Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Daskalos Dashes to Race 1 Win in Long Beach
CRP Racing's Jason Daskalos takes his second GT America victory of season in Race 1 at Long Beach...
LIVE | Race 1 | Long Beach Grand Prix | GT America powered by AWS
The race broadcast of race one of the weekend, for SRO GT America at Long Beach, California, on SRO GTWorld. Ryan Myrehn and Calvin Fish call the action from the broadcast booth, with Amanda Busick reporting from the pit lane.
GT America: Long Beach, Race 1
Hello, and welcome, everybody, back to the legendary, fabled streets of Long Beach, California. Since 1975, the Long Beach Grand Prix has been one of the greatest races in the United States. SRO America are once again, a part of the race weekend, with their GT America sprint race championship. 40 minutes, a single driver per car, and a blend of exotic GT race cars in GT3 (SRO3, a catch all for many generations of GT3 cars), GT2, and GT4 sports cars, are ready to race both today, and tomorrow. This happens to be the largest field of GT2 cars ever assembled for a GT America doubleheader weekend. We join the SRO America commentary team of Ryan Myrehn, and Calvin Fish in the broadcast booth, and Amanda Busick, in the pit lane, for both races this weekend.
From Sonoma Raceway, we have trekked 400 miles to the south with perfect weather along the shores of the Pacific Ocean. It is a Chamber of Commerce weather day today at Long Beach. The first time for GT America back here since 2019 and SRO/World Challenge has been running races here since 2006. Again, we have a melting pot of different race cars. At the very front, Johnny O'Connell is on the pole and James Sofronas at his elbow. Johnny O'Connell raced here at Long Beach for the first time in Formula Atlantic way back in 1986 and James Sofronas has been racing here in World Challenge at Long Beach since the early aughts, the 2000s. Sofronas is from Long Beach, California. He will sleep in his own bed this weekend.
Johnny O'Connell on the pole for SKI Autosport with their brand-new Audi R8 LMS GT3. To win this race, be bold. However, there is a fine line between pushing too hard, and then hitting the wall. A conveyor belt material has been wrapped around the tire barriers and so, that should help lessen impacts as we check in with Amanda Busick reporting from the pit lane. We have seven manufacturers here. This is like Monaco for GT America. Monaco of course, being fabled ground in Formula 1. Justin Rothburg is ready to go. He has raced in Ferrari Challenge at Le Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Montreal is a fabulous circuit. It is not necessarily a street course though because it has more curves to it than 90 degree turns. The layout here at Long Beach that is used has really existed since around the year 2000 and has not changed. I do remember some of the layouts from the 1990s when it was predominantly the IndyCars racing here, and they still do of course. Along with the SRO GT America and IMSA races, IndyCar was the headliner on the bill of course. This place does flow more like true road course. There are blind corners and major braking zones with 11 challenging corners.
There is elevation change as well downhill from turn six to turn eight. There are many overtaking opportunities, and the vistas are incredible. This will be fun racing to watch. Here to give the command to start engines, co-founder and chairman of 5.11 Tactical, Francisco Morales will get us underway. The command is given. Drivers, start your engines! GT3 and GT2 will be in the first group followed by GT4. GT2 cars are taking off in Europe and now in North America. There is much momentum, and the class is growing exponentially. You will hear more about GT2 racing in Europe. I am planning, when time permits, to write more about it. So, stay tuned for that.
Towards the end of 2024 and into 2025, we will see more GT2 cars. Todd Coleman in his GT4 Aston Martin is ready after making sure the car was working properly. Elias Sabo in this race, he is fresh off of also racing the recently completed IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship event that you read about on Saturday. We have a field of 22 cars for these races. Watch out for the hairpin, the last corner. Watch out for a stack up like rush hour in Los Angeles. 40 minutes of racing to come. Jason Daskalos coming off of his first victory of 2024 in race one at Sonoma. Everyone wants to win this race. The championship thoughts are just not there.
If you can say you are a Long Beach race winner, that is incredibly special. Johnny O'Connell is currently the championship leader in SRO3 in GT America. In the early days of this race, the Long Beach Grand Prix, in 1975 it was for Formula 5000 open wheel racers with their big Chevrolet V8 motors in the back. We miss those days, although there is an equivalent V8 open wheel series in Australia and New Zealand right now. It transitioned to Formula 1 from 1976-1983. IndyCars came first in 1984 and have been here ever since. Sports cars is a major component of southern California car culture and in these races.
The sun is shining for the first of two races. Troy Brown, CEO of 5.11 Tactical waves the green flag, we are underway! Let's go! Johnny O'Connell gets the jump early and already we have James Sofronas in an identical Audi R8 LMS GT3 looking, probing for position. Justin Rothberg, too, in the #29 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 is right up at the sharp end. Sofronas defending from Jason Daskalos in the #27 Mercedes-AMG GT3. Daskalos clears Rothburg. The GT2 cars are also in the fight as the GT4 cars get a green flag as well.
Isaac Sherman, the newcomer to GT4 competition is taking no prisoners and diving to the outside of Gray Newell. Contact, look, between Elias Sabo and Gray Newell! Robb Holland has passed by Newell and here comes the other Porsche Cayman of Curt Swearingin. Rotek Porsche Cayman 1-2. Mirco Schultis in the Callaway Corvette has lost places. At the top of the shop, through the fountains ection, Justin Rothberg is chasing down Daskalos while Johnny O'Connell leads James Sofronas. I think the Audi R8's are only in SRO GT America as Audi brings their customer racing program to an end.
