The Six Hours of Watkins Glen (currently sponsored as the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen) is a sports car endurance race held annually at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. The race dates from 1948, and has been a part of the SCCA National Sports Car Championship, United States Road Racing Championship, World Sportscar Championship, IMSA GT Championship, Rolex Sports Car Series and currently the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
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| IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Watkins Glen International |
| Corporate sponsor | Sahlen's |
| First race | 1948 |
| First USCC race | 2014 |
| Duration | 6 Hours |
| Previous names | Watkins Glen Grand Prix |
| Most wins (driver) | Walt Hansgen, Derek Bell, James Weaver, Scott Pruett, João Barbosa (4) |
| Most wins (team) | Briggs Cunningham (8) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Porsche (12) |
History
The first Watkins Glen Grand Prix was held in 1948 on a 6.6-mile course around Watkins Glen State Park and the village of Watkins Glen. Cameron Argetsinger, a Cornell law student and SCCA member, organized the event along with the local Chamber of Commerce. The 8-lap, 52.8-mile race was won by Frank Griswold in a pre-war Alfa Romeo 8C. In 1950, three spectators were injured during a support race, and driver Sam Collier was killed during the Grand Prix. The 1951 event became a part of the new SCCA National Sports Car Championship series. In 1952, twelve spectators were injured and one killed when a car left the circuit in the village.[2] This led organizers to move the course to a hillside southwest of Watkins Glen for 1953. Drivers complained of poor visibility and run-off, prompting the construction of a permanent circuit, today called Watkins Glen International, in 1956.[3]
In 1963, the race switched to the SCCA's new series, the United States Road Racing Championship. In 1968, the race was expanded to six hours, and joined the World Sportscar Championship. Along with the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring, the Six Hours of Watkins Glen served as an American round of the WSC from 1968 until 1981, traditionally held during the summer. With the track's bankruptcy and the FIA's decision not to return the World Championship to the United States in 1982, the event was not held again until 1984. It returned as an event for the IMSA Camel GT Championship.
Under the control of IMSA, the event was radically altered and shortened. In the 1984 running, a break was held after three hours before the race began again and completed the next three hours.[clarification needed] This event became known as the Camel Continental. A second event later in the year was also held lasting for just three hours or 500 kilometers, and was known as the New York 500. The Continental was modified once more in 1985, this time running sports prototypes in one three-hour event, and grand tourer cars in a second three-hour event. By 1986, the event was shortened altogether, and became a single 500 mile race, then shortened once more in 1987 to just 500 km.
For several years IMSA kept the Continental as a 500 km race for prototypes in the summer, and the 500 km New York 500 for grand tourers in autumn. IMSA chose to drop the New York 500 in 1992, retaining the Continental as an event just for prototypes until 1995. In 1996, IMSA restored the Watkins Glen event to its historic format, combining prototypes and grand tourers once again.
By 1998, Watkins Glen chose to schedule the Six Hours as part of the new United States Road Racing Championship. This championship change was short lived, as the USSRC folded during the 1999 season prior to their second running at Watkins Glen, leaving an FIA GT Championship event as the year's sportscar headliner. In the wake of USRRC's collapse, the Grand American Road Racing Championship took control of the event, and retained the Six Hours since 2000 as part of the Rolex Sports Car Series. In 2014 after the merger of Grand-AM and the ALMS sports car series, IMSA regained control of the event under the United SportsCar Championship. The format of the race remains the same as it was under Grand-Am operation.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 race to be moved to Road Atlanta, as New York state authorities would not allow NASCAR Holdings to host events.
