Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet further extended their lead in the GTP drivers’ standings at the eighth round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. After a hard-fought race, the two former Porsche Juniors crossed the finish line in fifth place at Road America in their Porsche 963. Their fellow factory drivers, Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy, finished eleventh following a time penalty. Nonetheless, they continue to hold second place in the drivers’ standings, while Porsche also maintains its lead in the manufacturers’ championship with two races remaining. In the GTD class, Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer secured sixth place in the 911 GT3 R fielded by Porsche customer team Wright Motorsports.

The 160-minute race on the 6.515-kilometre Road America circuit began in hectic fashion. The safety car was deployed on the opening lap after an LMP2 car skidded off the track. When the green flags were waved after a good 15 minutes, it had to come out again immediately – yet another competitor had slid off the circuit.

The two 507 kW (689 PS) hybrid prototypes fielded by the Porsche Penske Motorsport factory team took advantage of the second yellow phase to make an early pit stop just 23 minutes into the race. Following the refuelling, starting drivers Matt Campbell from Australia and Felipe Nasr from Brazil rejoined the race in tenth and eleventh positions, stuck behind a slower LMDh car that held them up. Nevertheless, the bold strategic decision paid off. When the safety car returned to the track just over an hour into the race, the leading GTP cars headed into the pit lane for scheduled service stops. Thanks to a shorter refuelling time and the excellent work of the pit crew, both factory Porsche 963 capitalised on the situation: Mathieu Jaminet from France – who had taken over from Campbell in the Number 6 car – emerged in the lead, while Nick Tandy, replacing Nasr, moved up into fourth place.

Just over an hour before the end of the eighth IMSA race of the season, the Briton launched an attack on the third-placed driver and completed the overtake. However, when the overtaken driver attempted to counter just a few metres later, the two cars made contact on the straight, causing the Cadillac to spin. The race stewards deemed Tandy at fault and imposed a 60-second pit stop penalty, which ultimately dropped the Number 7 Porsche to eleventh place in the GTP class.

The incident triggered another yellow flag phase, which caught the sister car off guard and allowed two BMW, who had just refuelled, to move to the front of the field. After his pit stop, Jaminet rejoined the race in fourth place. Following further difficulties in overtaking situations, which were often fiercely contested, and a fair duel with Earl Bamber, he ultimately had to settle for fifth place in the closing minutes.

“We’re looking back on the race here in Elkhart Lake with mixed emotions – it didn’t go our way,” explained Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. “But we’re still leading the championship with the number 6 Porsche 963, which is the most important thing. The drivers and pit crews did a great job. We’ve got two races to go and it’s in our own hands. We’ll fight hard!”

“We made the right decisions during the race and brought both Porsche to the front,” summarised Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. “Congratulations to BMW, they chose a bold strategy during the final yellow phase and were duly rewarded. Our race cars were hit several times on track, some of our competitors drove quite aggressively. Overall, it was an acceptable result; we remain first and second with both Porsches. Hopefully, we can demonstrate stronger performance in Indianapolis and be more competitive again, particularly in terms of top speed on the straights – something we sorely lacked here.”

The Porsche customer team JDC-Miller Motorsports climbed from eleventh to fifth place in the early stages of the race. However, as the event progressed, Italian driver Gianmaria Bruni and Tijmen van der Helm from the Netherlands were unable to maintain the pace of the competition and gradually lost ground. The pair ultimately crossed the finish line in tenth place.

GT classes: Strong showing from customer team Wright Motorsport
Enacting a bold strategy, Austrian Klaus Bachler and reigning IMSA GTD-Pro champion Laurin Heinrich steadily climbed through the field from seventh on the grid at Road America. A good hour before the race’s end, the AO Racing team’s Porsche 911 GT3 R – affectionately nicknamed ‘Rexy’ by fans – took the lead and held it until around 15 minutes before the finish. However, the absence of an extended yellow flag period, which would have made another refuelling stop unnecessary, meant another trip to the pits was unavoidable. The two former Porsche Juniors made their final stop and ultimately crossed the finish line in eighth place in their class.

Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer had better fortune. Helming their up to 416 kW (565 PS) Wright Motorsports 911, they largely avoided incidents and climbed from twelfth on the grid to sixth in the GTD classification. Their biggest challenge was contesting the entire race without radio contact, relying instead on strategic instructions conveyed via pit boards in the traditional way.

Drivers’ impressions after the race
Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 963 #6): “The positive news for us is that we were able to further extend our lead in the championship. With two races remaining before the season’s end, our future is in our own hands. It was a bit of a rollercoaster here at Elkhart Lake – at times we were almost last, then we took the lead and felt in control. But a yellow flag phase cost us positions once again, and a collision damaged the front left steering. Shortly before the finish, there was also an incident with a GTD Pro car, followed by a funny duel with my friend Earl Bamber. A lot happened. Ultimately, fifth place means it was a good day for us.”

Nick Tandy (Porsche 963 #7): “It was a tough race. I saw the incident that led to the penalty differently. As a result, we weren’t able to achieve the result that had been within our reach. Still, the strategy, the team, and the pit stops were all spot on in getting our Porsche to the front. That shows me we’re capable of fighting for victories again – and I’m looking forward to that.”

Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 963 #85): “Thanks to a strong start and solid strategy, we managed to break into the top five at times today. Later on, I got held up in lapped traffic. Compared to yesterday, we made a step in the right direction with our Porsche’s set-up. However, we’re still lacking top speed on the straights. Hopefully that will improve in the final two races, so that duels with other competitors become more enjoyable again – that would be nice.”

Laurin Heinrich (Porsche 911 GT3 R #77): “We knew that our pace alone wouldn’t get us very far, which naturally put us in a vulnerable position. So, we took a bit of a gamble with our strategy – sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on our side today, and we have to accept that. Still, I’m very proud of my team, because at least we gave it a go.”

Elliott Skeer (Porsche 911 GT3 R #120): “After qualifying in twelfth, finishing sixth is a big step forward and a great reward for all the hard work we’ve put in since the race at Mosport! We’re doing our best to squeeze every last drop of performance out of the Porsche. But racing without radio contact to the team? It reminded me of the old days, but it’s by no means my favourite way to operate. It made things even more exhausting, especially from a strategic point of view, in a race that was already chaotic…“

Race results
GTP class:
1. Eng/D. Vanthoor (AUT/BEL), BMW #24, 66 laps
2. S. van der Linde/Wittmann (ZAF/DEU), BMW #25, +2.524 seconds
3. Van der Zande/Yelloly (NLD/GBR), Acura #93, +3.628 seconds
5. Campbell/Jaminet (AUS/FRA), Porsche 963 #6, +15.848 seconds
10. Bruni/Van der Helm (ITA/NLD), Porsche 963 #85, +37.098 seconds
11. Nasr/Tandy (BRA/GBR), Porsche 963 #7, 1:43.648 minutes

GTD-Pro class:
1. Snow/Verhagen (USA/USA), BMW #1, 62 laps
2. Rockenfeller/Priaulx (DEU/GBR), Ford #64, +2.915 seconds
3. Costa/Altoe (ESP/ITA), Ferrari #81, +13.316 seconds
8. Heinrich/Bachler (DEU/AUT), Porsche 911 GT3 R #77, +1:05.657 seconds

GTD class:
1. Triarsi/Koch (USA/USA), Ferrari #21, 62 laps
2. Goikhberg/Farnbacher (CDN/DEU), Lamborghini #78, +1.618 seconds
3. Franco/Serra (USA/BRA), Ferrari #34, +3.066 seconds
6. Adelson/Skeer (USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R #120, +7.018 seconds

Results and championship standings available at https://imsa.alkamelsystems.com.