Regardless of BMW touchdown one other pole to steer the IMSA area to inexperienced, it is the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport with Felipe Nasr and “Mr. 24” Nick Tandy that’s once more reaping the rewards of a win — for the third straight race in a row.
The Acura Grand Prix of Lengthy Seashore is the primary weekend on the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship schedule to vary issues up a bit of, presenting a 100-minute “dash” race format, after the 36 hours of racing in Florida break up between the season opener in Daytona and the 12 hours in Sebring. With a small allotment of tires — 4 units to make use of by way of observe, qualifying and the weekend — tire and gasoline technique was key whereas additionally managing minimal drive occasions for the 2 drivers operating for every automobile.
Perhaps it isn’t a shock that Porsche Penske Motorsport has now gone three for 3 in wins this season, having discovered the “excellent” formulation for any on-track scenario, a formulation that may now preserve the profitable #7 and #6 vehicles on the entrance. (This is also key to Roger Penske getting that long-desired Le Mans win in beneath two months’ time.)
In accordance with Nasr, who introduced the #7 throughout the road beneath the checkered flag, his race profitable method got here all the way down to discovering the tempo with the automobile, and conserving it. “I had a second I feel in Flip 8 the place I simply form of misplaced the rear and saved it,” mentioned within the post-race interview. “It was stretchy on the market [and it] makes it tough to maintain the automobile in a single line — and as soon as I discovered my tempo, I simply form of stayed there.”
The #7 and #6 Porsche GTP vehicles began the race behind the pole-sitting #24 BMW M Group RLL and its sister #25 automobile. The #6 encountered a short incident with the #93 Acura Meyer Shank w/Curb Agajanian that was transient and did not require any motion from Race Management. However the #13 AWA Racing Corvette managed to hit the wall of Flip 8 after an ungainly dance between it and the #78 Forte Racing Lamborghini, which brought on the primary full course yellow to be waved.
It is right here that technique performed properly for the #7 and #6, as nearly all of the sector exterior of the #25 BMW and the #60 Acura pitted. This introduced each Porsche Penske vehicles to a wholesome lead within the area which they saved for the rest of the race with out a lot as a sneeze.
The remainder of the GTP area remained principally quiet, albeit the #93 Acura concerned within the earlier talked about incident with the #6 Porsche was despatched to pit lane for repairs from the incident. The choice to not do these repairs throughout the full course warning pit sequence compelled the automobile to the again of the sector, the place it remained, ending a lap down. And on Lap 40, the #85 JDC Miller Motorsports Porsche automobile had a misunderstanding with the #27 Coronary heart Of Racing Aston Martin because it tried to take the identical racing line into Flip 6. The Aston Martin hit the #85’s aspect, inflicting it to spin to the skin of the flip, shedding its wing enroute. The incident initiated the considerably game-changing second (and remaining) full course yellow.
The #177 AO Racing Porsche 911 Rawr Rexy crosses the beginning end line for the GTD class win
Photograph by: LAT Pictures
In GTD, the #177 AO Racing Porsche 911 Rawr “Rexy” takes the category win with Jonny Edgar and Laurens Vanthoor. The GTD area additionally took benefit of the primary full course warning issued, making driver adjustments and topping off on gasoline to make it to the tip of the race with none further stops.
This primary pit cease almost units the rostrum for the tip of the race. The 177, together with each Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus vehicles (the #12 and the #89) will preserve the lead in the course of the race and ending the race in that order.
The AWA Corvette would bear repairs throughout that very same warning, that might put it a lap down when it did lastly rejoin the sector, which it was in a position to get again with that second full-course yellow. But it surely wasn’t quiet sufficient, ending thirteenth within the GTD class.
However a race-defining second value speaking about after this weekend looks like a deja vu incident between a Corvette, and a BMW… this time that includes the #36 DXDT Racing Corvette with Tommy Milner behind the wheel, and the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW with driver Patrick Gallagher. Temporary contact going into the hairpin within the final a part of the race left Milner with the left rear panel hanging off the DXDT Corvette. Though in keeping with Milner, this was simply racing.
Stated Milner, “I feel he obtained blocked large time into Flip Eight and I had a pleasant run on him going into 9. I stayed near him by way of there after which simply was peeking round in 10. We have been sturdy there, I may inform already and was in fairly good place to make a tough move, no query, within the Hairpin. I assumed my braking level was high quality. My entry pace was okay. I feel, as is the case there, it is exhausting to go two-by-two and he turned in as a result of he must. I do not assume he did something incorrect actually. We simply made side-to-side contact and I feel we simply form of obtained hooked collectively. I am going to need to see video to know for positive, however that is what my feeling is.”
Race Management issued a “mechanical black flag” to the #36, which compelled the automobile to pit instantly for repairs. What began as a promising race for Milner and teammate Robert Wickens, after a collection of mishaps in observe and qualifying this weekend, ended with the duo ending fifteenth within the class.
The IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship returns for a shorter race — a 2 hour and 40 minute run time — at Laguna Seca Might Sept. 11.
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