Race
The 100-minute ‘Detroit Sports Car Classic’ had it all: In bright sunshine and summery temperatures of around 25 degrees Celsius, fans were treated to an action-packed race that was filled with fierce duels, multiple incidents, five cautions and a complete traffic jam on track. In the final 20 minutes alone, the race was neutralised twice. While Mathieu Jaminet, who at times led the field, pulled out all stops after the last two restarts, ultimately the Frenchman was unable to get past the leading Acura – the eventual winner after 75 laps. At the flag, the No. 6 car was just 1.132 seconds shy of victory. Felipe Nasr had also led the race for several laps at the wheel of the No. 7 sister car only to have a puncture relegate the crew to fourth place.
“We just need to catch our breath after so much turmoil and incidents,” says Urs Kuratle. The Director Factory Motorsport LMDh adds: “We did everything right strategically but were unlucky with contacts and penalties. Still, we’re happy and we’ve continued our series of podium finishes. But even more importantly, Porsche leads all championship classifications. We head to Le Mans in high spirits. Congratulations to the AO Racing outfit for its second victory in a row with the Porsche 911 GT3 R.”
“We tackled the race from positions one and two only to be hampered by shunts and penalties,” states Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. “Nevertheless, we fought back impressively and never let up. At one point our number 6 car even reclaimed the lead but was then overtaken. That can happen. We must do better next time. All in all, this is a solid result. Our situation in the championship looks promising. We’re now looking ahead to Le Mans and then Watkins Glen.”
In the overall rankings, Porsche has now advanced to the top of the leaderboard in the manufacturers’ classification after two wins and podium finishes at all the other three races of the season so far. Daytona winners Nasr and Cameron have further extended their lead in the drivers’ championship, with Tandy and Jaminet advancing to third place. The Porsche Penske Motorsport works team ranks first in the team championship.
The two Porsche 963 fielded by the customer teams were caught out in several incidents in the Detroit sprint event. In the top GTP class, both 511 kW (695 PS) hybrid prototypes fielded by JDC-Miller MotorSports and Proton Competition were ultimately classified in eighth and ninth respectively.
GTD-Pro class win for AO Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 R
The Porsche 911 GT3 R from AO Racing has secured its second GTD-Pro class victory in a row. After winning the Laguna Seca race in mid-May, Sebastian Priaulx from the UK and the former Porsche Junior Laurin Heinrich from Germany followed up with another triumph in the streets of Detroit. The crew driving AO Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 R dubbed “Rexy” leads all GTD-Pro classifications.
Watkins Glen in the US state of New York hosts round six of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season on 23 June. But first, Porsche Penske Motorsport and numerous customer teams will tackle the highlight of the year: On 15/16 June, the works team will field three Porsche 963 racers in the world’s greatest endurance race. With 19 outright victories to its credit, the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer is the record holder. The official tests on the 13.626-kilometre Circuit des 24 Heures in Le Mans will be held next weekend.
Drivers’ comments after the race
Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 963 #6): “Everything went well, but during the safety car phases I found it really difficult keeping the front tyres up to temperature. That’s why the Acura could get past us. The competition is doing better, particularly when it comes to braking for tight turns. We can live with second place. But to be honest, I must admit that I didn’t perform at my best today. I’ll do better next time.”
Felipe Nasr (Porsche 963 #7): “Fourth is pretty good. This race offered everything a motor racing fan could wish for. It was a huge challenge for us drivers. At times we were looking good in the race and we definitely had a shot at another podium finish – but then a rival hit me during a yellow phase, which damaged my right rear wheel. I had to come into the pits and that cost me a lot of time. Still, after that, I went full attack, managed to overtake a couple of cars and finished in fourth.”
Bent Viscaal (Porsche 963 #5): “That’s a disappointing result. During my stint, the car was really fast and things were looking good when I handed the number 5 to Gimmi Bruni. But unfortunately, there were a lot of shunts and an unnecessary collision. Once again, we made significant progress this weekend. We’re constantly learning. We deserved fifth place at least. That would’ve been a fair result. At some point, we have to reap the rewards.”
