Hello, and welcome, everyone to, "The Motor City", as for the second consecutive year, and the first time for the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, IMSA is racing on the streets of downtown Detroit, Michigan, at the Jefferson Avenue circuit around or near the GM Renaissance Center, in Detroit, Michigan, for the second and final 100-minute street course race of the year. In today's race, two classes will be taking part, the professional driver classes. The GTP prototypes, and the GT Daytona Pro GT3 production cars are featured in today's contest.
On the pole position, it is Porsche Penske Motorsports and their #6 Porsche 963 of Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet. They will lead the 21-car field to green. There are ten GTP prototypes and 11 GT Daytona Pro entries in today's race. On the pole in GTD Pro, it is the #3 Corvette Racing by Pratt & Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Antonio "The King of Spain" Garcia, and Alexander Sims. Their sister car #4 completes a Corvette front row lockout with the duo of Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg. No new contestants on the grid. Everyone is obviously entered, who has been around for the season, except for two, renumbered GTD Pro entries.
The Vasser Sullivan Lexus team have once again entered two cars for this race in GTD Pro. #14 for Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat, and #15 for Parker Thompson and Frankie Montecalvo, who normally enter in the GT Daytona regular class as #14, and of course, at the other street course race at Long Beach in California, in April, ran as car #89 to signify the year of Lexus' founding by Toyota Motor Company. The other numbering change is with the Ferrari 296 GT3 of Conquest Racing. Normally, I believe they enter GT Daytona as car #34. This time, they enter in GTD Pro with car #35, and it will be shared by their two professional drivers, Brazilian Daniel Serra, and Spaniard Albert Costa Balboa.
Detroit, Michigan. The Motor City, the most prolific American car manufacturing hub. The IMSA WeatherTech Championship is back in Detroit but not on Belle Isle where they used to. No. This is downtown Detroit, on the shores of the Detroit River. It is a gorgeous day, 77 degrees on this Saturday as we see the GTP and GTD Pro cars racing today. We are in the shadows of the GM Renaissance Center here on the double-sided pit lane as we have our mates Leigh Diffey and Calvin Fish commentating on today's race.
The Cadillac's have been unbeaten in qualifying so far this year. Poor old Pipo Derani spun in qualifying and he will start from the tail end of the GTP field. Porsche have stormed to pole with the #6 Porsche 963 of Nick Tandy as well as Dane Cameron. It was a wild end to qualifying. This next hour and 40 minutes will be action-packed. In mere moments, we are going to get this race started. Strap in and hold on tight. This is going to be a wild one!
Last time out at Laguna Seca, it was Penske Porsche earning their 100th sports car racing victory for all-time. A week later of course, Team Penske added another Indianapolis 500 Baby Borg Warner trophy to their trophy case. It was Roger Penske's 20th Indianapolis 500 victory. Chevrolet vs. Ford in GTD Pro, Corvette vs. Mustang. Corvette have swept the front row and they have the upper hand as the Mustangs are down the order a wee bit. Joey Hand in the #65 car is confident. The cars are readying for the start.
Sports cars have raced on Belle Isle before but now on this new track, downtown. The laps for tire prep are so important as the track surface even being a street, it is not so abrasive. Heat the wheels, tires, and brakes. We start the race off the exit of turn two on the backstretch. Be street smart. Be inch perfect. Don't go down a blind alley, down the escape road runoffs. Be the Michelin Man. Maybe not doing a tire change is a good idea. Let' see. Maybe fuel and driver changes are all we need. OK.
Everyone is lined up! Go! We are racing. One of the Ford's bogs down. A big ove by Sebastien Bourdais and Philipp Eng is moving past the #40 Acura already. Sebastien Bourdais into the braking zone cannot quite pass Filipe Albuquerque. Nick Tandy is motoring away from everyone. Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr down the order and there is trouble for both Antonio Garcia and one of the Ford Mustang's still in their special paint scheme. Harry Tincknell, the Englishman, aboard the #64 Ford Mustang GT3 has no drive and there is something wrong too, with the Corvette.
