Bartone: Full-Time IMSA Effort is “Next Rung” on Ladder

Photo: Bartone Bros.

Anthony Bartone said competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is “the next rung on the ladder” for Bartone Bros. Racing, expressing his desire to mount a full-season campaign in the coming years.

The team, with assistance from GetSpeed, made its WeatherTech Championship debut at last month’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, with Bartone, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller and Maxime Martin finishing fifth in the GTD Pro field.

“For me, this was the end goal of why we started this process and what I looked forward to the most,” Bartone told Sportscar365 pre-race.

“This year, we went over to Europe and we’re doing that, and I’m gonna still be there for a few more years, but this was the next rung on the ladder of trying to compete. I never thought that we would actually be here.

“It’s really just a dream come true.”

While Bartone’s father Tony first grew the Bartone Bros. Racing name in NHRA competition, Anthony has been carving his own path in sports car racing as a veteran of SRO America and through competition in the Asian Le Mans Series, International GT Open and GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS with support from the German GetSpeed organization.

The Bartone Bros./GetSpeed combination took top Silver Class honors at last year’s CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa and is currently in the midst of an Asian Le Mans Series campaign, with Bartone, Schiller and Steve Jans competing in the 2024-25 season-ending Asian Le Mans rounds together.

“I love being at GetSpeed,” said Bartone. “This is why we are doing championships in Asia, the United States, and Europe. It’s because we really believe in the team and the program.

“There’s nobody I’d rather be down-and-out with, or on the top step of a podium [with]. I really enjoy my time there and I’m very proud that this is their first American race.”

Bartone feels his IMSA debut served as the first step towards more regular competition in the WeatherTech Championship, while also providing an avenue to spend more time with his father, with whom the idea to compete at the Rolex 24 originated.

“We were just sitting on the couch, maybe five, six years ago, and saying, ‘Oh, this would be really cool to do,” Bartone said. “And now it’s coming full-circle being able to compete here, which is such a privilege with all the history.

“I’m really excited to be back in America and to compete on this side of the world. I think maybe not next year, maybe not the next year, but eventually, one day I would like to do a full season in IMSA.

“The only reason I do this, other for selfish motives, is my father. This whole operation doesn’t go anywhere without his support and love for motorsports, no matter what type of car, configuration, or type of racing it is, it all starts with him.

“When you go to the other side of the world, whether it’s Asia, [or] Europe, you get to see a little bit less of him, so other than the selfish reasons of why I’d like to do IMSA full-time, it all starts with just seeing more of my dad.

“It’s been such a pleasure to interact with the series as a whole. I would say it’s very, very, very top-shelf.

“It appears that they listen to what customers are asking for and it seems like a very nice collaboration between everybody’s wants and needs in order to make it the best product for fans. I would very much look forward to trying to be more involved here.”