Richard Westbrook (Porsche 963 #85): “It’s hard for me to come up with anything positive. To be honest, the track is not suitable for racing with prototypes in the top GTP class. It was like being in a bumper car. The damage to the vehicles worsened lap by lap. It was unacceptable – simply unacceptable. I found it frustrating. I have such fond memories of the times we competed on the beautiful Belle Isle in Detroit. I’m looking forward to Watkins Glen – now that’s a great circuit.”
Laurin Heinrich (Porsche 911 GT3 R #77): “Two straight wins – fantastic! The race was anything but easy. My teammate Seb created a great foundation, first in qualifying and again in his first stint. Our pit stop was perfect and quick, and the first few laps on cool tyres went very well. But then I got a big fright when I couldn’t avoid a rival. Our ‘Rexy’ sustained a bit of damage to the front and I had to change my driving style because the car kept wanting to slide straight ahead. It worked and I’m delighted.”
Race results
GTP class:
1. Taylor/Albuquerque (USA/P), Acura #10, 75 laps
2. Jaminet/Tandy (F/UK), Porsche 963 #6, + 1.132 seconds
3. Bourdais/Van der Zande (F/NL), Cadillac #01, + 4.198 seconds
4. Nasr/Cameron (BR/USA), Porsche 963 #7, + 5.142 seconds
8. Van der Helm/Westbrook (NL/UK), Porsche 963 #85, + 1 lap
9. Bruni/Viscaal (I/NL), Porsche 963 #5, + 10 laps
GTD-Pro class:
1. Heinrich/Priaulx (D/UK), Porsche 911 GT3 R #77, 74 laps
2. Hawksworth/Barnicoat (UK/UK), Lexus #14, + 2.885 seconds
3. Gunn/Riberas (UK/E), Aston Martin #23, + 4.869 seconds
Full results and championship standings at https://imsa.alkamelsystems.com.
Qualifying
Nick Tandy from the UK set the fastest lap time in qualifying on the Detroit city course. His teammate Dane Cameron from the USA rounded off the impressive result for the Porsche Penske Motorsport works team with second place. The two identical hybrid prototypes fielded by Proton Competition and JDC-Miller MotorSports customer squads secured positions seven and nine respectively. The fourth grid spot in the GTD-Pro class went to AO Racing’s so-called ‘Rexy’ Porsche 911 GT3 R.
In bright sunshine and 25-degree Celsius temperatures, a nail-biting hunt for top times unfolded on the narrow and extremely bumpy street course in Detroit. The first 13 minutes of the 15-minute session saw lap times tumble – before the qualifying came to an abrupt halt, when the race director red-flagged the session after a Cadillac spun on the track. Luckily, Le Mans winner Nick Tandy had just turned the fastest lap, with his teammate Dane Cameron posting the second quickest time. This is the first pole position for the Porsche 963 in this year’s IMSA series in North America.
“We’re thrilled with such a great result. Starting from the front grid row is particularly important on such a narrow street course,” states Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. “Our drivers and the whole team did an absolutely flawless job. That said, we should acknowledge that we were a little lucky with the red flag. Both of our cars had just appeared at the top of the timesheets. Things might have looked a little different had the red flag come out at a different time. Still, we’re heading into the race feeling optimistic.” A decent grid position on such a tight and bumpy circuit is the key to success. With very little chance to overtake and a race duration of just 100 minutes, strategic options are limited.
“We wrapped up the qualifying with the first two grid positions – it doesn’t get better than that. It’s been a great day for our team,” said Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. “We’ve made huge strides in improving our setup for such city circuits – we witnessed this today. Nick and Dane were very strong in qualifying and pushed each other to the limit. We’re excited for tomorrow’s race!”
The two Porsche 963 fielded by the JDC-Miller MotorSports and Proton Competition customer teams also set fast times but were unable to match the pace of the factory squads. Bent Viscaal from the Netherlands planted Proton Competition’s No. 5 Porsche on P7, while his fellow countryman Tijmen van der Helm set the ninth quickest time in JDC-Miller MotorSports’s No. 85 entry.
