Round 4: IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship

More podiums for Porsche on the West coast swing

Porsche Newsroom: Porsche Penske Motorsport has achieved another podium result in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. At the wheel of the No. 6 Porsche 963, Nick Tandy from the UK and Frenchman Mathieu Jaminet secured second place at round four in Laguna Seca. In the GTD class, the customer team Kellymoss with Riley put in an inspired drive to clinch victory and third place. The Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by Pfaff Motorsports brought home third in the GTD-Pro category.

Motul Course de Monterey powered by Hyundai N, 4. Lauf IMSA WeatherTech Championship 2023 – Foto: Gruppe C Photography

Preview

The Porsche Penske Motorsport works team is keen to continue its upward trend in North America with the two Porsche 963. After its victory at Long Beach in mid-April, the factory squad is now eager to climb the podium again at round four of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The customer team JDC-Miller Motorsports fields a Porsche 963 in the top GTP class for the first time in the race over two hours and 40 minutes on the Laguna Seca Raceway. In the two GTD categories, four customer teams campaign a total of five Porsche 911 GT3 R.

On the back of its triumph at the previous race in Long Beach, Porsche Penske Motorsport heads to round four in Laguna Seca with big aspirations. At the second event in California after Long Beach, the works drivers Nick Tandy from the UK and Frenchman Mathieu Jaminet compete in the No. 6 Porsche 963 as the leaders of the drivers’ championship. Their team colleagues Matt Campbell from Australia and Felipe Nasr from Brazil currently rank fifth after achieving a hotly-contested third place in Long Beach. At the race over 2:40 hours, the customer squad JDC-Miller Motorsports celebrates its debut in the top GTP class on the legendary course close to the harbor of the City of Monterey. The former Porsche-Junior and ex-works driver Mike Rockenfeller from Germany and Tijmen van der Helm from the Netherlands share the cockpit of the No. 5 Porsche 963.

Porsche 911 GT3 R, Pfaff Motorsports (#9), Klaus Bachler (A), Patrick Pilet (F)

Qualifying

On the back of the first-ever win for the Porsche 963 at the previous round in Long Beach, the new hybrid prototype from Weissach has now notched up its first pole position: in qualifying at Laguna Seca, factory driver Matt Campbell dominated the qualifying in Laguna Seca at the wheel of the No. 7 car fielded by Porsche Penske Motorsport followed closely by his brand colleague Mathieu Jaminet. For the race, the Australian, who topped the time sheets in both practice sessions, shares the cockpit of the vehicle with Felipe Nasr from Brazil. Jaminet shares driving duties in the No. 6 car with Nick Tandy from the UK. In the GTD-Pro class, Klaus Bachler secured the best grid position in Pfaff Motorsports’ Porsche 911 GT3 R. Alec Udell from the USA achieved the same in the GTD category in the identical model campaigned by Kellymoss with Riley.

Porsche 963, JDC-Miller MotorSports (#5), Tijmen van der Helm (NL), Mike Rockenfeller (D)

One manufacturer clinches three pole positions in three different vehicle categories on a single day – something unprecedented in the history of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. In sunshine and temperatures just above 20 degrees Celsius, the two Porsche 963 fielded by Porsche Penske Motorsport left no doubts about their strength during the 20-minute qualifying session. After setting the fastest times in the top GTP class in the two previous practice sessions on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, Matt Campbell promptly appeared at the top of the timesheet halfway through the qualifying session. With about four minutes remaining on the clock, his brand colleague Jaminet replaced the Australian at the top, only for Campbell to reclaim it shortly afterwards. His advantage at the end: 0.090 seconds. Both of the works team’s Porsche 963 will tackle round four of the North American IMSA championship from the first grid row. Tijmen van der Helm from the Netherlands planted the vehicle of the new customer squad JDC-Miller MotorSports on P9.

Porsche 963 of JDC-Miller MotorSports starts from P9

The bright yellow Porsche 963 fielded by the JDC-Miller Motorsports customer team contested the official sessions of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the first time. While the experienced German Mike Rockenfeller turned most of the practice laps, it was 19-year-old Tijmen van der Helm who tackled the qualifying session in the No. 5 car. Over the 20-minute hunt for top times, the youngster improved from lap to lap and gained important insights ahead of the team’s first race in the top GTP class.

Porsche 911 GT3 R tackle both GT classes from pole position

Porsche’s customer teams contesting the two GT classes of the IMSA series rounded off a banner day for Porsche Motorsport. Austria’s Klaus Bachler clinched pole position in the GTD-Pro class at the wheel of Pfaff Motorsports’ Porsche 911 GT3 R. In the race, Bachler shares the cockpit of the No. 9 car with Frenchman Patrick Pilet. In the GTD category, the amateur driver Alec Udell gave an impressive performance. Surprisingly, the American out-qualified professional drivers from rival manufacturers and teams and secured the first pole for Kellymoss with Riley in the IMSA series. AO Racing’s 911 with the nickname “Rexy” starts from the third grid spot. The No. 91 entry of Kellymoss with Riley achieved ninth, with Wright Motorsports’ car on P15.

