Porsche Swaps at the Front but Stays on Top at Laguna

Up until the the round at Laguna Seca Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy’s No. 07 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 has finished on top of the podium for three straight races. However, it was the sister car’s turn to shin at Laguna Seca this weekend as the No. 06 car found the grit to take the top spot to end the team’s sister car’s win streak. Porsche Penske isn’t complaining however. The team has won every race thus far this year in the IMSA WeatherTech championship. The dream start is nothing the team could have imagined leading up to the 2025 season.

After leading the effort for the win, Mathieu Jaminet said, “Really hard racing out there, but what really made the difference was the great strategy calls by the team. There was a lot of energy saving in the first stint to try to stretch it for such an early pit stop compared to the sister car. It worked out well in the end.”

Heartbreak Again for BMW

Dries Vanthoor and his BMW side fell short once again after claiming pole position and failing to convert pole to a win yet again at Laguna. The team would settle for another P3 finish but its clear there is a disappointment in the air for the BMW side. “I think P3 was almost the maximum we could have achieved today, said Vanthoor. “The Porsches were again strong but we had a good race, the team did a great job. We did the best we could. That I was pushed off in the last corner was unfortunate. It was a racing incident, even though I think it was unnecessary. We still have work to do but having had two podiums in two races is a very nice achievement, but we just want more after the qualifying achievements and win a race.”

GTD Pro

AO Racing’s Roxy secured the win at Laguna in the GTD PRO class marking the team’s third consecutive win this year after the dominant performance put on by “Rexy” at Long Beach. The pink liveried Porsche “Roxy” finished over 8 seconds ahead of the next in class competitor which was another display of dominance for the team.

AO Racing Comments on win

Laurin Heinrich
I’m super happy. I have to give it to the team. They won three in a row. Two of those were with Klaus and me, and I’m extremely happy. Klaus had an amazing start, which was a huge key to our win today. We had a good pit stop and a mega strategy to win. Unlike last year, I didn’t have to pass a car to win the race. It really was a team effort to give us a track position and we just had to bring it home. Winning in pink on Mother’s Day with Roxy is great. It’s also my father’s birthday. I’m so happy to give both of my parents this appropriate present.

Klaus Bachler
It was a fantastic race. It was incredible and I’m so proud to be a part of this team. The team has won three races in a row in two different classes, which is just incredible. Laurin and I were not in Long Beach, but we won Sebring and here in Laguna Seca in GTD PRO, which means we are leading the championship in the GTD PRO class. I’m really happy and proud of this. It was fully a team effort. The Porsche was just so good today, and with the strategy, we managed to go to the front. Laurin did a mega job in the last two hours. We have seven races to go, so the championship is still wide open. But we will work extremely hard and try to get this championship again like last year.

In GTD the No. 57 Windward Racing bagged another win solidifying their position at the top of the table thus far this year.

Results from Laguna Seca

Dries Vanthoor secured his 4th consecutive pole position this year in the IMSA GTP class for this weekends race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Despite finishing on pole every race this year the BMW side hasn’t figured out how to convert those pole positions into wins. Felipe Nasr of Penske Porsche has brought home wins in every race thus far in 2025. Vanthoors commented on the feat but clearly wishes the team could have done more with their finishes in the main races.

“For sure I’m very happy to have four consecutive poles,” said Vanthoor. “A bit sad that I don’t have any wins out of them, but we have a chance now to make that happen tomorrow. It’s important that we put that behind us and come away from here answering a different question than: ‘When are we going to win?’ We’re very motivated and we are going to push hard tomorrow in every area and every aspect. Hopefully we will get the result we deserve.”

GTD Pro and GTD

The No. 81 Dragonspeed Ferrari 296 GT3 secured its first pole position in the IMSA WeatherTech championship. The Ferrari beat out the No. 48 Paul miller Racing BMW by a margin or 0.036s to claim in class pole. The No. 32 Korthoff Competition Motors Mercedes-AMG GT3 claimed itds maiden pole in GTD.

