IMSA Sportscar weekend was full of surprises after none of the pole sitters from qualifying finished on top of the table after the 2 hour and 40 minute sprint race at Road America in Wisconsin. The overall race winner the No. 06 Porsche Penske Porsche 963 started the race from P7 but found the pace and strategy to secure the victory against all odd. To make thing more sweet for the Porsche Penske , the No. 07 car finished P2 ahead of the No. 10 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06 in the GTP class.
Full IMSA Sportscar Weekend Broadcast
IMSA recorded record attendance at Road America as the Porsche Penske team celebrated its 3rd win of the season. Driver Mathieu Jaminet said, “We had a couple of contacts in the last laps, I touched quite a few cars. That was pure IMSA-style racing. This is why we love it; this is why we want to come back every time. You can be nowhere the day before, and nowhere at the start of the race, and two hours later, you come back with a big trophy. Big thanks to the team to pull out the strategy, to put the numbers together.”
Redemption for United Autosports
After a mishap in practice that saw the No. 02 LMP2 United Autosports car crash into the concrete barrier at the carousel. The team was able to rebuild the car and get it out for qualifying with no issues. The drivers said:
Ben Keating
“So grateful for the team this weekend. All the guys put in so much effort to rebuild the car in time for qualifying, after I completely demolished it in free practice two. When I went out, the car felt so good and inspired so much confidence that I qualified on the front row for the race. For some reason, I have always loved this track, my last win was here! I just love this place, and it showed in my stint.
I managed to take the lead at the start and I never gave it up, putting in some really good laps. Things went our way for the first time this season. We have been unlucky so far, but this time we managed to get into the pits before the yellows. It’s great to look back and say we made all the right calls and finally get a win here, it feels really good for us and the whole team.”
Ben Hanley:
“A huge thank you to the whole United team! Ben had a little off in FP2 and it was a monumental task to get the car ready and out for qualifying … the United Autosports crew did that and this is the reward for them. We have had great pace all season really, it just hasn’t fallen for us. A lot of the debriefs have been … “unfortunately such and such happened” but this time we were aggressive when we needed to be and keep it at the front. A big thanks to everybody.”
Despite not qualifying on pole No. 02 car used the advantage gained by starting P2 ahead of the teams No. 22 sister car. The team had highs and lows with the No. 2 winning the race by the No. 22 finishing second to last in class despite a P3 starting spot. The No. 22 did however finish on the lead lap of the race.
GTD and GTD Pro Finish Mixes Up the Bunch
The GTD Pro one off entry from Conquest Racing came away with a win this weekend. The No. 35 Ferrari 296 GT3 led the in class race for the majority of the afternoon. The teams strategy heavily relied on fuel management to extend stents allowing the team to build up a formidable lead. The Turner Motorsports BMW M4 Gt3 took the win in GTD.
Full Race Results
Full championship point standings can be found here: IMSA SportsCar Championship Standings