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International Motor Sports Association    Lamborghini Super Trofeo series

International Motor Sports Association 

 

www.imsa.com

 

About the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)

International Motor Sports Association, LLC (IMSA) was originally founded in 1969 and owns a long and rich history in sports car racing. Today, IMSA is the sanctioning body of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the premier sports car racing series in North America. IMSA also sanctions the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, as well as four one-make series: Ferrari Challenge North America, Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires, Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America and Porsche Carrera Cup North America. IMSA – a company within the NASCAR family – is the exclusive strategic partner in North America with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) which operates the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The partnership enables selected IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competitors to earn automatic entries into the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Cadillac Powers to First 24 Hours of Le Mans Pole

Cadillac Racing’s Four-Car Effort Pays Dividends at Front of Grid


 

June 12, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Hyperpole Results - Hypercar

Qualifying (Wed.) - Hypercar


 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Cadillac Racing has sought to present a unified front across its four cars from three teams and two championships – both the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Their pace from all four cars was on display in qualifying for the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the manufacturer’s new FIA WEC entrant, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA, sweeping the front row of the grid.


 

By just 0.167 of a second around the 8.467-mile Circuit de la Sarthe, Alex Lynn beat teammate Earl Bamber to pole. Driving the No. 12 JOTA Cadillac, Lynn set a best time of 3 minutes, 23.166 seconds in the Hyperpole 2 session that showcased the top 10 Hypercar class runners.


 

Bamber’s best lap was 3 minutes, 23.333 seconds in the No. 38 JOTA Cadillac. He shifts over from his IMSA team, Cadillac Whelen, to JOTA this race. Jack Aitken, Bamber’s IMSA teammate in the No. 311 Cadillac Whelen entry, set the fastest qualifying time in Hyperpole 1 (3 minutes, 22.742 seconds) which determined the 10 cars that advanced to the final qualifying shootout.


 

Lynn will share his No. 12 JOTA Cadillac with Will Stevens and Norman Nato, while Bamber will share his No. 38 JOTA Cadillac with another IMSA full-timer, Sebastien Bourdais, and 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button.


 

“I think every time you have the opportunity to drive this kind of car around Le Mans on low fuel and new tires is an honor,” Lynn said. “Truly honored to be able to put in a performance and deliver this for Cadillac how they deserve, in the first position. It’s such a magical circuit, a place I love to perform my best. Now just 24 hours left, what else? We’ll enjoy this tonight and reset.” 


 

The pole is the first for Cadillac at Le Mans, coming 75 years after its first Le Mans appearance in 1950 with a pair of Cadillac Coupe DeVille Series 61s, one mostly stock and another modified with a low-profile aluminum body nicknamed “Le Monstre.”


 

Porsche Penske Motorsport placed well within the Hyperpole 2 session. IMSA regular Mathieu Jaminet qualified the No. 5 Porsche 963 he shares with Michael Christensen and Julien Andlauer in third. In pursuit of the unprecedented single-season endurance “Triple Crown,” Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr will roll off fifth in the No. 4 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 they share with Pascal Wehrlein. 


 

They sandwiched four-time 2025 IMSA Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) polesitter Dries Vanthoor in his No. 15 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 in fourth; the younger Vanthoor brother shares his car with Kevin Magnussen and Raffaele Marciello.


 

Aitken’s co-driver Felipe Drugovich qualified the No. 311 Cadillac Whelen entry in eighth. Both that car and the sister No. 101 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing entry, which qualified 14th for its Le Mans debut, will feature a special decal at Le Mans supporting the Michael J. Fox Foundation in the race to a cure for Parkinson’s disease. 


 

Pre-race favorites Ferrari and Toyota struggled in qualifying, with the best Ferrari in sixth and the best Toyota in 10th. Ferrari seeks its third straight overall Le Mans win while Toyota, which won five Le Mans consecutively from 2018 to 2022, seeks to add its sixth. 


 

Aston Martin THOR Team got one of its new Valkyrie cars into Hyperpole 1, the No. 009 Valkyrie, albeit at the expense of the No. 6 Porsche 963 which was disqualified after Wednesday’s qualifying session for being underweight. That sends the trio of Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre and Matt Campbell to the back of the 21-car Hypercar grid. 


 

Beche, TDS and Heart of Racing Team Aston on LMP2, LMGT3 Poles


 

Hyperpole Results - LMP2/LMGT3

Qualifying (Wed.) - LMP2/LMGT3

A bevy of IMSA prototype regulars are atop the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) grid. Mathias Beche’s lap of 3 minutes, 35.062 seconds in his No. 29 TDS Racing ORECA 07 Gibson topped the charts, nearly three tenths ahead of 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship LMP2 champion Tom Dillmann in the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA.


 

Beche competes full-time in IMSA with PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports with Rodrigo Sales; Sales and Clement Novalak share the No. 29 TDS ORECA at Le Mans. Dillmann races with Inter Europol in both series and he’ll share the No. 43 ORECA at Le Mans with Nick Yelloly, an IMSA GTP full-timer with Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian, and Jakub Smiechowski.


 

“It’s so much emotion tonight. The team did an incredible job to give me that car,” Beche said. “It’s a great team effort. Big thanks to TD and Panis Racing. I couldn’t start in the best way because of a little bit of traffic. I had a feeling today was my day. I felt one with the car. It’s such an honor to be in this car in qualifying. It’s just the flow, and you have to do it.”


 

The AO by TF No. 199 ORECA of Louis Deletraz is third on the grid. Deletraz races for Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing’s GTP program in IMSA but at Le Mans, he shares “Spike” the Dragon with AO Racing’s IMSA full-timers PJ Hyett and Dane Cameron. United Autosports’ No. 23 and No. 22 cars completed the top five, with IMSA full-timers Renger van der Zande and Pietro Fittipaldi sharing the No. 22 ORECA with David Heinemeier Hansson. 


 

Another Acura MSR regular moonlighting in LMP2, Tom Blomqvist, slotted his No. 37 CLX Pure Rxcing ORECA into sixth in the class.

Heart of Racing Team’s FIA World Endurance Championship-entered car nabbed the pole position in Le Mans GT3 (LMGT3), courtesy of a barnstorming lap from Mattia Drudi at 3 minutes, 52.789 seconds. Drudi shares the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 with Heart of Racing Team team principal Ian James and team regular Zacharie Robichon.


 

“It’s really difficult to have a super clean lap like we did in Hyperpole,” Drudi said. “The car is super nice since Sunday in the prologue. The qualifying is not the most important thing, but it’s so nice to be on the pole in Le Mans. It’s my first Le Mans as well, so it’s a decent way to start! The team is doing a mega job. We’ll focus for the race.” 


 

Jack Hawksworth was the other IMSA GT regular competing in the Hyperpole 2 (final) session in LMGT3 and qualified the No. 78 Akkodis ASP Racing Lexus RC F LMGT3 in eighth. The Englishman substitutes for Ben Barnicoat this race as he recovers from injuries.


 

Last year’s IMSA Jim Trueman Award winner Nick Boulle’s No. 34 Inter Europol ORECA lines up 16th in the LMP2 class he shares with Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer and Luca Ghiotto, while Bob Akin Award winner Orey Fidani rolls off 21st in LMGT3 in the No. 13 AWA Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R he shares with Matt Bell and Lars Kern. 


 

The race starts Saturday at 4:00 p.m. local time, 10:00 a.m. ET; check the official FIA WEC and 24 Hours of Le Mans websites for how to watch in your region. Within the U.S., broadcast coverage is available via MAX, Motor Trend on TV and Radio Le Mans on radio.


 

All Photos by Chris duMond at Le Mans

 

 

Selldorff Ascends to Maiden Michelin Pilot Challenge Win at Mid-Ohio

Turner BMW Wins O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio; Herta Hyundai Wins Fourth Straight in TCR

 

June 8, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Race Results


 

LEXINGTON, Ohio – Turner Motorsport has made a habit of developing drivers through its own internal ladder system and may have found its newest star Sunday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. 


 

Francis Selldorff adds his name to the list of those rising American drivers in the Turner stable such as Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher. Selldorff, co-driving the No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 EVO with Dillon Machavern, rose to the challenge of fending off an overflowing pool of more experienced IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge veterans to capture his first Grand Sport (GS) class win in Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio. 


 

It's Turner Motorsport’s 30th GS class win in Michelin Pilot Challenge and 33rd overall (the team also has 3 ST class wins), both of which are team series records, but it’s their first win in a Michelin Pilot Challenge race in nearly two years since Foley and Vin Barletta won at Watkins Glen International in June 2023. It’s Machavern’s seventh Michelin Pilot Challenge win, all in GS. 


 

Machavern qualified the No. 95 car in third and handed off to Selldorff for the closing stint. That created an interesting dynamic where Selldorff, who just two years ago won the Grand Sport X (GSX) class in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, would have to fight against three Michelin Pilot Challenge class champions – Jeff Westphal in the No. 39 CarBahn by Peregrine racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO, Jan Heylen in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS and Stevan McAleer in the No. 27 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO, among others.


 

Westphal appeared the closest to getting past Selldorff through a flurry of late-race restarts – the race had seven full-course cautions with an eighth factored in for the opening lap starting under yellow before the race start on the backstraight – but was unable to get past. His race came undone in the final 15 minutes with apparent right rear suspension issues forcing him to pit lane.


 

The next challenger was a driver who’d scythed past the others, in Daniel Morad aboard the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT GT4. Morad had made it past Heylen and a few others into second place, and closed a near two-second gap to just 0.3 of a second heading into the final lap. But ultimately, he came up short by just 0.751 of a second at the finish. 


 

“First thing is, I’m out of breath,” Selldorff laughed. “I think the key today was I got the car in the front. The first step was we had to do a little bit of fuel save to manage and it was looking good, and then we had yellow after yellow after yellow. I just tried to nail the restart each time, get a little bit of a gap and then just get good exits everywhere I could.”


 

Team owner Will Turner also spoke to Selldorff’s rise, having seen him from the start of his IMSA career.


 

“The goal was to run him through our program, and we knew when we first tested him that he had some natural talent,” Turner said. “We have seen in every race he gets better and better, and we decided to start finishing him in the races. We might not have had the best (WeatherTech Raceway) Laguna Seca, but he learned from it and he used everything he learned there today.”


 

Selldorff reflected on his own journey: “I started two years ago in VP (Racing Challenge) and I’ve had to come a long way. There's been a lot of people that have helped me, the drivers, the family and Don Salama on strategy, mainly.” 


 

Heylen and co-driver Luca Mars, who’d driven a strong opening stint in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche defending against Machavern and Westphal’s teammate Sean McAlister in the No. 39 CarBahn BMW, finished third. It’s the points leading pair’s fourth straight podium finish in as many races to open the season. 


 

The rebuilt No. 44 Ibiza Farm Motorsports McLaren Artura GT4 and the No. 27 Auto Technic BMW of McAleer, Austin and Roland Krainz completed the top five. Kingpin Racing won the Bronze Cup in GS with Satakal Khalsa, David Hodge and Rob Walker sharing the No. 53 Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, finishing 13th overall and in GS.

 

Herta Hyundai Extends Win Streak to Four-for-Four in TCR

The Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai run of form in Touring Car (TCR) rolled on into the fourth round of its season, with the team’s fourth straight win to open 2025 and sixth straight dating to the last two races of 2024.


 

Mason Filippi and Harry Gottsacker delivered a clean and controlled effort in their No. 98 Hyundai Elantra N TCR, leading 111 of 149 laps and only really losing the top spot through pit stops. Filippi’s strong opening stint got the car into the lead past the polesitting No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR, and Gottsacker brought it home.


 

It’s the pair’s second win of the season, although first they’ve won on the road after inheriting the win at Sebring owing to a post-race penalty assessed to a teammate. It’s also the team’s 29th Michelin Pilot Challenge win, and its fourth straight win at Mid-Ohio (2021, 2022, 2024). 


 

“At a track like this, it’s really busy, physical and with the weather today it was quite a technical show,” said Gottsacker, who spoke for most of the field that completed a pre-race switch from Michelin’s wet-weather tires to dry-weather slicks moments before the green flag. 


 

Denis Dupont and Preston Brown came up one spot shy of their third straight win in a four-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge. But the pair in the No. 76 Herta Hyundai banked their third podium in four races this season.


 

The Motul Pole Award-winning No. 93 MMG Honda of Karl Wittmer, LP Montour and Dai Yoshihara recovered to their second podium of the season after an early race spin. Three more Hyundai entries completed the top six, ahead of the first Audi (the father-daughter pairing of Megan and Ron Tomlinson in the No. 37 Precision Racing LA Audi RS3 LMS TCR) in seventh.


 

The Michelin Pilot Challenge season heads to Watkins Glen International in two weeks for Round 5 of the season, with the LP Building Solutions 120 from June 19-21.

Tunjo Tops the Field in Wet Sunday VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race at Mid-Ohio

Adelson Delivers Wright a Home Win in GTDX; Porto Resumes Winning Ways in GSX


 

June 8, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Race Results

 

LEXINGTON, Ohio - Rain changed the conditions and the winners in Sunday’s second 45-minute IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge race of the weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.


 

For overall and Le Mans Prototype 3 (P3) winner Oscar Tunjo, Sunday’s 45-minute race marked his first trip to victory lane on an IMSA weekend. In the two GT classes, Adam Adelson (Grand Touring Daytona X, GTDX) and Kiko Porto (Grand Sport X, GSX) resumed their winning ways from earlier in the season.


 

Tunjo in the No. 31 Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports Duqueine D08 started second but completed an immediate pass of polesitting teammate Valentino Catalano in the No. 30 Gebhardt Duqueine at Turns 4 and 5 and set sail on his teammate.


 

Tunjo built the lead to over 10 seconds, a number fresh in the Colombian driver’s mind after a 10-second post-race penalty assessed on Saturday for changing columns prior to the race start. 


 

He had a battle to conquer after a restart, with the field closing and Catalano now just one car length behind rather than multiple seconds behind as it had been most of the race. But Tunjo extended the gap to 1.279 seconds at the checkered flag to become the fourth different P3 winner in the last four races (Jonathan Woolridge, Catalano and Corey Lewis). 


 

“I saw the gap in the first corner and yeah, I just broke a little later and got the leap,” Tunjo said. “When the safety car came, I put my foot down. Super happy to get my first win in IMSA and (VPRC).” 

The GTDX battle showcased the ability of the drivers and the GT3-specification cars in these treacherous conditions, since they have both ABS and traction control available to them.


 

AJ Muss in the No. 66 Af Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 passed polesitting Jake Walker in the No. 6 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 for the lead, and a lap later Adelson in his No. 24 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R passed Walker for second.


 

Adelson then uncorked an excellent pass for the lead on Lap 9 out of Turns 4 and 5 and into the rhythm section of the track, Turns 6, 7 and 8 around the outside of Muss for the lead. As also shown in the rain in Round 2 at Daytona International Speedway, Adelson’s and the Porsche’s abilities in these conditions shone through on a gray day.


 

Adelson had contact in Turn 2 with Lewis’ No. 36 RAFA Racing Ligier JS P320 P3 car after the last restart, which sent the Saturday P3 winner’s car spinning around like a top. Because the contact was incidental, race control reviewed the incident with no further action and Adelson took home the win by 5.019 seconds over Muss with Walker third. It’s Adelson’s third win of the year after sweeping the season opener in Daytona.


 

“I feel like I was really able to rely on my experience there,” Adelson said. “I've been very lucky to do a lot of racing in the rain and I absolutely love racing in the rain. For me, there’s no better car to drive than a Porsche 911 in the wet; you’ve got great performance under braking and great power down.


 

“The wet is a great equalizer, and I feel like I was able to showcase that today and I'm so proud to bring it home for Wright.”


 

On the Lewis contact, Adelson noted: “It was just kind of one of those racing incidents where I was able to carry the tight line. He had a lot of understeer and couldn't really do the late apex. It was maybe one millimeter too close.” 


 

Samantha Tan rebounded to take the GTDX Bronze Cup win in her No. 38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3 ahead of Saturday winner Vin Barletta in the No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW. She also highlighted her rain experience at Round 2 in Daytona as a key learning point to aid her success this race, securing her class-leading third Bronze Cup win of 2025.

The GSX race also saw an early-race lead pass, with Kiko Porto in the No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 getting around polesitting teammate Ian Porter in the similar No. 68 RAFA Toyota for a lead which he wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the race. 


 

The Brazilian scored his fourth GSX win of the year by 3.122 seconds over Chris Walsh, who won the Bronze Cup in class in his debut weekend with the No. 22 TWOth Autosport Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS. Like Adelson, Walsh also hailed the Porsche’s pace in the wet.


 

“It was definitely very slippery,” said Porto, who had rain experience on Mid-Ohio’s old surface but not this one. “With the new pavement, they completely changed the lines. So it was pretty tough for me as well adapting for what knowledge that I had, but not get so stuck with that information and try different things.”


 

Saturday winner Steven Clemons finished third in the No. 76 BSI Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, bouncing back after a spin after Porter contacted him and was assessed a drive-through for incident responsibility.


