Cadillac wins chaotic Watkins Glen IMSA race underneath warning

Whelen Cadillac accomplished a dominant weekend by changing pole to victory within the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, main 143 of the 182 laps accomplished.

There was no problem within the cost to the tip as comfortably held a lead of greater than six seconds on his closest rival earlier than a crash on the final lap left him coasting to the end line underneath warning round Watkins Glen Worldwide’s 3.4-mile, 11-turn highway course.

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There was one notably shut second for the #31 Cadillac V-Sequence.R, when co-driver Earl Bamber made contact with the #21 GTD class Ferrari by the esses. The #21 AF Corse USA entry ended up crashing out in consequence, whereas Race Management didn’t deem any fault on Bamber. was additionally a part of the profitable lineup alongside Aitken and Bamber. It marks the second win of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Whelen Cadillac.

Nick Yelloly helped information the #93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 to second, with Laurin Heinrich placing the #5 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963 in third to finish the rostrum.

AO Racing, led by Dane Cameron on the end, collected the win in LMP2.

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The #14 Lexus RC F GT3 for Vasser Sullivan Racing with Dreyer & Reinbold, noticed Jack Hawksworth shut out its combat and take the win in GTD Professional. Ricardo Pera supplied a stout closing stint to present Manthey 1st Phorm the GTD class win.

Run to the End…

Earl Bamber held a 5.5s lead over Kaku Ohta, however that hole shrunk down to three.5s 10 minutes previous the midway level.

Nonetheless, the warning got here out close to the tip of the GTP stints after the #11TDS Racing LMP2 entry of David Heinemeier Hansson was got rid of observe getting into Flip 1 by rival #22 of United Autosports USA’s Rasmus Lindh. Hansson suffered important bodywork harm, together with a bent left-front because the tire appeared bent barely upward. He was unable to return to pit lane, occurring the tow truck hook after stopping in Flip 3.

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Bamber led the bulk GTP class right down to pit lane, with no driver modifications regardless of a contemporary change of tires and vitality replenishment. Bamber got here out with the forward, adopted by Ohta, with Jordan Taylor’s #40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac in third. Nonetheless, the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Philipp Eng (BMW M Workforce WRT), opted to remain out and took over the race lead.

Julien Andlauer, within the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963, opted to return to pit lane to high off.

There was a shakeup within the LMP2 class with the warning, with Parker Thompson taking on the lead within the #52 Bryan Herta Autosports with PR1/Mathiesen entry.

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Moments after the restart, nevertheless, it was yet one more messy begin. It started with Nikita Johnson (RLL Workforce McLaren) spinning in Flip 1 after being hit however persevering with on. Then, up the esses the 13 Autosport Corvette of Matt Bell and Inception Racing’s Ollie Millroy got here collectively, with each colliding that led to the observe blocked, leaving no room for Russell Ward (Winward Racing) and Spencer Pumpelly (Magnus Racing).

After a prolonged cleanup, Eng led the sphere to the restart with 2h13m left. Race Management then hit Linde for the sooner contact on Hansson.

Eng opted to pit from the lead on the finish of the lap, leaving Bamber to take excessive spot.

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There was hassle for Jordan Taylor, who was hit with a right-rear tire rub after contact after battling with the #6 Porsche 963 of Kevin Estre (Porsche Penske Motorsport). On the similar time, Eng was hit with a drive-through penalty for a pit entry violation, and obtained a second for engaged on the automotive behind the wall. Nonetheless, Race Management managed to rescind the second drive-through penalty.

Upon pitting, Jordan Taylor obtained a brand new rear clip earlier than being despatched again out, remaining on the lead lap within the course of.

In the meantime, there was a lead change in LMP2 as Thompson slipped to second after being handed by Crowdstrike Racing by APR’s Toby Sowery. Vasser Sullivan’s Ben Barnicoat led GTD Professional with two hours to go, with Conquest Racing’s Lorenzo Patrese on high in GTD.

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The one on the transfer was Laurin Heinrich within the #5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963, who not solely bought again on the lead lap however was as much as fourth and 4.3s behind the race lead, and set to complete the race with no additional driver change looming.

Heinrich started making use of stress on Estre for third.

In the meantime, Bamber was unable to mount his typical getaway from the sphere as he ran to the again of Eng, who continued to gradual the tempo and assist teammate Sheldon van der Linde, within the BMW #24 sister automotive, operating second and simply 0.4s behind. Estre and Heinrich closed to inside 1.7s and a couple of.2s, respectively.