Race winners
First street course
| Year | Drivers | Team | Car | Duration/Distance | Race Title | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 |  Frank Griswold | Frank Griswold | Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B | 50 mi (80 km) | Grand Prix Watkins Glen | Non-championship |
| 1949 | Miles Collier | Collier Bros. | Riley-Mercury Special "Ardent Alligator"[4] | 100 mi (160 km) | Grand Prix Watkins Glen | Non-championship |
| 1950 | Erwin Goldschmidt | Alfred Goldschmidt | Allard J2-Cadillac | 100 mi (160 km) | Sports Car Grand Prix of Watkins Glen | Non-championship |
| 1951 | Phil Walters | Briggs Cunningham | Cunningham C2R | 100 mi (160 km) | Sports Car Grand Prix of Watkins Glen | SCCA National Sports Car Championship |
| 1952 | Briggs Cunningham | Briggs Cunningham | Cunningham C4R-Chrysler | 100 mi (160 km)† | Sports Car Grand Prix of Watkins Glen | SCCA National Sports Car Championship |
- † Not completed; race stopped after fatal accident involving spectators
Second street course
| Year | Drivers | Team | Car | Duration/Distance | Race Title | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Walt Hansgen | Walt Hansgen | Jaguar XK120 | 100 mi (160 km) | Sports Car Grand Prix of Watkins Glen | Non-championship |
| 1954 | Phil Walters | Briggs Cunningham | Cunningham C4R-Chrysler | 100 mi (160 km) | Sports Car Grand Prix of Watkins Glen | SCCA National Sports Car Championship |
| 1955 | Sherwood Johnston | Briggs Cunningham | Jaguar D-Type | 100 mi (160 km) | Sports Car Grand Prix of Watkins Glen | SCCA National Sports Car Championship |
Watkins Glen International
| Year | Drivers | Team | Car | Duration/Distance | Race Title | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | George Constantine | Mary L. Constantine | Jaguar D-Type | 50 mi (80 km) | Sports Car Grand Prix of Watkins Glen | SCCA National Sports Car Championship |
| 1957 | Walt Hansgen | Briggs Cunningham | Jaguar D-Type | 100 mi (160 km) | Watkins Glen Grand Prix | SCCA National Sports Car Championship |
| 1958 | Ed Crawford | Briggs Cunningham | Lister-Jaguar | 100 mi (160 km) | Grand Prix Watkins Glen | SCCA National Sports Car Championship |
| 1959 | Walt Hansgen | Briggs Cunningham | Lister-Costin Jaguar | 100 mi (160 km) | Watkins Glen Grand Prix | SCCA National Sports Car Championship |
| 1960 | Augie Pabst | Meister Brauser | Scarab Mk II-Chevrolet | 100 mi (160 km) | Watkins Glen Grand Prix | SCCA National Sports Car Championship |
| 1961 | George Constantine | John T. Bunch | Ferrari 250 TR 59 | 100 mi (160 km) | Grand Prix at Watkins Glen | SCCA National Sports Car Championship |
| 1962 | Walt Hansgen | Briggs Cunningham | Cooper Monaco T61-Buick | 100 mi (160 km) | Grand Prix at Watkins Glen | SCCA National Sports Car Championship |
| 1963 | Bob Holbert | Porsche 718 RS61 | 300 km (190 mi) | Watkins Glen Sports Car Grand Prix | United States Road Racing Championship | |
| 1964 | Jim Hall | Chaparral Cars | Chaparral 2A-Chevrolet | 200 mi (320 km) | Watkins Glen Sports Car Grand Prix | United States Road Racing Championship |
| 1965 | Jim Hall | Chaparral Cars | Chaparral 2A-Chevrolet | 200 mi (320 km) | Watkins Glen Sports Car Grand Prix | United States Road Racing Championship |
| 1966 | John Fulp | Lola T70 Mk.2-Chevrolet | 200 mi (320 km) | Watkins Glen Sports Car Grand Prix | United States Road Racing Championship | |
| 1967 | Mark Donohue | Roger Penske | Lola T70 Mk.3-Chevrolet | 200 mi (320 km) | Sports Car Grand Prix at Watkins Glen | United States Road Racing Championship |
| 1968 | Mark Donohue | Roger Penske | McLaren M6A-Chevrolet | 200 mi (320 km) | Watkins Glen Sports Car Road Race | United States Road Racing Championship |
 Jacky Ickx Lucien Bianchi |  J.W. Automotive Engineering | Ford GT40 | six hours 1,058.626 km (657.800 mi) | World Sportscar Championship | ||
| 1969 |  Jo Siffert Brian Redman |  Porsche of Austria | Porsche 908/02 | six hours 1,077.134 km (669.300 mi) | Watkins Glen Six Hours | World Sportscar Championship |
| 1970 |  Pedro Rodríguez Leo Kinnunen | J.W. Automotive Engineering | Porsche 917K | six hours 1,140.059 km (708.400 mi) | 6 Hours of the Glen | World Sportscar Championship |
| 1971 |  Andrea de Adamich Ronnie Peterson | Autodelta SpA | Alfa Romeo T33/3 | six hours 1,090.189 km (677.412 mi) | 6 Hours of the Glen | World Sportscar Championship |
| 1972 | Mario Andretti Jacky Ickx | SpA Ferrari SEFAC | Ferrari 312PB | six hours 1,059.777 km (658.515 mi) | 6 Hours of the Glen | World Sportscar Championship |
