Hello, and welcome, everybody to the fourth race of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. It is the Motul Course de Monterey, the Motul Race of Monterey at the legendary Laguna Seca Raceway on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey, California, near the shores of the Pacific Ocean. This fourth race of the year marks the first 2 hour and 40-minute duration sprint event of the year. In the GTP class, it is an all-Cadillac front row with the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V Series.R of Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande on the pole position, with the #31 Whelen Engineering Action Express Racing Cadillac of Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken on the outside of the front row.
The field for today's race consists of 34 cars. Ten GTP prototypes, nine GTD Pro entries, and 15 cars entered in GTD. The GTP cars are the only prototype class in this race. No LMP2 cars are entered, and instead, both GT Daytona classes are represented for the GT3 cars. GTD Pro for those entries with professional and amateur driver duos as well as GT Daytona regular for those teams with strictly amateur driver lineups. Of course, the driver ratings are determined by the convoluted but still standardized FIA precious metals system of Platinum and Gold for fully professional drivers and Silver and Bronze for lower graded Pro-Am and amateur drivers. The GTD Pro polesitter is the #4 Corvette Racing by Pratt & Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner. In the GT Daytona class, on pole is the #45 WTR Andretti Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 to be driven by Danny Formal and Kyle Marcelli.
Dramatic views does not begin to tell the story of the central coast of California or Laguna Seca Raceway. You've got to see the natural beauty, and the race track, to believe it. Sports car gladiators yearn to race and win here. A packed grid and we see the largest crowd at Laguna Seca in a decade. Renger van der Zande, Felipe Nasr, and Pipo Derani are just some of the contenders. It is time for the Motul Course de Monterey. 56 degrees, slightly breezy, and not a cloud in the sky. A great way to celebrate Mother's Day as we join Dave Burns and Calvin Fish in the broadcast booth.
Sebastien Bourdais scorched the track record on this newly resurfaced track at Laguna Seca. Chip Ganassi Racing will not return with Cadillac next year. Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande are looking for opportunities next year. Danny Formal, originally from Costa Rica, and is now in a major North American sports car racing championship. He is on the pole in GT Daytona sharing the car with Kyle Marcelli. The #45 Dex Imaging Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Global Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2. We will continue to preview the race, and then, it will be time to bring the action and wave the green flag.
This is the fourth round of the championship, at a circuit that has been around since 1957. It is absolutely iconic. 180 feet of elevation change between The Corkscrew and the final corner at turn 11. In the GTP class the #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac missed the pole position, and they had a crash in FP1 but they are contenders. They want a win and want a championship, Pipo Derani sharing with Jack Aitken. The GTP teams are wondering about the new pavement and tire wear on the Michelin's. A lot of firsts in GT Daytona Pro and GT Daytona. This is the first pole for the new GT3 spec Corvette. The Ford Mustang GT3's have struggled for grip on the new surface but they too will be in the fight.
This is a gorgeous part of the world just off the Monterey Peninsula. Narrow, technical, and fast. The Andretti hairpin, the Rahal straightaway, and the Rainey curve are the three turns named for racing legends. Watch for turn six. Hit your marks, up the hill into The Corkscrew where the world falls away, 11 stories! Toss out the playbook and start writing a new one. Don't play at Pebble Beach and play Super Mario. OK. WE are getting set for a start. The GT3 cars are starting separately. Green flag and away we go! Bourdais and Derani scrapping and now, Pipo is on the charge. This is risky on still cold tires.
The two Penske facotry Porsche's of Matthieu Jaminet and Dane Cameron are scrapping, too. Bourdais runs wide through The Corkscrew and Derani is right with him. Pipo is "the dynamo" for a reason. "Seabass" has his hands full with the front end washing away a wee bit. Derani on the more traditional line. The tires are still cold. No tire blankets allowed. In the GT Daytona and GT Daytona Pro class, we can see Nicky Catsburg and Antonio Garcia scrapping and in GT Daytona it is Patrick Gallagher in the #557 BMW M4 GT3 vs Russell Ward in the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Turner Motorsports is the most successful in terms of starts in BMW sports car racing, beating out the legendary Team Schnitzer from Germany who have been around for many decades. Roger Penske is here and yesterday he was at the FIA World Endurance Championship race at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium, a race we'll have for you soon. The GTP cars have raised the bar in 2024 with the fly by wire throttles and the hybrid power. Some hip and shoulder between Mike Skeen and Frankie Montecalvo into the Andretti hairpin.