Cameron got nudged out of the way by Bourdais. In this replay, we see Phillip Eng and Jordan Taylor with some argy bargy. Bent Viscaal and Tijmen van der Helm in the privateer Porsche's are battling, too, the Proton Competition #5 Mustang Sampling entry and the #85 yellow "Banana Boat" JDC-Miller Motorsports car. One flying lap before we have a Full Course Yellow as Harry Tincknell is rescued. Well, well, well. On these shores, Belle Isle is just down to the right. We have the United States on one side and Canada on the other.
1.7 miles in length is the distance of this circuit with a hairpin, and many narrow corners. Some of the key places aee turn three, with some resurfacing and lots of bumps. Turns five, six, and seven, are downhill, over another bump, into a chicane, and another elevation drop. Watch ut for the walls. We are back toe green as Nick Tandy shoots back out in front. The GM Renaissance Center is in the background. Pipo Derani recovering from starting at the tail of the GTP field.
Bent Viscaal, Tijmen van der Helm, and Pipo Derani, at the back of the field. Derani doing all he can to pass van der Helm. The pits are off to the right of the final turn, turn nine. Bourdais wants the track position and now he is stymied behind Filipe Albuquerque. Harry Tincknell has been rescued. Antonio Garcia still in pit lane with an alternator problem. The team is also looking up underneath the car. The Ford vs. GM rivalry goes back to the Trans Am days in Detroit in the 1980s and '90s. The WTRAndretti Acura and the Ganassi Cadillac are battling hard.
Acura #10 have not won since August of 2022 at Road America. The two BMW M Hybrid V8's are in formation in fifth and sixth. Philipp Eng changed columns at the start and has been pinged with a drive through penalty sharing the car with Jesse Krohn. This is a very short pit lane. He is coming in. At the start, he was on the right side of the grid, and he drifts over to the lefthand lane. That was not a good move on his part, a driver with his experience. Nick Yelloly in the sister #25 cars is in the to[ five and five seconds down on leader Nick Tandy. BMW still searching for their first 2024 podium place.
Pipo Derani into the pit lane for Action Express handing over to Jack Aitken. Maybe they can afford track position. They cannot make it on fuel. Same deal with GTD Pro and the sole remaining #65 Ford Mustang GT3 as Dirk Mueller is into the car and Joey Hand is out. Parker Thompson is replacing Frankie Montecalvo in the #15 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3. Tommy Milner leading GTD Pro for Corvette Racing with Pratt & Miller Motorsports, in their home race. It is a home race for Corvette, Cadillac, and Ford as well. Tommy Milner and Alec Udell won two SRO America races weeks ago but they are still looking for their first IMSA win.
Now we ride along with Sebastian Priaulx in the #77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3R, "Rexy" the dinosaur. The car is liveried like a tyrannosaurus Rex. He has a gold tooth for their win at Laguna Seca in GTD Pro last time out. Unfortunately, the #3 Corvette continues languishing in the pit lane. Team Penske are in a purple patch right now after sweeping the Indianapolis 500 pole and race win, and they won last time out at Laguna Seca in IMSA and got pole here yesterday. The trouble for the GTP cars if they pit early, they will be fighting through GTD Pro cars. Roll the dice. Action Express needs a yellow, soon, for their strategy to work.
Pipo Derani says that it is a team effort, obviously, as they have been struggling with pace. Experimenting is what they need to do with Jack Aitken now driving. They need to do damage limitation and try something different. They might be looking for a top five. Mark Reuss, the boss man and GM is right in with the team at AXR. Joey Hand has also done his stint and handed over to Dirk Mueller. They too, are looking for a different strategy and an early yellow at the #65 Ford Mustang team, just the same as Action Express in GTP with the Cadillac. The sister Ford Mustang #64 lost drive. Tandy, Albuquerque, Bourdais, Cameron, Yelloly, Taylor, Viscaal, van der Helm, Aitken, and Krohn, the top ten in GTP.
The #3 Corvette of Antonio Garcia has come back out of the lane. Yikes! Close shave between Philipp Eng in the BMW M Hybrid V8 and Sebastian Priaulx in the "Rexy" Porsche and the Aston Martin, the Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo of Ross Gunn, the Brit, and Spaniard Alex Riberas. So, now, Filipe Albuquerque is chasing Nick Tandy. The cornering here is more point and shoot. New tires, warming the tires up to get them into their sweet spot, only wastes time. Porsche #6, having tadio troubles. They fear they will loose comms.