Porsche 911 GT3 R, Kellymoss with Riley (#91), Alan Metni (USA), Kay van Berlo (NL)

Qualifying results

GTP class:

Campbell/Nasr (AUS/BR), Porsche 963 #7, 1:14.774 minutes
Tandy/Jaminet (UK/F), Porsche 963 #6, 1:14.864 minutes
Blomqvist/Braun (UK/USA), Acura #60, 1:14.979 minutes

GTD-Pro class:

Bachler/Pilet (A/F), Porsche 911 GT3 R #9, 1:24.529 minutes
Gunn/Riberas (UK/E), Aston Martin #23, 1:24.654 minutes
Jundadella/Gounon (E/F), Mercedes-AMG #79, 1:24.706 minutes

GTD class:

Udell/Andlauer (USA/F), Porsche 911 GT3 R #92, 1:24.539 minutes
Sörensen/de Angelis (DK/CDN), Aston Martin #27, 1:24.647 minutes
Jeannette/Priaulx (USA/UK), Porsche 911 GT3 R #80, 1:25.005 minutes
Metni/van Berlo (USA/NL), Porsche 911 GT3 R #91, 1:25.601 minutes
Brynjolfsson/Hindman (USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R #77, 1:26.365 minutes

Photo: Michele Scudiero / Drew Gibson Photography

The Race

Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet were successful in defending their lead in the drivers’ championship. In the two consecutive IMSA races in California, the British-French works driver duo earned more points than any other driver pairing: They followed up their victory in Long Beach with second place in Laguna Seca. In the manufacturers’ classification, Porsche has advanced to second place. Porsche Penske Motorsport also ranks second in the team championship. On the way to scoring a podium result on the track close to the harbor of Monterey at the Pacific, the works squad had to overcome numerous hurdles.

Porsche 963, Porsche Penske Motorsport (#7), Felipe Nasr (BR), Matt Campbell (AUS)

Podium GTP Class, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Race 4, Laguna Seca, 2023, Porsche AG

In sunshine and cool temperatures, the two hybrid prototypes fielded by Porsche Penske Motorsport tackled the race over 2:40 hours from the first grid row. The first setback came right after the start: Matt Campbell missed the braking point at the wheel of the No. 7 pole-setting car and fell back to sixth place. His teammate Jaminet dropped to third place in the early stages of the race. After 20 minutes, misfortune returned for Campbell. After making contact with a GT car, the Australian was handed a drive-through penalty, which relegated him to the back of the GTP field. During a full course yellow, he handed the No. 7 car to his teammate Felipe Nasr. Bad luck also plagued the Brazilian. After a restart, he slid off the track and crashed into the barriers with the 500+ kW (680 PS) prototype. The repairs cost him eight laps to the top. As a result, Campbell/Nasr were out of contention.

Meanwhile, from the halfway point in the race, the sister car of the Long Beach winners ploughed its way up the order. Nick Tandy gave an impressive performance putting in a spirited drive, particularly during the last stint. In the final phase, the UK driver and 2015 outright Le Mans winner with Porsche attempted some bold overtaking moves, which catapulted him from fourth to second place with 20 minutes remaining. At the flag, the No. 6 car was just 3.882 seconds shy of clinching its second victory of the season.

Porsche 963, Porsche Penske Motorsport (#7), Felipe Nasr (BR), Matt Campbell (AUS), (#6), Nick Tandy (UK), Mathieu Jaminet (F)

JDC-Miller MotorSports’ Porsche 963 wraps up its strong debut in seventh

The Porsche 963 campaigned by the customer team JDC-Miller MotorSports made a convincing debut in the GTP class. The American squad arrived in Laguna Seca without a single kilometre of testing and experienced a steep learning curve during the weekend in California. The 19-year-old Dutchman Tijmen van der Helm and the seasoned specialist from Germany Mike Rockenfeller gained momentum as the race progressed and ultimately finished in a respectable seventh place with the No. 5 car. “That was eventful. We learned a lot about the car, the tyres, the brakes and much more,” says team co-owner John Church. “We’re not yet matching the pace of the competition but we’ve steadily improved. We made it over the distance and there’s not a single scratch on the car.”

Porsche 911 GT3 R, Wright Motorsports (#77), Alan Brynjolfsson (USA), Trent Hindman (USA)

Porsche 911 GT3 R wins the GTD class, Pfaff Motorsports finishes on podium

Porsche’s customer teams took full advantage of the new 911 GT3 R’s strengths in Laguna Seca. In the GTD class, amateur driver Alan Metni and the talented youngster Kay van Berlo drove to victory. The Dutchman, who is supported by Porsche Motorsport North America, laid the foundation for his win with the No. 91 car in the final stint. At the same time, the former Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer achieved third place in the sister car fielded by Kellymoss with Riley. The Frenchman shared the cockpit with Alec Udell from America. Wright Motorsports’s No. 77 entry finished sixth, with AO Racing’s 911 GT3 R “Rexy” decked out in a dinosaur livery crossing the finish line in eleventh place. In the GTD-Pro category, Pfaff Motorsports once again demonstrated its prowess. Despite receiving two penalties, Austria’s Klaus Bachler and Frenchman Patrick Pilet worked their way up to third place.

Luftgekühlt 10 at Universal Studios

Porsche Penske Motorsport gains ground in the overall classification of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. In the manufacturer and team championship, Porsche ranks second. In the drivers’ classification, Mathieu Jaminet and Nick Tandy have now built a 25-point advantage over their closest rivals. Round five of the North American IMSA series will be contested on 25 June at Watkins Glen in the US state of New York. Two weeks before that, the Porsche Penske Motorsport works squad will field three Porsche 963 at Le Mans sporting an anniversary livery on the occasion of the 75th celebration of the Stuttgart sports car brand. On 10/11 June, the 24-hour classic celebrates its 100th anniversary.