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Sowery pitted from the lead in LMP2 with 1h42m left and handed off his experience to Alex Quinn; Sebastian Alvarez (Tower Motorsports) assumed the category lead. Quinn returned in second, however was nudged out of the best way by AO Racing’s Dane Cameron and fell to 3rd.

Bamber lastly bought round Eng with 1h40m to go, with van der Linde a distant 1.2s again. The combat for third was nonetheless on as Heinrich tried however was unable to finish a move on Estre.

With 1h33m to go, a full course yellow got here out after the Simon Mann (AF Corse USA) crashed in Flip 4 after colliding with Bamber, with the affect shredding off the passenger door. The contact allowed van der Linde to get the lead from Bamber. Moreover, #93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing entry pitted proper earlier than that warning and made a driver change, with Nick Yelloly taking on; the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac additionally got here in, with Filipe Albuquerque in for Ricky Taylor. The warning additionally allowed Jordan Taylor to remain on the lead lap.

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Following pit stops, Yelloly and Albuquerque cycled to the highest two spots. Aitken, in for Bamber, was third, and first among the many ones that stopped underneath the warning. Aitken was adopted by van der Linde after which Heinrich. The #7 Porsche 963, with Nasr on the helm, topped off and lined up eighth.

Yelloly led the sphere the restart with 1h12m remaining. The combat was on within the each GTD courses, with Jack Hawksworth (Vasser Sullivan) setting the quickest lap of the Professional class with a 1m46.396s lap whereas operating second and in pursuit of race chief Nicky Catsburg (Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports). Albert Costa (Conquest Racing) led GTD, with Callum Ilott (Wright Motorsports) behind by simply 0.4s.

Hawksworth managed to get round Catsburg into the Bus Cease chicane with 1h3m to go to take over the GTD Professional lead. On the similar time, Aitken was pushing Albuquerque for the second place.

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Heinrich pulled off an out of doors transfer on van der Linde going into Flip 1 and up the esses, and accomplished it forward of the Bus Cease, taking on fourth, whereas Aitken lastly bought by Albuquerque to take over second; 57m remaining.

Heinrich took over the race lead with 51m remaining as Yelloly and Aitken made their last pit stops. Aitken, who took left aspect tires solely, managed to leap forward of Yelloly on the cease. Heinrich got here within the subsequent lap, with van der Linde following to pit lane. Aitken cycled out with the lead forward of Yelloly, with each forward of van der Linde, who jumped out forward of Nasr after which Heinrich.

Aitken’s lead was 5.5s over Yelloly with 31m to go, with van der Linde 6.7s behind in third. Heinrich, who was at one level greater than 13s behind after the gradual pit cease, managed to get the hole right down to 9.8s, whereas in fourth.

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In GTD, Robby Foley (Turner Motorsport) inherited the category lead after rivals pitted however was left hoping for a warning to increase his personal gas mileage. With that, nevertheless, Vasser Sullivan’s Aaron Telitz, equally needing a warning, caught Foley as the 2 battled to be finest in school. Telitz managed to get by and assumed the category lead with 25m to go. Foley pitted moments later.

Whereas Cameron continued to guide in LMP2, and the GTD Professional class was up within the air with Dennis Olsen (Ford Racing) and Daniel Serra (Risi Competizioni) playing on gas mileage, Heinrich was making up important floor in GTP; the hole was 7.8s behind race chief Aitken, however 0.5s off the van der Linde for the ultimate podium spot.

The hope for Telitz went away, although, as he pitted with 14m left and deserted the lead.

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Moments later, Heinrich surged by van der Linde into the Bus Cease to take over third, 1.5s off Yelloly’s runner-up spot.

After an prolonged period of time for the gas gamblers not getting the much-needed warning in GTD Professional, Hawksworth was in a position to cycle again as much as the lead. There was additionally a combat in LMP2 as Cameron’s lead shrunk to underneath 1s over Quinn with eight minutes to go. Ricardo Pera (Manthey 1st Phorm) additionally outlasted the fuel-mileage runners and progressed as much as the lead in GTD.

And the combat for second was on as Heinrich caught Yelloly with lower than 4 minutes remaining.

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Regardless of his finest efforts, Heinrich was unable to get by Yelloly and settled in third, as each watched Aitken coast to the win because the race ended underneath a full course yellow after Ford Racing’s Christopher Mies crashed arduous in Flip 9.

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