 

The VP Racing SportsCar Challenge season continues with Round 4, Races 7 and 8 from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park as part of the Chevrolet Grand Prix weekend, July 11-13.

 

Lewis Subs, Stars En Route to VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Saturday Win at Mid-Ohio

Fill-In Veteran Secures P3 Victory; Walker Wins GTDX; Clemons Captures GSX


 


 

June 7, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Race Results

 

LEXINGTON, Ohio - IMSA veteran Corey Lewis played a fill-in role to perfection in Saturday’s first of two 45-minute IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge races at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.


 

Lewis, substituting for the injured Matthew Dicken in the No. 36 RAFA Racing Ligier JS P320 won his first race in the Le Mans Prototype 3 (P3) class. Dicken stood down with a shoulder injury and Lewis, Dicken’s longtime co-driver, filled in to capture the win.


 

He finished second on the road to Oscar Tunjo in the No. 31 Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports Duqueine D08, but took the top spot at the checkered flag as Tunjo was assessed a 10-second post-race time penalty for a false start at the initial green flag, changing columns. 


 

“It was a case of making our way through the day over the long run,” Lewis said. “We knew (Oscar) had the 10-second penalty post-race. Just grateful to be in the No. 36; obviously this one goes out to Matt Dicken. Wish he was in the car racing and he would have done a great job.” 


 

The race in P3 appeared to belong to the polesitting Valentino Catalano in the No. 30 Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports Duqueine D08 who led the opening 19 laps, but intermittent mechanical woes after the second race restart slowed his progress.


 

Catalano checked up heading into Turn 2, the Keyhole, on Lap 20 where both Tunjo and Lewis made it past. Catalano eventually fell down the order to eighth overall, fourth in P3 at the checkered flag behind Bronze Cup winner Brian Thienes in the No. 77 Forte Racing Ligier JS P320.

The Grand Touring Daytona X (GTDX) race was a straightforward affair as Turner Motorsport captured a pair of wins with its two BMW M4 GT3s. 


 

Jake Walker led flag-to-flag from pole for his third straight GTDX win in the No. 6 Turner BMW, with a key pass on Thienes earlier in the race helping to gap several of his GTDX competitors. 


 

“I tried to make the most out of creating a gap by putting a car in between me and just one more car than the other competitors would have to pass,” Walker explained. “But you know, it's awesome racing against these guys. There’s some really fantastic drivers. I can't thank BMW and Turner much more enough for just a fantastic car again.”


 

Walker won by 3.661 seconds over points leader AJ Muss, who scored his fifth straight GTDX podium in the No. 66 Af Corse Ferrari 296 GT3. Adam Adelson in the No. 24 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R was third, ahead of Bronze Cup winner Vin Barletta in the No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3. 


 

In Grand Sport X (GSX), Steven Clemons finally broke through for his first win of the season in the No. 76 BSI Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 over Kiko Porto.


 

Porto qualified fastest but was sent to the rear for an infraction found in post-qualifying technical inspection. Undeterred, the driver of the No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota embarked on a mission through the 11-car GSX class field. 


 

Clemons inherited the pole and started ahead of Porto’s teammate Ian Porter in the No. 68 RAFA Racing Toyota. Chris Walsh started third in the No. 22 TWOth Autosport Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS.


 

Porto climbed seven spots to fourth by the first full-course caution of the race on Lap 5 following debris on course from an incident between two other GSX class cars. That positioned him right behind the leading trio for the restart, and two quick moves in the next green flag stanza got him to second behind Clemons ahead of the second restart with just under 20 minutes remaining. But Porto was unable to save enough of his tires and mount a pass on Clemons, ending 1.124 seconds behind at the checkered flag. Porter was third, banking another podium and scoring the GSX Bronze Cup win. 


 

“I was glad to run it home, flag-to-flag,” Clemons said. “I think we finally were able to pull through what we weren't able to in Daytona. The team was able to set up a really good car. I think we were able to just put it all together.


 

“I figured towards the end of the race, both of our tires were gonna be equally shot at the end. So I was not completely worried, but it was in the back of my mind, but just looking through the windshield.”


 

Porto recapped his comeback drive: “It was definitely a blast coming from the back. I destroyed the tires. But this is part of the situation that it had to be. I tried to put some moves together, but I definitely left it all on the table. (Clemons) definitely saved a little bit more of the tire.” 


 

Sunday’s second race of the weekend, Race 6 of the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge season, goes green at 9:00 a.m. ET. Coverage begins at 8:55 a.m. ET on Peacock in the U.S. and globally via IMSA’s Official YouTube channel and IMSA.TV. 

 

 

Merrill, Wittmer Secure Michelin Pilot Challenge Mid-Ohio Poles

New Team, New Track Record in the Spotlight Saturday Ahead of O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio

 

June 7, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Qualifying Results


 

LEXINGTON, Ohio – Thomas Merrill (Grand Sport, GS) and Karl Wittmer (Touring Car, TCR) will start from the front of their respective classes for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge headliner race, the O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.


 

Merrill used a late-session flyer in his No. 14 AR Motorsports Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS to secure the top spot in GS, at a 1 minute, 26.331 seconds (94.158 mph) to beat previous pacesetter Paul Holton in his No. 46 Team TGM Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO by 0.115 of a second.


 

The Portland-area based AR Motorsports team is new to IMSA – Merrill and co-driver David Hampton debuted in the series at Merrill’s home track of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca – and to score a pole in only its second Michelin Pilot Challenge race came as something of a surprise to the IMSA veteran, who’s raced a variety of different cars and classes over his career.


 

“Mostly in clear track we got the lap,” Merrill explained. “We struggled early; we're pitted all the way at the back of pit lane so we had to get creative on finding some clear track. 


 

“But what can I say about this AR Motorsports crew being brand new to IMSA? This is only the second race for this team and it's an unbelievable result. The boys have been working their tails off to give us a really good race car and I know David's really excited to get started tomorrow.”


 

Hampton has gained extensive seat time this weekend racing in both the Michelin Pilot Challenge and the pair of IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge 45-minute races in a similar No. 14 Porsche. Merrill would traditionally have Hampton qualify, but the four-hour format Sunday provides the team some strategic options – particularly if it rains as expected. 


 

“Me being in qualifying is definitely a new wrinkle,” Merrill laughed. “I normally don't qualify, so that part was pretty fun. I had to make sure we took advantage of it, right? But we'll see where we put David in there somewhere in the middle and it looks like rain, so it could get pretty exciting.”


 

Holton will share No. 46 Aston Martin with Matt Plumb, who remains in search of a record-breaking 25th Michelin Pilot Challenge victory that would break a tie with Billy Johnson.


 

The No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 EVO of Dillon Machavern and Francis Selldorff, which has had strong pace all weekend, starts third. The point-leading No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS of Jan Heylen and Luca Mars will roll off eighth.


 

Wittmer Breaks His Own TCR Track Record With New One

In Touring Car (TCR), Karl Wittmer showcased Honda’s pace at a track very important to the manufacturer, one of its home venues. The Canadian set a new lap record in qualifying in TCR in his No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR, 1 minute, 26.747 seconds (93.706 mph), a lap that was quicker than all but five GS class cars.


 

Wittmer will share his car with LP Montour and Dai Yoshihara ahead of Sunday’s race; he broke his own record of 1 minute, 27.103 (93.323 mph) set last year.


 

“It's Honda's proving ground, right? So, can't thank MMG enough, just seeing how the car has delivered,” Wittmer said. “I just sent it into Turn 1 and then my confidence built up, and I just, you know, strung it along and, next thing you know, I had a lap on the on the board I was happy with.” 


 

The No. 98 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Harry Gottsacker and qualifying driver Mason Filippi was second, 0.306 of a second in arrears, with the similar Hyundai – the No. 99 Victor Gonzalez Racing Team entry of Eric Powell and Tyler Gonzalez – in third.


 

The points-leading No. 76 BHA Hyundai of Preston Brown and Denis Dupont qualified 11th. That pair seeks its third straight four-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge race win, after also winning at Mid-Ohio last year and Daytona’s BMW M Endurance Challenge this year.


 

Sunday’s race goes green at noon ET on Peacock domestically and globally, ad-free courtesy of Michelin, on the IMSA Official YouTube channel. 

 

O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio Friday Practice Notebook

Three IMSA Series; Ohio's Home Drivers and Those Heading from Ohio to France


 

June 6, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

IMPC Practice 1 Results

VPRC Combined Practice Results

MX-5 Combined Practice Results

 

LEXINGTON, Ohio – Although rain threatened to interrupt proceedings Friday at the 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, three IMSA-sanctioned series completed five largely clean practice sessions Friday to kick off the O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio weekend. The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge headlines the weekend with its second four-hour race of the schedule. 


 

Practice Notes


 

BMW entries went 1-2 in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport (GS) class practice, with the No. 39 CarBahn with Peregrine racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO of Jeff Westphal ahead of the No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 EVO of Francis Selldorff. Westphal’s best time was 1 minute, 26.471 seconds (94.005 mph) and a full 0.343 of a second clear of Selldorff. The No. 44 Ibiza Farm Motorsports McLaren Artura GT4 was third.


 

The No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR paced the Touring Car (TCR) class with LP Montour driving. The Honda set a best time of 1 minute, 27.017 seconds (93.416 mph) and ranked seventh among all 38 cars competing this weekend.


 

One red flag flew for the No. 2 GS class entry in the session, off course at Turn 5. For causing the red flag, that car will lose its fastest lap turned during qualifying on Saturday. 

 

In IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, Corey Lewis was fastest in P3 in Practice 1 with Oscar Tunjo leading Practice 2. Lewis, substituting for an injured Matthew Dicken, topped Practice 1 at 1 minute, 19.287 seconds (102.523 mph) in the No. 36 RAFA Racing Ligier JS P320. Tunjo beat that in the No. 31 Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports Duqueine D08 at a quicker 1 minute, 18.028 seconds (104.177 mph) that stood as the fastest lap of the day. 


 

AJ Muss (No. 66 Af Corse Ferrari 296 GT3) and Jake Walker (No. 6 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3) led the two GTDX sessions while Kiko Porto (No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2) topped both GSX sessions. 


 

Grant West (No. 50 Spark Performance) and Tyler Gonzalez (No. 57 BSI Racing) led the two Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Michelin practice sessions.

 

Ohio’s Hometown Drivers and Teams


 

The standalone IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio serves as a home race for several drivers in the 38-car field. 


 

In GS, Zach Veach (No. 16 CSM Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS) and Patrick Gallagher (No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 EVO) get to compete not far from their hometowns of Stockdale and Thornville, respectively. 


 

Veach has raced at Mid-Ohio in a plethora of series, from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (he finished second in GTD in a Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 in 2021) to several open-wheel junior series on the way up to the IndyCar series. He’s known CSM team co-owner Stephen Simpson for well over a decade; in fact, Veach made his WeatherTech Championship debut standing in for Simpson at the 2015 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca event, co-driving with Misha Goikhberg in the Prototype Challenge class. 


 

For Gallagher, an Ohio State University graduate with an engineering degree who got to watch his hometown Buckeyes capture the college football national championship in January in Atlanta in-between the Roar Before the Rolex 24 and Rolex 24 At Daytona, it’s an extra special venue to compete at.  


 

“Excited to be racing here at Mid-Ohio, my home race,” Gallagher reflected. “I’m an instructor at The Mid-Ohio School. Have done some teen schools, racing schools and other programs they offer. I have a lot of family and friends from just down the road in Thornville. Grew up and been coming here my whole life. Always love racing at home.”  


 

They’re not alone among Ohio locals racing here. In TCR, the father-daughter duo of Larry and Riley Pegram hail from Hebron, Ohio; they’ll race in the No. 72 Pegram Racing Hyundai Elantra N TCR. 

Honda’s manufacturing facility in Marysville, Ohio isn’t far from here either, and this track serves as a home race for longtime competitors HART – or Honda of America Racing Team – and drivers Chad Gilsinger (Marysville) and Tyler Chambers (Columbus). Gilsinger noted more than 20 people from HART will be here this weekend, a handful of whom are experiencing an IMSA weekend for a first time within the team’s internal development ladder.


 

Wright Motorsports, a multi-time IMSA champion which races this weekend in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, is also based in Batavia, Ohio, a Cincinnati suburb. This marks the first time that Adam Adelson, who acquired the team from John Wright in late 2024 before it was formally announced in April 2025, gets to race a Wright car at the team’s home track since the purchase was announced.

 

Le Mans-Bound from Mid-Ohio


 

Five IMSA drivers racing this weekend will head straight from Ohio to Le Mans, France to compete at the Circuit de la Sarthe, although none will be in the 24 Hours of Le Mans itself.


 

Ford Performance Junior Team drivers Jenson Altzman and Sam Paley will compete as part of the Mustang Invitational, which has a pair of races. Altzman and Paley continue their Michelin Pilot Challenge GS season in the No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Racing with Aerosport Ford Mustang GT4; Altzman’s year has also included his first two IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starts in Ford’s GT3 car, the No. 66 Gradient Racing Ford Mustang GT3.

As noted a little over a month ago, there’s also a handful of IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge drivers competing in the Michelin Le Mans Cup’s Road to Le Mans race. The Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports duo of Valentino Catalano and Oscar Tunjo will race separately in a pair of Duqueine D08 chassis this weekend (Nos. 30 and 31, respectively), then share the team’s No. 70 Duqueine D09 Toyota in France. Samantha Tan will be in the No. 38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3 in Mid-Ohio, then will race the No. 38 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 in the Road to Le Mans with Gustav Bergstrom.


 

Saturday Schedule

 

VP Racing Challenge teams qualify Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m., with GSX out first and then GTDX and P3 combined at 9:50 a.m. Race 1 is at 2 p.m., streaming on Peacock and IMSA’s Official YouTube channel.


 

Michelin Pilot Challenge teams go out for a one-hour Practice 2 at 10:55 a.m. with Qualifying later Saturday afternoon. TCR is out first at 4:10 p.m. with GS following at 4:30 p.m. 

 

 

 

Relentless van der Zande Takes Detroit Win for Acura

Respect Rampant Among GTP Drivers After Hard Fought Battle


 

May 31, 2025

By John Oreovicz

IMSA Wire Service

Race Results

 

DETROIT – It’s a common cliché in motor racing that things can change quickly. Just ask Felipe Nasr. Or Ricky Taylor.


 

Even better, ask Renger van der Zande, who guided the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 from third to first in the last 13 minutes of the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic, a 100-minute ‘sprint’ race for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on the streets of downtown Detroit. 


 

After taking the lead from the No. 93 Acura – in which Nick Yelloly claimed the Motul Pole Award – during pit stops, Nasr appeared to be heading to the fourth Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class and overall race win in five 2025 starts in the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport he shares with Nick Tandy. It would have also kept alive Porsche Penske Motorsport’s pursuit of perfect season with a fifth win in as many races.


 

Taylor, seeking the first victory of the season for himself, co-driver Filipe Albuquerque and Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing, tenaciously pursued Nasr while wheeling the No. 10 Cadillac V-Series.R and forced the American machine into the lead with a little under a quarter-hour to go. Nasr got freight-trained, because van der Zande and Mathieu Jaminet (No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963) also slipped past to demote the No. 7 to fourth place.


 

Then things changed again as van der Zande passed Taylor for the win with just four minutes left. The No. 93 Acura led the final three laps and crossed the line 0.947 seconds ahead of the Cadillac, with Jaminet and Nasr taking third and fourth places for Porsche.


 

It was the first win of the season for Acura, which returned to and also expanded its partnership with the Meyer Shank team this year. 


 

Van der Zande knows Ricky Taylor and his brother Jordan well, having driven for Wayne Taylor Racing from 2018-20 driving alongside Jordan for two seasons (2018-’19). He wasn’t surprised that Ricky made the forceful (and successful) move on Nasr. He also knows Cadillac well, having driven for them from 2018 through 2024 for both WTR and Chip Ganassi Racing.


 

“Man, I loved it!” van der Zande said. “I saw them going after each other and I think the Porsche in front (the No. 7) had a bit of an issue or burned its tires too much. I know Ricky – Ricky goes for it, right? He’s the nicest guy out of the car, but in the car, you need to watch out for the guy. He was going for it, and I was like, ‘Game on. Let’s see.’”


 

But van der Zande is also a man known for going for it. 


 

“Renger being Renger, he makes it happen,” Taylor observed. 


 

And sure enough, the Dutchman delivered a race-winning move. Taylor was unable to respond.


 

“I was very strong every time in Turn 1, and he had some traffic,” van der Zande said. “I thought, ‘If I’m going to have a chance, it’s going to be in Turn 1.’ I asked the team, and they said, ‘Go for it.’


 

“He had a weaker exit out of the last corner, and just, boom – I went for it. Hey, when you have to go for it, you have to go for it. When I made the pass for the win, I was excited in the car, like a little child. It’s really cool and I enjoyed it.”