A bit of a clonk, there. Russell Ward chasing Danny Formal and Patrick Gallagher. Sebastien Bourdais seems to be strutting his stuff early doors but Pipo Derani is not letting the Frenchman get away. What a gorgeous day at Laguna Seca Raceway especially on the hillside by The Corkscrew. No grandstands. Check out the race under the shade of a tree if you like. Just underway in this sprint race as we see a battle for third between Philipp Eng in the BMW and the two factory Porsche's of Matthieu Jaminet and Dane Cameron. BMW Team RLL vs. Porsche Penske Motorsports. The cornering speeds are way up with the new surface here at Laguna Seca. Major speed differences between the Grand Touring Prototypes and the GT Daytona GT3 cars, about 20 miles an hour of speed.
Lockup up ahead as Eng gets into the turn a bit hot. Most of the GTP cars have V8 power and the Acura has a V6. Three cars with turbochargers, Porsche, BMW, Acura, and Cadillac, naturally aspirated with the large V8 motor. If you are offline, you will skate off the road. Louis Deletraz makes his move on one of the BMW's and Ricky Taylor in the sister WTR Andretti Acura goes wide. Taylor has won three times at Laguna Seca, consecutively. Traffic all over with the GT Daytona cars, both Pro and regular. Ricky Taylor's father Wayne is racing in the historic Monaco Grand Prix. That should be on YouTube. Search for it if you want to watch.
Phillip Eng is glued to Popo Derani now. BMW vs. Cadillac. Contact between Pipo Derani and Mike Skeen in the #32 Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 he shares with Mikael Grenier. I think that did more damage to the Mercedes than to the Cadillac through the Andretti hairpin. It is dicey through the Andretti hairpin. Traffic all over the place. Mike Skeen said the online grip is good but the offline part has zero grip. Watch for the clag, the marbles, the sand. Bourdais continues to lead the motor race from the pole.
Pipo Derani has been left in Sebastien Bourdais' dust. However, Connor De Philippi in the #25 BMW has been on the charge. Pipo Derani will regroup and get back after it. A very cool celebratory livery for the Ford Mustang GT3. Zakspeed, 1981, Roush Racing 1985 and 1987, and Jack Roush dominated the Rolex 24 for over a decade between 1985 and 1995. Development is always a process especially with the new Mustang program just as it was with the Ford GT between 2016 and 2019. Again, the new livery for the Mustang team is for the 60th anniversary of the Ford Mustang.
The battle is afoot, just as it has been for six decades, between Ford and Chevrolet with the Corvette. Scott Pruett, Tommy Kendall, Joey Hand, and so many more, have driven the Ford Mustang in sports car racing. Parnelli Jones and George Follmer with Bud Moore in Trans Am. Our pal Calvin Fish also won with a Roush Racing Ford Mustang and Mercury Cougar in the late '80s and early '90s. 11 GT3 manfuacturers in both classes of GT Daytona, both Pro and regular, as Sebastien Bourdais remains in the lead of the motor race over Pipo Derani.
It is a Cadillac 1-2. No love lost between Ganassi and Action Express. Ganassi won last time out at Long Beach. Action Express want their first victory of 2024 and are pushing hard to grab hold of the race lead, to catch Bourdais. It is yellow Cadillac vs. red Cadillac. Penske, Ganassi, and Rahal finished 1-2-3 in the IndyCar race on the Indianapolis road course yesterday, and they are all in this race as well. Now, the massive battle here is BMW vs. two Porsche's. Philipp Eng being harried by Matthieu Jaminet and Dane Cameron, threading through the GTD Pro and GTD traffic.
Cameron is stymied in traffic through the dusty zone. Slowlgy getting back to power. The gap has increased massively as Deletraz slams -past Dane Cameron. Now, Cameron is on the back foot. One of the BMW's to the pit lane. I think it is Connor De Philippi in the #25 sister BMW as Dane Cameron is harrying Louis Deletraz. Acura #40 vs. Porsche #7. Trouble with the right rear tire on the #25. The rattle gun is malfunctioning! Oh dear!