O'Connell is getting his teeth back into motor racing and is in fighting form. He just turned in the CrowdStrike Fastest Lap of the motor race and we'll have to check the time if it flashes up on the screen. In sixth overall, our GT2 leader, it is Dan Knox. He leads Aaron Farhadi who swept the GT2 class at Sonoma Raceway last time out. Knox at the wheel of the #10 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT2. He leads Aaron Farhadi, the Sonoma winner, driving the #127 TPC Racing Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2. Into The Fountain section they come. The battle is now on in GT4 between Elias Sabo in the #8 Flying Lizard Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 and Samantha Tan in the #38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4.
Now, we are used to seeing Samantha Tan in Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS in the GT3 spec BMW. The BMW M4 GT3. She has stepped back to GT4 for the weekend going for a Long Beach victory. ST Racing also have shops here in southern California even though they are a Canadian team. The gorgeous paint scheme on that BMW is inspired by Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night painting. Blimey O'Reilly! The gap at the top of the shop has been compressing and closing hand over fist between O'Connell, Sofronas, and Daskalos! Daskalos staying in touch with the veterans, O'Connell and Sofronas.
Jason Daskalos though has shown his prowess on street circuits, and they seem to be leaving Justin Rothberg in the dust. The lifeblood of what we now know as GT World Challenge by SRO used to be these short sprint races that we see in GT America. GT America brings the tradition back. Trouble in paradise, as we speak, for Mirco Schultis in the #70 Mishumotors Callaway Corvette Z06 GT3. He has dropped like a stone through the GT4 rankings as well, right at the tail end of SRO3 and down farther than that. We'll have to have a Captain Cook in a wee while. Curt Swearingin is warned by the stewards for cutting the course, including Race Director Brian Till. Schultis had a transponder issue and he is farther up the field than we thought.
Curt Swearingin, who has the Damocletian penalty over his head right now, he has moved up in GT4 and may have gone past both Isaac Sherman and Robb Holland. The Heart of Racing has multiple programs between SRO America and IMSA here at Long Beach and in the FIA World Endurance Championship event at Imola, Italy. Heart of Racing, Ganassi Racing, and Penske Motorsports all have huge efforts here and in Europe this weekend. We will have more about World Endurance, hopefully soon.
Rothberg is aware he needs to keep going and place the race car in the right spots. He has Robby Foley coaching him who just finished the IMSA race in an identical BMW M4 GT3. Foley also coached Rothberg in Ferrari Challenge. Back in the day, drivers did not even have radios. Now they do have spotters, and they have the ability to use realistic racing simulators, bringing what you learn on the sim and into the car itself. There is a good battle brewing now for third spot in the GT2 class. This is Brent Holden aboard the #44 GMG Racing Mercedes-AMG GT2 vs. Alan Grossberg in the #102 TPC Racing Lamborghini which is a sister car to Aaron Farhadi I believe. Holden has the final podium place. Both of them raced at Sonoma Raceway and had a coming together in one of the races there.
GMG Racing does a wonderful job with their customer racing programs. Leaders are catching GT4 traffic. Yes indeed. Johnny O'Connell has put a lap on Samantha Tan and will be doing likewise as he goes past Elias Sabo, Gray Newell, and Curt Swearingin. O'Connell leads Sofronas, in the traffic, by over two seconds. O'Connell was a linchpin for Corvette Racing for years. He also won endurance races, 30 years ago, for Clayton Cunningham Racing and the factory Nissan team in IMSA. Daskalos sweeps by Sofronas for P2! Wow! This is spicy motor racing! Extra hot!
O'Connell has a healthy lead currently. We know Jason Daskalos is racing for the whole season but we don't know if Sofronas is. They clear Curt Swearingin, racing through The Fountain, with all the lovely flower beds. They painted the walls orange to give drivers a better reference oj where the edge of the road is. The apex of that turn had a huge curb, but it was removed several years ago and painted a fake curb on the same spot. Well, well. Isaac Sherman's lead over teammate Robb Holland has ballooned to two and a half seconds. This is Isaac Sherman's first ever street race and at first, he was truly terrified of the walls being so close. Eventually, they did disappear.
Sherman began racing doing circle track racing in modifieds and Legends cars. He is used to driving around walls, so that did not spook him. If you are scared of the walls, you are pinching your hands and binding the car up so the handling goes away. Meanwhile, the CrowdStrike Fastest Lap has indeed been displayed as Jason Daskalos setting the time at 1:19.913. It is the fastest lap of race one that sets the grid for race two tomorrow evening. In the meantime, the battle rages in GT4 between Elias Sabo and Samantha Tan. It is a true adjustment between a GT3 and a GT4 car. This is the fifth and sixth place battle.
Right before this event, Elias Sabo was in a GT3 car in IMSA competition. A different car entirely, and a whole different tire. SRO are contracted to use Pirelli tires from Italy. In IMSA, they use the French Michelin tires. Less power, downforce, and mechanical grip in GT4 cars. Yikes! Yikes! Sabo almost turns Newell in the hairpin and the GT4 drivers are swarmed by the SRO3 cars! Sabo and Tan are side by side for position, cleared by the SRO3 car, the #32 of Kyle Washington aboard the GMG Porsche 911 GT3R. That is not one of the new 992 models Washington is driving, but instead a 991.II generation two, 991 model).