Everyone knows their strategy! Wait! Say what? You know their ivals will hear that! Tandy in the braking zone, clobbers Daniel Serra in the hairpin! That is the #35 Ferrari 296 GT3 from Conquest Racing! Thud. He wouldn't have made the turn. IMSA will not be thrilled with that shemozzle. That is surely avoidable contact. Porsche Penske is sure to cop a penalty for that as "Rexy" has pitted and Laurin Heinrich is into the car, with an air pressure adjustment on the tires. We're only 25 minutes into the race, ladies and gentlemen. This is unbelievably bonkers!
Nick Tandy has taken his drive through penalty. They are now fifth, two seconds behind. Team manager Jonathan Diuguid will be rerouting their strategy. Filipe Albuquerque is leading the motor race over Sebastien Bourdais, Dane Cameron, and Nick Yelloly. Acura, Cadillac, Porsche, BMW, the top four. Jack Aitken has spun in turn one and has now recovered. Renger van der Zande now replaces Sebastien Bourdais in the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac. We could see more GTP cars coming in.
Sebastien Bourdais is very frustrated about why he should come in. Now, the #10 WTR Andretti Acura is in. Half an hour into the race, and Ricky Taylor takes over from Filipe Albuquerque. No tires taken. This race has been frantic! So, Renger van der Zande is now finding his rhythm. Porsche #7 is in with Dane Cameron hanging over to Felipe Nasr. They went a lap longer than the other cars they are racing against including the sister #6 Porsche. Nasr has come out ahead of Ricky Taylor. They did not need as much energy replenishment.
Sebastien Bourdais had a wonderful opening stint visiting with former IndyCar teammate and endurance racing co-driver Scott Dixon. Nick Yelloly in the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 is now in the lead. Sebastien Bourdais says the start was not too bad even with Dane Cameron playing bumper cars. Chip Ganassi Racing are being aggressive on their pit sequence and Bourdais could not undo all of his safety belts and his drink straw from his helmet. That was the slip up on the driver change. Connor De Philippi, on his outlap, clonks the barrier in the turn three hairpin, in the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8. He veers to the right and doesn't make the corner.
He was not over all the way to the right. No grip in the center lane compared to the grippier right lane. Tommy Milner from the lead in GTD Pro, changes over to Nicky Catsburg and they changed one tire, the left front, with a scrubbed tire. One hour of racing remaining. Nick Tandy in traffic. The strategy for Action Express has not played out the way they wanted. They need some help. A great call but the experiment has not worked as Aitken is working on Richard Westbrook in the #85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963 as Nick Tandy pits and more misery and woe for the #25 BMW!
He has a tire down. So, Matthieu Jaminet is into the #6 Porsche 963. He can likely keep the lead. Less than an hour to go and the #25 has a flat right rear, broken suspension. Three wheels on me wagon. The BMW team is yet to score a podium place. This is round five of nine in the championship. Ugh! BMW have shown pace, sat on the front row, but they cannot earn a hard result. Connor De Philippi is undoubtedly frustrated. This was on his outlap after the driver change! Holy smokes! He had no grip even on warm Michelin tires. You cannot get the retardation under braking to slow the car down.
Harry Tincknell is still at the wheel of the #64 Ford Mustang GT3, the first of the two factory Mustang's he shares with Mike Rockenfeller. John Watson won the 1982 Detroit Grand Prix in Formula 1 in a McLaren Ford. The soft Michelin compound tires ran for the whole race on the winning #01 Ganassi Racing Cadillac last month. This shows Michelin's ability to provide performance and extended tread life. Michelin has 26 Le Mans 24 Hours race wins and many J.D. Power awards. This track has a very unique split pit lane. At Corvette Tommy Milner is happy with their progress as we remain under yellow.