That is probably through half a fuel load I think. The electric motors engage on exit out of the lane before the internal combustion engine roars to life. Half an hour into the race as Dane Cameron has flown Plummet Airways down to seventh spot. The two customer Porsche 963's are towards the tail end of the field in GTP. Pipo Derani in the pit lane for the first of two scheduled pit stops. Popo Derani has not been happy with the race car. Two tires, scrubbed tires, and an energy replenishment. Double stint for Pipo Derani before Jack Aitken takes over.
Mechanical black flag for the #10 WTR Andretti Acura for improper tire pressures. No further penalty if things read properly. But a spot of bother for Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque. WTR Andretti with the #10, they are in a big hole, and they get lapped now by the #01 Cadillac, the Chip Ganassi automobile of Bourdais and van der Zande. Danny Formal and Lamborghini are currently leading in GT Daytona by a second over the #557 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 with Patrick Gallagher at the wheel of it. Russell Ward is a further 8.7 seconds down on this scrap. One second separates Gallagher from Formal.
Now we move to GTD Pro and the two Pratt & Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R's. They had a successful test at Laguna Seca a few weeks ago. Nicky Catsburg leading Antonio Garcia. Catsburg sharing with Tommy Milner. Garcia sharing with Alexander Sims. They have put daylight between themselves and the #9 Pfaff Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 in the hands of Marvin Kirchhofer. Perfect weather at Laguna Seca with a record crowd at Laguna Seca Raceway on Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.
IMSA are grateful and blessed for 18 OEM's in GT with a photo op for the road and race cars together. Prove technology and manufacturer commitment with the OEM's. 557 starts with BMW for Will Turner and BMW of course. Privateer, customer teams are the roots of IMSA from back in the heyday of the 1970s and '80s. Oh no. Trouble in the gravel for the #34 Ferrari 296 GT3, the Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3, spewing gravel everywhere after going wide through turn six on corner entry up the hill before The Corkscrew.
Don't play in the sandbox. He is out of the bunker now. Franco in the lone Ferrari in the field sharing with Albert Costa Balboa. Dirk Mueller running well in the Ford Mustang GT3, the #65 entry that he shares with Joey Hand. Pit stop time for the GT Daytona cars, both Pro and regular. Lexus have been in and here comes one of the two Heart of Racing Aston Martin's, Spencer Pumpelly a super sub for Zach Robichon sharing with Roman De Angelis. De Angelis now into the car after Pumpelly's stint. Patrick Gallagher pits from second place. Gallagher handing over to Robby Foley. This is the #557 car of course, to signify their record number of starts with BMW.
Also in, the #55 Proton Competition customer Mustang with Giammarco Levorato and Corey Lewis. Proton Competition run a Porsche 963 both here in IMSA but also in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Great livery on the Pfaff McLaren, the white and red, honoring the 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna's passing. Oliver Jarvis will take the car to the finish. Pfaff Motorsports ran for years with Porsche and have swapped to McLaren. We have debris on the road, but it is not clear where it has come from. Full Course Yellow. We are under Full Course Yellow. What is that piece of debris? We'll find out soon enough.
Laguna Seca Raceway was last repaved 16 years ago. Mike Rockenfeller explains there is more grip on a new surface. The track surface used to have high tire degradation and little grip. Now, on a macro level, it is smooth and consistent, and on a micro level, additional grip. Quicker lap times and new track records that were broken during qualifying. The prototypes have pitted and now the GT cars are in the lane under yellow. Jack Aitken has taken over the #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac and is now leading Nick Tandy, Jordan Taylor, Renger van der Zande, Jesse Krohn, Richard Westbrook, Gianmaria Bruni, Felipe Nasr, Filipe Albuquerque, and Nick Yelloly.
The GT Daytona Pro and GT Daytona cars have also just pitted and there will be a reshuffle of that order that we will get to. A top up on fuel and a driver change for Action Express. The pressure is on and they got it together well. Aitken beats Nick Tandy out of the pit lane. We are an hour into the race and now one of the Porsche's is back in and there's damage to the tail which is being replaced. These cars, the GTP cars are built like Lego sets you played with as a kid. That piece of debris we saw was from the Porsche and poor old Kerong Li clonked right into it, in the #86 MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R he shares with Anders Fjordbach.