Ross Chouest is doing all he can to make a move too, in the #50. That is the Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Chouest Povoledo Racing. He is making a move on his old rival. Ross Chouest had many scraps in GT4 in SRO America with Elias Sabo. Newell tries the inside of Swearingin, and they do make contact! We are close to the halfway point of this motor race. Newell taking a peek. Chouest and others are able to clear the GT4 cars including Mirco Schultis who had to go to a fabrication shop to fix parts that were damaged on the Callaway Corvette. Swearingin's car is being recalcitrant and will not respond to steering inputs. Gray Newell is right on his six currently.
Halfway home. Ebb and flow between the manufacturers under acceleration with different gear ratios. The hairpin is an important corner onto the front straightaway which is not straight. It has a curve in it. Blend the power and unwind the steering but not at the same time or you will smoke the tires and spin. Johnny O'Connell in the lead of this motor race, but believe you me, he does not have it all his own way because Jason Daskalos is coming in a big hurry. Daskalos eating 3/10ths of a second out of O'Connell's lead. Daskalos claims yet another CrowdStrike Fastest Lap of the race at 1:19.831, and bringing the margin down but maintaining a probable pole position for race two tomorrow.
O'Connell and Daskalos see each other as the competition for their teams this year. Who will be able to save the tires? We have run half this race and there is not too much tire degradation on the streets of Long Beach. O'Connell answers the bell with his personal best lap of the race. Don't panic. Stay focused and steady. Sofronas and Washington have a strong pace as well. Washington within half a second of O'Connell and Kyle Washington is chasing down Justin Rothberg. Traffic ahead for O'Connell. That is a clean pass for O'Connell on Nick Shanny aboard the #21 Carrus Callas Raceteam BMW M4 GT4.
Daskalos in this tight single groove section, he is going to have trouble being the cork in the bottle behind the traffic. You cannot drive over the top of another car, and this is racing, not spy movies, so, you do not have the option of hitting a disappear button as you would in an advanced spy car, James Bond style. Mirco Schultis and Ross Chouest are carving their way through the field. Robb Holland is second in class in GT4. Rotek Racing is an initialized team name with Holland and another friend of his. With 15 minutes to go, the third-place battle in GT4 remains hot! Gray Newell has been trapped behind Curt Swearingin for a good while.
Robb Holland has definite pace with Swearingin driving the same race car, the Porsche Cayman. These two though, Swearingin and Newell, they have been pushing each other all race long. Just a love tap there from Newell to Swearingin. Swearingin in his second season in GT America. Newell rolling speed through the middle of the corner. Last year, Gray Newell won three races and finished fourth in points. Newell could indeed step up to GT3 next year, running G3 cars in Europe. Now, Swearingin has the spot but slides wide in an off camber turn and the two of them are very close! Newell has to back out of it. Samantha Tan has passed by Elias Sabo as well, as we have been having a Captain Cook at this particular scrap.
Smantha Tan is closing in, being mentored and coached by Niclas Jonsson and her co-driver in GT3 is Neil Verhagen of course. She is prepared physically and mentally just the same and has support from Jon Miller who runs the team at ST Racing but also is a driver. Newell is closing back up on Swearingin. Newell is off the pace! Oh my! Something could be amiss with the Aston Martin as Tan is catching him hand over fist! Johnny O'Connell is still leading overall and in SRO3 and is going to have a hard time slicing and dicing through this traffic.
Tan runs wide as O'Connell is trying to pass and Daskalos is right on O'Connell's decklid! Daskalos to the inside of Tan and makes the pass and here comes Sofronas! This is a three-car battle for the lead with ten minutes left in the first race of the weekend. It would mean a ton for James Sofronas to win here at Long Beach with the GMG shops in greater Los Angeles. Sofronas pulls alongside Dasskalos but is caught in traffic. Watch out for the GT2 Mercedes because he will have a ton more speed even than a GT3 car. I cannot tell which of the Mercedes GT2 cars that is. It appears to be the #44, the Brent Holden driven GMG Racing Mercedes.
The GT2 cars have less downforce compared to SRO3, a catch all for new and old homologated GT3 cars. Now, Sofronas dashing and darting to the outside, to the inside, and cannot pass Daskalos. O'Connell had to force the issue on Swearingin as well! Less than ten minutes of racing remaining. Be patient and precise through The Fountain. The top three now separated by less than two seconds. Dan Knox leads the GT2 class with Isaac Sherman out in front, all by his lonesome in GT4. O'Connell, Daskalos, Sofronas, the three veterans scrapping with each other. The Audi has good gear ratios for the exits of these corners. The lap times are dropping as Jonny O'Connell has taken fastest lap of the race but Daskalos and Sofronas are pushing as well.
The tires could be degrading quicker as the fuel burns off and the car gets lighter but not with these Pirelli P Zeros. Johnny O'Connell has indeed reset the CrowdStrike Fastest Lap at 1:19.686. GT4 traffic ahead and it is the two leaders. The teammates, Sherman and Holland! O'Connell to the outside and Daskalos follows as they try playing through the GT4 traffic. This will put Sofronas behind and with this pass, Robb Holland's lead gap in GT4 expands as well. Beautifully played by Sherman who does not have the experience in multi-class racing and on street courses. Daskalos right behind O'Connell and going for the pass!