Racing starts at 12:00pm local time at Laguna Seca.

Qualifying Results

Qualifying for the 50th Long Beach Grand Prix ended with BMW emerging as the pole sitter after securing a 1-2 finish ahead of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. BMW led the Porsche pair behind and into the first turn of the race and would hold until the first round of stops. However by the mid point in the race the Porsches had already built up a sizable lead and thus the BMWs had to settle for a P3 and P5 despite a front row lock out at the start.

Porsche Penske make it three in a row after winning at Daytona, Sebring and now Long Beach. Felipe Nasr brought the car home in dominant fashion and was not tested on the final lap of the race. The feat has only been accomplished once before in the history of the IMSA WeatherTech Championship. The No.07 Porsche Penske widened the gap in the championship race now 123 points clear of the teams sister car.

GTD

The No. 177 AO Racing Porsche “Rexy” won on a one off entry aside from their normal outfit with the No. 77 GTD Pro car. Despite not being a season entry for GTD the team pulled out the win in the short 100 minute sprint around the streets of Long Beach. The team made a very good decision for us not to change tires and be aggressive on the fuel side,” said Laurens Vanthoor, driver. “That was our only chance as the Lexus, as we saw the first stint, had a lot of speed. It’s not easy to overtake here so we had to try and take track position.

We managed that but then the fun part starts, trying to stay ahead on older tires (and) especially when the yellow came out I was able to save some fuel. In the beginning I wasn’t very sure. But after 10-15 laps, I could see he was not able to come very close, so I knew if I did everything right and not make any mistakes everything will be all right. And at the end that’s how it turned out.”

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Results

IMSA has announced a multiyear partnership with Hagerty which seeks to forge new bonds between motorsports fans and car enthusiasts. Hagerty will focus on enhancing the fan experience at each race as IMSA looks to tap into new fan bases to continue record growth for interest in the series. IMSA President John Doohan said, “Hagerty is a standard-bearer for specialty vehicle insurance and celebrates the automotive industry and car culture like few other brands. Hagerty feels like a natural part of the IMSA paddock, and its presence will only amplify the car culture that IMSA provides. We can’t wait to take the next step with Hagerty in this multi-year agreement.”

Claire Williams, Vice President of Marketing Strategy at Hagerty:

“Motorsports and car culture go hand in hand, and our partnership with IMSA is about celebrating both in ways that engage fans and enthusiasts alike. Whether you’re a lifelong race fan or just discovering sports car racing, we’re excited to enhance the at-track experience and create more opportunities for people to connect with the cars, the competition and the community.”

The partnership kicked off at Sebring and Hagerty will be in the paddock for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach one of the fan favorites. The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend will also feature IndyCar and Formula Drift.

Fan favorite “Rexy” the No. 77 Porsche GT3R won the in class GTD Pro race at Sebring after 12 hours of har racing. Similarly to the other classes the end of the race wasn’t very eventful as the leaders with 15 minutes ont he clock held their positions and ultimately claimed glory. “We finally won something together really big,” said driver Klaus Bachler. “The Twelve Hours of Sebring in GTD PRO! I won it two years ago, but I’m so happy that we managed this today again. And I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”

The No. 77 car led the class for the majority of the day. The drivers were able to navigate multiple yellow flags and on track incidents which propelled them in the closing stages of the race. AO racing won the class by almot 5 seconds in the race; never being threatened in the closing minutes of the race.

Winward Racing Stake Claim in GTD

Swiss driver Phillip Ellis pulled off the move of a century; most importantly, without penalty. With less than 15 minutes in the race Ellis utilized the old bump and run stretagy against the leading No. 13 Lexus driven by Jack Hawksworth. After the move was made the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes took off and never looked back. The No. 57 took advantage of heavy track patterns and tire management in the closing stages of the race. The team won by a margin of 3.265 seconds.