We are not quite ready to go back to green yet. Turner Motorsports has surpassed Team Schnitzer. Will Turner was a customer racer before he hired championship winning drivers. They have succeeded in the WeatherTech Championship and in Michelin Pilot Challenge as well as many other championships. SPEED World Challenge, Grand Am Cup, Grand Am Koni Challenge, Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, Tudor United Sports Car Championship, VP Racing Challenge, and Michelin Pilot Challenge in the last 20 years between 2003 and 2023.
For the first season of their racing, they ran completely on a credit card. Porsche #6 is leading over the #31 and #01 Cadillac's. An hour and a half to go. Nick Tandy leading Jack Aitken, Renger van der Zande, and Jordan Taylor. One of the BMW's goes side by side. Tandy scrambling for grip and now, Jack Aitken has taken the lead back. Jordan Taylor right on Renger van der Zande's six. To the inside he goes. van der Zande defends, slamming the door in his face. An hour and a half on the board just back under green flag racing.
Jack Aitken is the new race leader, and now van der Zande wants second as Jesse Krohn locks the brakes in the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8. Tires are now up to temperature with van der Zande chasing Tandy. Tandy was in the lead after Jack Aitken was not set to get the class split done. van der Zande now to second place over Tandy and is now chasing down Aitken. Jordan Taylor now pushing Nick Tandy hard and it's side by side between Jesse Krohn and Felipe Nasr. BMW #25 vs. Porsche #7. Gianmaria Bruni, Filipe Albuquerque, and Nick Yelolly all pushing. It is now a Cadillac 1-2 once more.
Closing in on the halfway mark in the race in another eight minutes. Ganassi Racing trying to survive. More debris on the road. A little bit offline. Where did that come from? Gracious me. It is not really where the cars are running. If the cars go side by side, they might hit it. I don't know where on earth that came from. Oliver Jarvis leads in GTD Pro for Pfaff Motorsports by a second over Laurin Heinrich in the Porsche for AO Racing with the "Rexy" the dinosaur Porsche. Jarvis, Heinrich, Tommy Milner, Jack Hawksworth, Madison Snow, Ross Gunn, and Alexander Sims.
"Rexy" is charging. Aitken leads van der Zande by 8/10ths of a second. Tandy in the first of the Porsche's, 1.7 seconds behind. Laurin Heinrich harrying Stevan McAleer in the Gradient Racing Acura. Elliott Skeer has gained six places, Irish green, signal orange, and signal yellow, all classic Porsche colors via Andy Blackmore. Aitken leads over van der Zande. It is a battle of the Cadillac's, just like Long Beach. Action Express vs. Chip Ganassi Racing.
Halfway home. The leaders in traffic. Aitken vs. van der Zande. This is Jack Aitken's first race at Laguna Seca. Know where and when you can make a pass. Aitken is doing a good job through the traffic. He is being chased by Renger van der Zande, Nick Tandy, and Jordan Taylor as Nick Yelloly spins off the road into "pebble beach" and no, not the fabled golf course here in Monterey. The traffic is madness right now as the lead increases to 1.3 seconds. Aitken ahead of van der Zande. Oh boy! Slow way down through The Corkscrew, blind entrance, tucked up behind the GT cars with zero visibility.
Danny Formal and company need to recover as now., Jordan Taylor wants a bite of the cherry trying to make a move on Felipe Nasr. A big, bold move by Nasr to fourth place. Penske Porsche lead the championship points standings. He struggled with the new hybrid GTP cars and the brake by wire. But now, he and Dane Cameron are beginning to push. He race in the GT classes in 2022 as well. Nasr, Jaminet, and Tandy have been nominated by Penske for the third Porsche 963 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next month. Felipe Nasr is feeling it, with the car right underneath him.
Nasr raced in Formula 1 for Sauber. He also won the Sunoco Whelen Challenge in Europe many years ago. Nasr could very possibly chase the Cadillac's of Aitken and van der Zande in the waning moments as we are into the second half of the motor race now. Nasr is hounding Tandy. This is a game of chess through the GT class traffic. The lead margin between Aitken and van der Zande is 6/10ths of a second. Wayne Rainey, three-time World Champion in 500cc Grand Prix motorcycles, has a corner named after him here. Mario Andretti has a corner. Bobby Rahal has a straightaway. The lead battle in GTD Pro is Laurin Heinrich in the Porsche making the move on Oliver Jarvis in the McLaren.