Nick Tandy says that indeed, there were radio issues in the Porsche and he had a wire flapping around and another one for his helmet. He could not stop when the other car checked up and it was totally unintentional. He says the car is running well. He was thrown off sync with the early yellow and the energy consumption of the Porsche 963. Somehow or other they remain in the lead of the motor race. His teammate Felipe Nasr had a punctured tire on the #7 Porsche 963. They will restart down in eighth place. 50 minutes to go. Jesse Krohn aboard the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 has now moved into the top five overall and in GTP.
So, this circuit is 1.7 miles long with ten corners hosting seven Formula 1 races between 1982 and 1988 and the racing relocated here last year in 2023 from the old Belle Isle circuit. Green flag and we restart this race with 47 minutes to go. Jaminet, Taylor, van der Zande, Deletraz and more. Gianmaria Bruni has been really quick in the #5 Mustang Sampling Proton Competition Porsche 963 and now, Felipe Nasre oes three wide past Westbrook and Bunri and here comes Jack Aitken trying to poke his nose in as well, look. Bruni to the inside, clattering into the BMW!
Unreal! Trouble as Nicky Catsburg has been hit and spun out! Ben Barnicoat had the door closed on him by Nicky Catsburg and "Rexy" got a bite out of the Corvette. The track is now blocked! We have Jack Aitken in the Action Express Cadillac, Richard Westbrook spun out in the #85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963 as well as the Heart of Racing Aston Martin, and many more. This is a jigsaw puzzle! Ben Barnicoat was a jolly lucky chap to miss Laurin Heinrich! 43 minutes remaining.
OK. We are back to green. Jack Aitken makes a pass on Richard Westbrook and Gianmaria Bruni is hounding Jesse Krohn as well, look. Now, Nasr is all over Renger van der Zande like a cheap suit! van der Zande will fight. In the meantime, defensive driving ahoy! Turn three at the end of the backstretch is where these big moves can be made. At the top of the shop in GTD Pro is the #77 AO Racing Porsche of Laurin Heinrich ahead of Ben Barnicoat in the #14 Lexus RC F GT3. There's a lot of bumps on the backstretch. The #14 had two pieces of bodywork fly off.
The whole nose of that car is crunched. Bruni locks up trying to pass Jesse Krohn and Louis Deletraz is ahead. Jack Aitken now up to eighth ahead of Gianmaria Bruni. One of the stays on the front splitter of the #77 Porsche as well. Heinrich and Barnicoat, as now, Marvin Kirchofer, as Jack Aitken serves a penalty for the contact with the #5 Porsche. Ben Barnicoat's steering wheel is 45 degrees down to the left. The bonnet is now lifting on the Lexus. If that bonnet flies off, he could completely be blinded. Maybe, just maybe, the Pfaff Motorsports McLaren will be a contender again today. The #15 sister Lexus of Parker Thompson is running well, too.
The biggest movers in GTD Pro are Kirchhofer, Thompson, and Sellers all up five spots while Heinrich has gained three and Riberas, two. The other Lexus is the #15 of course. Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow, and the Paul Miller Racing #1 BMW M4 GT3 has not had a good weekend and now, Albert Costa Balboa is chasing the BMW. That was the car that got hit by Nick Tandy. Multimatic, based in Canada, a lot of their personnel are here in Detroit this weekend. Just like that... boom... we have only half an hour of racing to go.
Ricky Taylor has absolutely caught Matthieu Jaminet. He is now up to second place. Taylor, through turn three, makes the pass on Matthieu Jaminet! Holy cow! That was a clean pass, though. WTR Andretti have made desperate moves, the #10 team. Here is a list of the most successful teams in terms of street course wins in modern IMSA. Six for Wayne Taylor Racing, five apiece for both of the Cadillac teams at Chip Ganassi Racing and Action Express Racing. Corvette Racing and Vasser Sullivan Lexus each have four, and Paul Miller Racing has three.
Taylor pulling the pin and motoring away from Matthieu Jaminet. Louis Deletraz in the sister #40 WTR Andretti Acura is in fifth place being harried by Jesse Krohn, Gianmaria Bruni, and Jack Aitken. Bruni turned 43 years old here on Friday, so a Happy Birthday to Gianmaria Bruni. Still heavy damage and an untrue, not straight steering wheel, in the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 having a major problem with keeping the wheel straight. He has to angle the wheel to the right while going straight. The wheel is off center.
