Acura wins Lengthy Seaside IMSA race for first time since 2009

Renger van der Zande held regular by a number of late restarts to offer Acura Meyer Shank Racing the house race victory within the Acura Grand Prix of Lengthy Seaside.

The Dutchman, driving the #93 Acura ARX-06, was undeterred regardless of Frederick Vesti (#31 Whelen Cadillac V-Sequence.R) making use of constant stress on the restarts, taking the checkered flag by 0.818s on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn momentary road circuit. It marks the primary win for Acura at Lengthy Seaside since 2009 below the American Le Mans Sequence banner. Moreover, it’s van der Zande’s third IMSA win on the iconic road circuit, having received it beforehand in 2022 and 2024 with Cadillac.

#93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06: Renger van der Zande, Nick Yelloly, Aaron Telitz

Picture by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen by way of Getty Photographs

Porsche Penske Motorsport’s #6 Porsche 963 of Laurens Vanthoor completed third, forward of teammate Felipe Nasr within the #7 sistercar. BMW M Group WRT’s Sheldon van der Linde ended up fifth.

The GTD class was received by Vasser Sullivan’s #12 Lexus RC F GT3 of Aaron Telitz and Benjamin Pedersen, forward of Turner Motorsport’s Robby Foley and Patrick Gallegher in second, with Conquest Racing’s Albert Costa and Manny Franco within the closing podium spot in third.

The Race
#93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06: Renger van der Zande, Nick Yelloly, Aaron Telitz

#93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06: Renger van der Zande, Nick Yelloly, Aaron Telitz

Picture by: Brandon Badraoui / Lumen by way of Getty Photographs

Nick Yelloly leads the sphere from pole in a break up begin for GTP and GTD, which was led by Robert Wickens (DXDT Racing).

A number of moments later, nevertheless, the yellow flagged waved for particles following a spin by the #81 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Henrik Hedman (DragonSpeed) into the Flip 6 tire limitations.

The restart got here with roughly 1h33m remaining, with Yelloly main however the first little bit of technique coming into play as JDC-Miller MotorSports, already on the rear of GTP, elected to come back in and do a driver change, swapping Tijmen van der Helm for Porsche manufacturing unit specialist Lauren Heinrich within the #5 Porsche 963.

#40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R: Jordan Taylor, Louis Deletraz, Tom Blomqvist

#40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Sequence.R: Jordan Taylor, Louis Deletraz, Tom Blomqvist

Picture by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen by way of Getty Photographs

There was a change for second, although, as Jack Aitken (Cadillac Whelen) took over the spot from Marco Wittman (BMW M Group WRT. Moreover, there was a change for second within the GTD class as Russell Ward (Winward Racing) acquired by Danny Formal (Wayne Taylor Racing) on the entrance straightaway simply 14m into the race. Formal dove to pit lane shortly after.

Aitken started making use of the stress on Yelloly, because the pair have been up by 3s on third-place Wittman. Because the pair started catching GTD visitors, Aitken acquired by Yelloly, who was held up by the 13 Autosport Corvette, for the race lead with 1h23m left. Aitken was capable of stretch out to a 3.5s lead over the subsequent three minutes.

Regardless of beginning final after their pole time was disallowed for floor clearance in qualifying, the #89 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3, with Jack Hawksworth on the helm, was already as much as sixth in a GTD class of 17 entrants simply 20m into the race.

With 1h8m left, Ward was black flagged by Race Management for failure to stick to tire operational necessities, main him to come back into the pits for repairs however unable to make a driver change through the cease.

Kevin Estre introduced Porsche Penske Motorsport’s #6 Porsche 963, which had slight left entrance harm, to pit lane for vitality and a driver change to Laurens Vanthoor. The workforce didn’t elect to alter tires. The cease, which got here with 1h7m remaining, began a run of stops for GTD as Aiken and others got here down pit lane, with Frederick Vesti now within the #31 Whelen Cadillac. Yelloly stayed out and assumed the race lead.