 

It all added up to van der Zande’s 22nd career victory in IMSA competition, his first since his Cadillac swansong with the Ganassi-prepared entry at last year’s Motul Petit Le Mans season finale. 


 

Yelloly now owns a pair of wins, although this marked his first on the road after moving up to win the 2023 Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen with BMW M Team RLL after post-race technical inspection.


 

“I knew if Renger had a sniff, he’d be able to do it,” Yelloly said. “We’ve had great pace in the car, and it seemed to come alive even more at the end there. Just a great job with a couple of great moves. We got what we deserved this weekend.”


 

Taylor didn’t allow himself to be too disappointed after securing Cadillac’s 100th podium finish since it began competing in IMSA’s top class in 2017.


 

“I thought I had a big enough buffer, but he caught me by surprise with a late move,” Taylor admitted. “At the end of the day, I think the best car won.”


 

Porsche continues to dominate the GTP point standings, with Nasr and Tandy unofficially holding a 70-point cushion over teammates Campbell and Jaminet. The No. 24 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 and drivers Dries Vanthoor and Philipp Eng rank third, 297 points off the lead.


 

The next event for many IMSA drivers (including 18 of the 22 GTP drivers that raced at Detroit) and several teams is the 24 Hours of Le Mans, set to run June 14-15 at the Circuit de la Sarthe in France. The next Round of the WeatherTech Championship occurs just one week later with the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, the third of five rounds in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup.
 

Ford Mustang GT3 Finds GTD PRO Victory Lane in Detroit

Mustang Emerges from Race-Long Battle Against Corvette


 

May 31, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Race Results

 

DETROIT – In a fairly straightforward but still intense fight, Ford prevailed against crosstown rivals Chevrolet in a battle for Motor City GT supremacy in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic.


 

The No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 started from the pole position in the hands of Seb Priaulx before he handed off to Mike Rockenfeller. The car led 55 of 81 laps in the 100-minute race, the fourth round of the season for the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class. Rockenfeller controlled the pace against Alexander Sims’ No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R.


 

Most of the 11-car GTD PRO field pitted within the opening 30 minutes, but the Corvette team attempted to overcut the track position against the No. 64 Ford by running long and maximizing a shorter pit stop. 


 

Sims took over from Antonio Garcia who pitted 29 minutes into the race after no tire change and an energy replenishment, matching the strategy the No. 64 car employed. Sims emerged third on track behind Rockenfeller in second, with the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 leading but due a stop after being off-sequence courtesy of an earlier drive-through penalty assessed for incident responsibility.


 

After a restart following a full-course caution for debris, Sims got within a few tenths of a second of Rockenfeller but fell back to 1.623 seconds behind at the checkered flag.


 

It’s Priaulx’s third WeatherTech Championship win, and first since winning with AO Racing in Detroit in 2024. Coincidentally, this win also stopped AO’s win streak across both WeatherTech Championship GT classes – the last two GTD PRO races in Sebring and Monterey and the sandwiched GTD win in Long Beach – and returned Ford to the top step of the podium for the first time since the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona when the sister No. 65 car of Dennis Olsen, Frederic Vervisch and Christopher Mies won.


 

Bragging rights are often a topic of conversation around the Ford-Chevrolet rivalry in Detroit, although Rockenfeller – who won his sixth WeatherTech Championship race and first since winning with Corvette Racing at the 2017 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring – had some good one-liners in the post-race press conference.


 

“I had the feeling that I'm in a Ford city,” Rockenfeller laughed.


 

“I know there’s the GM battle, but we are racing everybody. It’s definitely great to have GM behind us. And clearly, I think you all know that this is a big fight between the two brands and clearly we are happy today.”


 

Garcia was left to ponder both he and Sims staring too much at the Ford’s rear wing, although he and Sims scored their third GTD PRO podium in four starts this season with a strong drive forward and great pit stop to leap from eighth on the grid.


 

"I think we played it very good. It is difficult to stay calm and make the moves and so on. But yeah, I just tried to be smart,” Garcia explained. “Probably at times I lost positions, but then I got them back and from that point on, I think I knew how to play it. So, saving fuel, and relying on all the practice we did in the pits. So, I think that's where we really jumped everyone also, on the stop. 


 

“It's a shame that we were behind the 64 for over an hour. We couldn't really pass that car so that's a long time following that one. But with after all that happened yesterday, I think I we can be happy with this.”


 

Also happy? Pfaff Motorsports, who secured their first podium of 2025 in third with its new chariot: the No. 9 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, shared by Andrea Caldarelli and Marco Mapelli. The plaid Lamborghini showed strong pace all weekend and emerged ahead of the rest of the runners, who all went through some degree of incident at some point. 


 

The No. 14 Lexus of Aaron Telitz and Jack Hawksworth started last, had the incident responsibility drive-through, crew members jumping over the wall before a second stop for another drive-through, and still finished fourth.


 

Post-race time penalties were assessed to the No. 77 AO Porsche and No. 4 Corvette, which collided on the final lap to drop to fifth and sixth. The second Multimatic Mustang, second Vasser Sullivan Lexus, both Paul Miller Racing BMWs and the DragonSpeed Ferrari all went through a battle-scarred street fight in Detroit.


 

Although AO’s pair of Laurin Heinrich and Klaus Bachler finished fifth, they still will hold a slim championship lead over Garcia and Sims.


 

The WeatherTech Championship resumes with the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday, June 22, at noon ET, live on NBC. 

 

Acura Snaps Porsche Win Streak in Detroit IMSA Thriller

Tense GTP Battle Goes to Acura Ahead of Cadillac; Ford Beats Corvette in GTD PRO


 

May 31, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Unofficial Results

 

DETROIT – A 100-minute Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic went through a litany of late-race twists and turns where any of three different manufacturers could have won the fifth race of the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.


 

First Porsche appeared in control, then Cadillac charged to the front. But at the finish, the pendulum wound up swinging back to the Motul Pole Award-winning No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-06 for the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and overall victory.


 

With just over three minutes remaining, Renger van der Zande made a bold move to the inside of Ricky Taylor’s No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R at the left-hand Turn 1, one of the narrowest corners on the 1.645-mile, nine-turn street circuit encircling the Renaissance Center.


 

It was the second bold pass for the lead in under 15 minutes, with Taylor having moved to the inside of previous leader Felipe Nasr, in the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963, at another tight corner, the right-handed Turn 4.


 

Nasr lost momentum through losing the position on that move, which allowed a decisive van der Zande and the other Porsche of Mathieu Jaminet through for position.


 

Taylor had the lead ahead of van der Zande, Jaminet and Nasr. But as the GTP leaders cycled through Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class traffic, van der Zande appeared to carve through slightly better. Once he made the move, he extended the lead to 0.947 of a second by the end of the 84-lap race ahead of Taylor, with Jaminet third. 


 

Van der Zande shared the winning car with Nick Yelloly, and in the process became the first GTP polesitters to win from pole since Meyer Shank Racing did so at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2023.


 

GTD PRO was only slightly less eventful for the class win, with the second Motul Pole Award-winning entry of the day also following through to win the race. Seb Priaulx and Mike Rockenfeller shared the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 en route to the win by 1.623 seconds over the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims.


 

There was quite a bit of action behind them as the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 finished third. Late-race contact between the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R and No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R put them back behind the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3, which started last, incurred two in-race penalties and still finished fourth.

 

Unofficial Results, Points & Post-Race Nuggets | WeatherTech Championship

Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic

Detroit Street Course - Saturday, May 31, 2025

Unofficial race results available at results.imsa.com.


 

Unofficial points available at pitnotes.org/points.

GTP

No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian

  • 19th IMSA class win
  • Previous win was at 2023 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta 
  • Fourth GTP class win
  • First win in first start at Detroit Street Course
  • First IMSA class win in 2025
  • First win for the HRC-engineered car No. 93
  • First GTP car to win from pole since CTMP 2023, 16 races since (also Meyer Shank Racing; Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun drove)
  • Second consecutive win at Detroit for Acura (Wayne Taylor Racing in 2024)


 

Renger van der Zande

  • 39 years old from Dodewaard, Netherlands
  • 22nd IMSA class win in 119th start
  • Last win was at 2024 Petit Le Mans in GTP
  • First win at Detroit Street Course in second start
  • Previous best finish at Detroit Street Course was 3rd in 2024 in GTP
  • Fifth win in Detroit; four previous wins on Detroit Belle Isle (PC – 2015, 2016; DPi – 2021, 2022)


 

Nick Yelloly

  • 35 years old from Solihull, England
  • Second IMSA class win in 26th start
  • Last win was at 2023 Watkins Glen in GTP
  • First Detroit Street Course in second start
  • Previous best finish at Detroit Street Course was 10th in 2024 in GTP


 

GTD PRO

No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports

  • 9th IMSA class win
  • Last win was at the 2025 Rolex 24 with car No. 65
  • Second IMSA class win in GTD PRO for Multimatic Motorsports
  • First IMSA class win at Detroit Street Course
  • Previous best finish at Detroit Street Course was 6th 2024 GTD PRO with car No. 65
  • Second IMSA class win in 2025, first for car No. 64


 

Mike Rockenfeller

  • 42 years old from Neuwied, Germany
  • Sixth IMSA class win in 90th start
  • Last win was at the 2017 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in GTLM (Corvette Racing)
  • First win at Detroit Street Course in second start
  • Previous best finish at Detroit Street Course was 11th in 2024 in GTD PRO


 

Seb Priaulx

  • 24 years old from Northampton, UK
  • Third IMSA class win in 22nd start
  • Last win was last year at Detroit Street Course with AO Racing
  • Second consecutive win at Detroit Street Course

 

Practice 3 Results


 

Qualifying Results


 

Practice 2 Results

Practice 1 Results


 

Additional results are available at results.imsa.com.

 

Yelloly Scrapes To Detroit Pole for Acura

Pair of Acuras Lead Pair of BMWs Ahead of Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic


 

May 30, 2025

By John Oreovicz

IMSA Wire Service

Starting Grid

 

DETROIT – BMW and Porsche dominated the headlines for the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class in the first four races of the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. But Acura stole the limelight in qualifying for Round 5 - the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic.


 

Nick Yelloly uncorked a series of laps that would have been good enough for the Motul Pole Award in the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06, culminating in a 1 minute, 5.762 second (90.052 mph) effort. That earned the 34-year-old Englishman his first career pole in WeatherTech Championship competition and puts him and co-driver Renger van der Zande in the absolute best starting spot for Saturday’s 100-minute race on the 1.645-mile street course.


 

Tom Blomqvist added to the joy for Acura and MSR by placing the team’s No. 60 Acura ARX-06 entry he shares with Colin Braun on the outside of the front row with the only other sub-66-second lap in the 15-minute qualifying session (1:05.908, 89.852 mph). 


 

BMW M Team RLL, which took pole position for all four WeatherTech Championship races this year, swept the second row, with Sheldon van der Linde in the No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8 outqualifying Dries Vanthoor in the identical No. 24 car for the first time in 2025. 


 

Yelloly is the only one of the top four qualifying drivers who raced at Detroit in 2024, with Blomqvist, van der Linde and Vanthoor all making their downtown Detroit debuts. 


 

With passing expected to be difficult within the track’s narrow confines, qualifying might have been the most important aspect of the Detroit weekend. The pole boosted Yelloly’s confidence that he and Acura can break Porsche Penske Motorsport’s four-race win streak.


 

“Pole is the best place to start at any street circuit; it usually makes your life quite a bit easier,” Yelloly remarked. “Super happy to get my first pole in IMSA. We’ve been working very hard as a team to make sure we get everything right, chipping away week after week. We go from strength to strength every weekend, and it just keeps getting better and better. 


 

“At a street circuit, you can’t just bang in one lap, because you’ll probably make a mistake,” he added. “You kind of need to edge closer to the limit. I knew I’d done a relatively good lap already and knew I had two laps to go at the end. I put it, let’s say, all on the line and rubbed the wall a few times, but it was just enough to get that pole.”


 

It was the first pole for the Meyer Shank team since the WeatherTech Championship race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in July 2023. That was also the last time the polesitter won the GTP class race. 


 

Meyer Shank Racing’s last front row sweep in IMSA’s top class came at the 2008 Rolex 24 At Daytona. 


 

Yelloly took pride on the light scrape marks on the side of the No. 93 Acura and the sidewalls of its Michelin tires.


 

“Every lap here you’re edging to the limit, and if you get the limit just right, you’ll rub the wall,” he said. “I checked the bodywork, and it’s literally just a scrape, and there’s a little mark on the tire. That usually means you’ve done a decent lap, so I’m happy with my little painting on the side of the car.”


 

Porsche Penske Motorsport continued the team-by-team aspect of the Detroit grid by sweeping the third row, with GTP points leaders Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr lining up sixth. Cadillacs filled the next three positions. Tandy and Nasr’s No. 7 Porsche and both Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing entries went into qualifying knowing they’d lose their fastest qualifying laps after bringing out red flags in the two practice sessions held earlier Friday.


 

Strategic variations are likely to be few in the 100-minute “sprint” race, with most teams expected to run the event with a single pit stop for energy and a driver change, only taking tires if circumstances permit.


 

“It’s going to be important to pull out a gap, whether through traffic or just on pace, and nail that driver change,” Yelloly said. “The people starting further back will probably roll the dice more than the people starting at the front.”


 

A final 20-minute practice session is available to WeatherTech Championship competitors Saturday morning. Flag-to-flag coverage of the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic starts at 3:30 p.m. ET on Peacock (U.S.) and IMSA’s YouTube channel (international). 

Ford Sweeps GTD PRO Front Row for Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic

Priaulx Leads Mies in Mustang 1-2, Team’s Second of Season


 

May 30, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Starting Grid

 

DETROIT – In a race where Chevrolet’s “Bowtie” looms large atop GM’s Renaissance Center situated in the middle of the downtown street circuit, crosstown rivals Ford’s “Blue Oval” have the best Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) starting positions for Saturday’s Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic. The pair of Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3s swept the front row in qualifying for the fourth round of the 2025 GTD PRO season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the only 100-minute street course sprint race for the class.

 

Seb Priaulx fired his No. 64 Ford Mustang GT3 around Detroit’s tricky but short 1.654-mile street course with a best time of 1 minute, 10.922 seconds (83.500 mph). Priaulx led teammate Christopher Mies by 0.329 of a second as times began to tumble in the 15-minute qualifying session, with most of the 10-car field steadily improving every lap.

 

However, the gains came to an end for most following an incident for the No. 81 car that lost control exiting Turn 3, hitting the Turn 4 concrete barrier. IMSA officials red-flagged the session with less than one minute remaining of the 10-minute guaranteed green flag time, bringing the field to the pits before an ultimate restart for a singular lap to fulfill that time. With no one able to improve, the grid was essentially set by what occurred before the red flag.

 

Pole and a front-row lockout for Ford – their second of the season after also doing so at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January, also with the No. 64 car on pole – was particularly important to Priaulx and the Dearborn-based manufacturer. Priaulx will share his car with Mike Rockenfeller.

 

“For sure, you know Flat Rock (Michigan, where the Mustang assembly plant is located) is just down the road so it feels like I’m on my home soil here,” said Priaulx, who won his second career WeatherTech Championship pole (2024 Rolex 24, also in GTD PRO) and was part of the winning GTD PRO entry in Detroit last year (aboard the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R).

 

“It’s amazing. I’m really happy, the team gave me a great car today. It’s a great start to hopefully a great weekend. I know around here, a street track, you have to be aware that it’s going to go red at some point. I was really pushing hard. I knew I had to get past the Ferrari. That lap, I felt like I had to get it in.

 

“I mean ‘round here, we have a big car so hopefully we can keep our doors wide open. I felt like our race pace was really strong, so it’s just head down and look forward and we’re in the best space to win. We just need to get the flag now.”

 

Mies and co-driver Frederic Vervisch will roll off second in the No. 65 Mustang. Entering the weekend, the No. 65 pair sat fourth in the GTD PRO championship standings (107 points behind leading entry) and the No. 64 duo were seventh (156 points back).

 

The No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 qualified third, but will be moved to the rear of the field following post-qualifying technical inspection which found the car to have ground clearance less than the minimum allowed. That brings the pair of Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVOs – the No. 1 of Neil Verhagen qualifying ahead of the No. 48 of Dan Harper – up to third and fourth, with the best of the Corvettes, Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R, in fifth.

 

The championship-leading No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R, qualified by Klaus Bachler, will start seventh – one spot ahead of their closest championship rivals, the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Antonio Garcia, in eighth. The AO Porsche, the defending Detroit winners and winners of three straight WeatherTech Championship races across both GT classes, leads the No. 3 Corvette by 70 points entering the weekend.

 

Teams have a 20-minute final practice session at 10:35 a.m. ET Saturday before flag-to-flag coverage of the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic begins at 3:30 p.m. on Peacock (internationally via IMSA.TV and IMSA Official YouTube channel).


 

Teams have a 20-minute Practice 3 at 10:35 a.m. ET Saturday before flag-to-flag coverage of the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic begins at 3:30 p.m. on Peacock (internationally via IMSA.TV and IMSA Official YouTube channel).