AO Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 R secures P4 in the GTD Pro class
The Porsche 911 GT3 R campaigned by AO Racing qualified on the second grid row in the GTD Pro class. Britain’s Sebastian Priaulx, who shares the so-called “Rexy” 911 with the former Porsche Junior Laurin Heinrich from Germany, clocked the fourth fastest time in the 15-minute session. The GTD category, in which the Porsche customer teams Wright Motorsports, Andretti Motorsports and MDK Motorsports normally compete, will not be contested as part of the IMSA series in Detroit this weekend.
Round five of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season on the 2.66-kilometre city circuit in Detroit is a sprint over 100 minutes. The race gets underway on Saturday, 1 June at 3:10 pm local time (21:10 CEST). Outside of North America, the entire race can be watched via a free live stream on IMSA.tv.
Drivers’ post-qualifying comments
Nick Tandy (Porsche 963 #6): “Mega! We’ve taken the first two grid spots as a team and finally achieved another pole position with our number 6 car. We won the Laguna Seca race recently, now we’re on P1 in Detroit – things look good for us! The weekend is going well so far: great weather, heaps of fans and top track conditions. The teamwork is absolutely flawless and it makes me confident that we can fight for victory tomorrow.”
Dane Cameron (Porsche 963 #7): “Obviously it’s wonderful to lock out the entire front row of the grid. The Porsche Penske Motorsport crew has done an exemplary job. We didn’t expect such a great result – given the track characteristics, we thought we’d be further back. First and second place is a nice surprise. Hopefully, we can get our cars through the first turn in one piece – and then take the flag in positions one and two.”
Bent Viscaal (Porsche 963 #5): “We made good progress during the practice sessions. Still, it took quite some time to get the tyres up to the optimal operating window – we saw that in the first few laps of qualifying today. I think we could’ve done better but the red flags hampered any improvement. P7 is okay. For sure anything is possible in the race.”
Tijmen van der Helm (Porsche 963 #85): “We didn’t quite get up to speed during practice. The qualifying result isn’t perfect but at least we closed the gap to the other teams a bit. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow. Overtaking is virtually impossible on this track. Let’s hope for some luck and not make any mistakes.”
Sebastian Priaulx (Porsche 911 GT3 R #77): “This circuit is really cool. I had great fun driving our car, even though the Corvettes are in a completely different league. I did my absolute best today. Now it’s time to steel ourselves and go hard out in the race tomorrow.”
Qualifying results
GTP class:
1. Jaminet/Tandy (F/UK), Porsche 963 #6, 1:05.390 minutes
2. Nasr/Cameron (BR/USA), Porsche 963 #7, 1:05.514 minutes
3. Bourdais/Van der Zande (F/NL), Cadillac #01, 1:05.762 minutes
7. Bruni/Viscaal (I/NL), Porsche 963 #5, 1:06.326 minutes
9. Van der Helm/Westbrook (NL/UK), Porsche 963 #85, 1:06.657 minutes
GTD Pro class:
1. Garcia/Sims (E/UK), Corvette #3, 1:09.092 minutes
2. Milner/Catsburg (USA/NL), Corvette #4, 1:09.428 minutes
3. Hawksworth/Barnicoat (UK/UK), Lexus #14, 1:09.626 minutes
4. Heinrich/Priaulx (D/UK), Porsche 911 GT3 R #77, 1:09.705 minutes
Full results and championship standings here.
Preview
Porsche Penske Motorsport is determined to continue its success streak at round five of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. This marks the first race on the narrow streets of Detroit for the Porsche 963. The so-called “Detroit Sports Car Classic” is a short 100-minute sprint. The factory team fields two hybrid prototypes, with the customer squads JDC-Miller MotorSports and Proton Competition campaigning two additional Porsche 963. In addition to the top GTP class, the GTD-Pro category will also be part of the Detroit programme. Off the back of its recent win in Laguna Seca, the AO Racing customer team will contest this category with the famous “Rexy” Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Porsche Penske Motorsport heads into unfamiliar territory at round five of the season. The Porsche 963 races for the first time on the revived street course in Detroit. The circuit measures 2.66 kilometres in length and features nine turns. Porsche tackles the fifth IMSA round of the year ranking second in the manufacturers’ classification, with Porsche Penske Motorsport at the top of the team standings. Daytona winners Felipe Nasr and Dane Cameron currently lie first in the drivers’ championship. In the top GTP class, the Porsche 963 goes up against hybrid prototypes from three rival manufacturers.
