The streak of podium finishes for Porsche Penske Motorsport’s Porsche 963 continues. In the 100-minute sprint through the streets of downtown Detroit, Nick Tandy from England and the Frenchman Mathieu Jaminet clinched second place. Their teammates Felipe Nasr from Brazil and the American Dane Cameron wrapped up round five of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in fourth place and thus extended their lead in the drivers’ championship. In the GTD-Pro class, the so-called ‘Rexy’ Porsche 911 GT3 R brought home its second win in a row.

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.

Another 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.