 

Qualifying Results | WeatherTech Championship

Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic

Detroit Street Course - Friday, May 30, 2025

Qualifying Results


 

Practice 2 Results

Practice 1 Results


 

Additional results are available at results.imsa.com.

 

Practice Results | WeatherTech Championship

Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic

Detroit Street Course - Friday, May 30, 2025

Practice 2 Results

Practice 1 Results

 

Practice Results | WeatherTech Championship

Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic

Detroit Street Course - Friday, May 30, 2025

Practice 1 Results


 

Additional results are available at results.imsa.com.

 

As A Decade Passes, Memories Last for Past IMSA Winners at Le Mans 

Bamber, Tandy and Jordan Taylor Celebrate 10-Year Anniversary of 2015 Wins This Year


 

June 13, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The only problem when talking with drivers about historic, memorable moments from their past is the realization in the present that we’re not as young as we used to be.


 

When the question was posed to IMSA veterans Earl Bamber, Nick Tandy and Jordan Taylor that in 2025, they’d all be celebrating the 10-year anniversary of either their overall or class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans they achieved in 2015, the initial responses were similar.


 

“Yes, sadly. You’re making me feel old, mate!” Bamber laughed.


 

Tandy, one of Bamber’s co-drivers that day added, “Yeah, bloody hell, right that was a long time ago.”


 

And Taylor, who scored a class win back then, agreed. “It's hard to believe it was 10 years ago; it makes you feel a little older than I want to!” 


 

It’s a testament to these three drivers’ enduring presence in endurance sports car racing as some of the most successful, recognizable stars of their generation now in their mid-to-late 30s that they are still at the top of their game. But it’s fascinating to look back a decade ago.


 

Tandy and Bamber were, in many respects, longshots when they combined with Formula 1 driver Nico Hulkenberg to win what was Porsche’s 17th overall victory in aboard their No. 19 Porsche 919 Hybrid, the team’s third car in the Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1) top class (above and below photos courtesy Porsche Newsroom archive).


 

Tandy and Bamber were burgeoning GT aces-turned-new prototype drivers, which a decade later seems prescient as some of the first drivers of their era to make that move. Most top-class prototype manufacturers have developed prototype drivers from their internal GT pipeline. 


 

Taylor was a third driver, sharing the No. 64 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R in GTE PRO with Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner in what proved to be the lone Corvette that started after an accident in practice that sidelined the sister No. 63 car. 


 

Two moments from this trio stand out years later: Tandy’s epic overnight stint behind the wheel and Taylor’s efforts to enhance his co-drivers, while also providing sometimes tense, sometimes humorous social media snapshots in real-time. Both prevailed. 

“It was a great time of my life with the 919, honestly,” Tandy reflected. “You know, it was our second race with the with the car. And obviously we'd done quite a fair bit of testing, but it was still kind of a new car to us. But eventually, a car becomes an extension of yourself and you know, that's when you know you can do anything with it. 


 

“During that race, it was like myself and that machine just became one. It was a really nice time to be driving a race car and racing a race out there in the dark by myself, you know, not much radio chatter, knowing you're gonna be out there for three, three and half hours. trying to win the most important race in the world.”


 

Taylor’s GT win with Corvette came as charges primarily from AF Corse’s Ferraris fell by the wayside in the waning hours. It’d been four years since Corvette won Le Mans. As it turned out, this was the last Corvette win at Le Mans until 2023 when Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone shared the new Corvette C8.R in the final GTE-specification race there.


 

“It’s obviously good memories that I think back on, and still kind of hard to believe it all happened the way it did,” Taylor explained. “With us entering the race with only one car, everything just went our way. That’s kind of what you need at Le Mans, you need everything to kind of click and go your way and have some luck on your side.”


 

Fast forward 10 years to the present day of 2025, and all three have a chance to win in the top class of Hypercar, albeit in three different scenarios compared to 2015. Bamber starts best of the bunch in second, Tandy in fifth and Taylor in 14th in the top class.

Taylor enters with a family affair as he’ll race alongside brother Ricky and Filipe Albuquerque aboard the No. 101 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R (pictured left, courtesy Cadillac Racing).


 

It’ll be one of four Cadillacs in the race, along with fellow IMSA entry Cadillac Whelen (No. 311) and the pair of FIA World Endurance Championship-entered Nos. 12 and 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA cars. This is WTR’s first Le Mans appearance as a unit and they’ve not hid the need to lean on their Cadillac Racing teammates with past Le Mans experience. 


 

“Obviously, it's the team's first time there, so not just learning things on the track; it's all the logistics of getting there, getting the people there, understanding the rulesets, and obviously making a fast car,” Jordan Taylor explained. “There's a lot of a lot of hours going into it from the engineering side and from the team side. We're excited to be competing for an overall win and representing Cadillac and it's a huge stage. It's a ton of competition, but I think everyone's working toward battling for a podium.” 


 

Bamber has a somewhat unique perspective. The former Porsche pilot has raced the last two Le Mans with Cadillac Racing in the Chip Ganassi Racing-prepared entry and finished on the podium in 2023. He was set to test with his IMSA program, the No. 311 Whelen Cadillac on Le Mans test day but returned to his full-season FIA WEC No. 38 Jota Cadillac for Le Mans race week itself. Bamber has the bandwidth of understanding multiple Cadillac teams, all working towards a unified Cadillac Racing approach.


 

“The biggest goal for all of us is just that a Cadillac wins the race. That’s the most important thing is to get them on the top,” Bamber said. “Driving both programs this year provides us a lot of strengths. We have a great relationship simultaneously between the Whelen guys and the JOTA guys; we’ve got great collaboration and rapport with each other.”


 

But Tandy and Felipe Nasr enter on the precipice of history. Having won IMSA’s first two historic endurance races of the year, the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, they have a chance to become the first drivers ever to sweep the traditional endurance sports car racing “Triple Crown” with overall victories in all three races in the same year. 


 

They race in the No. 4 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 they’ll share with Pascal Wehrlein. Tandy and Nasr’s Daytona and Sebring teammate, Laurens Vanthoor, also has the same opportunity but in a different car, the team’s FIA WEC-entered No. 6 Porsche 963. 


 

“Looking back, it was just an amazing, life-changing weekend, honestly,” Tandy reflected on the 2015 Le Mans win. “Knowing how much it means from winning there before just makes you even more hungry to do it again.”

 

IMSA, ACO Confirm Extension of Strategic Alliance Through 2032

LE MANS, France and DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 13, 2025) – During today’s annual press conference preceding the 24 Hours of Le Mans, officials from the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) announced the extension of their strategic alliance, securing its continuation through at least the end of 2032.


 

The IMSA-ACO strategic alliance provides for three automatic invitations for each year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans for IMSA competitors. Effectively, IMSA provides one automatic entry in each of the three classes racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.


 

The championship-winning team in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class earns a Le Mans entry for the following year in the Hypercar class. The winner of the annual Jim Trueman Award for the top Bronze-rated driver in the WeatherTech Championship’s Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class earns a Le Mans entry for the following year in the LMP2 class.


 

Similarly, the winner of the Bob Akin Award for the top Bronze driver in the WeatherTech Championship Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class earns a spot in the next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMGT3 class.


 

This year’s automatic Le Mans entries from IMSA are the No. 4 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 shared by Nick Tandy, Felipe Nasr and Pascal Wehrlein in Hypercar; the No. 34 Inter Europol Competition ORECA LMP2 07 of Nick Boulle – the 2024 Jim Trueman Award winner and WeatherTech Championship LMP2 champion – being co-driven by Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer and Luca Ghiotto in the LMP2 class; and the No. 13 AWA Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R for 2024 Bob Akin Award winner Orey Fidani and co-drivers Matt Bell and Lars Kern in the LMGT3 class.


 

IMSA also will continue to hold exclusive rights in North America for the use of LMP2 and Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) race cars. As a component of the extension, IMSA will adopt the new LMP2 regulations announced by the ACO in Friday’s press conference. The new LMP2 cars are expected to begin competing in the WeatherTech Championship in 2028.


 

The agreement also allows IMSA to use “Le Mans” in the title of the annual 10-hour season WeatherTech Championship season finale – known as Motul Petit Le Mans – at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. 


 

IMSA and the ACO have been strategic partners since the launch of the modern-day IMSA at the beginning of the 2014 season, with formal links between the two organizations dating back for decades prior.


 

JOHN DOONAN, IMSA President: “The undeniable success that endurance sports car racing is currently experiencing all over the world is directly the result of the ongoing partnership between IMSA and the ACO. Together, we created technical platforms and regulations that have attracted an unprecedented number of manufacturers by ensuring relevance and budget practicality. The end result is a product that is clearly resonating with motorsport fans everywhere, as evidenced by the steady and continuous growth of our collective audience.”


 

PIERRE FILLON, ACO President: “Endurance racing is experiencing an unprecedented level of global success, and the alliance between the ACO and IMSA is at the very heart of this momentum. Over the past decade, we have built a common framework that aligns technical regulations, fosters manufacturer involvement, and ensures sustainable growth for our sport. Extending this partnership through 2032 provides long-term stability and a shared commitment to innovation, competition, and passion—values that define endurance racing and continue to inspire fans and stakeholders around the world.” 

 

“American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans” Captures Memories, Vibes of 2023 Garage 56 Experience 

Johnson and Rockenfeller Reflect On Le Mans Experience Two Years Later


 

June 12, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Premiering today, “American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans” on Prime Video captures and reveals the “lightning in a bottle” experience of the once-in-a-lifetime collaboration for the NASCAR Next Gen Garage 56 effort at the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans (photo right courtesy Prime Video, via Getty Images/NASCAR).


 

Drivers Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller and Jenson Button shared the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, a Hendrick Motorsports-prepared effort that brought NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France’s vision to compete at Le Mans to life. Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet, Goodyear and IMSA worked together to develop and execute the plan. Although a late transmission issue delayed them slightly, the car finished the race 39th overall and took the checkered flag. 


 

The Prime Video documentary that captured the experience serves as a time capsule for Johnson, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Rockenfeller, an overall race winner at both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Rolex 24 At Daytona and Button, the 2009 Formula 1 World Champion.


 

The Garage 56 effort was a unique blend for Johnson, given his extensive two decades of NASCAR experience, and Rockenfeller, given his prolific two decades in professional sports car racing. For starters, the documentary crew blended into the background as the week-plus at Le Mans progressed.


 

“Ordinarily when there’s a documentary crew, it can be kind of an irritation because you’re trying to work. You’re trying to win a race,” Johnson said. “And there was a different agenda with this project. I think it might be the most relaxed docu-style or honestly documentary series. The camera crews were there as we were trying to invite them in to show how unique this experience was, and all the work, effort and energy that went into it.”

For Rockenfeller, the Garage 56 effort (group photo of key personnel right, IMSA Photo) marked his 11th start in Le Mans, and one of his most special.


 

“Obviously I know the whole scenery, right? Nothing was unexpected, but to go there with this unique car, I was blown away by the reactions of everyone,” Rockenfeller said. 


 

“When I go somewhere in America, when I race in IMSA, there’s so many people with model cars, autograph cards and everything else, which is great.


 

“Here though it was so cool because I was, let’s say, one of the European drivers in this project but I was representing American racing abroad in my ‘not-country.’” 


 

Rockenfeller noted the size and scope of the project from his first sim day, and Johnson was keen to rely on his expertise as part of his own learning process.


 

“I saw all these partners … I’ve never seen so many people attending a sim session,” Rockenfeller laughed. 

Johnson knew the once-in-a-lifetime potential of the opportunity, not only to reunite with Hendrick Motorsports but also to race at Le Mans for the first time (photo left courtesy Team Chevy, via Getty Images/NASCAR).


 

“After my whole NASCAR career, we were all back together for that moment,” Johnson said. “We had the chance to develop the car with Rocky and (Wayne Taylor Racing driver) Jordan Taylor who had also come on board and were so thankful to them. 


 

“The experience we had, the friendship that grew from that, the time we spent together and the race itself, there were so many true emotional pieces to the event that I don’t think I could have experienced elsewhere.”


 

There was also the matter of where the Camaro would fit in, pace-wise, amidst the field. It blended out nicely between the combined prototype field of Hypercars and Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) specification entries, ahead of the LMGT3 Grand Touring cars. 


 

“I know Rocky felt like there was a big obligation to make sure his experience would really help this car on track and be ready for the performance required at Le Mans,” Johnson explained. 


 

“The other categories were a little nervous about us being out there. And I’ll never forget the first driver meetings; they’re thinking do they need to put a special light on our car and notify us differently since different cars would approach us at such a high rate of speed. 


 

“Now, everyone knows how quick the car was. There were just these various layers we collectively worked through and collaborated on in this extremely special opportunity, which makes it different than anything else I’ve ever experienced. 

Johnson’s sports car racing experience prior to Le Mans came in prototypes, both in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series era Daytona Prototype (DP) chassis and later in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Daytona Prototype international (DPi) formula. He shared an Action Express Racing-prepared, No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R with Rockenfeller for two seasons from 2021 to 2022 (IMSA Photo, right). 


 

At Le Mans, Johnson stepped into a car in the middle of the field on pace, so he learned the difference between being the passer (in a prototype) and the car being passed (in the Garage 56 entry). Rockenfeller, whose experience runs the gamut across both genres of vehicles and some of the car’s driver aids, helped the process.


 

“I was pretty nervous about it,” Johnson admitted. “I really got in a habit in prototype of rarely checking your mirrors, because they don’t usually have any pressure from behind. 


 

“I think Jordan was so helpful as well with the radar system that you're allowed to run in the GT category, and we got that dialed in pretty well. And then Rocky and his experience of the track where you position yourself was key.


 

“The final few corners (Porsche Curves and Ford Chicane) are tricky because the prototypes catch you at a high rate of speed, so there's kind of a couple scenarios there where you've got to be on your toes. But with all the prep, it turned out to be a better experience staring in the mirror the whole time than I expected. It was a welcome surprise.” 


 

“Welcome surprise” is a good phrase to describe the entire Le Mans experience for Johnson, Rockenfeller, Button and what the ground-pounding Camaro did as a one-off fan favorite. From stacked autograph lines to the team’s success in pit stop practice, the Garage 56 entry made countless memories … and memes. 


 

“From the parade to the autograph session, there were just these various moments that just kept impressing me I wasn’t expecting,” Johnson said. “There was even one night we went to a small little track bar outside the garage area. We went there and got some beers one night and the fans were going crazy over the fact we’re driving the Garage 56 car.


 

“All the social media that came out of it was amazing. The music. The screeching eagle. All the different elements. The jumbo-sized car. There’s the famous picture … I thought somebody had Photoshopped it at first, then I realized that’s just how big our car was! That was a really fun moment. We had some good laughs along the way.” 


 

Rockenfeller summarized it well, too.


 

“We worked with the best of the best people on that project, and we got such amazing feedback from the fans and all the other drivers in the paddock, the manufacturers and teams,” Rockenfeller said. “Looking back at the whole journey of the week and the full 24-hour race, I would say it was probably one of the coolest experiences in my whole racing career and now to have a documentary about it is super special, clearly. Especially since I haven’t seen it yet!” 


 

Rockenfeller, Johnson and anyone else who wants to will be able to stream “American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans” on Prime Video starting today. 

 

 

Entry List Notebook – Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen

Largest WeatherTech Championship Field Since Sebring Set to Tackle Watkins Glen International


 


 

June 11, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Entry List (Click Here)

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The largest IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship grid since the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March is back in action for next week’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, the third round of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup. With all four classes back in action, 56 cars are entered, matching the Sebring car count. A strong portion of the field will be racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend, then coming back stateside to Watkins Glen.

 

The Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) field matches its season-high of 13 entries as it did at Sebring with both the No. 5 Proton Competition Porsche 963 and No. 63 Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse Lamborghini SC63 back in action. Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) is back for the first time since Sebring with the same 12 cars present across the first two races of the year.

 

The two GT classes – Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) – also have strong car counts with 10 GTD PRO entries and 21 GTD entries, with several Michelin Endurance Cup-only GTD cars resuming competition.

 

Watch the action live on network NBC on Sunday, June 22, starting at noon ET for the six-hour summer endurance race classic that often tosses surprises based on pace, caution flags and weather. As the season hits the halfway point of the sixth of 11 race weekends across all classes, battles for the full-season WeatherTech Championship and Michelin Endurance Cup will begin to intensify.