Ellis commented on the bump and run move saying, “I mean, it was just a good battle I think with the Ferrari and the Lexus for probably the last two hours. Was very tough, but that’s what this racing is, especially in IMSA. I think the drivers like it, I think the spectators like it. I think that’s what we should keep doing, as well. Obviously there was some rubbing here and there. That’s part of good racing. Nothing was over the limit. Just used whatever I had to use.”

Race Results ; 12 Hours of Sebring

Porsche Penske does it again after 12 hours of racing at Sebring International Raceway. The No. 07 led the 1-2 effort as Porsche Penske finished on top again after an already dominant start to the season at the Rolex 24. Felipe Nasr led the closing stint where he was never really challenged. Unlike the drama that has ensured over the past two years in the closing minutes of the 12 hours of Sebring; This year’s ending was mostly uneventful. Porsche had dominated the race and held the lead for the majority of the final 25% of the race. When the clock read 30 minutes left Porsche was in maintenance mode. The goal; take care of the car and bring it home.

Based on final pit stop strategy and tire management under a flurry of yellow flags. Porsche was able to extend its race stints and maximize performance when track temperature dropped in the evening. Of note, Nick Tandy joined a collective of legends as he finally has etched his name into the record books as the 10th driver to win the “triple crown”. That is wins at the Rolex 24, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 hours of Le Mans. While the wins did not occur in the same year, (yet). However, the achievement is one of the most coveted in the history of motorsports.

“Congratulations to the whole team for a flawless performance,” commented Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “As expected, the 12 Hours of Sebring delivered some fierce competition. Drivers, mechanics, and engineers – everyone did an absolutely perfect job today. It couldn’t have gone better. The Porsche 963 has again upheld its reputation as the most successful LMDh car since the regulations were introduced. This is something we can all be very proud of. Thanks to everyone who contributed to these successes. I’d also like to congratulate our customer team AO Racing. They scored a well-deserved class victory with the Porsche 911 GT3 R.”

Inter Europol Wins LMP2

The No. 43 Inter Europol LMP2 car held on to the lead in the closing stages of the race. The team played the long game never taking unnecessary risks which left them poised to maintain their lead in the closing stages of the race. The car maintained a one second lead at the end of the race but leading up to the final laps, track traffic and overall pace left them in a comfortable position to take the in class win. despite the win the No. 43 only led the race for 12 of the 347 laps

Results from the 12 Hours of Sebring

BMW came to Sebring with a goal and they have achieved that goal by securing pole position for the 12 Hours of Sebring. The No. 25 car led early in the weekend but it was it’s sister car the No. 24 that would find the field leading pace that secured overall pole position. BMW have seemingly stepped into a class of their own. The margin for pole position was 0.025 seconds with the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura having to settle for P2 come race day tomorrow.

In LMP2 TDS Racing continues to show signs of improvement throughout the weekend. The will start at the front for in class pole which may benefit them with a bit more track ahead as the GTP cars pull away.

Ferrari dominated in the GTD and GTD Pro classes with pole positions in both with the No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari topping GTD and the No. 81 Car topping the GTD Pro class. Of note the fastest GTD time was also the fastest of all GT cars.

The 12 Hours of Sebring will kick off at 10:10am EDT and will run for 12 hours into the evening.

Qualifying Results

It was seemingly summer time at Sebring International Raceway today as temperatures rose into the mid 70s low 80s this afternoon during practice for the IMSA WeatherTech championship. Sheldon van der Linde set the fastest time of practice in the No. 25 BMW M V8 Hybrid ahead of qualifying tomorrow. He edged the lead out from the No. 60 Acura from Meyer Shank Racing by one tenth of a second.

