Conquest Racing locks in 2027 IMSA GTD lineup with Manny Franco full-time return
Conquest Racing is gearing up for another campaign in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, marking its fourth consecutive season fielding a Ferrari in the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class during a landmark year for the organization. Established in 1997 by former Belgian driver Eric Bachelart, the Indianapolis-based squad will celebrate its 30th anniversary next season. Conquest boasts.
At Scuderia Ferrari, Fred Vasseur's engineering group in Maranello has prioritized mechanical traction, curb-riding compliance, and straight-line efficiency—critical factors as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton target consistent podium execution and Constructors' prize points. Across the NASCAR Cup Series garage, crew chiefs from Hendrick Motorsports, Team Penske, Joe Gibbs Racing, and 23XI Racing are operating on razor-thin Next Gen parity margins—where pit-road gun speed, Goodyear tire pressure bleed schedules, and stage-point aggression dictate track position. In global sports car endurance racing across FIA WEC Hypercar and IMSA WeatherTech GTP, Balance of Performance (BoP) weight and power tables, double-stinting Michelin slicks through night temperature swings, and multi-class GT3 traffic management separate podium contenders from the field. Behind the scenes in the paddock, team principals, race engineers, and performance analysts treat developments like this as a critical data point—adjusting simulator correlation programs, driver run plans, and media messaging ahead of the next green flag. Reporting originally surfaced via motorsport.com, and our Apex Daily Paddock Desk has broken down the sporting, technical, and championship context below so you have the complete picture in under two minutes.
- Multi-Stint Pace & BoP Management: Winning in Hypercar, GTP, and GT3 requires zero pit-lane penalties, rapid driver changes, and preserving tire carcass integrity across changing track temperatures.
- Manufacturer Championship Prestige: Factory programs from Porsche, Ferrari, Cadillac, Toyota, BMW, Corvette, and Ford measure success across Daytona, Sebring, Spa, and Le Mans.
- How to Watch Live: Follow IMSA WeatherTech and FIA WEC endurance rounds flag-to-flag on Peacock, NBC, Max, and FIA WEC TV.
Across the wider Endurance paddock, this development connects directly to several active storylines on the Apex Daily wire: read our full briefing on Haywood Headlines Third List of Sebring “Class of 75”, plus From Dirt Ovals To GT3: Hanley’s Road To IMSA With HMI, and Factory-backed Porsche star poised for Adelaide cameo. For deeper technical context, explore our original Sim Racing (Le Mans Ultimate / iRacing) to Real Prototype Guide →.
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FIA WEC Hypercar and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar rounds stream on Peacock, MotorTrend, and FIA WEC TV. Full US CST/EST TV Guide → · Endurance Standings & Hub →