 

Fast Facts

Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen

Watkins Glen International – Watkins Glen, New York

June 19-22, 2025


 

  • Race Day/Time: Sunday, June 22 – 12:10 p.m. ET
  • NBC Network Coverage: LIVE: Noon-3 p.m. ET (streaming flag-to-flag on Peacock in the U.S., IMSA.com/TVLive, YouTube.com/@IMSAOfficial outside the U.S.)
  • Qualifying Stream: Saturday, June 21 at 2:15 p.m. (Peacock in the U.S., globally via IMSA’s Official YouTube channel and IMSA.TV)
  • Circuit Type: 3.4-mile, 11-turn road course
  • Classes Competing: Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), GT Daytona (GTD)
  • Race Length: 6 hours

 

Track Social Media: 

 

Event Hashtags: #IMSA, #Sahlens6HRS

 

WeatherTech Championship Track Records

  • GTP: Louis Deletraz, Acura ARX-06, 1:32.209 / 132.741 mph, June 2024 qualifying (DPi track record: Tom Blomqvist, Acura DPi, 1:29.580 / 136.637 mph, June 2022)
  • LMP2: Gabriel Aubry, ORECA LMP2 07, 1:31.735 / 133.427 mph, June 2019 qualifying
  • GTD PRO: Daniel Serra, Ferrari 296 GT3, 1:44.203 / 117.463 mph, June 2024 qualifying
  • GTD: Loris Spinelli, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, 1:44.430 / 117.207 mph, June 2023 qualifying

 

2024 Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen Winners

  • GTP: Felipe Nasr/Dane Cameron, No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 
  • LMP2: Luis Perez Companc/Nicklas Nielsen/Lilou Wadoux, No. 88 Richard Mille AF Corse ORECA LMP2 07
  • GTD PRO: Ross Gunn/Alex Riberas, No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3
  • GTD: Russell Ward/Philip Ellis/Indy Dontje, No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3

 

2024 Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen Motul Pole Award Winners

  • GTP: Louis Deletraz, No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-06
  • LMP2: PJ Hyett, No. 99 AO Racing ORECA LMP2 07
  • GTD PRO: Daniel Serra, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3
  • GTD: Parker Thompson, No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3

 

Storylines

  • Rolex Championship Pursuit: Watkins Glen marks the halfway point of the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, as it is the sixth of 11 race weekends. In pursuit of not only the race wins, the leaders of this championship have set their eyes on a special Rolex timepiece that is awarded by Rolex, the Official Timepiece of IMSA, at year’s end to each WeatherTech Championship title-winning driver. The championship battles are fairly close with just 2 points separating the LMP2 leaders, 11 in GTD PRO, 70 in GTP and 124 in GTD heading into the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.
  • Streak Snappers: Acura put a stop to both BMW (Motul Pole Award) and Porsche (race victories) four-race streaks in Detroit with the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-06. Ford did the same in GTD PRO, ending AO Racing’s three-race GT and two-race GTD PRO win streak with its No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3. Can either Acura or Ford extend their own win streaks to two, or will someone else prevail?
  • Watkins Glen Prototype Winner Parity: Picking a winner in the top-level prototype class at Watkins Glen is a challenge with five different manufacturers having won the last four years. Porsche won in 2024, BMW in ’23, Acura in ’22, with Cadillac (2 hours, 40 minutes) and Mazda (6 hours) splitting the back-to-back races in ’21. Does one of the last four winners get another, or might Aston Martin or Lamborghini keep the prototype parity party alive?
  • Welcome back LMP2: Back for the first time since the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the LMP2 class resumes for Round 3 of the season. So far, “2” is the class’ magic number: 2 races, 2 winners, and 2 points separating the No. 74 Riley ORECA LMP2 07, which has a second-place finish to its record, ahead of the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA which won Round 2 at Sebring.
  • Michelin Endurance Cup Back in Action: Also back for the first time since Sebring is the Michelin Endurance Cup for Round 3. Points at Watkins Glen across all classes are awarded at the three- and six-hour marks, with five points for first, four for second, three for third and two for all others at the designated marks. Heading into this race, class leads are between one and eight points throughout each of the four classes.
  • CrowdStrike Endurance, Teamwork and Speed Award: Multiple teams will be recognized in pre-race ceremonies for winning the CrowdStrike Endurance, Teamwork and Speed Award at previous events. Among WeatherTech Championship entries, the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA LMP2 07 won at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the LMP2 class’ most recent race. They’ll be joined by the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3, which won this award at the most recent WeatherTech Championship race, the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic. Among IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge teams, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca winners, the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS, were recognized at the last round at the O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio. Click here for a list of the 2025 winners and award criteria.

 

Who’s Hot?

  • No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: While their teammates in the No. 7 Porsche 963 have grabbed most headlines, after Detroit, the sister No. 6 pairing of Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell is the only GTP entry to go five-for-five in podiums. Just 70 points behind their teammates, Jaminet and Campbell will look to close even more at “The Glen.”
  • No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Still awaiting its first win of 2025, Corvette’s No. 3 pairing of Alexander Sims and Antonio Garcia have been GTD PRO’s model of consistency with three podiums from four starts, and they’re only 11 points behind the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R in the championship
  • No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3: You can copy-and-paste the “three podiums from four starts with no wins” line applied to the No. 3 Corvette to the No. 12 Lexus of Parker Thompson and Jack Hawksworth in GTD, also second in points (albeit 124 back). At a track where the Vasser Sullivan Lexus team swept GTD PRO and GTD in 2023, look for this car to contend again.

 

Who’s Good Here?

  • Heart of Racing Team, in GT Classes: Heart of Racing Team has three Watkins Glen wins across two GT classes in the last three years. They swept both GTD PRO and GTD in 2022 and added another GTD PRO win in 2024. There’s a chance for another GTD win with its No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 this year with the revised lineup of Casper Stevenson, Tom Gamble and Zacharie Robichon.
  • Riley, in Whatever Class: Bill Riley’s squad claimed three straight Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) class wins in Watkins Glen from 2021 to 2023, and nearly secured its first LMP2 win here last year with a runner-up finish for the trio of Felipe Fraga, Gar Robinson and Josh Burdon. It’s also got a GTD win, 10 years ago in 2015 with a Dodge Viper GT3-R.


 

Previous Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen Winners in 2025 Field (35)

  • Felipe Fraga (3): LMP3 – 2021, 2022, 2023
  • Gar Robinson (3): LMP3 – 2021, 2022, 2023
  • Filipe Albuquerque (2): P – 2017; DPi – 2022 
  • Dane Cameron (2): GTD – 2014; GTP – 2024
  • Antonio Garcia (2): GTLM – 2014, 2021 
  • Ross Gunn (2): GTD PRO – 2022; 2024
  • Spencer Pumpelly (2): GT – 2007, 2010
  • Ricky Taylor (2): DP – 2011; DPi – 2022 
  • Renger van der Zande (2): PC – 2015, 2016 
  • Scott Andrews (1): LMP3 – 2021 
  • Ben Barnicoat (1): GTD PRO – 2023 
  • Colin Braun (1): PC – 2014 
  • Josh Burdon (1): LMP3 – 2023 
  • Roman De Angelis (1): GTD – 2022
  • Connor De Phillippi (1): GTP – 2023 
  • Indy Dontje (1): GTD – 2024
  • Philip Ellis (1): GTD – 2024
  • Robby Foley (1): GTD – 2021 
  • Misha Goikhberg (1): P – 2018 
  • Joey Hand (1): GTLM – 2018 
  • Jack Hawksworth (1): GTD PRO – 2023 
  • Mikkel Jensen (1): LMP2 – 2022 
  • George Kurtz (1): LMP2 – 2023 
  • Frankie Montecalvo (1): GTD – 2023 
  • Felipe Nasr (1): GTP – 2024
  • Nicklas Nielsen (1): LMP2 – 2024
  • Luis Perez Companc (1): LMP2 – 2024
  • Alexander Sims (1): GTLM – 2017 
  • Nick Tandy (1): GTLM – 2019 
  • Jordan Taylor (1): GTLM – 2021 
  • Aaron Telitz (1): GTD – 2023 
  • Steven Thomas (1): LMP2 – 2021 
  • Parker Thompson (1): GTD – 2023 
  • Russell Ward (1): GTD – 2024
  • Nick Yelloly (1): GTP – 2023 

 

Previous Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen Pole Winners in 2025 Field (15)

  • Colin Braun (2): PC – 2014; P – 2018 
  • Antonio Garcia (2): GTLM – 2019, 2021 
  • Daniel Serra (2): GTD PRO – 2023, 2024 
  • Jordan Taylor (2): GT – 2011, 2012
  • Ricky Taylor (2): DP – 2011; DPi – 2021 
  • Connor De Phillippi (1): GTD PRO – 2022
  • Louis Deletraz (1): GTP – 2024 
  • Joey Hand (1): GTLM – 2017 
  • Jack Hawksworth (1): GTD – 2018 
  • PJ Hyett (1): LMP2 – 2024
  • Stevan McAleer (1): GTD – 2022 
  • Steven Thomas (1): LMP2 – 2021 
  • Parker Thompson (1): GTD – 2024
  • Renger van der Zande (1): PC – 2016 
  • Nico Varrone (1): LMP3 – 2022 

 

Previous Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen Winning Teams in 2025 Field (13)

  • Action Express Racing (4): DP – 2012, 2013; P – 2016, 2017 
  • Riley (4): GTD – 2015; LMP3 – 2021, 2022, 2023
  • Heart of Racing Team (3): GTD PRO – 2022, 2024; GTD – 2022
  • Turner Motorsport (3): GTD – 2014, 2018, 2021
  • BMW M Team RLL (2): GTLM – 2017; GTP – 2023 
  • Corvette Racing (2): GTLM – 2014, 2021
  • PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports (2): LMP2 – 2019, 2022
  • Vasser Sullivan (2): GTD PRO – 2023; GTD – 2023 
  • Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (2): DP – 2011; DPi – 2022 
  • CrowdStrike Racing by APR (1): LMP2 – 2023 
  • JDC-Miller MotorSports (1): P – 2018 
  • Team Penske (1): GTP – 2024
  • Winward Racing (1): GTD – 2024

 

Previous Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen Winning Manufacturers in 2025 Field (10)

  • Porsche – 54 
  • Chevrolet – 18
  • BMW – 10
  • Ferrari – 8 
  • Ford – 6 
  • Lexus – 5
  • Acura – 3
  • Aston Martin – 3 
  • Cadillac – 1
  • Mercedes-AMG – 1 

 

 

 

Trueman, Akin Winners Set for Special 24 Hours of Le Mans Runs 

Nick Boulle Returns to Le Mans While Orey Fidani Debuts Special Canadian-Themed AWA Program


 

June 11, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Endurance sports car racing is renowned for celebrating drivers whose primary day-to-day work and life revolves around something outside of motorsports but still make a successful impact in the paddock. IMSA’s commitment to that legacy continues with the Jim Trueman Award and Bob Akin Award, bestowed on the Bronze-rated drivers who score highest in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) classes, respectively.


 

Trueman is best known as the founder of the Red Roof Inns hotel chain and former owner of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and was a successful amateur racer who founded the Truesports organization that became an Indianapolis 500-winning entry with Bobby Rahal. Akin, the longtime president of Hudson Wire Co., was a standout driver and entrant in the IMSA championship in the 1970s and ‘80s, and is a 2025 inductee into the IMSA Hall of Fame. 


 

For Nick Boulle (LMP2, Trueman) and Orey Fidani (GTD, Akin), their names are added to the list of those winners who join the group that’s gotten to go to the 24 Hours of Le Mans the following year. Boulle returns to Le Mans for the third time in his career this year after a six-year hiatus; he debuted in 2018 and ran again in 2019. Fidani, meanwhile, will make his Le Mans debut along with his entire AWA team.  

 

Boulle Back in Action


 

Texan-based Boulle knows a thing or two about timepieces. One of his earlier WeatherTech Championship races was the 2017 Rolex 24 At Daytona – which he won in the Prototype Challenge (PC) class with Performance Tech Motorsports – and the custom Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona, engraved with “Winner” on the back of the case. His day job is as President of de Boulle Diamond and Jewelry, with locations in Dallas and Houston, which makes him a retailer of Rolex timepieces.


 

The time in-between his starts at Le Mans, though, has stretched for six years. After a several-year break, Boulle resumed racing more regularly in 2024. With Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports, he and co-driver Tom Dillmann hit their stride early and often en route to the IMSA LMP2 title and the Trueman Award for Boulle. 


 

“We worked so hard last year and to see it come together with a couple of guys, with how it gelled is super special,” Boulle said. “I probably say this too much, but I never thought I’d have this opportunity to piece this together, have a group that’s such strong engineering, great driver lineup. It’s a dream come true.”

He’ll share the No. 34 Inter Europol Competition ORECA LMP2 07 with Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer and Luca Ghiotto as a Pro/Am entry within the LMP2 class. Coincidentally, Dillmann will be in the sister No. 43 car with IMSA GTP full-timer Nick Yelloly of Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian and Jakub “Kuba” Smiechowski (team photo right, courtesy Inter Europol Competition). Boulle explained how he met his new teammates. 


 

“We have ‘Watches and Wonders’ in the springtime every year,” Boulle said. “I was in Geneva, Switzerland for that; we meet with Rolex and other major brands. After that trip, I flew to Barcelona and watched the (European Le Mans Series) race with them. I met Luca and J-B; they’re super nice guys. Luca’s super fast and they were on pace for either a win or top three before J-B had some contact with a P3 car. If not for that, clearly the car was quick.” 


 

Boulle’s first day back with Inter Europol came in Sunday’s Le Mans Test Day, although most laps came in the second session after the team made repairs post the first session. He’s racing with United Autosports USA in this year’s IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup rounds, so he’d only had a couple days back in any LMP2-spec car since March and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with a one-day test at Watkins Glen in May.


 

The LMP2 field at Le Mans is split between nine Pro/Am cars and eight Pro cars, so the Pro/Am battle is a race-within-a-race in the class of 17 identical ORECA 07 Gibson entries. That said, the competition is fierce throughout and Boulle is determined to do his best to deliver a result. In two starts, his best is eighth in class on debut in 2018, 12th overall in the 62-car field.


 

“All I can do is outperform my role,” Boulle said. “We’re working on maximizing the effort and giving thanks to all my family, supporters and sponsors that brought us here. 


 

“I always describe driving these cars as sending a rocket to the moon. You need engineers, data analysts and the mechanics who work on the physical car. I love Le Mans because no one can test, and everyone shows up in the same boat as I am. We show up and do our best. This is the third race of the year, three is my lucky number, we’re No. 34, we’ll see what happens.”

 

Fidani, AWA Bring Full Program Overseas

In a recent period where fewer full IMSA GT teams tend to go to Le Mans, AWA is pulling a throwback. Orey Fidani and AWA founder/owner Andrew Wojteczko hatched a plan shortly after winning the Bob Akin Award last fall at Motul Petit Le Mans to bring the team over in full.


 

The opportunity came ahead of AWA’s second year running the customer Corvette Z06 GT3.R, with support coming as part of the new Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports customer car structure that allows privateer teams to run General Motors’ newest GT3-specification model. 


 

Fidani and full-season co-driver Matt Bell focused on consistency throughout 2024 with a few high-level results, and a best of fifth place occurring at Road America. They headed off their two full-season rivals to secure the spot. 


 

Rather than just pay for Fidani to have a seat at another team, the leadership wanted to reward the entire Canadian crew and organization with a trip to Le Mans for their efforts. The patriotism is on display with its Le Mans chassis decked out in full Canadian flag regalia, all red with white and a maple leaf, which has been an early fan favorite (photo above courtesy Corvette Racing).


 

The logistical preparations took a left turn – in a good way – when Fidani, Bell, Lars Kern and Marvin Kirchhoefer won the Rolex 24 At Daytona. That pressed a different chassis – the intended Le Mans chassis – into action from the next round at Sebring, with the need to acquire a third chassis for Le Mans itself.


 

The Le Mans chassis underwent a successful shakedown at Fidani’s home track of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park before being shipped to France, where it arrived well ahead of the Le Mans Test Day. 


 

The chance to get on track on Sunday for the first time marked the culmination of an eight-month journey since October 2024 when Fidani won the Bob Akin Award, and the 10 months before that to focus purely on the Akin award starting at the ’24 Rolex 24. 


 

"Today was all about the comfort level and getting my bearings in the first couple of laps, just pushing deeper and deeper in the corners to figure it all out,” Fidani explained. 


 

“I'd say the car was pretty decent to start with. There are always a few things to work on to make it a little better, and I know we will get there. I'm just happy to be here and super excited. Those first laps, driving my own car around here unlike last year (in a support race)... The team is on-point and it does feel like they've been here before. We'll keep getting laps in, get this car dialed in 100 percent for the race and keep pushing and digging.”


 

With one 24-hour race win in Daytona in the bag, it’s already been a dynamic 2025 for AWA. A second at Le Mans would only add to the historic season.


 

“It's truly amazing what this group has accomplished in the past year, and now we get to show what we're made of and represent Canada in the biggest endurance race in the world,” Fidani said. 

 

 

Tandy, Nasr On Brink of Sports Car History 

Triple Crown of Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans Wins In Same Season Would Be Unprecedented


 

June 10, 2025

By John Oreovicz

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Staged annually since 1962 (in a shorter format the first four years), the Rolex 24 At Daytona International Speedway is the newcomer among international sports car racing’s “Triple Crown” of endurance races. The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring has been contested since 1952, while the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans spans more than a century, back to 1923.


