.0 L V12 | | | 15 | 14 | 21 | 17 | 25 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 145 |
| 6 | Downing Atlanta Racing | Kudzu DLM | Mazda 2.0 L 3-Rotor | 23 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 15 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 141 |
| 7 | FAB Factory Motorsport | Spice SC95 Kudzu DG-2 | Oldsmobile Aurora 4.0 L V8 Buick 4.5 L V6 | 15 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 9 | 13 | 4 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 120 |
| 8 | MSI Racing | Riley & Scott Mk III | Chevrolet 6.0 L V8 | 12 | 19 | 17 | | 8 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 14 | | 111 |
| 9 | Support Net Racing | Hawk C-8 Riley & Scott Mk III | Chevrolet 6.0 L V8 Ford 5.0 L V8 | 21 | 16 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 6 | | 2 | | 12 | | 96 |
| 10 | Screaming Eagles Racing | Riley & Scott Mk III | Ford 5.0 L V8 | 14 | 18 | 9 | | | 13 | | 13 | | | 12 | 79 |
| 11 | Davin Racing | Argo P Kudzu DLM | BMW 4.0 L V8 Buick 4.5 L V6 | 17 | | 4 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 69 |
| 12 | Courage Compétition | Courage C41 | Oldsmobile Aurora 4.0 L V8 | 11 | | 2 | 9 | | | 10 | 12 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 67 |
| 13 | Team Scandia | Ferrari 333 SP | Ferrari F310E 4.0 L V12 | 29 | 30 | | | | | | | | | | 59 |
| 14= | Kopf Precision Products | Keiler KII | Ford 5.0 L V8 | 18 | 11 | | | | 8 | | 3 | 5 | | 11 | 56 |
| 14= | TRV Motorsports | Kudzu DL-4 | Chevrolet 6.0 L V8 | 13 | | 11 | 8 | | 7 | | | 12 | | 5 | 56 |
| 16 | URD Rennwagenbau USA | URD WSC95 | BMW 4.0 L V8 | | | | 13 | 10 | | | | | 4 | 9 | 36 |
| 17 | Target 24 | Riley & Scott Mk III | Oldsmobile Aurora 4.0 L V8 | 19 | | | | | | | | | | 14 | 33 |
| 18 | Team South Carolina | Hawk MD3R | Mazda 2.0 L 3-Rotor | | | 6 | | 17 | | | | | | | 23 |
| 19 | Graham Williams | ProSport 3000 | Ford 5.0 L V8 | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | 22 |
| 20 | Fantasy Junction | Cannibal | Chevrolet 6.0L V8 | | | | | | 4 | | 9 | 4 | | 3 | 20 |
| 21 | John Christie | X-250 | Ferrari F310E 4.0 L V12 | | 10 | | | | | | | | | | 10 |
| 22 | Bill Dollahite | Spice BDG-02 | Chevrolet 6.0 L V8 | | | | | | | | 5 | | | | 5 |
| 23 | Wheel Works | Bennett Special MkII | Pontiac 5.0 L V8 | | | | | | 3 | | | | | 1 | 4 |