- Felipe Nasr and Dane Cameron claim sole lead of the championship
- Works-run Porsche 963 finish third and fourth in Long Beach
- Powerful GTP-class performance from the Porsche 963 customer teams
- Next up: Round four of the IMSA at the Laguna Seca Raceway on 12 May
The Porsche 963 shared by works drivers Dane Cameron from the USA and Felipe Nasr from Brazil wrapped up the 100-minute race in Long Beach on the podium. The two winners of the Daytona season opener clinched third place at round three of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. This makes the duo the sole leaders of the drivers’ championship. The sister car driven by Nick Tandy (United Kingdom) and Mathieu Jaminet (France) finished fourth. The customer-run hybrid cars fielded by Proton Competition and JDC-Miller MotorSports concluded the city race in positions five and seven respectively.
In bright sunshine and temperatures of around 22 degrees Celsius, the IMSA championship once again offered fans in the packed grandstands some action-packed racing. After just eleven minutes, the safety car was deployed for the first time following an incident. Shortly after, both of the works team’s Porsche 963 racers made their first and only pit stop. This clever strategy bore fruit for Porsche Penske Motorsport: The two 513 kW (697 PS) hybrid racing cars advanced to positions three and four.
Initially, Mathieu Jaminet remained on course for a podium result at the wheel of the No. 6 car, only to be hampered by an incident with around 20 minutes of racing to go. While lapping a GT vehicle, the Frenchman’s Porsche spun, opening the way for Felipe Nasr to slip past in the sister car. The two works vehicles crossed the finish line in this order. After its victory at Daytona and third place in Sebring, Porsche Penske Motorsport continues its podium streak.
“Congratulations to our IMSA team and to everyone who has contributed to our podium success with the Porsche 963,” explains Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “The sprint through the streets of Long Beach was once again a spectacular event this year – a celebration for fans and participants alike. Our Porsche Penske Motorsport works team again delivered a flawless performance and reaped the well-deserved rewards. Thanks to today’s success, we have further strengthened our position in the drivers’ and teams’ championships. May it continue like this in tomorrow’s FIA WEC race in Imola!”
“What a great day for our team in Long Beach,” states Jonathan Diuguid. The Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport adds: “Compared to qualifying, we’ve worked our way up the order with both cars, and our No. 7 has continued its series of podium finishes. Our team did a first-class job with the pit stops. We’d hoped to make further progress through our strategy but unfortunately that didn’t work out. Still, we can live with the overall result.”
Cameron and Nasr are now the sole leaders in the drivers’ championship with 1,032 points. In the team classification, the No. 7 crew is leading. In the manufacturers’ championship, Porsche ranks second after the third race of the season.
The customer squads Proton Competition and JDC-Miller MotorSports underlined the huge potential of the Porsche 963 with positions five and seven. In the GTD class, however, Porsche Motorsport’s partners struggled: The two Porsche 911 GT3 R campaigned by Andretti Motorsports and MDK Motorsports finished the race in ninth and 13th place, while the identical model fielded by Wright Motorsport was eliminated after just nine laps when an accident shunted it out of contention.
Round four of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be contested on 12 May at the Laguna Seca Raceway close to the California harbour city of Monterey.
Drivers’ comments after the race
Felipe Nasr (Porsche 963 #7): “That was an extremely challenging race. We managed to get back on track for the podium at the last minute. The team played a major part in this because the strategy was perfect and it helped us a lot. At times I had to fend off attacks from the competition but it worked brilliantly. We climbed the winners’ podium again and took home a lot of points. That was important and good.”
Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 963 #6): “We had a great strategy and a truly fast car. I was strong in third place for long stretches until a GT car sent me spinning in the last corner. I could say goodbye to the anticipated podium finish. At least I was able to maintain a decent pace and successfully limit the damage. We started from fourth on the grid and finished fourth. We’re eager to finally take home major trophies at the next race in Laguna Seca.”
Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 963 #5): “Our car was significantly better in the race than in qualifying. We’re a small customer team and were still able to match the pace of the factory cars – that’s something to celebrate. Our team tweaked the setup of the Porsche 963 overnight and it was perfect. I really enjoyed working alongside Mike Rockenfeller this weekend. Now I’m looking forward to the next race, where we want to continue our good form.”
Richard Westbrook (Porsche 963 #85): “It was a typical racing battle on a street circuit. At least we achieved a decent result. We could’ve certainly done a bit better because our car was incredibly fast. The entire weekend in Long Beach was positive for us. We’re systematically working our way forward. Minor issues prevented an even better result here. There’s no doubt at all about the speed of the car. Knowing this, we can now travel with confidence to the next race in Laguna Seca.”
Race result:
GTP class:
1. Bourdais/Van der Zande (F/NL), Cadillac #01, 68 laps
2. Derani/Aitken (BR/UK), Cadillac #31, + 0.546 seconds
3. Nasr/Cameron (BR/USA), Porsche 963 #7, + 1.675 seconds
4. Jaminet/Tandy (F/UK), Porsche 963 #6, + 2.913 seconds
5. Bruni/Rockenfeller (I/D), Porsche 963 #5, + 4.297 seconds
7. Van der Helm/Westbrook (NL/UK), Porsche 963 #85, + 6.892 seconds
GTD class:
1. Barnicoat/Thompson (UK/CDN), Lexus #89, 65 laps
2. Foley/Gallagher (USA/USA), BMW #96, + 1.449 seconds
3. Skeen/Grenier (USA/CDN), Mercedes-AMG #32, + 2.194 seconds
9. Andretti/Chaves (USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R #43, + 7.227 seconds
13. Li/Fjordbach (CHN/DK), Porsche 911 GT3 R #86, + 1 lap
DNF. Adelson/Skeer (USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R #120, + 57 laps
