The Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup brings together North America’s premier sports car endurance races in a unique four-race competition within the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
Points are scored at specified intervals within each of the four races, counting for team, driver and manufacturer championships in each of the four TUDOR Championship classes. The leader at the end of each segment receives five points, four for second, three for third, and two for all remaining positions.
Rolex 24 At Daytona
The 52nd running of the Rolex 24 opened the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup in January at Daytona International Speedway. The event dates back to the 1962 Daytona Continental, a three-hour race won by Dan Gurney that attracted a solid international field. The race was lengthened to 24 hours in 1966 and has run at that distance since then, with the exception of 1972 (six hours) and 1974 (canceled due to fuel crisis). The event was part of the FIA World Manufacturers Championship beginning in 1966 through 1972, and was sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) from 1975 through 1997. The Rolex 24 served as the opening race of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series from 2000 to 2013.
At the Rolex 24, points were scored at six-hour intervals counting toward the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.
Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida
The 62nd running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida will be held on March 15 at Sebring International Raceway. The raceway was first held at the Sebring Airport – a former World War II B-17 training base – in 1952, and gained international status as part of the FIA World Manufacturers Championship from 1953-72. The 3.74-mile circuit uses part of the original airport, preserving the heritage of the legendary event. The Twelve Hours ran as part of the IMSA American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón schedule from 1999 through 2013.
At Sebring, points toward the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup will be awarded at the end of each four-hour segment.
Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen
The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen will be held on June 29 at Watkins Glen International. The village of Watkins Glen, N.Y. hosted America’s first sports car race following World War II in 1948. A permanent circuit outside the village in the picturesque New York Finger Lakes region was built in 1956, and hosted the United States Grand Prix from 1961 through 1980. The Glen – as it is known to race fans internationally – held the Six Hours from 1968 through 1981. The 3.4-mile circuit brought back the historic six-hour distance in 2000 as part of the GRAND-AM Rolex Series schedule.
At Watkins Glen, points for the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup will be awarded at three hours and the finish.
Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda
The 10-hour Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda will be held at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga., on Oct. 4, serving as the season finale for both the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup and the inaugural TUDOR Championship. The event is the fulfillment of a goal of Dr. Don Panoz to capture the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans at an American venue. That led to the first Petit Le Mans in 1998. The following year, that vision led to the creation of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón. Road Atlanta is a 2.54-mile circuit that began holding major races in 1970, including the original Can-Am, Formula 5000, IMSA GT and Trans-Am series. The circuit was purchased by Panoz in 1996, who brought the track up to FIA standards.
At Petit Le Mans, points toward the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup will be awarded at the end of four hours, eight hours and the finish.