22 minutes of racing left on the board. Jack Hawksworth says even with a lot of damage, Ben Barnicoat continues managing things just trying to bring it home. Marvin Kirchhofer is being monstered by Alex Riberas! There is a debris field down the backstretch. This could be trouble in the last 20 minutes. Full Course Yellow now. Full Course Yellow. Good idea. There's too much debris on the road and things are going to get very, very spicy here as we undergo a track cleanup procedure.
Filipe Albuquerque says that he is proud of his teammate because it is very difficult to pass on this circuit especially with the GTP cars. It is very easy to lock the brakes into the corners. The race is not over yet. Remain calm. Keep your head down. Ricky Taylor, cleaning the tires, going for getting a good restart, working the brakes, and the differential settings. Alternate between the gas and brake to get tire temperature. Green flag this time. Less than 15 minutes to go. Ricky Taylor leads over Matthieu Jaminet. Laurin Heinrich leads Ben Barnicoat in GTD Pro and Felipe Nasr wants by Renger van der Zande as Gianmaria Bruni and Jack Aitken both make a move on Jesse Krohn.
No change in GTD Pro. Laurin Heinrich has a handy lead over the massively damaged Lexus. Bruni runs wide and off down the escape road! He might have had a contretemps with Louis Deletraz! Jack Aitken clobbers Gianmaria Bruni. Wow. Bruni actually moved over on him. More trouble for the Conquest Ferrari! Debris strewn all over. Full Course Yellow. Full Course Yellow. Bryan Sellers absolutely nails Albert Costa Balboa! Jack Aitken has now moved up to sixth place. We will soon go back to green. The splitter vibration for "Rexy" is going to be a bit harder to deal with.
Time for the restart. Less than seven minutes to go as Matthieu Jaminet is trying to catch Ricky Taylor. Watch the second Porsche #7 of Felipe Nasr bearing down on Renger van der Zande. Jack Aitken trying to make a move on Louis Deletraz. Laurin Heinrich won last time out at Laguna Seca, and they could go back-to-back. Albert Costa Balboa has passed back by Bryan Sellers in GTD Pro as well, look. Riberas wrestling the car under braking with the ABS. Parker Thompson in the shadows on his GTD Pro debut. He is in the #15 Lexus. Four and a half minutes of racing to go.
Jaminet keeping Ricky Taylor honest. Taylor is comfortable and has the gap. van der Zande, Nasr, and the rest behind. It has been 664 days since the #10 Acura has won a race. It almost sounds like a rev limiter chip, but it isn't. Acura, Porsche, Cadillac, the top three. Just over two minutes to go. Jaminet keeping the heat on. The #9 Pfaff Motorsports McLaren has crunched the wall out of a podium place! Marvin Kirchhofer at the controls. The engine is still running. Hard to find reverse. Alex Riberas sends it, and crunches into the back of the McLaren and Kirchhofer hit the apex way too late. White flag next time by.
Ricky Taylor is a multiple IMSA champion and a multiple Rolex 24 winner. Wayne Taylor Racing is no co-owned by Michael Andretti and Andretti Global. One lap to go. He is escaping Matthieu Jaminet extending the gap. WTR Andretti looking for their second win of the year, along with the 12 Hours of Sebring back in March. This will be our fifth different GTP class winner in 2024. Cadillac would have loved to win in the shadows of the GM Renaissance Center. Acura steals their thunder. Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor are the winners. In GTD Pro, it is "Rexy", going back-to-back! AO Racing, Laurin Heinrich and Sebastian Priaulx win!
Overall/GTP: #10 Taylor/Albuquerque Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06
GT Daytona Pro: #77 Heinrich/Priaulx AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
Next up, it is a break, for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Some of the IMSA teams will be going to France to compete in the 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Next time we speak to you from a WeatherTech Championship event, it will be another endurance classic, the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, from Watkins Glen International Raceway, in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. That race will be in three weeks. We'll see you there. So long for now, everybody.
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