| 1973 |  Gérard Larrousse Henri Pescarolo | Équipe Matra-Simca | Matra-Simca MS670B | six hours 1,081.516 km (672.023 mi) | 6 Hours of the Glen | World Sportscar Championship |
| 1974 | Jean-Pierre Jarier Jean-Pierre Beltoise | Équipe Gitanes | Matra-Simca MS670C | six hours 1,048.906 km (651.760 mi) | 6 Hours of the Glen | World Sportscar Championship |
| 1975 | Derek Bell Henri Pescarolo |  Willi Kauhsen Racing Team | Alfa Romeo 33TT12 | six hours 826.083 km (513.304 mi) | 6 Hours of the Glen | World Sportscar Championship |
| 1976 | Rolf Stommelen Manfred Schurti | Martini Racing Porsche System | Porsche 935 | six hours 945.647 km (587.598 mi) | 6 Hours of the Glen | World Sportscar Championship |
| 1977 | Jochen Mass Jacky Ickx | Martini Racing Porsche System | Porsche 935/77 | six hours 940.213 km (584.221 mi) | 6 Hours of the Glen | World Sportscar Championship |
| 1978 |  Toine Hezemans John Fitzpatrick Peter Gregg | GeLo Racing Team | Porsche 935/77 | six hours 793.474 km (493.042 mi) | World Championship 6-Hours | World Sportscar Championship |
| 1979 | Don Whittington Klaus Ludwig Bill Whittington | Whittington Brothers Kremer Racing | Porsche 935 K3 | six hours 951.082 km (590.975 mi) | World Championship 6-Hours | World Sportscar Championship |
| 1980 | Hans Heyer Riccardo Patrese | Lancia Corse | Lancia Beta Montecarlo Turbo | six hours 755.431 km (469.403 mi) | World Championship 6-Hours | World Sportscar Championship |
| 1981 | Riccardo Patrese Michele Alboreto | Martini Racing | Lancia Beta Montecarlo Turbo | six hours 940.213 km (584.221 mi) | Glen Six Hours of Endurance | World Sportscar Championship |
| 1982–1983 | Not held following track bankruptcy and the end of the United States Grand Prix being held at the circuit in 1980 | |||||
| 1984 | Al Holbert Derek Bell Jim Adams | Holbert Racing | Porsche 962 | six hours 1,054.342 km (655.138 mi) | Camel Continental | IMSA GT Championship |
| 1985 | Al Holbert Derek Bell | Holbert Racing | Porsche 962 | three hours | Camel Continental | IMSA GT Championship |
| 1986 | Al Holbert Derek Bell | Holbert Racing | Porsche 962 | 500 mi (800 km) | Camel Continental | IMSA GT Championship |
| 1987 | Price Cobb Vern Schuppan | Dyson Racing | Porsche 962 | 500 km (310 mi) | Camel Continental | IMSA GT Championship |
| 1988 | Geoff Brabham John Morton | Electramotive Engineering | Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo | 500 km (310 mi) | Camel Continental | IMSA GT Championship |
| 1989 | Geoff Brabham Chip Robinson | Electramotive Engineering | Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo | 500 km (310 mi) | Camel Continental | IMSA GT Championship |
| 1990 | Chip Robinson Bob Earl | Nissan Performance Technology | Nissan NPT-90 | 500 km (310 mi) | Camel Continental | IMSA GT Championship |
| 1991 |  Juan Manuel Fangio II | All American Racers | Eagle HF90-Toyota | 500 km (310 mi) | Camel Continental | IMSA GT Championship |
| 1992 | Juan Manuel Fangio II | All American Racers | Eagle MkIII-Toyota | two hours, forty-five minutes | Camel Continental | IMSA GT Championship |
| 1993 | Juan Manuel Fangio II | All American Racers | Eagle MkIII-Toyota | 500 km (310 mi) | Camel Continental | IMSA GT Championship |
| 1994 | Giampiero Moretti Eliseo Salazar | MOMO | Ferrari 333 SP | three hours | Glen Continental | IMSA GT Championship |
| 1995 | Butch Leitzinger James Weaver | Dyson Racing | Riley & Scott Mk III-Ford | three hours | Glen Continental | IMSA GT Championship |
| 1996 | Giampiero Moretti Max Papis | MOMO | Ferrari 333 SP | six hours 973.975 km (605.200 mi) | First Union 6 Hours of the Glen | IMSA GT Championship |
| 1997 | Butch Leitzinger James Weaver Elliott Forbes-Robinson | Dyson Racing | Riley & Scott Mk III-Ford | six hours 924.980 km (574.756 mi) | First Union 6 Hours of the Glen | IMSA GT Championship |
| 1998 | Giampiero Moretti Mauro Baldi Didier Theys | MOMO/Doran Racing | Ferrari 333 SP | six hours 949.392 km (589.925 mi) | First Union 6 Hours of the Glen | United States Road Racing Championship |
| 1999 | Jean-Philippe Belloc David Donohue | Viper Team Oreca | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | three hours | Bosch Sports Car Oktoberfest | FIA GT Championship |
| 2000 | James Weaver Andy Wallace Butch Leitzinger | Dyson Racing | Riley & Scott Mk III-Ford | six hours 931.632 km (578.889 mi) | Bosch Sports Car Summerfest | Grand American Road Racing Championship |