Scanners lighting up from the GT cars. The GT cars think that the prototype boys are insane. Eyes everywhere. Alexander Sims playing a game of chicken with Bryan Sellers. #3 Pratt & Miller Corvette vs. #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3. Jack Aitken is being told, "you're still leading the motor race, mate. Keep it up."
This circuit is 2.23 miles with 11 corners. 180 feet of elevation, built on the former Fort Ord Army base and was completely repaved in 2023. Fort Ord, on the south side of the track, is where this place was built. It used to be connected between turns two and five and was incredibly fast with a 1.9-mile layout. Sports car drivers from around the world want to race here. Pebble Beach, the Monterey Peninsula, and the track. The Ford Mustang pits but was outside the pit box for the #64 car of Harry Tincknell and Mike Rockenfeller. Corvette #3 took right side tires only on their stop as Laurin Heinrich brings "Rexy" the dinosaur, Porsche, in to the pit lane.
Heinrich will hand the car to Sebastian Priaulx. This is their final stop of the day. Aitken, van der Zande, Tandy, the top three. Cadillac, Cadillac, Porsche. van der Zande has the grip and is right on Aitken's six. Tandy off and on through The Corkscrew. He works past the Lamborghini of Loris Spinelli. Robby Foley in the lane for four tires and fuel in the #557 BMW M4 GT3 sharing with Patrick Gallagher. Just over an hour to go. BMW #24 has collected a sponsor sign, a billboard. The front wing endplate is gone on the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8. That is Finland's Jesse Krohn off the road.
The Pfaff Motorsports McLaren is in from the GTD Pro class lead with a slick pit box. Marvin Kirchhofer will finish the race. "Rexy" is on a roll and passes the McLaren. Watch the hairpin on the pit apron as well because there is no room, if you slide the front end, you are in the sand! Corvette #4 in the pit lane now, too. Tommy Milner handing over to Nicky Catsburg I think. No. Never mind. I think Milner will take the car to the end. The racing line is like a dry line out in the rain. Even in the dry, the sand is making the track dusty and don't forget the tire marbles.
Stay on the blacktop. Philip Ellis at the controls of the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 sharing with Russell Ward. He Googled 300 racing teams and sent 300 letters. He had to go back home with no dough to go racing in a go kart but he has indeed made a name for himself in racing now. Ben Barnicoat has taken over the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus from Jack Hawksworth. Jack Aitken in the lane with 59 minutes to go. This is the second stop for Action Express. Push for the last laps to build a cushion over the competition. Right side tires, fuel, and Aitken will finish the race.
Two tires will help with tire temperature so they are not cold. This is a good call. Watch the lockup on the right side. Richard Westbrook at the wheel of the #85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963 he shares with Tijmen van der Helm. "The Banana Boat", no tires on the #85. Acura #40 is also in the lane now, the second Wayne Taylor Racing, Andretti Global car. Louis Deletraz and Jordan Taylor. Taylor will take the car to the end of the race. Renger van der Zande in the lane now in the #01 Ganassi Racing Cadillac. This is "the danger zone" as we see in IndyCar. Same thing in IMSA.
No tires for the #01 Cadillac. Fuel only. Maximize the outlap. The #31 Whelen Cadillac might just maintain track position. Jack Aitken now up to fourth place. 55 minutes left on the board. Porsche Penske now leading the #25 BMW and the #31 Action Express Cadillac. This sports car race, ladies and gentlemen, is far, far from over. What a gorgeous setting here at Laguna Seca in the Monterey peninsula. We are in the finale today. Aitken now second behind the Porsche of Nick Tandy with 51 minutes to go.
Jack Aitken is coming to grips with the circuit at WeatherTech Raceway. A bit of a coming together between the Lexus and the Aston Martin. Parker Thompson on Roman De Angelis. The Mustang also attacked the #12 Lexus. Harry Tincknell made a bold move through the Andretti hairpin. Mutlimatic won the 2020 12 Hours of Sebring, and the 2021 races at Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans in the old Mazda program before they went back to Ford with the Mustang GT3 cars. They are still doing development on the car as they race.
