IMSA Laguna Seca: Porsche beats Cadillac after last-gasp Tandy pass

Tandy (Porsche Penske Motorsport 963) handed Cadillac’s Jack Aitken inside the ultimate dozen minutes of the 2h40m occasion that was run for GTP and GTD equipment solely.

The win was Roger Penske’s 100^th victory in sportscar competitors.

Sebastien Bourdais, having whirled the Chip Ganassi-run Cadillac V-Sequence.R to a brand new monitor report in qualifying, led the sector to inexperienced from Pipo Derani’s Motion Categorical-run variant, who challenged on the outdoors of the Andretti Hairpin however couldn’t style a gap.

Bourdais got here near going off on the Corkscrew on the opening lap however clung on to his lead. Derani then had a scare inside the primary quarter-hour when he clipped Mike Skeen’s GTD Mercedes at Flip 3. Derani pitted inside the primary half an hour for 2 tyres solely, reporting that he was not comfortable together with his automotive’s stability.

Behind Derani, Philipp Eng’s Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing-run BMW M Hybrid V8 held third, forward of the manufacturing unit 963s of Jaminet and Dane Cameron and the Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06s of Ricky Taylor and Louis Deletraz. After half-hour, Cameron bought jammed up in GTD site visitors on the Corkscrew, which allowed each Acuras to leap forward of him.

Each Acuras rapidly got here below IMSA’s scrutiny: Taylor was compelled to pit early to ‘tackle tyre operational necessities’ and bought lapped, whereas Deletraz acquired a warning for failing to stick to powertrain parameters.

The race’s solely full-course warning flew after 50 minutes for particles from the rear nook of the #7 Porsche, which eradicated Bourdais’ huge lead. All of the leaders pitted however Derani, after his early cease, was capable of hand the #31 Cadillac over to Jack Aitken in simply 15s because the automotive didn’t want as a lot gasoline as its rivals.

Nick Tandy took over the #6 Porsche from Jaminet and restarted the race briefly within the lead from Aitken, who didn’t observe IMSA’s directions when the category break up occurred, and Tandy handed him (legally) below the yellow.

However, simply after the inexperienced flag flew, Tandy locked up and ran extensive on the Andretti Hairpin, gifting P1 again to Aitken on the run by Flip 2. Bourdais handed off to Renger van der Zande, slumping from first to 3rd because it took a full power load, with Jordan Taylor in for Deletraz in fourth.

Van der Zande muscled previous Tandy on the Corkscrew simply earlier than half distance to seize second. Felipe Nasr, within the repaired #7 Porsche, additionally made a forceful transfer previous Jesse Krohn (within the #24 BMW for Eng) to grab fifth and shortly acquired fourth from Jordan Taylor.

Tandy misplaced a heap of time when he ran extensive avoiding a GTD Lamborghini within the Corkscrew, whereas Krohn suffered an off on the exit of Flip 3 and picked up a sponsor banner on the entrance of his automotive, and he tumbled to the tail of the GTP pack.

Aitken pitted from the ultimate time with just below an hour to go, once more benefiting from a shorter fill because of its three-stop technique. Though he pitted later, van der Zande wanted an extended cease get to the tip and rejoined 5s in arrears. CGR additionally opted for no contemporary tyres, in comparison with Aitken’s two-tyre name.

Tandy ran lengthy to steer for a number of laps and pitted with 46 minutes to go, additionally staying on his previous rubber, splitting the Cadillacs as he rejoined in second. Aitken’s lead was carved into by Tandy in site visitors, the pair even touching as Tandy lunged him at Flip 3 inside the ultimate half-hour.

Aitken was clearly sooner in clear air, however Tandy’s doggedness in site visitors all the time gave him an opportunity to pounce.

With 12 minutes to Aitken bought boxed in at Flip 4 behind two GTD vehicles, as a Corvette tried to go a Porsche, and ran extensive onto the grime. Tandy lunged to the within to seize the victory by virtually 6s on the end.

Nasr handed van der Zande, who struggled to repeat the automotive’s earlier tempo, for third within the closing levels. Taylor additionally bullied his well past on the run to Flip 1 after they earlier clashed on the Corkscrew.

The BMW problem flopped, as Connor De Phillippi #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 slumped to eighth from fifth on the opening lap and suffered a difficulty with its left-rear nook within the first pitstop. Staff-mate Nick Yelloly then suffered a spin, however he battled again to seventh.

Porsche beats McLaren and Corvette in GTD

In GTD Professional, Chevrolet led after sweeping to a entrance row lock out in qualifying, with Nicky Catsburg within the #4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R main team-mate Antonio Garcia (#3).

The primary warning fell very kindly for the Pfaff Motorsports McLaren 720S, as Marvin Kirchhofer handed over the McLaren MP4/4 tribute-liveried automotive to Oliver Jarvis simply on the proper time to steer the #4 ’Vette, through which Tommy Milner took over from Catsburg.

Laurin Heinrich, within the AO Racing Porsche 911 he shares with Seb Priaulx, pushed Milner again to 3rd after the restart. Heinrich then handed the McLaren for the win with a daring transfer at Flip 6 simply after half distance.

Danny Formal led the opening GTD pro-am class exchanges in pole-winning Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti’s Lamborghini Huracan from Patrick Gallagher’s Turner Motorsport BMW M4.

However the Turner BMW hit the entrance after the full-course yellow, and Robby Foley (in for Gallagher) seemed set for the class win till he turned in on Jordan Taylor’s Acura inside the ultimate 5 minutes at Flip 4.

The off-track second that ensued was sufficient for the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes of Russell Ward and Philip Ellis to leap forward, with the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche of Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer ending third, the latter getting away with a wild slide at Flip 6 late on.