Andreas Roos shared his comments on the race weekend here at Sebring. “Sebring and BMW M Motorsport share a very special bond. This track has played an outstanding role in our history in North America, which now spans half a century. We are excited for the anniversary weekend, and our goal is to add new milestones to those already displayed on the liveries of our BMW M Hybrid V8s. We have already shown at Daytona and at the FIA WEC season opener in Qatar that we have made another significant step forward with our LMDh car. This gives us confidence for a strong performance in the GTP class. Our new BMW M4 GT3 EVO has also immediately demonstrated its winning potential. Celebrating 50 years of BMW of North America with the corresponding results would be fantastic.”

Acura won the 12 Hours of Sebring last year and will look to knock BMW off of the top spot as the teams gear up for qualifying.

LMP2

Nicklas Nielson set the fastest lap in the No. 88 AF Corse ORECA LMP2 07 during practice. The key for the LMP2s will be to navigate traffic in the race as Sebring tends to be unforgiving; especially in the closing stages of the race.

GTD Pro and GTD

“Rexy” the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche set the only sub 2 min time in the GTD Pro class. Korthoff Competition Motors led the GTD class with this No.

Combined Practice Results

Tower Motorsports has been stripped of its LMP2 class victory this past weekend after the IMSA stewards found the team to be in breach of the technical regulations. IMSA has released a statement that the issue is specifically related to the maximum allowable wear to the regulated area of the skid block on the underside of the car which is set at 5mm. Tower Motorsports appealed the decision but the appeal was denied. Unfortunately for Tower Motorsports the winning high was short lived.

Rolex 24 Provisional Race Results

Ford Multimatic Motorsports won the in class 24 hours of Daytona in the GTD Pro class this weekend after a battle of titans at the front which saw multiple cars in the running for the finish down to the last 15 minutes of the race. The battle came down to the No. 65 and No. 64 Ford Mustang GT3 and the No. 3 Corvette of Prat Miller Motorsports. The all American manufacturer finish came at the expense of the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW and the No. 4 Corvette from Pratt Miller Racing. A questionable incident occurred between the lapped No. 48 BMW and the No. 4 Corvette that results in damage that provided to be an ongoing nuisance to the No. 4 car’s lap times. Eventually race control required them to make 2 unplanned pit stops which effectively removed them from contention.

The No. 01 Paul Miller racing BMW held the lead in GTD Pro for the majority of the final 6 hours but came up short after the No. 3 Corvette punted the BMW into turn 1 with 11 minutes ot go in the race. The BMW was not able to recover form the incident. However, the drama behind was good news for the NO. 65 Ford as with the fighting behind the No. 65 Mustang was able to pull away and secure the first Daytona win for the team.

Words from the Ford Multimatic Team

Pascal Zurlinden, Executive Vice President, Multimatic Engineering & MSVO

“This is an incredible result for everyone at Multimatic Motorsports and Ford Performance. Two years ago, when Ford announced the Mustang GT3 programme, the car didn’t exist. To be standing in Victory Lane today is proof that there is no substitute for hard work, whether that is at the race track, the race shop or during long days and nights in the simulator. It is an honour for us to take a car as iconic as Mustang and turn it into a Daytona winner. May we, and Ford’s customers, have many more victories ahead of us.”

Christopher Mies, No. 65 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3

“It’s unbelievable. One year ago we came here with a brand new car, finished the race with no real issues but obviously we were lacking pace. So some small things on the bodywork which sent us back and now coming back exactly one year later and winning the race. I can’t thank Ford and Multimatic enough. To my teammates, it’s just been incredible. I didn’t expect that. What a difference a year makes. It was definitely our strategy in the end. We gambled. My motto is life is a gamble. We have Bruno Couprie with us, the best strategist in the whole paddock and it paid off. It’s unreal and paid off!”

GTD

The No. 13 AWA racing Corvette won the GTD class in a much less dramatic but still close fighting fashion. After what seemed like an early end for the No. 13 Corvette the team bounced back and was able to make up time overnight to find themselves in contention at the end stages of the race. The No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) and the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo tried to hold on for the fight for the top spot in class but ultimately fell short. AWA Racing won the class race by a half second.

Rolex 24 Results