“There’s been no chance to test on the Detroit street course, so we’re curious to see what the track is like,” explains Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. “Our team has consistently done an exemplary job so far this season and we reaped the rewards for this with victories in Daytona and Laguna Seca as well as podium finishes in Sebring and Long Beach. In Detroit we’re eager to continue our top form and then come away from the 24 Hours of Le Mans with another success.”
“Detroit might be a new circuit for the Porsche 963, but it’s not for many of the team personnel,” explains Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. Penske’s Indycar outfit can draw on extensive experience with the circuit in America’s automotive capital. “The downtown location offers a tricky, tight street course layout, with a bumpy and challenging surface. Thanks to the latest top results, Porsche Penske Motorsport continues to lead the drivers’ and teams’ championships. This combined with the fact that Detroit is also the home of Roger Penske, our team aims to bring home another victory.”
The race
Round five of the IMSA season is held as part of the Detroit Grand Prix of the North American Indycar series. The Penske team contests the US motor racing championship for single-seaters with three vehicles. The Detroit street event was held on Belle Isle until 2020 but returned to its original downtown location last year.
2024 marks the debut of the LMDh hybrid prototypes on the narrow streets of the “Motown” metropolis in the US state of Michigan. The racing cars catapult through narrow barriers for a good two and a half kilometres, which includes nine mostly 90-degree turns. With a duration of just 100 minutes, the “Detroit Sports Car Classic” sprint is one of the shortest IMSA races on the calendar.
Drivers’ comments before the race
Nick Tandy (Porsche 963 #6): “A new circuit in IMSA doesn’t come every week, so I’m really looking forward to what Detroit will deliver. The track layout is fast in places but also super slow and confined in others. It’ll be interesting to see how our big prototypes handle these conditions. All teams go there on a level footing of course, with no one having raced or tested there before, so it’s very important to have a good base car at the first practice and to work systematically during the sessions.”
Dane Cameron (Porsche 963 #7): “There are a lot of unknowns heading to our first race on this street course because we’ve never driven on the Detroit track. It’s always nice to get to know a new venue. We made significant progress on a similar circuit in Long Beach, which we’re now keen to implement in Detroit. Our team is in great shape. We want to carry this positive momentum with us and extend our championship lead with another top result.”
Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 963 #5): “I’m super excited. I’ve driven in Detroit before, but it was on the Belle Isle course and not in the city centre. It’s great to have Bent Viscaal as my teammate again. We recently competed in the Laguna Seca race and worked really well together, so we’re not starting from scratch.”
Richard Westbrook (Porsche 963 #85): “On the one hand, I’m a little sad that we’re not racing on the old Belle Isle racetrack, but on the other hand, I’m looking forward to the new street circuit in Detroit. It’ll be an adventure into the unknown for us all – that’s what makes it so exciting. Our team must have a good setup for the first free practice session. We then need to use the other sessions for further tweaks. I’m curious to see how the race will go with two vehicle classes – not just on the track, but also in the pit lane, which is sure to be narrow.”
An overview of vehicles and drivers
GTP class (Porsche 963)
Proton Competition #5: Gianmaria Bruni (I) / Bent Viscaal (NL)
Porsche Penske Motorsport #6: Mathieu Jaminet (F) / Nick Tandy (UK)
Porsche Penske Motorsport #7: Dane Cameron (USA) / Felipe Nasr (BR)
JDC-Miller MotorSports #85: Tijmen van der Helm (NL) / Richard Westbrook (UK)
GTD Pro class (Porsche 911 GT3 R)
AO Racing #77: Laurin Heinrich (D) / Sebastian Priaulx (UK)
The schedule (local time, CEST -6)
Friday, 31 May
08:00 – 09:30 hrs: Free practice 1
11:30 – 13:30 hrs: Free practice 2
16:40 – 16:55 hrs: Qualifying GTD Pro class
17:05 – 17:20 hrs: Qualifying GTP class
Saturday, 1 June
10:35 – 10:55 hrs Free practice 3
15:10 – 16:50 hrs: Race