| 2001 | Didier Theys Mauro Baldi Fredy Lienhard | Doran Racing | Ferrari 333 SP-Judd | six hours 988.256 km (614.074 mi) | Sports Car Grand Prix at the Glen | Grand American Road Racing Championship |
| 2002 | James Weaver Chris Dyson | Dyson Racing | Riley & Scott Mk III-Ford | six hours 1,038.224 km (645.122 mi) | Six Hours of the Glen | Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series |
| 2003 | David Donohue Mike Borkowski Scott Goodyear | Brumos Porsche | Fabcar FDSC/03-Porsche | six hours 927.184 km (576.125 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series |
| 2004 | Max Papis Scott Pruett | Chip Ganassi Racing | Riley Mk XI-Lexus | six hours 910.528 km (565.776 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series |
| 2005 | Tracy Krohn Niclas Jönsson | Krohn Racing | Riley Mk XI-Pontiac | six hours 832.800 km (517.478 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series |
| 2006 | Jörg Bergmeister Boris Said | Krohn Racing | Riley Mk XI-Ford | Six hours 855.008 km (531.277 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series |
| 2007 | Alex Gurney Jon Fogarty | Bob Stallings Racing | Riley Mk XI-Pontiac | six hours 927.184 km (576.125 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series |
| 2008 | Scott Pruett Memo Rojas | Chip Ganassi Racing | Riley Mk XX-Lexus | six hours 993.808 km (617.524 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series |
| 2009 | Scott Pruett Memo Rojas | Chip Ganassi Racing | Riley Mk XX-Lexus | six hours 1,020.840 km (634.321 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series |
| 2010 | Scott Pruett Memo Rojas | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Riley Mk XX-BMW | six hours 1,037.130 km (644.443 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series |
| 2011 | Max Angelelli Ricky Taylor | SunTrust Racing | Dallara DP08-Chevrolet | six hours 944.820 km (587.084 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series |
| 2012 |  João Barbosa Darren Law | Action Express Racing | Chevrolet Corvette DP (Coyote CPM-Chevrolet) | six hours 995.656 km (618.672 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series |
| 2013 | João Barbosa Christian Fittipaldi | Action Express Racing | Chevrolet Corvette DP (Coyote CPM-Chevrolet) | six hours 935.712 km (581.424 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen | Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series |
| 2014 | Richard Westbrook Michael Valiante | Spirit of Daytona Racing | Chevrolet Corvette DP (Coyote CPM-Chevrolet) | six hours 1,045.152 km (649.427 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen | Tudor United SportsCar Championship |
| 2015 | Richard Westbrook Michael Valiante | VisitFlorida.com Racing | Chevrolet Corvette DP (Coyote CPM-Chevrolet) | six hours 875.52 km (544.02 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen | Tudor United SportsCar Championship |
| 2016 | Filipe Albuquerque João Barbosa Christian Fittipaldi | Action Express Racing | Chevrolet Corvette DP (Coyote CPM-Chevrolet) | six hours 1,077.9 km (669.8 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| 2017 | João Barbosa Christian Fittipaldi Filipe Albuquerque | Mustang Sampling Racing | Cadillac DPi-V.R | six hours 1,090 km (680 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| 2018[5] | Misha Goikhberg Stephen Simpson Chris Miller | JDC-Miller Motorsports | Oreca 07-Gibson | six hours 1,105.3 km (686.8 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| 2019 | Jonathan Bomarito Olivier Pla Harry Tincknell | Mazda Team Joest | Mazda RT24-P | six hours 1,154.5 km (717.4 mi)1 | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| 2020 | Moved to Road Atlanta due to COVID-19 pandemic | |||||
| 2021 | Jonathan Bomarito Oliver Jarvis Harry Tincknell | Mazda Motorsports | Mazda RT24-P | six hours 1,090 km (680 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| 2022 | Filipe Albuquerque Ricky Taylor | Wayne Taylor Racing | Acura ARX-05 | six hours 900 km (559 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
| 2023 | Nick Yelloly Connor De Phillippi | BMW M Team RLL | BMW M Hybrid V8 | six hours 1,115 km (693 mi) | Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen | WeatherTech SportsCar Championship |
- Notes
^1 Race record for distance covered.
References
- Ultimate Racing History: Watkins Glen archive
- Racing Sports Cars: Watkins Glen archive
- World Sports Racing Prototypes: SCCA National archive, USRRC archive, WSC archive, IMSA archive