Some of these races will become glorified test sessions to develop the notebook for the future. Laurin Heinrich continues to lead GTD Pro in the "Rexy" dinosaur Porsche with the 4.2 liter flat six motor compared to other GT3 cars with V8 power or the turbo inline six cylinder in the BMW. Maybe that one is a V6 turbo. I cannot remember. Kellymoss with Riley had a win and a podium in GT Daytona with a Porsche here last year at Laguna Seca. Nick Tandy needs to pit again, 48 seconds ahead of Jack Aitken and he will pit to avoid compromising any gaps. Penske are looking for their 100th sports car victory after taking pole in the 6 Hours of Spa yesterday.
Fuel only for Nick Tandy with 45 minutes left on the board. Damage on the Porsche for the left rear wing end plate. Meanwhole, Jack Aitken is now back to the lead and it is going to be very, very close! Tandy has split the Cadillac's. Tandy has hot tires. He can hold off van der Zande. Jack Aitken might be at a slight advantage with only two fresh tires compared to four. Renger van der Zande will back off and save his tires, hoping for a safety car scramble. 44 minutes remaining. Saving tires will be a gamble.
By backing his pace down, he is drifting away from Aitken who leads Tandy by three and a half seconds and Felipe Nasr will soon be on Renger van der Zande's six. Meanwhile, the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Global Acura, Filipe Albuquerque not running well at all. The #40 sister car won at the 12 Hours of Sebring, but since then it has not been wine and roses for this team at all. Team boss Wayne Taylor is racing the 1978 Walter Wolf Formula 1 car formerly driven by fellow South African driver Jody Scheckter.
Three teams and three manufacturers have won races so far. The battle is on between Jack Aitken and Nick Tandy who is looking for Penske's 100th sports car victory. The gap is closing with 37 minutes to go. Aitken leads by a second and a half over Tandy who is coming in a hurry. van der Zande is being chased by Felipe Nasr. The leaders negotiating the lapped GT Daytona traffic. Nick Tandy's son Felix is racing go karts and Tandy has his own Porsche Carrera Cup team that he manages. Laurin Heinrich continues to lead in GTD Pro aboard "Rexy", the Porsche. Heinrich and Kirchhofer have the pace over Milner and Sims in the Corvette's.
Robby Foley leading in GT Daytona and meanwhile, Felipe Nasr is giving Renger van der Zande fits for third spot in the GTP class. Boris Said, Bill Auberlen, Jorg and Dirk Mueller, Dirk Werner, Markus Paltalla, Bruno Spengler, John Edwards, Joey Hand, Augusto Farfus, Joey Hand, Andy Priaulx, Dane Cameron, and more, have all driven for Turner Motorsports. Tommy Milner is third in GTD Pro right now. Nicky Catsburg, his co-driver says that it will be hard to move forward because it is more difficult to pass being down on power. 33 minutes and change left on the clock before the race ends.
Oliver Jarvis and Pfaff Motorsports want to score points running second in GTD Pro with just over half an hour to go. Be patient with a new car and the development and many of the GT Daytona teams are experiencing that just as the GTP cars and drivers did last year. Nick Tandy beginning to push to try and catch Jack Aitken. The gap is only 1.2 seconds. We are seeing a Cadillac vs. Porsche scrap in the next half hour to the end of the motor race. It is hot and heavy here at Laguna Seca.
Jack Aitken has shown his stuff all day so far but now, he is being harried big style by Nick Tandy. How did Tandy begin turning it on? I wonder. In this replay, we see Aitken nearly get chopped by Robby Foley. Foley created a gap, thankfully. A spin there, look, for an Aston Martin. Roman De Angelis in the #27 The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and now he is back on his way again. He got elbowed out of the way, shown no respect by an adversary and is simply nudged aside.