Wickens pitted from the lead with 1h3m left, with a driver change additionally happening as Mason Filippi took over.

As Yelloly dove to pit lane with 1h1m left, with van der Zande taking on, Heinrich and Phillip Eng appeared to make slight contact and Eng’s #25 BMW into the Flip 8 tire barrier. Eng was capable of get again to pit lane, however the incident left his challenger broken and particles littered throughout the observe and introduced out the yellow.

The #40 Cadillac of Louis Deletraz took over the lead, however had not pitted but and was caught out by the warning. Hawksworth additionally took excessive spot in GTD, with Filippi in second. When the pits opened up, the likes of Deletraz, Heinrich and Tom Blomqvist (Acura Meyer Shank Racing), amongst others, pitted, which elevated van der Zande to the general lead, with Vesti in second and Vanthoor in third.

The race began with 47m remaining, with van der Zande leaping off to hole over Vesti. The push into Flip 1 noticed contact because the #24 BMW of Sheldon van der Linde made a late dive below Roman De Angelis (Aston Martin THOR Group), which stuffed the latter into the tire limitations and returned the yellow flag.

A restart with 42m left noticed an analogous bounce by van der Zande. Vesti continued to stalk the race chief, hanging 0.5s behind.

#36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Mason Filippi, Robert Wickens, Danny Formal

Picture by: Brandon Badraoui / Lumen by way of Getty Photographs

Hawksworth was up in opposition to his most drive time and compelled to pit from the lead with below 39m remaining, with Frankie Montecalvo, who certified the automotive, taking on. The cease put teammate Telitz, within the #12 sister automotive for Vasser Sullivan, to the race lead, with Filippi in second.

After a prolonged evaluate, Race Management decided the #25 BMW of Eng was within the flawed for his half within the incident with Heinrich, handing him a cease plus 60 penalty.

The struggle for second in GTD heated up, with Robby Foley getting his Turner Motorsport machine previous Filippi with a decent move that led to the latter’s left facet entering into the wall earlier than getting at the back of the previous and ripping a part of the bumper of the #96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO. Filippi finally fell down the working order to sixth at school.

#12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3: Aaron Telitz, Benjamin Pedersen, Orey Fidani

Picture by: Jake Galstad / Lumen by way of Getty Photographs

With 27m to go, Telitz constructed up a 7s lead over Foley.

The struggle for second general was on as Vanthoor was on the rear wing of Vesti, with each greater than 3.7s behind van der Zande.

A full course warning got here out with just below 25m left because the #10 Cadillac V-Sequence.R of Ricky Taylor (Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing) discovered the tire barrier in Flip 6 after clipping the within curbing.

One other restart with simply over 17m left noticed van der Zande proceed the theme of leaping out entrance, with the remainder of the sphere remaining simple.

Vesti stayed proper on the rear wing of van der Zande, remaining in his shadow with 10m left. The hole closed and widened like an accordion between the corners and straights between the 2.

Regardless of the shut racing, one other full course yellow got here out with just below 9 minutes to go because the #66 of Corey Lewis (Gradient Racing) was hit with heavy harm popping out of the ultimate nook hairpin, ripping off the nostril of his Ford Mustang GT3 and dragging particles down the entrance straightaway.

#93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06: Renger van der Zande, Nick Yelloly, Aaron Telitz

Picture by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen by way of Getty Photographs

Courtesy of a fast cleanup by the protection crew, the race restarted simply three minutes later and noticed van der Zande holding regular out entrance as soon as extra. In GTD, Telitz remained out entrance over Foley.

Vesti started to shut on van der Zande, who was catching visitors, with over three minutes to go.

Regardless of the stress, van der Zande remained out entrance over Vesti to take the win. Telitz carried off the GTD class victory for Vasser Sullivan.

Photographs from Lengthy Seaside – Saturday

#93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06: Renger van der Zande, Nick Yelloly, Aaron Telitz