Championship leaders Felipe Nasr from Brazil and Nick Tandy from Great Britain crossed the finish line in second place, less than two seconds behind the winners. The pair have won the first three races at Daytona, Sebring, and Long Beach. In the GTD-Pro class, former Porsche Juniors Klaus Bachler and Laurin Heinrich notched up their second victory of the year with the 911 GT3 R.
The race
After a nail-biting qualifying session on Saturday, Sunday brought another thriller under blue Californian skies. The two Porsche 963 racers clinched victory in a fierce three-way battle – but only on the final lap of the 2:40-hour race. An unusual detail at the Laguna Seca event: there was not a single caution period during the race, something the IMSA series has not experienced in nearly three years.
When the lights turned green at the storied Californian racetrack, the two Porsche 963 slotted into positions two and three – but in reverse order from their qualifying positions. Reigning champion Felipe Nasr promptly overtook teammate Matt Campbell and set his sights on the leading BMW. Further back, the No. 6 car came into contact with a GT entry, forcing an early pit stop for repairs. Meanwhile, Nasr hunted down the leading BMW. Behind them, the No. 6 car collided with a GT car and was forced to pit for an early service. Meanwhile, Nasr put in a daring overtaking manoeuvre and swept into P1.
Around 45 minutes into the race, Brazilian driver Felipe Nasr steered the leading No. 7 Porsche into the pits, handing the wheel to Nick Tandy. Tandy rejoined the race and found himself behind the sister car, now driven by Mathieu Jaminet, who had swapped with Matt Campbell. The two Porsche 963 held firm at the front, running comfortably in first and second positions until the closing minutes – when the No. 24 BMW launched a last-ditch charge. Separated by mere metres, the top three cars treated fans to a gripping showdown in the final lap with multiple overtaking attempts, slight clashes, and ultimately, a trip into the gravel for the third-placed BMW, also caused by an involved GT racing car.
‟That was tough work,” stated Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. ‟Looking at the results, it was a perfect day – but it wasn’t as straightforward as it seems. There were challenging moments, and both Porsche 963 cars made contact with other cars. Still, our team and drivers delivered an outstanding performance. This marks our third consecutive one-two finish, and we now lead all championship categories. We couldn’t ask for more.”
In the overall standings, Porsche has extended its lead over the competition in the manufacturers’ championship. Porsche Penske Motorsport holds a comfortable lead in the team standings. In the drivers’ championship, Campbell and Jaminet have slightly closed the gap to their teammates Nasr and Tandy. The two driver pairings continue to rank first and second in the standings.
The Porsche 963 fielded by the JDC-Miller MotorSports customer team concluded the race on California’s Pacific coast in ninth place. Italian Gianmaria Bruni and Tijmen van der Helm from the Netherlands shared the wheel of the No. 85 car.
‟Roxy” repeats ‟Rexy’s” 2024 feat: Class win for the Porsche 911 GT3 R
In the GTD Pro class, former Porsche Juniors Laurin Heinrich and Klaus Bachler clinched their second win of the season after a flawless drive in the Porsche 911 GT3 R – matching the strong performance of their AO Racing team. Their pink, dinosaur-liveried car dubbed ‟Roxy” crossed the finish line at Laguna Seca with an 8.660-second lead. At the same track last year, the team celebrated its first win with the fan-favourite ‟Rexy”. Meanwhile, Wright Motorsports’ Porsche 911 GT3 R finished sixth in the GTD class.
After two races in Florida followed by two events in California, the IMSA teams are now travelling inland. Round five of the season will be contested on the streets of Detroit on 31 May. The Detroit Grand Prix, held in the U.S. state of Michigan, runs for just 100 minutes.
Drivers’ comments after the race
Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 963 #6): ‟Our first win of the season at last! We were involved in an incident early on, so I didn’t expect such a fantastic result. But a perfect team strategy got us to the front. It was a close battle to the end, even with our sister car. We managed to bring it home. Now I’m really looking forward to the race in Detroit.”
Nick Tandy (Porsche 963 #7): ‟That was another fantastic day of racing for our team. That’s the fourth consecutive podium finish for us in the number 7 car; we’ve finished second or higher in every race so far this year, which is an incredible way to start the season. We just want to keep the momentum going. We’ve only contested four of our nine races. Next up is the street race in Detroit and there’ll be plenty of points up for grabs there again. That’s what we’re fully focussing on now.”
Tijmen van der Helm (Porsche 963 #85): ‟We didn’t have the chance to test before the race, so we never quite managed to match the pace of the competition throughout the weekend. We had to think on our feet and opted for a bold pit-stop strategy. In the end, that didn’t pay off. We really needed a safety car period to help us out. Normally, there are always full course yellows at Laguna Seca – just not this year. Now we need to figure out how we can pick up the pace for the next race.”
Klaus Bachler (Porsche 911 GT3 R #77): ‟Last year, we achieved our first victory with ‘Rexy’ here at Laguna Seca, and now we’ve done it again with ‘Roxy.’ It’s just unbelievable. The Porsche 911 GT3 R was outstanding during the race. After a strong start, we made an early pit stop to avoid losing too much time behind the other cars. It was the right call. Winning today means we’re leading the championship, which feels great — but there are still seven races left on the calendar.”
Elliott Skeer (Porsche 911 GT3 R #120): ‟Sixth place is pretty much what we expected going into the weekend, but the race went much better than we thought. That raised our expectations, and the podium was definitely within reach. The Porsche 911 GT3 R was fantastic. Unfortunately, a drive-through penalty really set us back. It’s a shame.”
Race results
GTP class:
1. Campbell/Jaminet (AUS/FRA), Porsche 963 #6, 124 laps
2. Nasr/Tandy (BRA/GBR), Porsche 963 #7, + 1.692 seconds
3. Eng/D. Vanthoor (AUT/BEL), BMW #24, + 33.408 seconds
9. Bruni/Van der Helm (ITA/NLD), Porsche 963 #85, - 2 laps
GTD-Pro class:
1. Bachler/Heinrich (AUT/DEU), Porsche 911 GT3 R #77, 115 laps
2. Costa/Altoe (ESP/ITA), Ferrari #81, + 8.660 seconds
3. Garcia/Sims (ESP/GBR), Corvette #3, - 1 lap
GTD class:
1. Ward/Ellis (USA/GBR), Mercedes-AMG #57, 114 laps
2. Hawksworth/Thompson (GBR/CDN), Lexus #12, + 5.459 seconds
3. Franco/Serra (USA/BRA), Ferrari #34, + 36.516 seconds
6. Adelson/Skeer (USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R #120, + 53.307 seconds