Laurin Heinrich is truly showing what he can do. Heinrich's lead over Kirchhofer in the McLaren has ballooned to 11 and a half seconds. Elliott Skeer, too, off in the dirt again in the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R. I don't think he lost any places to Mikael Grenier. Whoa! That was a high speed rodeo ride! He has fast hands, and he had a lurid moment last weekend at Sebring in the SRO America GT3 race. Skeer has gained nine places throughout this motor race. 24 minutes to go. '
Jack Aitken still leading even with older tires that have grip. Nick Tandy staying in the shadows. The Porsche boys will not go quietly into the night. Ben Barnicoat is going for three straight victories. 1.6 seconds the gap between Jack Aitken and Nick Tandy. BMW, an off course excursion off the preferred racing line. No one was home in the front. The #01 Ganassi Racing Cadillac of Renger van der Zande is now falling into the clutches of Jordan Taylor. 20 minutes now remaining. No tires, for Renger van der Zande and company at Ganassi Racing has not been the best idea, perhaps.
Cadillac continues to lead with Jack Aitken for Action Express and Whelen Engineering. 16 minutes of the motor race now remaining. Foley and Ellis are running 1-2 in GT Daytona and the pressure is on, look. This is going to be incredibly close! Mikael Grenier leads the GT Daytona class for Korthoff Motorsports. Check that. Robby Foley now leads in the #557 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3. Heinrich leading GTD Pro over Marvin Kirchhofer. Jack Aitken leading the overall over Nick Tandy.
14 more minutes before the checkers wave. The GTP leaders are in the GTD traffic! Tandy on full atack mode trying to reel in Jack Aitken. Winward Racing won the opening enduros, the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Half a second in it, in the lead battle, between Aitken and Tandy. Cadillac vs. Porsche. Tandy is determined. Aitken has the performance edge. 12 and a half minutes to go. Aitken goes off the road and Tandy passes!
Aitken now has to clean his tires. Through turn four, he had nowhere to go trying to pass one of the Corvette's. Now Aitken is 9/10ths behind. Will the #31 recover? Will the Porsche #6 of Nick Tandy now be in the clear? Now we watch a battle for the lower places between Renger van der Zande, one of the BMW's, and the #10 Wayne Taylor/Andretti Global Acura. Renger van der Zande has no real grip. Different grip levels at this point in the race. Eight minutes to go. Jack Aitken now five and a half seconds down on Nick Tandy. The gap has exploded.
Aitken still caught in traffic. Fifth, sixth, seventh, Albuquerque, Yelloly, van der Zande. Grenier gets muscled out of the way. #7 was 58 points ahead of the #01 in the title fight. #01 is still plumetting. In the GT Daytona battle, Philip Ellis is still glued to Robby Foley. One of the GTP Acura's separating the GT Daytona battle and now, Foley is off the road! Oh my! Did Foley suffer any damage? Ellis takes the GT Daytona lead! Man, oh man! Loris Spinelli also way off line in the #78 Forte Racing Lamborghini with damage to the right rear corner.
Those paper advertising boards are very deceptive. Under three and a half minutes to go. Nick Tandy leads by 5.7 seconds over Jack Aitken. This could very well be the 100th victory in sports car races for Roger Penske. The next sprint event on the streets of downtown Detroit, Michigan, will be the halfway mark of the championship season. Clear sailing for Nick Tandy. Penske and company will not relax until they see the checkered flag. White flag next time around. Oh no. The #66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 of Stevan McAleer is off the road, sharing with Sheena Monk.
Two laps to go. Now it is the final lap of the race. Nick Tandy has traffic. Aitken has gained back only a second. No pressure for Tandy. Tandy is a two-time Laguna Seca winner. This will be a major boost for the #6 Penske Porsche team. Down the hill to the final turns. Nick Tandy and Matthieu Jaminet will win at Laguna Seca! Winning in GTD Pro it is "Rexy", Laurin Heinrich and Sebastian Priaulx for AO Racing. Porsche #77 wins in GTD Pro! The dinosaur wins the race!
In GT Daytona, it will be the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Phillip Ellis and Russel Ward. Ellis takes the victory, the third win of 2024.
Overall/GTP: #6 Tandy/Jaminet Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963
GT Daytona Pro: #77 Heinrich/Priaulx AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
GT Daytona: #57 Ward/Ellis Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
So, Laguna Seca is now in the books. Next up, an hour and 40-minute sprint race on the streets of downtown Detroit, Michigan, coming up on Saturday, June 1st. Join us there. So long, everyone, from the Monterey Peninsula and the Pacific Ocean in Monterey, California. Bye bye.
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