Daskalos with the preferred line takes the lead away from O'Connell in the Audi. O'Connell has the strength out of the hairpin. Turn one braking zone, Daskalos guards it and Johnny O cannot quite make the pass. Two, maybe three laps left. Daskalos looks comfortable and he has the track position. He does not have pole for race two tomorrow. He is hitting his marks, running his lines. Jason Daskalos has been runner-up in the championship in GT America the last two seasons but is going for the 2024 crown and now, he has reset CrowdStrike Fastest Lap once again! 1:19.511! Oh my! Daskalos is pushing, finding all the road, all of the curbs.
The team is racing with heavy hearts as their crew chief has been diagnosed with cancer. Daskalos is feeling it right now. Daskalos increases the margin to one second and now, Sofronas is losing ground to the top two. Just a couple laps left in the first race of the weekend in the Grand Prix of Long Beach presented by 5.11 Tactical. Daskalos holds the advantage but only at 6/10ths of a second. O'Connell closing on Daskalos' Mercedes. We should see the white flag this time by. It waves. One lap remaining as they clear the GT4 class BMW M4 GT4 of Nick Shanny.
Dust flyung everywhere. Daskalos climbing the curbs and into the flower bed! Oh wow! The gap is half a second. Here comes O'Connell! There is traffic ahead, possibly. Can Daskalos hang on for his second win? Knox leads GT2. Sherman leads GT4. Daskalos in the braking zone, O'Connell closing in. Will he have enough time? Will he get there? Just a handful of turns remaining. Into the hairpin and to the finish line. O'Connell tries. Not enough there. Daskalos wins race one! O'Connell and Sofronas complete the SRO3 podium!
In GT4, Robb Holland has closed up on Isaac Sherman, but it won't be enough. 400 miles south of Sonoma in Long Beach, California, Isaac Sherman is three for three! In GT2, welcome back to Lone Star Racing and Dan Knox. Dan Knox and Mercedes Benz win GT2 over Aaron Farhadi in the Lamborghini. Green to checker all the way with no Full Course Yellows! What a fun motor race to watch! Just incredible! This win will be for Daskalos' crew chief Sheldon Miller for CRP Racing.
Overall/SRO3: #27 Jason Daskalos CRP/Daskalos Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3
GT2: #10 Dan Knox Lonestar Racing Mercedes-AMG GT2
GT4: #098 Isaac Sherman Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS ClubsportA
An emotional win for Jason Daskalos and Sheldon Miller. Sheldon has been Jason's crew chief for 18 years. Incredible! God Bless Sheldon Miller. Fight the good fight, mate. Cue the dance music for the results. Jason Daskalos wins the race. The margin is less than 3/10ths of a second. Aaron Farhadi finishes second to Dan Knox in the GT2 class. Isaac Sherman of course, is the GT4 winner in his first street course event. He had no idea how things would work out. But he has been given tips by his teammate and team owner, Robb Holland. Isaac Sherman, batting a thousand so far this year.
Dan Knox has been familiar with driving a GT3 car. He has been familiar with racing on street courses and ten years ago was doing a lot of it. Now he is back on a street course and back in victory lane, too. A.J. Peterson and Lone Star Racing, victorious. Aaron Farhadi kept Dan Knox honest. Farhadi is not sure he can race for the rest of the year. We'll have to wait and see. Brent Holden completing the podium in GT2. Johnny O'Connell said he was not as lucky as he could have been but knows he and his competitors have put on an incredible show. We will be back here at Long Beach tomorrow for another race to finalize the GT America part of the weekend here at Long Beach. For now, good evening, and so long, everybody. Take care.
Monday, April 22, 2024
2024 ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH - RACE RECAP
ICYMI here's a quick recap of the events at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Saturday. Congrats to all the participants! We'll see you at the MOTUL COURSE DE MONTEREY POWERED BY HYUNDAI N, MAY 10 - MAY 12 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. 🌴.
NBC Sports' Leigh Diffey and Calvin Fish have the race recap. It flew by. Absolutely unbelievable!
Crucial Corner | Around the Fountain at The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach | With Corey Lewis
The fountain turn at the Long Beach Grand Prix rates as one of the most crucial corners for IMSA's drivers to navigate, and with a brass sculpture and thousands of flowers surrounding the turn, it also rates as one of the most beautiful sections of any stop on the WeatherTech Championship calendar.
Fun Facts: The bronze Dolphin Fountain was installed in the traffic circle on Aquarium Way in 1988. The sculpture is 10 feet tall and was created by James "Bud" Bottoms and entitled "Rainbow Riders.". There are 62 Flats of Lobelias with 36 plants each. Totaling 2,232 Lobelias around the fountain and they are set in a checkerboard pattern. It takes 2 days to complete and about 7 weeks to bloom. There are more than 6,600 Lobelias planted in various areas for the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Corey Lewis, driver of the #55 Proton Competition Mustang GT3 GTD car takes us thorugh the intricacies of navigating this unique turn.
Sunday, April 21, 2024
Post-Race News After the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
All of the post-race news and headlines after the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Van der Zande, Bourdais Take Strategic Long Beach Victory
The extended highlights of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on NBC Sports. Leigh Diffey and Calvin Fish call the action topside in the broadcast booth, while Marty Snider and Dillon Welch report from the pit lane.