 

Only 10 drivers have claimed overall victory in all three races, and no one has accomplished the feat in the same year. The esteemed list includes Timo Bernhard, Mauro Baldi, A.J. Foyt, Hurley Haywood, Hans Herrmann, Al Holbert, Jackie Oliver, Andy Wallace and Marco Werner, and one new member this year: Nick Tandy. 


 

Four of those drivers (Herrmann, 1970; Haywood, 1973; Foyt, 1985; and Baldi, 1998) were part of the winning team at Daytona and Sebring and had a shot of capturing the Triple Crown at Le Mans in the same season. Herrmann came closest of the above to the triple; his teammate Jo Siffert qualified on pole for Le Mans ’68, but their Porsche 908 dropped out in the fifth hour. 


 

Ken Miles won Daytona and Sebring for the factory Ford team in 1966, but he never got to Le Mans; he was killed in an accident at Riverside Raceway while testing the Ford J-car prototype. Jacky Ickx won both Daytona and Sebring in 1972, but the Daytona race was not 24 hours that year. 


 

Ickx, Haywood and Foyt didn’t contest Le Mans in the year they doubled-up at Daytona and Sebring, while Baldi’s attempt fell short with a 14th place finish at Circuit de la Sarthe in a Ferrari 333SP.


 

By co-driving the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 to overall victory in the opening two races of the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - the Rolex 24 and the Sebring 12 - Tandy joined the exclusive group of sports car Triple Crown winners. Now he and fellow Porsche pilots Felipe Nasr and Laurens Vanthoor have the rare opportunity to taste triumph in all three crown jewel endurance races in the same season.

At Le Mans, Tandy, his full-time WeatherTech Championship teammate Nasr, and Pascal Wehrlein will drive the No. 4, a third Porsche entry awarded to the PPM team for its 2024 IMSA Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) championship (photo right, courtesy Porsche Newsroom).


 

Vanthoor, who is the third driver with Nasr and Tandy in IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup events, co-drives the No. 6 Porsche full-time in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Kevin Estre and another IMSA full-timer in Mathieu Jaminet. Julien Andlauer, Michael Christensen, and Matt Campbell – Jaminet’s IMSA teammate – share Porsche’s third Le Mans challenger, the No. 5 car.


 

There are therefore two potential successful outcomes for the Triple Crown storyline – Tandy/Nasr or Vanthoor - and the fact that they will play out as an intra-team battle between two factory Penske Porsche entries makes it all the more intriguing. Speaking at the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic, where they finished fourth, Tandy and Nasr declared themselves ready to take on the challenge of Le Mans.


 

“That’s the ultimate goal, and it would be incredible to have that addition to my CV – for Roger Penske and Porsche, as well,” Nasr said. “We already started the year really well, like a dream. It’s been fantastic to get Daytona and Sebring back-to-back in the same year, so I’m already like, ‘Wow! This is unique and special, what we have accomplished so far.’ 


 

“That’s already history in the making, and now Le Mans is a race I dreamed of winning since I joined sports car racing,” he continued. “It’s a huge goal for Roger, Porsche, and the team to win that race. It’s always a big unknown, but I feel very confident we have a very strong group of people and team.”

Tandy joined the exalted club of sports car Triple Crown winners thanks to his overall Le Mans victory in 2015, also achieved with the factory Porsche team and co-drivers Earl Bamber and Nico Hulkenberg. Sweeping the ‘Big Three’ in the same season would put him in the conversation about all-time sports car greats with the likes of Ickx, Brian Redman, and Tom Kristensen, among others. 


 

“If you’d asked me about winning the Triple Crown before, I’d have said, ‘That’s never going to happen. It’s just unbelievably likely to happen,’” Tandy related. “The problem is we’ve had an unbelievably unlikely season so far. I’m incredibly proud to get to this point where we’re still talking about it now, because it means we’ve won Daytona and we won Sebring. That’s an incredible thing to say, by itself. 


 

“So, you begin to think, ‘What is possible?’” he added. “When luck is on your side and things are rolling your way, you’ve got to roll with it. Why not take it on to France next weekend?”


 

Perfect execution has been the hallmark of Porsche’s 2025 season in the WeatherTech Championship. Tandy and Nasr used superior driver change speed to post a sprint race win at Long Beach to their Daytona and Sebring endurance triumphs. They finished a strong second to the team car driven by Jaminet and Campbell at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, then were in position to win again at the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic until Nasr was bumped out of the lead late in the contest.


 

In 2025 IMSA competition, the Porsche 963 hasn’t been the fastest car over a single lap. But it has demonstrated phenomenal race pace, and when combined with Porsche Penske Motorsport’s keen strategy and mistake-free operation, Tandy and Nasr have compiled a near perfect start to their season. Their ultimate goal is the IMSA championship, but with Detroit in the rear-view mirror, they are fully focused on Le Mans. 


 

“We will be there with a car capable of winning and a group of people running the car that are the best in the business, and three drivers who know their way around the racetrack,” Tandy declared. “We’ve got every chance to do it. If the car works, and the tires and the track conditions suit what we’ve got in our package, we’ll be ready to win it. 


 

“We’re not trying to score points for the championship like the other two cars. All we are trying to do is get Porsche back to Victory Lane at Le Mans. It’s the biggest motorsport event in the world, isn’t it? It’s like the World Cup, where the best in the world get together for a one-off showdown.


 

“It would be massive to me.”

 

 

History Beckons for IMSA Competitors Racing the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans

Potential “Triple Crown” On Tap for Tandy/Nasr; Fidani, Boulle, Cadillac and Most GTP Full-Season Drivers Set to Fly IMSA Flag in France


 


 

June 9, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Entry List

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The link between IMSA and the ACO extends to the headline race of the FIA World Endurance Championship: the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As ever, a strong volume of IMSA competitors make the trip to the Circuit de la Sarthe to compete in the 24-hour endurance race classic. It’s not the only IMSA componentry of the race week in Le Mans, France; several IMSA-sanctioned series drivers will compete in Le Mans support races, including the Michelin Le Mans Cup’s Road to Le Mans and Ford’s Mustang Invitational. 


 

The headliners, though, are in the FIA WEC’s Hypercar class, which allows for both Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) and Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh) specification prototype cars to compete for overall honors across both IMSA and the FIA WEC. Most of the full-season IMSA top-class prototype drivers will make the trip to Le Mans, including last year’s Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) championship winning team, while two other IMSA entrants garnered automatic invitations for their efforts in 2024. 

 

Three Automatic Invites

Three IMSA entrants – Porsche Penske Motorsport, Nick Boulle and Orey Fidani – received automatic invitations to the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans from their 2024 IMSA successes.


 

Porsche Penske Motorsport secured a slot for the No. 4 Porsche 963, driven by IMSA full-timers Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr alongside Pascal Wehrlein, courtesy of the team’s 2024 GTP class championship achieved by Nasr and Dane Cameron.


 

IMSA recognizes the top-scoring Bronze-rated drivers in Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) with the Jim Trueman Award and Bob Akin Award, respectively. Boulle secured the Trueman Award winning the LMP2 title in 2024, driving the No. 52 Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07. Fidani was the Akin Award winner in GTD aboard his No. 13 AWA Corvette Z06 GT3.R. 


 

Boulle, who races with United Autosports USA in 2025 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races, returns to Inter Europol for Le Mans. He’ll share the No. 34 ORECA LMP2 07 with Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer and Luca Ghiotto as a Pro/Am entry within the LMP2 class. Fidani has an easier car to follow; his same No. 13 AWA Corvette entry alongside IMSA co-drivers Matt Bell and Lars Kern. It shifts liveries from its usual black and gold colors to a striking red and white honoring the team’s Canadian roots.


 

Tandy and Nasr (GTP) and Fidani, Bell and Kern (GTD) also won this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona and are among several drivers across the three Le Mans classes who can double up with both 24-hour race wins this year (more on that in a bit). Tandy and Nasr also sit on the precipice of history if they can win Le Mans to complete an unprecedented single season sweep of the traditional endurance sports car racing “Triple Crown” at Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans. 


 

“You think it would be totally out of this world to be able to win the three ‘Triple Crown’ races in one season. But we look at it today and the stuff that's happened already this year is just quite unbelievable. So why not?” Tandy said. “It would just be it would be an amazing thing that would be in the history of books forever, of course.”

 

Pair of Cadillac GTP Teams


 

Two additional IMSA GTP cars head to Le Mans after being awarded an invitation by the selection committee: the pair of Cadillac V-Series.R cars fielded by Cadillac Whelen (Action Express Racing) and Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing.


 

This will be the Whelen entry’s third straight trip to Le Mans, and has a relatively young lineup of Jack Aitken, Frederik Vesti and Felipe Drugovich slated to drive the team’s No. 311 Cadillac. Drugovich is also the Aston Martin Formula 1 reserve driver.

For WTR (pictured left; photo courtesy Cadillac Racing), it’s a first trip for the family effort with Wayne Taylor and sons Ricky and Jordan Taylor, the latter two sharing the team’s No. 101 Cadillac with Filipe Albuquerque. It’s been a long time coming for the organization, having had a winter of change with the shift back to the General Motors family after a four-year period and beginning the logistical prep for this race.


 

“When they asked me to apply for the Le Mans entry, I was really pleasantly and happily shocked that that they accepted us,” Wayne Taylor said. “(WTR Vice President, General Manager) Travis Hogue on our team has done a really good job of getting the logistics and everything together, and we've been working with people in Europe as well.


 

"As far as people are concerned, there's a lot of people going, probably about 80 people. (Cadillac Hertz Team) JOTA has helped us in a big way as well as Cadillac, and I believe we've got everything under control right now. It will be a week of building, and I think we can handle it pretty well.”


 

Heavy Contingent of IMSA GTP Drivers


 

While nearly 100 drivers who have started at least one 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race count in the 62-car, 186-driver 24 Hours of Le Mans entry list, the highest percentage of full-season IMSA drivers racing in France come from the GTP class. No less than 18 of the 22 full-season IMSA GTP drivers are racing at Le Mans.


 

Porsche Penske Motorsport’s quartet of Tandy, Nasr (No. 4 Porsche 963), Mathieu Jaminet (No. 5) and Matt Campbell (No. 6) appear, although are split among all three Porsche 963s. 


 

All four Cadillac WTR drivers will race too, with the two Taylors and Albuquerque racing together. Meanwhile, last year’s Le Mans LMP2 polesitter Louis Deletraz shifts to the No. 199 AO by TF ORECA LMP2 07, which he’ll share with last year’s IMSA GTP champion Dane Cameron and AO Racing co-founder PJ Hyett – who share “Spike,” AO’s popular, dragon-liveried LMP2 car in the WeatherTech Championship.


 

Cadillac Whelen’s other full-season driver, Earl Bamber, is in another Cadillac for Le Mans: the No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota entry he races during in the FIA World Endurance Championship. 


 

BMW M Team RLL drivers Dries Vanthoor (No. 15) and Sheldon van der Linde (No. 20) resume with their FIA WEC team, BMW M Team WRT, aboard their BMW M Hybrid V8s. 


 

Aston Martin THOR Team drivers Ross Gunn (No. 007) and Roman De Angelis (No. 009) join the respective WEC lineups there, Gunn as part of an all-British No. 007 Aston with De Angelis joining fellow Aston GT graduates Alex Riberas and Marco Sorenson in the No. 009.


 

And then there’s Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian, which sees all four of its GTP drivers at Le Mans, split among four different LMP2 cars.


 

The No. 60 Acura ARX-06 pair of Colin Braun and Tom Blomqvist will be in the No. 24 Nielsen Racing ORECA (Braun) and No. 37 CLX Pure Racing ORECA (Blomqvist). 


 

Meanwhile the No. 93 Acura ARX-06 duo of Renger van der Zande and Nick Yelloly will shift to the No. 22 United Autosports ORECA (van der Zande) and No. 43 Inter Europol ORECA (Yelloly).


 

The four full-season GTP drivers not racing at Le Mans are BMW’s Marco Wittmann and Philipp Eng, and JDC-Miller MotorSports’ Gianmaria Bruni and Tijmen van der Helm. 


 

There are also a bevy of other IMSA drivers competing at Le Mans, most of whom are shifting from their WeatherTech Championship team to another one across the three classes at Le Mans.   

 

2025 Rolex 24 Winners Look to Add 24 Hours of Le Mans Wins


 

A unique aspect of this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans is the eight Rolex 24 At Daytona-winning drivers who can win both marquee 24-hour endurance sports car races in the same year. 


 

Tandy, Nasr and Laurens Vanthoor can do so, with Tandy and Nasr racing together in one car (No. 4 Porsche) and Vanthoor in another (No. 6 Porsche). 

Fidani, Bell and Kern can win Daytona and Le Mans as well; they are in the same No. 13 AWA Corvette (different class, chassis and livery, but same car number, team and car type) as at Rolex 24. 


 

Two other Rolex 24 winners in 2025 can double-up at Le Mans. Dennis Olsen was part of the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO)-winning No. 65 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 at Daytona. At Le Mans, the 2024 podium finisher will share the No. 88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3. Paul Di Resta, too, was part of the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2)-winning No. 22 United Autosports USA ORECA LMP2 07 in Daytona. He’ll be in the Hypercar class No. 93 Peugeot TotalEnergies Peugeot 9X8.


 

With last weekend’s scrutineering and test day now in the rearview mirror, on-track action from Circuit de la Sarthe resumes on Wednesday with official practice and the start of qualifying. 

 

Multitude of "Best Seat" Options at Mid-Ohio

All The Best Spots to Watch Over the O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio

 


 

June 9, 2025

By John Oreovicz

IMSA Wire Service

LEXINGTON, Ohio – Road racing offers many attractions; most notably, freedom and variety. 


 

As a spectator, you’re not tied to a seat like you might be at an oval track. At a road race, you’re free to roam and take in an event from multiple vantage points. And every corner is different – left, right, fast, slow, off-camber or banked. Watching a road race from trackside is a great way to discover new perspectives and get your steps in.


 

Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio – the fourth round of the 2025 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge – was ideal for fans who didn’t feel the need to be rooted to one spot to watch a race unfold. Mid-Ohio packs 13 turns into 2.258 miles, and the layout of the circuit makes it easy to catch action from every corner in a one-hour practice, much less a four-hour race.


 

This is one of the hidden gems on the IMSA schedule, a weekend where Michelin Pilot Challenge takes center stage and puts on a show worthy of headlining status. Both classes – Grand Sport (GS) and Touring Car (TCR) – were decided by less than a second after four hours of intense competition. 


 

Light rain was falling when I arrived at Mid-Ohio at 10 a.m., two hours ahead of the scheduled noon start of the Michelin Pilot Challenge main event and just in time for the green flag of the second of two Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin races. The slick conditions were conducive to mayhem, but the MX-5 Cup field kept it clean and rookie Ethan Goulart prevailed for the victory after a three-wide battle into Turn 4.

Next up was the grid walk prior to the Michelin Pilot Challenge race. This is a highlight of every IMSA weekend, where fans get to meet and greet the stars and cars of sports car racing before they take to the track for anywhere from 100 minutes to 24 hours of competition. This grid walk was particularly busy for the teams as nearly all the competitors made late changes from wet-weather Michelin tires to dry weather slicks on the grid as the track began to dry from the morning’s rain.


 

If you’re going to roam throughout a race, one of the biggest decisions is where to take in the start. At Mid-Ohio, the start takes place entering the Esses, so I positioned myself at the entrance to Turn 4 anticipating close action at the green flag. Both classes passed through cleanly, and I was glad to set up my pop-up chair and relax.


 

About an hour in, the caution flag flew. It was the perfect excuse to grab an order of fresh-cut French fries from a food vendor and walk through the tunnel to the new grandstand outside of the Esses. In more than 30 years of spectating at Mid-Ohio, it was the first time I’ve viewed a race from that position.


 

Walking a lap during the IMSA race provided ample evidence of the improvements that track owners Kevin Savoree and Kim Green have been implementing at one of America’s most beloved and rustic road courses. Many of the paddock roads are newly paved, and the fencing surrounding the circuit has been upgraded.  

After watching the first hour at the Esses, I switched my vantage point to the exit of Turn 1, a high-commitment 90-degree left-hander. This is one of my favorite places to watch racing cars. You can really tell who is hanging it out and who is lollygagging. A great corner.


 

At the two-hour mark, I was positioned at the Keyhole, the second of Mid-Ohio’s 13 corners. It looks like a simple 180 on a track map, but there is actually plenty of elevation change involved, and the overlooking hillside is a great place for spectating.


 

After stopping at my car for a refreshing Coca-Cola, I embarked for the far side of the circuit. Mid-Ohio’s compact layout enables you to get just about anywhere in 15 minutes, even without the benefit of a scooter or golf cart. Having started the race at the entrance to the Esses, I made my way to the Turn 5 and 6 Esses exit, then walked the inner perimeter of the track over to Turn 9, the fast left-hander leading into Thunder Valley and the closing sequence of a lap.


