The Porsche 911 RSR has achieved another podium result at the final round of the IMSA iRacing Pro Series. The No. 97 car driven by New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen finished on second place at the virtual racetrack of Watkins Glen (USA). Works driver Laurens Vanthoor from Belgium claimed ninth place at the wheel of his No. 912 vehicle. After enduring many incidents at previous races, this was a positive conclusion for the reigning champion of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Taking the flag in twelfth at Watkins Glen, the American Shinya Mishimi concluded his IMSA iRacing Pro Series third overall.

Taking up the 90-minute race from the tenth grid spot, Van Gisbergen laid the foundation for his podium result with a clean drive in the early stages of the race. The touring car ace from New Zealand remained unscathed in the hefty duels and worked his way up the order during the first 45 minutes to fifth place. After the mandatory safety car phase at the midway mark, van Gisbergen then went all-out. The 31-year-old turned the fastest race lap in a time of 1:42.899 minutes. Maintaining his blistering pace and with impressive overtaking manoeuvres, he brought the Porsche 911 RSR fielded by AIM Vasser Sullivan over the finish line in second place.

Factory driver Vanthoor finally had Lady Luck on his side at the final round of the virtual IMSA racing series. With a clever strategy and consistently fast lap times, the Belgian worked his way from eleventh into the top ten to achieve his best result in the IMSA iRacing Pro Series.

Comments on the raceShane van Gisbergen (Porsche 911 RSR #97): “That was so much fun. After a couple of manoeuvres in the first half of the race I didn’t make much progress. I needed a little patience. My timing for the mandatory pit stop was perfect. Afterwards, I managed to make the best use of the fresh tyres and took up the hunt for the lead. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough to catch the eventual winner. But being 1.8-seconds off the winner is certainly nothing to be ashamed of. That was my second online race in a Porsche – and my second podium result. Not bad!”

Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 911 RSR #912): “That was my first race without mistakes and without encountering unusual incidents. I was able to drive a consistent and clean race. Because that I could finally match the pace, it felt like my first real race. All in all, I really enjoyed this online competition. However, I’m definitely not one of the most talented sim racers. I put a lot of effort into it, which at least paid off at the last race. Now I’m really looking forward to returning to real racing. At the beginning of July, the real Porsche 911 RSR is back at the real Daytona circuit.”

Result Porsche participants2. Shane van Gisbergen (NZ), Porsche 911 RSR #97, 50 laps
9. Laurens Vanthoor (B), Porsche 911 RSR #912, 50 laps
12. Shinya Michimi (USA), Porsche 911 RSR #86, 50 laps
13. Riley Dickinson (USA), Porsche 911 RSR #53, 50 laps
11. Corey Lewis (USA), Porsche 911 RSR #48, 50 laps
25. Blake Mount (USA), Porsche 911 RSR #6, 49 laps
33. Robert Wickens (CDN), Porsche 911 RSR #9, 40 laps
37. Colin Mullan (USA), Porsche 911 RSR #36, 29 laps
40. Nico Rondet (USA), Porsche 911 RSR #2, 29 laps
43. James Vance (CDN), Porsche 911 RSR #32, 28 laps
44. Misha Goikhberg (CDN), Porsche 911 RSR #57, 28 laps