Watch Extended Highlights of Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
Van der Zande: CGR Kept Tire Strategy Call to "Last Minute"
Thompson "Appreciated" Role Reversal That Led to GTD Win
Michelin Long Beach IMSA Recap 2024
Long Beach Post-Race Notebook
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Winner & Highlights of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
Hello, everyone. It is time to go to the beach. Long Beach, California, specifically. No. This is not a day of R&R, swimming, and surfing. This is a day of motor racing, IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship style. The first sprint event of the year is upon us. This is one of two short races, an hour and 40-minute timed event just the same as we will see at another street course in The Motor City, in Detroit, Michigan, later this summer. Two classes are present in the race today because of the tight nature of this legendary circuit, with the GTP prototypes and the GT Daytona GT3 production cars sharing the track.
On the pole in GTP, my friends from Action Express Racing and the #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V Series.R with Pipo Derani and new sprint racing recruit, Jack Aitken. Cadillac, Whelen Engineering, and Action Express scored pole despite a very close shave in qualifying which buffed out fine, and we are looking forward to starting anew after a forgettable 12 Hours of Sebring about a month ago. Action Express have won at Long Beach before. Can they do so again? The team has victories here in 2018, 2019, and 2021. They are looking for number four.
Porsche Penske Motorsports and their two factory Porsche 963’s are defending champions of the Long Beach event. They too, are ready to go after it, as are the privateer Proton Competition and JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche’s, the Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac, the two WTR Andretti Acura’s, the #40 entry of Jordan Taylor and Louis Deletraz coming off a win at the 12 Hours of Sebring last month, along with the sister #10 car of Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque, and so are the BMW Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8’s, cars #24 and #25.
It will be a closely fought GTP battle. At the top of the shop in GT Daytona is Vasser Sullivan Lexus, who are running a pair of Lexus RC F GT3’s in this event. The #12 regular season GT Daytona class entry with Frankie Montecalvo and for this event, Jack Hawksworth, and the new sister car, #89, of Ben Barnicoat, and Parker Thompson. #89 references the year Toyota Motor Corporation introduced the Lexus luxury car brand here in the United States, in 1989.
We’ll talk about the key players in GTP and the runners and riders in GT Daytona through the hour and 40 minutes we have coming up for you. The circuit here at Long Beach is legendary. It is tight, twisty, and unforgiving with concrete walls surrounding it, and a handful of legendary turns such as the Fountain corner and the fabled Shoreline Drive. Numerically, this is a 27-car field with ten GTP cars and 17 GTD entries. No wildcards in the prototype ranks, but a couple in GTD. The Lexus as well as the #28 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT3, to be driven by Andy Lee and Elias Sabo.
They are fixtures in GT3 racing but on the SRO America GT World Challenge circuit that we have covered here on the blog and this is the teams’ first foray into IMSA competition in a long, long time dating way, way back to the halcyon days of the old American Le Mans Series. The Heart of Racing also have split their lineup up in the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 because some of their drivers are racing at Imola in Italy in the FIA World Endurance Championship event at Imola near Bologna, tomorrow. Now, a program note. I am confused and do not know what is going to happen with the streaming process for the FIA WEC.
So, I hope to bring you everything from Imola as soon as possible. But that may need to wait and make way for some other endurance and sprint racing nuggets I have found for you all to read about, recently. We shall straighten things out with other races being covered on the blog in due time. For the time being, it is Long Beach, right here and right now. Spencer Pumpelly joins Roman De Angelis in the #27 Heart of Racing Aston today in place of his normal teammates who are in Italy also with Heart of Racing for the WEC event at Imola.
We have 100 minutes of racing on the board around this 1.968-mile street circuit. Get ready for a wild afternoon of sports car racing here in southern California, on a gorgeous, 65-degree day. We have Leigh Diffey and Calvin Fish taking us through the action from the booth with Marty Snider and Dillon Welch in the pit lane. Action Express, as I said, we are ready for this race after our massive accident at Sebring. They have a backup tub. There was a slight brush with the wall in qualifying, but it was nothing. Will Action Express succeed? Will there be other teams seeking to make moves?
Again, we have just two classes of cars here for the sprint at Long Beach. Prototypes and GT3 production cars. For Pipo Derani and Parker Thompson, both, continue their form. But the keys to winning this event, catch the “brake”. Make wise decisions about your tires. Hot swap, no full energy or fuel fills. The driver changes will be critical in the one and only pit stop we are going to see. We could see tire degradation play a part, too. The points, by the way, are all tied up. This is it. Now is the time.
Cadillac and BMW on the front row. We will have a split start for safety. The GTP cars are off and running! Green flag! Pipo Derani gets a massive jump and now, Yelloly and Bourdais are fighting already and here come the Porsche’s and the Acura’s. In the GTD classes, the Lexus cars lead the charge. 17 GT Daytona cars all going for it. Danny Formal gets a good start in the #45 WTR Andretti Lamborghini, the Dex Imaging Lambo, going wheel to wheel with the Heart of Racing Astn Martin of Roman De Angelis.