 

My logic was to put myself in position to be in the Carousel for the finish, figuring that’s where there might be a desperate last-lap lunge for win.


 

But like the MX-5 Cup race earlier in the day, fireworks were not forthcoming. The racing was clean, like it’s supposed to be.


 

The other advantage to watching the end of a race at Mid-Ohio from the Carousel is the proximity to Victory Lane. By the time the cars complete a cool-down lap, you’ve almost already walked there.


 

Most often these days, I watch races from the media center. It’s a privileged place to be, with wall-to-wall television coverage and scoring monitors. It helps us do the job of reporting the overall events of a race.


 

But it lacks the immediacy of watching from trackside. The sensory overload of sound and sight and the overall vibe. My Mid-Ohio race day ended up totaling about four and a half miles, or 10,000 steps. Fitting to go over four miles in a four-hour race.


 

Through Peacock, YouTube and IMSA.com, fans watching from Franklin, Ohio to Frankfurt, Germany, enjoy the same technology that we use in the media center – the same video and timing and scoring feeds supplied to the world.


 

But I’m here to tell you. Nothing replicates the actual experience of watching from trackside. 

 

 

 

Bryan Herta Autosport Gets a Youth Injection

Trio Of Team Newcomers Starting to Emerge Alongside Hyundai Veterans


 

June 5, 2025

By John Oreovicz

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Bryan Herta Autosport is a powerhouse in the Touring Car (TCR) class of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, winning five consecutive driver championships from 2019-2023 in partnership with Hyundai and an evolving driver lineup.


 

Two themes emerged during BHA’s dominant run: Opportunity and youth. Mason Filippi and Harry Gottsacker, now 27 and 25 and anchoring BHA’s four-car 2025 IMPC attack, joined the team in their early 20s. Gottsacker, the all-time series leader in TCR pole positions, teamed with paraplegic racer Robert Wickens to win the 2023 class championship for BHA. Wickens seized on that opportunity to rebuild his career; he now competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for DXDT Racing, while continuing his association with the Hyundai TCR program to compete at the upcoming Nürburgring 24 Hours (June 21-22). 


 

Taylor Hagler is another young racer who found opportunity and success with the Herta team. She co-drove with Michael Lewis to consecutive TCR crowns in 2021 and ’22, becoming the first female race winner and series champion in the North American history of the class.  


 

The constant veteran presence through BHA’s progression of championships is 42-year-old Canadian Mark Wilkins, who paired with Lewis to win Herta’s and Hyundai’s first TCR championship in 2019. This year, Wilkins is teamed with 20-year-old American Bryson Morris in BHA’s No. 33 Elantra N TCR, and the duo is off to a strong start.


 

Bryson Morris On The Move

After scoring two late-season Motul Pole Awards in 2024, Morris captured the first two to start 2025 at the BMW M Endurance Challenge in Daytona and Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 in Sebring. Wilkins followed it up with the No. 33 car’s third straight pole in Monterey ahead of the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 120. Although they were moved to the rear at Sebring following post-race technical inspection, they’re still third in the standings behind their two teammates (Denis Dupont and Preston Brown lead, with Filippi and Gottsacker second) after three races.


 

Morris began attending IMSA’s Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with his father when he was a small child. “My dad was always watching racing – Formula 1, and we watched Le Mans as well,” he related. “I’d come down and see him on the couch at 3 a.m. and thought it was a little weird, but I slowly got into it from that. We traveled to races and I was into cars as well – we’re a car family. Finally, my dad got me a go-kart, and it’s been a spiral ever since.”


 

From an initial open-wheel career path, Morris branched out to driving GT3-specification BMWs for Samantha Tan Racing in 2022 and added a podium finish in the Pro class of the 2024 Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals in Jerez. 


 

He also pursued the special license required to compete at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, which came in handy earlier in 2024 when Wickens found himself unable to participate after a crash. Morris drove to pole position, and the Hyundai “Team America” car he shared with Wilkins, Gottsacker, and Filippi won in class.


 

“It was super cool,” he said. “The other cars were very competitive, and there was a TCR World Champion that I outqualified by just a couple tenths. It was very tight, but I was very happy with that. I had been driving the Nordschleife before I even drove a go-kart, like on Forza (a popular racing video gaming platform). I already knew the layout and had done quite a bit of racing on iRacing the last few years. When I showed up, I basically knew the place already.”


 

He's also a longtime competitor and friend of NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Connor Zilisch, who won a pair of IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races in Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) in 2024. Some have compared Morris’ polish and poise outside the car to the prodigious Zilisch, as well as his potential on it. 


 

“I’ve basically grown up racing with him. It’s great to see him doing so well, but it’s also great to not have to race against him!” Morris laughed. “He’s a very good driver who would be competitive in everything he drives, so he’s one less person I have to beat.” 


 

Maddie Aust Arrives as Part of No. 9 Crew

Morris isn’t the only new face at Bryan Herta Autosport in 2025. The team’s No. 9 entry features an all-rookie driver pairing of 20-year-old Maddie Aust and Suellio Almeida, a classically trained pianist who at age 31 is relatively new to real world car racing after thoroughly establishing himself in the sim racing community. 


 

Aust is unique in that she was part of six national championship winning cheer teams. She believes the precision training and concentration on physical fitness in cheer were important tools when she decided to pursue a career driving race cars.


 

“So much of it translated to racing, especially the ability to stay focused and fit and the importance of good coaching,” Aust said. “Coming from cheer, I already had a strong upper body and core, and I’ve worked very hard on endurance.” 


 

She was bitten by the performance driving bug after getting behind the wheel of her father’s Porsche 911 for the first time shortly after she obtained her license. Like Morris, she transitioned from Formula 4 open-wheel cars to a slate of sports car activity, including BMW M2 CS Cup and Toyota GR Cup – all while continuing her studies at Texas Christian University.


 

Her biggest challenge so far in 2025 is adapting to the front-wheel drive characteristics of the Hyundai Elantra N TCR. She and Almeida are clearly fast learners, debuting with a fourth-place class finish at Daytona and following it up with another top five at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. A similarly promising run at Sebring was derailed by a technical issue.


 

Prior to Sebring, all the Hyundai IMSA TCR drivers spent several days in New York at an annual ‘Driver Camp,’ a team-building exercise that combines fitness training with informal activities over several days. Wilkins and Wickens, the ‘senior’ Hyundai pilots and unofficial team captains, quickly took Aust under their wing. 


 

“Everyone in the team has been so welcoming and helpful,” she said. “The guys are willing to share anything that helps me understand the car better or extract more performance from myself. It’s an incredible environment for a young racer to learn and grow in.”


 

Suellio Almeida Crafts His New On-Track Tune

Almeida’s musical training took him from his native Brazil to Canada to pursue a master’s degree in piano performance. As he describes it, he “connected the dots between the piano and racing” by becoming immersed in the world of sim racing – as a participant and eventually as an instructor, coaching as many as 30 students per week. 


 

“I started coaching to earn money to pay for education, for my master’s degree,” Almeida said. “But I was really good at it, and I got a lot of joy and satisfaction out of seeing people improve, and how grateful they were.”


 

Almeida wrote a book and created an online sim racing academy that quickly took off. That enabled him to earn the money necessary to transition to real-world cars in 2024, and as a rookie, he won the Radical Cup championship. That led to this year’s opportunity with Bryan Herta Autosport.


 

“I’m a racing driver with a slightly different background,” Almeida said with a laugh. “I’m super excited about this year, and I’ve been spending a lot of time on the simulator trying to be the most prepared I can possibly be. I’m really looking forward to every aspect.


 

“I didn’t even meet Maddie until the first day we drove together at Daytona,” he added. “But our driving styles seem to match, and we are both learning and getting faster lap after lap. We both have the same level of experience. It’s almost like a training school for us. The car is new to both of us, so it’s a perfect opportunity to gain experience with a top-tier, championship-winning team and work on improvement. Our teammates are the ones winning the races, but we can learn so much.”


 

The Herta squad has won the opening three races of the season, although their young chargers remain in search of their first breakthrough. Contenders from Audi and Honda will look to stop the Hyundais in Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio, which streams at noon ET on Peacock and ad-free, globally courtesy of Michelin on IMSA’s Official YouTube channel. 

 

 

 

Who Are These Guys? Introducing RAFA Racing

RAFA Racing Off to Fast 2025 Start in Multiple IMSA Series 


 

June 5, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Only one team heads to this weekend’s IMSA trip to the venerable Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with entries in each of the three IMSA series competing at the historic, 2.258-mile road course halfway between Columbus and Cleveland: RAFA Racing Team.


 

The team has made a quick and successful imprint across the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America and Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin in the first half of the 2025 calendar. All except Lamborghini Super Trofeo are present at Mid-Ohio this weekend, so RAFA Racing Team entries will feature across the other three series. Its MX-5 program is run in partnership with McCumbee McAleer Racing, a longtime IMSA entrant.


 

Quite who RAFA Racing is – the RAFA here stands for “Race As Family Always” – feels worth exploring since they’ve been on a lot of podiums to start the year. 


 

Rafael Martinez founded the team in partnership with Kevin Conway’s Smooge Racing, which had fielded Toyota GR Supra GT4 entries in Michelin Pilot Challenge in recent seasons. Conway also had extensive Lamborghini Super Trofeo experience over the years dating to that series’ inception in North America in 2013.


 

For Martinez, the journey has been a personal one and central to the team’s identity.


 

“The love of cars has always been a thing for me,” he said. “My mom and dad always talked about how the only thing I played with as a kid was cars. But being born in El Salvador and coming from a modest home, car racing or owning fancy cars was never really in the cards for us.”


 

After moving to the U.S. at 12, Martinez says racing never felt like something truly accessible. That feeling was validated later in his life when he started getting involved and quickly realized just how expensive the sport was.


 

“I had no idea what the cost of racing was,” he said. “I started writing my own checks and seeing how quickly the tires burnt out, and the costs started to accumulate. I started building what is now our mission – helping drivers who otherwise wouldn’t have an opportunity.”

Two of those drivers that have made an immediate first impression in VP Racing Challenge have been Kiko Porto and Ian Porter, who combined have won the first four races in the Grand Sport X (GSX) class with Porter adding three Bronze Cup wins. They rank first and second in points. The series resumes this weekend with a pair of 45-minute races, Races 5 and 6 of the 12-race series, with RAFA also fielding a Le Mans Prototype 3 (P3) entry for Matthew Dicken.


 

A past USF2000 series champion and USF Pro 2000 runner-up, Porto appeared like many young talents on the open-wheel track: working towards IndyCar but also needing to procure the budget to do so. When a sponsor withdrew just weeks before the 2024 Indy NXT season, Porto pivoted.


 

“Rather than wait on the sidelines, I drove to Daytona for the Rolex 24 to network and introduce myself,” said Porto, who drives the No. 8 Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2. “I met Kevin Conway and then spent the weekend with him at a race in Indy. By Sunday, I was meeting with the boss of Toyota Racing Development.”


 

“It’s got a short wheelbase and a strong front end,” he said of the Supra, noting the car suits his driving style. “I’ve always liked cars with a bit of oversteer, and this one fits my style. But it’s sensitive. You need to be smooth and precise, especially with the throttle.”

The closely named Porter has had a far different upbringing: massive gaming success before adding racing to his résumé. After years as a professional Call of Duty player, Porter made the leap into sim racing—and eventually real-world racing.


 

“The Supra is phenomenal,” said Porter, who drives the team’s No. 68 Supra. “It’s the first front-engine car I’ve ever driven on track. I thought it would be a big learning curve, and it was at first—especially at Daytona. But by the time we got to COTA (Circuit of The Americas), which I knew well, everything clicked.”


 

Porter said the mental side of competition feels familiar, even if the tools are different. 


 

“It’s kind of like being back in Call of Duty again. There’s that pressure in the air—competition, expectations. That’s when I’m at my best,” he said.


 

RAFA Racing team boss Conway has had both driving and managerial experience, and that’s paid dividends as the team has embarked on its multi-series, multi-manufacturer, multi-state logistical program thus far. He’s shared the team’s No. 12 Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 on occasion in Michelin Pilot Challenge, including as third driver this weekend with Martinez and music producer Jim Jonsin, another series veteran.


 

“It’s been an incredible start to the year,” Conway said. “It has certainly surpassed our expectations. Our goal is always to win races and run up front. This is the first year with the EVO2 variant of the Supra. Our engineering team has really been able to understand the nuances of the EVO2 package. There’s still a lot that translates. We can help our drivers develop even quicker with our knowledge of this platform.”

Heading into Mid-Ohio this weekend, the team is keen on continuing its success across the multiple series.


 

Porter adds Podium 1 to his entry, a large worldwide sim racing distributor. Meanwhile Porto looks to recapture his winning form after a mechanical issue took him out of contention at the last round at COTA, while also continuing to push his potential for the future. He’s also quickly serving as a mentor for Porter.


 

“VP is a steppingstone,” Porto said. “My goal is to grow with Toyota—to get to GT3 and eventually maybe Hypercar. Every session I treat as a chance to learn, push myself, and make mistakes now so I’m better when that next step comes.


 

“My teammate Ian is relatively new to motorsports, but he’s been at the top of gaming for years. His mindset, his focus, his work ethic—it’s elite. He’s constantly pushing himself and learning. That’s inspiring for me. He’s showing that with the right approach, you can catch up quickly in racing too.


 

“For me, leading the championship (points) is great, but I’m always thinking about the next level. If I can keep learning, keep pushing, and stay in this environment, I know I can be ready for the big stage when the opportunity comes.”

 

 

Entry List Notebook – IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge at Mid-Ohio

Series Resumes for Third Race Weekend After Three-Month Break


 

June 4, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Entry List (Click Here)

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – After more than a three-month break, the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge returns to action at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. As the track’s name implies, it’s a venue that suits sports cars well and pushes drivers to maximize their car’s handling and balance in action. Mid-Ohio underwent a track repave prior to its 2024 racing season, which increased grip levels and reduced lap times to record-setting marks. The series has an extensive history at Mid-Ohio.


 

Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports came within two minutes of a sweep of all four Le Mans Prototype 3 (P3) races so far, but for a perhaps fluke fueling issue at the first of two rounds at Circuit of The Americas in March. Running 1-2, Valentino Catalano (No. 30 Duqueine D08) and Oscar Tunjo (No. 31 Duqueine D08) ran out of fuel at nearly the same point on the track at the same time, which opened the door for Jonathan Woolridge (No. 54 MLT Motorsports Ligier JS P320) to take a fortuitous but well-judged first win of the year.


 

Catalano leads Woolridge by 110 points, 1,310-1,200, heading into the Mid-Ohio double. Tunjo continues in the No. 31 car, while Woolridge and MLT Motorsports are absent this race. On the strength of three straight Bronze Cup wins, Forte Racing’s Brian Thienes in the No. 77 Forte Racing Ligier JS P320 leads those standings by 170 points over RAFA Racing’s Matthew Dicken in the No. 36 Ligier. A Duqueine chassis swept the Mid-Ohio weekend last year with Jagger Jones. 


 

The Grand Touring Daytona X (GTDX) class took center stage at COTA with distinct, close and intense battles, most notably for the lead in Round 3 between Jake Walker (No. 6 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3) and Adam Adelson (No. 24 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R). Adelson swept the Daytona weekend but incurred the GTDX class’ additional success ballast weight in COTA; he’ll have that removed this weekend while Walker, the COTA double winner, will take it on. 


 

That may open the door for points leader AJ Muss (No. 66 Af Corse Ferrari 296 GT3) to score his first wins of the season. The Olympic snowboarder-turned-racer is the only driver to score four overall GTDX podiums in the first four races, and that consistency puts him 10 points ahead of Adelson (1,260-1,250) heading into the weekend. Adelson, however, is keen to deliver a home race win or two for his Batavia, Ohio-based Wright Motorsports team, whose shop is roughly a few hours south of the track near Cincinnati. Samantha Tan (No. 38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3) leads the GTDX Bronze Cup on the heels of a COTA weekend sweep and seeks her first overall GTDX podium or more this weekend. Vin Barletta (No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3) and series newcomer Rodin Younessi (No. 50 Af Corse Ferrari 296 GT3) complete the class entry. 


 

Grand Sport X (GSX) has seen the RAFA Racing team sweep all four races. But a late-race mechanical in the last race spoiled Kiko Porto’s (No. 8 Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2) pursuit of going for all four himself. Teammate Ian Porter (No. 68 Toyota) took the most recent win in COTA to propel himself to second in GSX points, 150 behind Porto (1,270-1,120) but 50 clear of his closest Bronze Cup competitor (Angus Rogers, No. 5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS). A pair of podiums in COTA propelled Steven Clemons (No. 76 BSI Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2) from 13th to fifth. 


 

VP Racing Challenge competitors have a pair of practice sessions Friday, qualify on Saturday morning and race Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. Races stream on Peacock domestically and IMSA.tv and the IMSA YouTube channel internationally. 


