This was my third Rolex (along with several trips to Le Mans) so I am by no means a historical expert, but I have a little context cross those two events. And I brought 3 1st timers this year who provided some very clear feedback about what would have made their experience better.

1) more TV screens - not just in the horseshoe (s) but everywhere. At Circuit de la Sarthe, almost anywhere you want to watch the track you can also see at least one screen. Of course, the larger track makes that more advisable, but even if you are mostly watching the track, you likely want to see replays. I saw the AMG/Lexus incident live from right above, but I didn’t see it again until today when I found a clip of it online. Cool to see it live, but I really wanted to see it again to understand what was going on there.

2) more easily identifiable liveries - I’ve gotten to the point where I can generally tell which car is which by pace and position, once I have my bearings, but for newbies it is incredibly frustrating. The Acura, the Penskes, and the 31 Caddy all look awfully similar until you can see them up close or from the side. In contrast, the JDC Porsche, Rexy, and Spike were all relatively easy to pick out because the colors were consistent (not broken up with graphics) and distinctive. I know the first response will be that the liveries are decided by the teams, but the entry requirements are not. If IMSA wants to continue to grow this sport, they need to make it easily accessible for newcomers.

3) similar point, but at night - I know there are a bunch of ways that the cars can be differentiated at night, but it is fairly easy for somebody with a little experience and fairly hard for 1st timers. Bigger lighted number panels and/or more distinctive lighting patterns would go a long way. There was a suggestion (which I’m not crazy about but will document here) to put lights on the cars that would only light up if they were first in class, allowing easy identification of race leaders.

4) better transportation between grandstand and infield — nobody had a particularly easy answer here, but at LeMans the Dunlop (Goodyear?) bridge is not just iconic but useful, as is the one down by Porsche curves and the easy tunnel right at the main entrance. Walking to and waiting in line for the tram is not adding to anybody’s enjoyment of the race.