De Angelis fighting on the outside just on lap one of the sprint race! This is no holds barred as Albert Costa chops the nose off of the Lexus, figuratively, through the hairpin! Costa made it work. Mikael Grenier pushing hard in the #32 Korthoff Preston Mercedes-AMG GT3. This field has come to race with force, with vigor. This is unbelievable! Blimey! It is a stack up and a drag race as we get going. Romain De Angelis tries again on Danny Formal, and the Costa Rican racer slams the door in the Canadian’s face
At the tp of the shop, Pipo Derani leads Sebastien Bourdais. The Ganassi Cadillac had hybrid troubles in qualifying yesterday. Montecalvo changed lanes, changed columns at the start and must serve a drive through penalty for doing so. Filipe Albuquerque has made a good start in the #10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 GTP car for WTR Andretti Global. Montecalvo moved in front of his teammate to pick up a draft, too early. That is costly. A bummer for the Vasser Sullivan boys.
Pipo Derani and Action Express lead early doors here at Long Beach and there is more to come. The GTP field has caught GTD traffic. Again, be decisive under green flag racing. Pipo Derani opening a two second gap over Sebastien Bourdais. Action Express Cadillac vs. Ganassi Racing Cadillac. From the start, we saw Nick Tandy in the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 and Sebastien Bourdais I believe was making a move but right now he has Nick Yelloly and the aforementioned Nick Tandy, going for it. Team manager Peter Baron tells Pipo Derani to be calm. There is a fine line in making moves on GT Daytona cars. Two GTD cars as Nick Tandy screams past Nick Yelloly! Yelloly and Tandy, Porsche vs. BMW. The Nicholas and Nicholas show. He has to give it up. We have a Full Course Yellow as the #70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 of Brandon Iribe has had a clatter with the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R of Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer. I think there was a third car in this shemozzle.
In the replay, we can see Iribe getting loose and poor old Adam Adelson was just in the wrong spot at the wrong time. We can hear Brendon, from the in-car microphone, feeling the pain of the impact! Ugh! Ahhh! That is going to hurt in the morning. Racing drivers are human. We all would feel the pain of a massive impact like that. That smarts! Michaelin welcomes the challenge of finding grip on a temporary street course. The GTP cars are running on soft compound tires providing quicker warmup and increased grip. The tread compound is more aggressive. In GTD, there is the new Pro GTD Michelin Pilot Sport tire that was incredibly consistent at the Rolex 24 in January.
Will teams change tires once, twice, or not at all? We’ll have to see. My mind is cranking right now, but with the softer compound, we are going to have to wait and find out as we are almost finished cleaning up the wreckage. Let’s hope that Brendon Iribe is OK and is not in any pain. Sebastien Bourdais is catching Pipo Derani. Bourdais is a master of Long Beach in open wheel cars, in IndyCar, and seems to be ready in the sports car as well. Danny Formal knows the Lamborghini well, but he is assuring his team he can do his job. It is a Kimi Raikkonen “leave me alone, I know what to do”, moment.
Danny Formal and Albert Costa Balboa are both showing their skills as GT3 world class drivers. Mikael Grenier too is in this fight. We have two GT Daytona cars now out of the race after the collision. The points are tied in GTP between the #7 Porsche and the #40 Acura, the two cars to win the first two events of IMSA 2024. Louis Deletraz is a very reserved driver but he will get his elbows out. Green flag and Pipo “The Dynamo” Derani does it again, eking out a lead over the GTP competition.
Filipe Albuquerque is being chased now by Dane Cameron’s Porsche 963 and the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the hands of Philipp Eng. Filipe Albuquerque is currently in eighth place. The #10 team needs to take risks and the battle for the lead in on fire right now with Derani, Bourdais, and Tandy. Cadillac., Cadillac, Porsche. Turn eight, an off camber turn as Tijmen van der Helm is in the #85 JDC-Miller Porsche 963 followed by Mike Rockenfeller in the #5 Proton Competition Mustang Sampling Porsche 963. Roman De Angelis chasing Albert Costa Balboa for GT Daytona.
Spencer Pumpelly is a Silver graded driver who has won at Long Beach in SRO competition and has driven an Aston Martin GT3 for Magnus Racing in the recent past. Seven laps on the board, or seven laps is what it has taken to bring the GTP cars closer to the GTD cars. Derani in the lead of this motor race. A Saturday afternoon in the California sunshine, and Pipo Derani extends his lead over Sebastien Bourdais and Nick Tandy. No change either in GT Daytona. Great to see Flying Lizard back in IMSA with Elias Sabo and Andy Lee.
The #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 currently has Nick Yelloly at the wheel in fourth spot. With strategy, maybe risk it and come to the lane early under a yellow. If you have track position up front, watch your fuel mileage. Leaders will stay out while those deeper in the pack will gamble for sure. Now, the Porsche and BMW battle continues. Munich vs. Stuttgart. The Cadillac’s are inching away. America iron seems to be prevailing presently. Bourdais is whistling ahead of Tandy. Acura can only muster fifth. Bourdais needs to keep Derani honest and both will be saving petrol.
Now, into the traffic they come. The GTP cars run 185 miles an hour into the braking zone while the GT Daytona cars only muster 157 miles an hour. Will Bourdais by a fly in Pipo Derani’s ear? Will he go for it? Derani defensively trying to keep Bourdais at bay. Pipo Derani went upside down into the tire barriers at Sebring and was unhurt. It did not affect anything. Someone went to the right and Nick Tandy maybe has dived for the pit lane and has done so. Tandy, the defending Long Beach champion.