 

Fast Facts

IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Lexington, Ohio

June 6-8, 2025


 

Race Days/Times: Saturday, June 7, 2:00 p.m. ET; Sunday, June 8, 9:00 a.m.

Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 1:55 p.m. Saturday and 8:55 a.m. Sunday (available outside the U.S. on IMSA.tv and IMSA’s Official YouTube channel)

Circuit Type: 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course

Classes Competing: Le Mans Prototype 3 (P3), Grand Touring Daytona X (GTDX), Grand Sport X (GSX)

Race Lengths: 45 minutes

 

VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Track Records

  • P3: Jagger Jones, Duqueine D08, 1:16.916 / 105.683 mph, June 2024 (Race 2)
  • GSX: Jesse Lazare, McLaren Artura GT4, 1:26.287 / 94.206 mph, June 2024 (Race 2)


 

2024 VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race 1 Winners:

  • P3: Jagger Jones, No. 87 FastMD Racing with Remstar Duqueine D08
  • GSX: Jesse Lazare, No. 21 Motorsports In Action McLaren Artura GT4


 

2024 VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race 2 Winners:

  • P3: Jagger Jones, No. 87 FastMD Racing with Remstar Duqueine D08
  • GSX: Jesse Lazare, No. 21 Motorsports In Action McLaren Artura GT4

 

 

Entry List Notebook – O'Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio

Close Finishes, GS Manufacturer Parity Feature Throughout Four-Hour Races


 

June 3, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Entry List (Click Here)

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For nearly a decade, two IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge races run an additional two hours beyond the standard-length of two hours, but pack a similar punch of parity and picture-perfect finishes. Daytona International Speedway has hosted the most, with its BMW M Endurance Challenge race running to four hours every year since 2017, while Watkins Glen International, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Road America, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course have alternated the second. 


 

The O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio, streaming live Sunday at 11:55 a.m. ET on Peacock and globally, ad-free courtesy of Michelin on IMSA’s Official YouTube channel, runs for its second consecutive year, with fuel saving capturing the day in 2024.


 

The Grand Sport (GS) class winner is traditionally hard to pick, but in the last five four-hour races, no one manufacturer has separated itself.


 

Ford, Mercedes-AMG, Porsche, Aston Martin and McLaren have made it five different GS winning manufacturers from five different teams in the last five four-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge races dating to Daytona 2023. It leaves BMW and Toyota available to make it a sixth in six. 


 

Daytona winners Michael Cooper and Moisey Uretsky, in the No. 44 Ibiza Farm Motorsports McLaren Artura GT4, seek to become the first GS pair to win both four-hour races in the same season. They’re also looking to rebound from contact from another car last time out at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, which has required significant repairs. RS1’s Jan Heylen and Luca Mars finished second at both Daytona and Sebring in the No. 28 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS, before breaking through to win at WeatherTech Raceway to extend their points lead to 170 over Sean McAlister and Jeff Westphal in the No. 39 CarBahn with Peregrine racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO.


 

In Touring Car (TCR), Hyundai has achieved a lot in its tenure in the series and has opened the year with three straight wins. But one thing the brand hasn’t done is win both four-hour races in a single season. 


 

Denis Dupont and Preston Brown’s back-to-back four-hour TCR wins at Mid-Ohio last year and Daytona this year were the first two four-hour wins for the Hyundai Elantra N TCR; the brand’s only other four-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge win came in 2020 at Road Atlanta with the previous generation Veloster N TCR. 


 

If Brown and Dupont, sharing the No. 76 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR, can win again, they’ll become the second TCR pair to sweep the two four-hour races in a season. The last was KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering, which won both in 2022 at Daytona and Road America with the Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR. KMW now races the Honda Civic FL5 TCR and will look to deliver Honda’s first four-hour race win since 2021, which occurred at Watkins Glen. 


 

Regardless of the manufacturer on top, the four-hour races have retained Michelin Pilot Challenge’s hallmark of close finishes.


 

Eight of the last 10 GS four-hour races have featured a margin of victory less than two seconds, with the only outliers Todd Coleman and Aaron Telitz’s win at Mid-Ohio last year (4.533 seconds) and Eric Filgueiras and Stevan McAleer’s Daytona 2022 win (4.631 seconds). 


 

It’s a similar story in TCR, with six of the last 10 four-hour race margin of victories less than two seconds. The Brown/Dupont win in Daytona came in a photo finish over teammates Mark Wilkins and Bryson Morris, who ended runner-up by just 0.067 of a second. Brown and Dupont continued their momentum with a win at WeatherTech Raceway as part of a Hyundai podium sweep, and they enter the weekend with a 40-point lead over teammates Harry Gottsacker and Mason Filippi in the sister No. 98 car.


 

At Mid-Ohio, 38 cars split between 23 in GS and 15 in TCR look to add to the parity party. 


 

A handful of changes to note in GS: Zach Veach and Harrison Goodman will share a CSM-entered No. 16 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS, UniTronic/JDC-Miller MotorSports’ Mikey Taylor is set to return after missing Monterey due to the birth of his son, BGB Motorsports is back with the trio of Spencer Pumpelly, Andy Lally and Thomas Collingwood, and a number of third drivers return from Daytona throughout both classes for the four-hour race. Monterey podium finishers Panam Motorsport are not on the grid this race, nor is CDR Valkyrie which was sixth in Monterey. 


 

In TCR, past IMSA 3D Scholarship recipient Jaden Conwright will share the No. 31 RVA Graphics Motorsports By Speed Syndicate Audi RS3 LMS TCR with Luke Rumberg. Christina Lam, one of the finalists for this year’s scholarship, is also back in the No. 10 Rockwell Autosport Development Audi. HART, racing on home soil in Ohio, is back with its No. 89 Honda Civic FL5 TCR with Chad Gilsinger, Tyler Chambers and Cameron Lawrence. The Gou Racing Cupra is absent this event. 


 

Fast Facts

O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Lexington, Ohio

June 6-8, 2025


 

Race Day/Time: Sunday, June 8, Noon ET

Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 11:55 a.m. ET (available outside the U.S. on IMSA.tv and ad-free globally, courtesy of Michelin via IMSA’s Official YouTube channel)

Circuit Type: 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course

Classes Competing: Grand Sport (GS), Touring Car (TCR)

Race Length: Four hours

 

Michelin Pilot Challenge Track Records

  • GS: Michael de Quesada, McLaren Artura GT4, 1:26.262 / 94.233 mph, June 2024 (Qualifying) 
  • TCR: Karl Wittmer, Honda Civic FL5 TCR, 1:27.103 / 93.323 mph, June 2024 (Qualifying) 


 

2024 O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio Winners

  • GS: Todd Coleman/Aaron Telitz, No. 88 Archangel Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT4
  • TCR: Preston Brown/Denis Dupont, No. 76 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR

 

Storylines

  • Four-Hour Headliner: For a second straight year, the Mid-Ohio Michelin Pilot Challenge race serves as the headline event of a standalone weekend apart from an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event, and the four-hour duration tests strategy, speed and fuel mileage. Michelin Pilot Challenge has raced on-and-off at Mid-Ohio since 2001, with annual races through 2013, a five-year stint from 2018 to 2022 and a return to the track in 2024 after a one-year hiatus. Preston Brown and Denis Dupont seek their third straight four-hour race win after winning at Mid-Ohio last year, then again at Daytona to start 2025.
  • Pre-Father’s Day Family Fun: A week before Father’s Day, a handful of father-son and father-daughter lineups are part of the 38-car grid in what will be a special race. They are set to include Roland and Austin Krainz (No. 27 Auto Technic Racing BMW) in GS and Ron and Megan Tomlinson (No. 37 Precision Racing LA Audi), and Riley and Larry Pegram (No. 72 Pegram Racing Hyundai) in TCR. 


 

Who’s Hot?

  • RS1: Jan Heylen and Luca Mars have started strong with two seconds and a win through three races in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS to lead the championship. 
  • Bryan Herta Autosport and Hyundai: Bryan Herta Autosport’s Hyundai Elantra N TCR car is three-for-three to start the year with its No. 76 pairing of Preston Brown and Denis Dupont winning twice and Harry Gottsacker and Mason Filippi winning once in the No. 98 car. At WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the team swept the TCR podium and its fourth car finished fifth. (Of note: both of these entities are featured on Episode 8 of the new IMSA Endurance Hour Podcast, linked here).


 

Who’s Good Here?

  • Bryan Herta Autosport and Hyundai: Mid-Ohio marked the venue where Bryan Herta Autosport won its first race with Hyundai in 2019, as Mark Wilkins and Michael Lewis shared a Veloster N TCR. Since then, they’ve added three straight Mid-Ohio wins with the Elantra N TCR (Parker Chase/Ryan Norman in 2021, Chase/Harry Gottsacker in 2022, Preston Brown/Denis Dupont in 2024).  
  • Aston Martin: The English brand has won three of the last five GS races at Mid-Ohio, sweeping the 2020 doubleheader weekend with the KohR Motorsports team and taking last year’s win with Archangel Motorsports.   


 

Previous Michelin Pilot Challenge Mid-Ohio Winners in 2025 Field (11)

  • Dean Martin (2): GS – 2007, 2009 
  • Matt Plumb (2): GS – 2011, 2013 
  • Preston Brown (1): TCR – 2024
  • Denis Dupont (1): TCR – 2024 
  • Chad Gilsinger (1): ST – 2012 
  • Harry Gottsacker (1): TCR – 2022 
  • Andy Lally (1): ST – 2005 
  • Billy Johnson (1): GS – 2012 
  • Spencer Pumpelly (1): GS – 2010 
  • James Vance (1): TCR – 2020 (first race) 
  • Mark Wilkins (1): TCR – 2019 

 

Previous Michelin Pilot Challenge Mid-Ohio Pole Winners in 2025 Field (3)

  • Chad Gilsinger (2): ST – 2012; TCR – 2019 
  • Chris Miller (1): TCR – 2021 
  • Karl Wittmer (1): TCR – 2024 

 

Previous Michelin Pilot Challenge Mid-Ohio Winning Teams in 2025 Field (4)

  • Bryan Herta Autosport (4): TCR – 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024
  • KohR Motorsports (3): GS – 2018, 2020 (first race), 2020 (second race) 
  • Honda of America Racing Team (HART) (2): STI – 2002; ST – 2012 
  • Turner Motorsport (2): GS – 2005, 2006 

 

Previous Michelin Pilot Challenge Mid-Ohio Winning Manufacturers in 2025 Field (9)

  • BMW – 7 
  • Ford – 5 
  • Porsche – 5
  • Hyundai – 4
  • Aston Martin – 3 
  • Audi – 3
  • Honda – 2
  • McLaren – 1 
  • Mercedes-AMG – 1

 

 

Three Takeaways: Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic

Increased GTP Competition; The Right Kind of Fight; Sports Cars' Good Street Fit


 

June 2, 2025

By David Phillips

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Just a hop skip and a jump from the Detroit Street Circuit’s Turn 3 you’ll find a statue of Joe Lewis, with the monument known as “The Fist” celebrating hometown icon and one of boxing’s most celebrated heavyweight champions. “The Brown Bomber’s” presence so close to the temporary racetrack is entirely fitting, for the tight confines of the nine-turn, 1.645-mile circuit proved to be the ideal setting for that most pugilistic contest of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.


 

BoP Adjustments Validated


 

The mid-season adjustments to the Balance of Performance regulations in both Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) were evidently right on the mark. On the GTP front, the heretofore struggling Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-06s locked-out the front row of the grid while the No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R looked a potential winner before van der Zande’s late race heroics. The Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963s were still very much in the mix throughout the race; likewise the BMW M Hybrid V8s still had plenty of pace, witness the fact that the four-time pole winners monopolized the second row of the grid and the No. 24 BMW M Team RLL entry finished just seven seconds adrift of the winning Acura.


 

As for GTD PRO, five manufacturers ran in the top seven spots covered only by 6.2 seconds with 15 minutes remaining in the 100-minute race. While a full-course caution soon after the one-hour mark played a part in keeping things close, all of Ford, Corvette, Lamborghini, Porsche and Lexus had legitimate podium chances. 


 

The Right Kind of Fight 


 

Saturday’s race seemed to provide just the right balance of competitors blending aggression and precision on both GTP and GTD PRO podiums. 


 

Acura MSR’s Renger van der Zande was nothing if not superb in first passing an off-balance Felipe Nasr in the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 to take second spot, then executing a letter perfect overtake on Ricky Taylor in the No. 10 Cadillac to grab a lead the No. 93 Acura was destined to maintain to the finish. 


 

For his part, Taylor was no less brilliant, having given the leading Porsche the most gentle of taps at Turn 3 – reviewed with no action by IMSA race officials – before scything past Nasr with a breathtaking maneuver at the following corner, catching the Penske driver off-guard and allowing not only van der Zande to pass as well, but also Penske teammate Mathieu Jaminet in the No. 6 Porsche.


 

Meanwhile, GTD PRO winners Seb Priaulx and Mike Rockenfeller barely put a foot wrong. Starting from pole, they led 55 of 81 laps in what was inevitably a hectic race given they were tasked with staying clear of the faster GTP machines while they battled their class competition. That their No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 completed the contest with barely a mark on it was testimony to their winning cocktail of speed, aggression and patience.


 

Putting the “Classic” in “Sports Car Classic”


 

It’s sometimes hard to define what a “classic” race is, especially when a race has an eclectic, rather than consistent, history as IMSA does in Detroit across both the new downtown Renaissance Center circuit and its previous location on Belle Isle Park. But while IndyCars serve as the Sunday main course to the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix weekend, it’s apparent the IMSA sports car race appetizer is the setup that starts a great, complete weekend meal.


 

Sports cars appear, perhaps surprisingly, well-suited to the claustrophobic confines of these concrete canyons where “rubbin’ is racing.” Let’s face it: incidental contact is virtually inevitable when high-profile athletes are turned loose in high-powered race cars on bumpy, narrow city streets shrink-wrapped in cement barriers. Even if the closed-wheeled cars trade wraps and the combatants live to survive another day, the battle scars can loom large. Officials have a fine line to tread between assessing penalties versus letting everyone race, but no incidents this year seemed malicious and it led to a highly entertaining race.


 

In the post-weekend press conference, even Detroit event officials were surprised – pleasantly so – at how well these big sports cars raced and handled the treacherous track. 


 

“I didn't think those large GTP cars would be able to pass as much as they did at this track. Turn 1 is 27 feet wide. It's narrow,” said Bud Denker, President of Penske Corporation, Roger Penske’s longtime righthand man and one of the two key Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix event leads along with Michael Montri. 


 

“But you saw some banging and some clanking off those cars yesterday in GTP and GT that we haven't seen before. I'm not sure how many passes there were yesterday, but we saw a bunch.


 

“For the fans to see that, the kind of racing, bumping through the last couple laps of the race, I think the Cadillac got passed with three or four laps to go in the race. It was a great pass. The Porsche got bumped out of the way with about 10 laps to go in the race in Turn 3.


 

“Really, really solid racing, and it just goes to the fact that, yeah, it's bumpy, but boy, it's competitive as hell in terms of what it does. I also think it separates the great drivers from good drivers in many cases, too, so I think that's clearly something that we like to see.”


 

So, back to that “classic” term. Saturday’s Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic was a compelling example of how competitive and compelling sports cars can be on a challenging street circuit, where overtaking opportunities are at a premium. Incidents were more often a product of the minor misjudgments that inevitably occur in a street race environment. 


 

Not only did few (if any) of those misjudgments result in terminal damage to the competitors, it can be argued they also contributed to what was a hugely entertaining sports car race. 


 

Is it really 10 more months until the next IMSA street race? 

 

International Motor Sports Association    Lamborghini Super Trofeo series  
2025 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe calendar

11-13 April – Paul Ricard
30 May -1 June – Monza
27-29 June – Spa-Francorchamps
29-31 August – Nürburgring 
10-12 October – Barcelona 
6-7 November – Misano

2025 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia calendar

4-6 April – Sydney (Australia)
16-18 May – Shanghai (China) 
27-29 June – Fuji (Japan) 
18-20 July – Inje (South Korea)
5-7 September – Sepang (Malaysia) 
6-7 November – Misano

2025 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America calendar

12-14 March – Sebring (Florida)
9-11 May – Laguna Seca (California)
19-21 June – Watkins Glen (New York)
1-3 August – Road America (Wisconsin)
18-20 September – Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Indiana)
6-7 November – Misano

2025 Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals

8-9 November - Misano

 

2025 international Motor Sports Association  schedule

Event Date  
 
The Roar Before The 24
Jan 17
11:00
 
Daytona 24 Hours
Jan 25
13:40
 
Sebring 12 Hours
* Mar 15
 
 
Long Beach
* Apr 12
 
 
Laguna Seca
* May 11
 
 
Detroit
* May 31
 
 
Watkins Glen
* Jun 22
 
 
Mosport
* Jul 13
 
 
Road America
* Aug 03
 
 
Virginia
* Aug 24
 
 
Indianapolis
* Sep 21
 
 
Petit Le Mans
* Oct 11
 

 
       

 

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