Preview
In the eighth race of the season, the team again fields two hybrid prototypes in the top GTP class. The Proton Competition and JDC-Miller MotorSports customer squads will run two more Porsche 963 from Weissach. Three partner teams will contest the two GT classes with one Porsche 911 GT3 R each.
Porsche Penske Motorsport returns to Road America with great memories. In 2023, the works team clinched a lights-to-flag victory on the picturesque racetrack in Elkhart Lake. Thus, expectations are high as they head to round eight in North America. Porsche currently leads the manufacturers’ championship. In the team standings, Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 7 crew occupies the top spot. Factory drivers Dane Cameron from the USA and Felipe Nasr from Brazil rank first in the drivers’ championship, with their Porsche colleagues Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Mathieu Jaminet (France) in third place.
“We have great memories of last year. In July 2023, we took a commanding lights-to-flag win at Road America. That was the second victory for the Porsche 963 and the first for the No. 7 crew. We’re eager to repeat such a result,” explains Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. “We’re now turning onto the home straight of the season and leading all classifications with three races still to go. We want to hold our position and extend our lead over the competition with another win. After our recent victory in Watkins Glen, the whole team is in high spirits.”
“In 2023, Road America represented an important turning point in our development as a team. We now want to continue this upward trajectory that has allowed us to lead the championship since the start of the season,” explains Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. “With three races left on the 2024 calendar, the team is focused on maintaining the level of performance and execution that we have displayed to date. The competition is still fierce, and our competitors are pushing us. After a well-deserved summer break, we’re excited to get back to the racetrack and battle it out to the end of the season.”
The Proton Competition customer squad returns to the venue of its GTP debut. In 2023, the German outfit fielded a Porsche 963 in the IMSA series for the first time at Road America. Next weekend, Porsche works driver Gianmaria Bruni from Italy will share the cockpit of the No. 5 car with 24-year-old Dutchman Bent Viscaal. Richard Westbrook from Great Britain and Tijmen van der Helm from the Netherlands will take turns at the wheel of the identical No. 85 entry from JDC-Miller MotorSports.
In the GTD Pro category, the AO Racing customer team with the former Porsche Junior Laurin Heinrich from Germany is determined to take another step in the bid of the title. After winning Laguna Seca and Detroit, the team now tackles Road America with its pink No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R dubbed “Roxy”. AO Racing’s drivers currently rank first in the GTD-Pro drivers’ championship with Porsche leading the manufacturers’ championship. In the GTD class, MDK Motorsports and Wright Motorsports field two ca. 416 kW (565 PS) 911.
The race
Road America near Elkhart Lake in the US state of Wisconsin is a favourite among many drivers. The 6.515-kilometre circuit featuring 14 turns blends perfectly into the parklike landscape. The undulating course offers several overtaking opportunities and daunting passages – one of which is the so-called “kink” on the back straight, an extremely fast right-hander with minimal run-off zones. The venue, which lies around 25 kilometres west of Lake Michigan, was opened in 1955.
For the 2023 season, the racetrack was resurfaced, which further increased the already high average speeds of up to 215 km/h (2022 DPi class qualifying). In last year’s qualifying session, Porsche works driver Matt Campbell from Australia lapped the circuit with an average of well over 217 km/h. This makes Road America the second fastest track on the IMSA calendar after Daytona’s oval and infield combination.
Live stream of the race
Outside the USA and Canada, the race will be broadcast live over the full distance in a free stream on imsa.tv. The website scoring.imsa.com offers live timing. Round eight of the season gets underway on Sunday, 4 August at 14:10 am local time (20:10 pm CEST).
Drivers’ comments ahead of the race
Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 963 #6): “We’ve had more than a month off since the last race in Watkins Glen so it’s high time we got back into the car. We want to continue our success streak in the IMSA championship. I particularly enjoy coming to Road America, the track’s great fun. There’s a lot of slower traffic to overtake so tactics play a key role. If we get through unscathed, we can achieve a good result. We want to keep the team on track for the title.”
Felipe Nasr (Porsche 963 #7): “After the long summer break in the IMSA series, I’m thrilled to be finally racing again at Road America. The venue is one of my absolute favourites. The circuit features wonderfully fast and flowing corners. In 2023, we clinched our first victory there with our number 7 car. Dane Cameron and I are always focussed on maximising our chances. We’ll stick to this approach. Consistency is the most important factor in the fight for the championship.”
Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 963 #5): “Racing at Road America is always a highlight because everyone loves the track layout. The course is a big challenge, especially in a fast prototype. However, I’m holding my expectations for the race in check because, unlike many other teams, our team has never tested there. Our priority is to make up for this drawback. It’ll be tough.”
Richard Westbrook (Porsche 963 #85): “Road America is the closest racetrack to our team headquarters in Minneapolis, which makes it JDC-Miller MotorSports’ home race. We’re expecting huge support from fans and many of our sponsors will be there too. This fantastic track has a bit of everything: fast and challenging corners like the ‘Carousel’ or ‘Kink’ as well as long straights and narrow passages. We performed very strongly there with our Porsche 963 last year and I expect us to be up the front again this year. We’re aiming for a top result.”
Laurin Heinrich (Porsche 911 GT3 R #77): “Elkhart Lake is a completely new track for me – just like Canada’s Mosport, which was exclusively for GT racing. I’m super excited because heaps of drivers rave about the track. We’ve consistently made the most of our chances recently and extended our championship lead. We’ve built a small advantage, but this doesn’t mean much in the IMSA series due to the points system. It’s close. Everyone in the team is full on the gas at all times!”
An overview of the drivers and teams
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) / Julien Andlauer (F)
GTD class (Porsche 911 GT3 R)
MDK Motorsports (#86); Anders Fjordbach (DK) / Kerong Li (CHN)
Wright Motorsports (#120): Adam Adelson (USA) / Elliott Skeer (USA)
The schedule (local time, CEST -6 hours)
Friday, 2 August
13:55 – 15:25 hrs: Free practice 1
Saturday, 3 August
09:55 – 11:25 hrs: Free practice 2
16:20 – 16:35 hrs: Qualifying GTD-Pro / GTD
17:10 – 17:25 hrs: Qualifying GTP
Sunday, 4 August
14:10 – 16:50 hrs: Race