They are making an early stop 35 minutes in. Can Porsche pull a rabbit out of the hat? What will the Cadillac teams do at Action Express and Ganassi Racing? What will BMW Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan do? Left side tires only for Porsche as Matthieu Jaminet gets in. The traffic is madness and everyone is coming to the lane. Now, we have Acura, Porsche, and others, in the lane. Van der Helm, Rocekfeneller, Cameron in. Felipe Nasr takes over the #7.
Did the #7 change tires? I don’t know. I don’t think they did. Can they make a set of Michelin’s last for an hour? Oh my! Here comes Ricky Taylor overlapping with former teammate Richard Westbrook. GTD pit stops now. Two tires for the #34 Conquest Ferrari with Manny Franco now getting into the car and Pipo Derani locks the brakes to avoid a GTD car, Danny Formal’s Lamborghini! Parker Thompson out and Ben Barnicoat in, at the #89 Lexus.
Two rear tires for Porsche #7. Left side tires for the #31 Whelen Cadillac with Jack Aitken getting into the car. He will be under massive pressure going for it and getting the car up to speed. Danny Formal blocked Pipo Derani and caused brake lockup. Aitken, on debut, has run on street courses before. Now, the #01 Ganassi Racing Cadillac is in. Bourdais handed over to Renger van der Zande, the Dutchman.
Ganassi does the overcut and gets ahead of Aitken. No tires on the #31. Check that. Left side tires on the #31 and no tires on the #01. So, have the #01 Cadillac Ganassi Racing team played a blinder? Side by side stuff between Spencer Pumpelly and Robby Foley. Aston Martin Vantage vs. BMW M4 GT3. Will the left side tire change be an advantage for Jack Aitken? Aitken in one of his first races at Long Beach. Aitken reducing the advantage of van der Zande with less than an hour to go with Matthieu Jaminet third for Porsche.
Yelloly at BMW and Rockenfeller at Proton Competition Porsche have not pitted yet. Louis Deletraz has just crunched the wall in turn one. Let’s see what happened to the #40. Ouch! He just lost the rear end, attacking the tur, and… smash! He was back to power and slammed the barriers. Full Course Yellow with 54 minutes remaining. They were tied for the championship lead. Corey Lewis well and truly in the top ten in the #55 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 he is sharing with Italian GT racer Giammarco Levorato.
Again, Louis Deletraz wrecked because he lost traction going back to power. Louis’ father Jean Denis Deletraz who was a Formula 1 and sports car racer himself had flown to Long Beach to see his son race. Proton Competition was founded by Gerold Ried in 1996. They have a team here and in Europe and are racing in IMSA and in the FIA World Endurance Championship. We are into the second half of this motor race. Our Grand Marshal giving the command to start engines was Ricky Brabec, the legend, the first American to win the Dakar Rally in the motorcycle division.
He did it in 2020 and backed it up this year in 2024. 45 minutes left. Sebastien Bourdais says that if the Ganassi team could not pass, no tires was the way to go. This is shaping up to be a street fight. We have two Cadillac’s, two Porsche’s, two BMWs, and at least one Acura, plus the privateer Porsche’s still in this thing. Once again, we are less than 45 minutes away from deciding the victory here at Long Beach. This race has flown by. That’s sprint racing, compared to the long distance races that are the backbone of sports car racing.
This is a 1.968 mile, 11 turn straeet course. The longest running major street race and started in 1975 as a Formula 5000 open wheel race won by Brian Redman, followed by Formula 1 and IndyCar, and then, sports cars with Grand Am, the American Le Mans Series, and now, IMSA. Pipo Derani tells us that the guys behind are doing a different strategy than AXR. That is the difference. So, trying to make a gap did not work out.
In the next 40 minutes the time is now to fight and hope for the best. Jack Aitken will have the edge if the tire degradation kicks in for the rival Cadillac. Aitken has Derani’s full support. A license to do whatever it takes to get the lead back. Green flag and away we go again. Van der Zande gets a jump as Aitken is trying to fend off Jaminet and Nasr in the factory Penske Porsche’s. In the GTD field it is side by side between the Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 of Stevan McAleer and the #34 Ferrari 296 GT3 of Manny Franco who got mugged by Loris Spinelli in the #78 Forte Racing Lamborghini.
Matt Bell in the #13 AWA Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R as Richard Westbrook gets spun out by Ricky Taylor! WTR Andretti Acura #10 vs. JDC Miller Porsche #85. This is a four, five way battle in the GTP field. Cadillac, Cadillac, Porsche, Porsche, BMW. That is the top five. Nasr squeezes De Philippi and tags Nasr’s Porsche! The gloves are off between the American and Brazilian and here comes Gianmaria Bruni, the Italian, in the #5 Proton Competition Porsche 963.
36 minutes remaining. Van der Zande leading Aitken. At BMW Team RLL, De Philippi says Nasr has brake checked him twice. The #25 BMW has four fresh Michelin tires as Jack Aitken is running down Renger van der Zande. 6/10ths of a second is the gap currently. Everyone should be able to go flat out to the finish with just over half an hour to go. Aitken will be pushing van der Zande. Drive through penalty for the #10 Acura of Ricky Taylor for driver responsibility of hitting Richard Westbrook.
GM and Cadillac have done very well here at Long Beach. Flat rear tire on the #12 Vasser SU;llivan Lexus. A broke toe link, broken rear suspension on the #12 Lexus RC F GT3 of Jack Hawksworth while Ben Barnicoat in the sister #89 leads, as Nasr and De Philippi are wrestling again and here comes the sister car for BMW of Jesse Krohn on Gianmaria Bruni. This may end in tears and is getting extremely spicy!
Renger van der Zande trying to manage his tires. Jack Aitken in chase mode. Less than half an hour to go. Jaminet, Nasr, De Philippi completing the top five. Barnicoat, Foley, Pumpelly, the top three in GT Daytona. Lexus, BMW, Aston Martin followed by Lamborghini, Mercedes, and Ford, with Mike Skeen, Corey Lewis, and Kyle Marcelli. Patrick Gallagher in the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 hopes to hang on and try and see his teammate catch the Lexus. Maybe they are settling for second and trying to hold off Pumpelly in the Aston Martin.
Matthieu Jaminet in third has both of the Cadillac’s right in his sights, in the #6 Porsche 963. Time is of the essence with 27 minutes on the board. You cannot afford to just lay back. Make your move now. Double stinting tires could make you vulnerable. Renger van der Zande has to position the car but traffic is the big curveball that is the hounds chasing the fox. Mike Skeen is now under big pressure from Corey Lewis. Ford Mustang GT3 vs. Mercedes-AMG GT3. A couple of V8 powered coupes, same as the Lexus RC F GT3 as well.
The Mustang has cornering speed, but the car is relatively heavy. Meanwhile, in the GTP ranks, this is going to go bananas! Here is the traffic. van der Zande pinches it, trying to get through the traffic. They scream past the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. The GTD cars are moving out of the way, at least temporarily. How long will van der Zande hang on? Aitken can have a shot to catch the rival Cadillac. Big tire degradation has not been what we have seen. 23 minutes to go yet.
Matthieu Jaminet and Felipe Nasr are pushing and now, Connor De Philippi in the BMW has caught Nasr as well, look. Jaminet right on top of Jack Aitken in this battle. Lapped traffic still a massive factor. This race has now unraveled. Spencer Pumpelly limping and Connor De Philippi damaged the #25 BMW on the left front! Loris Spinelli spins Matthieu Jaminet and it is a traffic jam at the hairpin! This is a crash, bang, wallop.
Spencer Pumpelly, meanwhile, was tagged by the #86 Porsche 911 GT3R of Anders Fjordbach sharing with Kerong Li for MDK Motorsports. Aitken in hot pursuit of van der Zande as we stay green. Van der Zande breaking away from Aitken. Felipe Nasr has moved ahead and gained the championship lead as a drive through penalty is assessed to Loris Spinelli. Renger van der Zande leading with less than 17 minutes to go. The lead is two and a half seconds. This caution is still being cleaned up. A gorgeous afternoon in southern California.
Connor De Philippi, as we said, ended up in the tire barriers at turn six and he has pitted for a new nose. That was a weird one trying to grab another downshift and then he stuffed it into the barriers. Last year he came back to finish second after going down the escape road. BMW and Team WRT have not had success yet in the FIA World Endurance Championship yet. Chip Ganassi Racing are looking for success but the same can be said about the fellow Cadillac team, the rival, Action Express.
Renger van der Zande’s tires might be knackered. Action Express took two tires on the stop. Drag the brake against the gas pedal to get core temperature into the tires before we go green. We have an early restart zone. Ganassi going for their fourth overall victory at Long Beach. Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz also did it twice. Green flag. van der Zande vs. Aitken. They are equal at the top. The two Porsche’s follow suit, the factory Penske cars.
Cadillac have won seven of the last eight events here missing 2020 due to the virus pandemic. In the GTD group, Vasser Sullivan lead Turner Motorsports. Lexus over BMW. Ben Barnicoat over Robby Foley. Stevan McAleer being harried by Corey Lewis in the Ford Mustang GT3 #55. Skeen, McAleer, Lewis, for third in GT Daytona. Jack Aitken, an F1 test and development driver, a Formula 2 racer. Jack Aitken raced for Williams in Formula 1.
In the meantime, Gianmaria Bruni is muscling Matthieu Jaminet with Jesse Krohn in the sister BMW M Hybrid V8 behind. Bruni in fifth chasing down Matthieu Jaminet. Four and a half minutes to go. In turns six and eight, this is where the #01 is weaker and Aitken will have a tire advantage. Get the power down into the braking zones. Renger van der Zande is in a comfort zone. Lapped cars ahead. Anders Fjordbach just served a drive through penalty in the MDK Motorsports Porsche. No traffic ahead.
Felipe Nasr also back there in the #7 Porsche 963 for Porsche Penske Motorsports. Could Felipe Nasr in the Porsche have something to say here? Two minutes remaining. Two laps left. Cadillac vs. Cadillac. Jack Aitken, shadowing Renger van der Zande. One lap to go. White flag. Which Cadillac will win this? No need for van der Zande to defend. No dice for Jack Aitken. Chip Ganassi Racing, Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais win it.
In the GTD class it will be a scrap between Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes. Three cars fighting for victory. But the Lexus will be the winners. Vasser Sullivan Lexus #89 win! Ben Barnicoat and Parker Thompson get the job done!
Overall/GTP: #01 van der Zande/Bourdais Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V Series.R
GT Daytona: #89 Thompson/Barnicoat Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3
So, that’s a wrap from here on the streets of Long Beach, California. IMSA will be staying in The Golden State, for the next event on the calendar, another sprint, at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, California, coming up in about three weeks on Mother’s Day weekend. We’ll see you there. Bye bye for now, everyone.
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